In this short film from the Chemical Bouillon team, dark ink drops spread in dendritic fractal patterns after being deposited on an unknown transparent liquid. Although the patterns look similar Keep reading
Tag: instability
Spin Cycle
Rotational motion is a great way to break up liquids, as anyone who’s watched a dog shake itself dry can attest. That same centrifugal force is what allows this rotary Keep reading
Nitro Bubble Cascades
Fans of nitro beers — particularly Guinness’ stout — have probably noticed the fascinating cascade of bubbles that form as the beer settles. It’s a non-intuitive behavior — bubbles rise since they’re Keep reading
Pearls On a Puddle
Leave a drop of coffee sitting on a surface and it will leave behind a ring of particulates once the water evaporates. But what happens to a droplet made up Keep reading
Vortex Collisions Leave Clues to Turbulence
Vortex ring collisions have long been admired for their beauty, but they’re now shedding light on the fundamental interactions that lead to turbulence. By dying just the cores of colliding Keep reading
A Microfluidic Zoo
Microfluidic channels are excellent at creating a steady supply of droplets. But depending on the characteristics of the two viscous fluids being used, as well as factors like flow rate Keep reading
Using Electric Fields to Avoid Dripping
Anyone who’s painted a room at home is familiar with the frustration of drips. At certain inclinations, practically every viscous liquid develops these gravity-driven instabilities. They’re troublesome in manufacturing as Keep reading
“Otherworld, Vol. 1”
Roman De Giuli’s “Otherworld, Volume 1” is a beautiful exploration of color and flow. Glittery particulates act as tracers in the flow, reminiscent of the way rheoscopic fluids do. In Keep reading
“Magic Fluids”
In his short film, “Magic Fluids,” Roman De Giuli uses cyan, magenta, and yellow paints to generate a rainbow of macro colors. All the fluid motion you see is a practical Keep reading
Wave Clouds in the Front Range
Last Sunday night metro Denver was treated to a rare sight: clouds resembling breaking waves formed near sunset. These are Kelvin-Helmholtz clouds, and the comparison to ocean waves is apt, Keep reading