Drips, blobs, and squishes – that’s how artist Dan Lam describes her recent series of sculptures. The pieces are a mix of polyurethane foam, resin, and acrylic, decorated in bold Keep reading
Month: February 2025
Aerodynamic Flight Testing
Flight testing models has a long history in aerodynamics. Above you see a Curtiss JN-4 biplane in flight with a model wing suspended below the fuselage. This test was conducted Keep reading
Michigan Dam Failure
Last week Michigan’s Edenville Dam failed, triggering catastrophic flooding. While the exact causes of dam’s failure are not yet clear, this video of the collapse provides some interesting hints. As Keep reading
Particle-filled Splashes
Adding particles to a liquid can significantly alter its splash dynamics, as shown in this new study. In the first image, a purely-liquid droplet spreads on impact into a thin Keep reading
Updating Undergraduate Heat Transfer
For many engineering students, their first exposure to fluid dynamics comes in a heat transfer class. The typical focus in these classes is not on the underlying physics but on Keep reading
“Focus, Vol. 2”
This short film from photographer Roman De Giuli focuses on ethereal and abstract fluids. What you’re watching is primarily paint, with a little in the way of flow additives. There’s Keep reading
The Naruto Whirlpools
Enormous whirlpools are not simply the work of overactive imaginations. There are several spots in the world, including Japan’s Naruto Strait, that regularly see these spectacular vortices. Naruto’s whirlpools are Keep reading
Fractal Flame Propagation
Hydrogen is a promising alternative to carbon-based fuels, but it comes with its own special challenges. Hydrogen gas is extremely flammable, including under circumstances that would normally quench flames, as Keep reading
Bubble Dynamics Govern Faster Pouring
We’re all familiar with the problem of pouring a liquid from a narrow-necked bottle. To a certain extent, tilting the bottle further will reduce the time it takes to empty, Keep reading
Aerosol Transport
NASA Goddard has produced another gorgeous visualization of how various aerosols move around our world. This visualization is constructed from data collected between August 2019 and January 2020, which means Keep reading