Fluid Dynamics News - SciTechDaily

New Research Challenges Conventional Wisdom on Wet Surface Adhesion

University of Akron — Wed, 14 Aug 2024 01:21:17 +0000

In a significant shift in understanding, scientists have found that water can improve adhesion under certain conditions, challenging the longstanding belief that water impedes this process. This discovery could lead to advances in medical adhesives and other applications. Researchers from the University of Akron and the University of Pittsburgh have challenged long-standing beliefs with new [...]

Cracking the Code: Scientists Solve Reynolds’ Century-Old Fluid Flow Mystery

University of California - San Diego — Mon, 10 Jun 2024 00:30:56 +0000

Statistical mechanics offers novel insights into the origins of turbulence In 1883 Osborne Reynolds injected ink into water in a short, clear pipe to observe its movement. His experiments showed that as the input water velocity increased, the flow went from laminar (smooth and predictable) to turbulent (unsteady and unpredictable) through the development of localized [...]

Inspired by Cheerios: Scientists Develop New More Efficient Way To Capture Fresh Water From the Air

King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST) — Sun, 05 May 2024 19:17:22 +0000

A more efficient way to capture fresh water from the air could be inspired by a phenomenon of motion first glimpsed in bowls of breakfast cereal. KAUST researchers have observed that, when water droplets condense from the air onto a cold surface coated with oil, the droplets commence a complex dance. This motion — akin [...]

Disturbing the Deep: New Research Reveals That Humans Have Intensely Impacted Earth’s Hidden Depths

University of Arizona — Fri, 26 Apr 2024 11:14:53 +0000

The effects of human activities like greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation on the surface of Earth are well-documented. Recently, hydrology researchers at the University of Arizona have explored the influence of humans on the deep subsurface of Earth, which extends from hundreds of meters to several kilometers below the surface. “We looked at how the [...]

Jet-Powered Cicada Urination Redefines the Rules of Fluid Dynamics

Georgia Institute of Technology — Sat, 16 Mar 2024 21:45:08 +0000

While most small insects and mammals urinate in droplets, cicadas urinate in jets. Georgia Tech researchers say the finding could be used to create better robots and small nozzles. Cicadas are the soundtrack of summer, but their pee is more special than their music. Rather than sprinkling droplets, they emit jets of urine from their [...]

Chirality Unchained: Liquid Crystals Break the Symmetry Barrier

Jennifer Chu, Massachusetts Institute of Technology — Tue, 05 Mar 2024 12:13:27 +0000

Study finds chiral structures, with mirror-image configurations, can emerge from nonchiral systems, suggesting new ways to engineer these materials. Hold your hands out in front of you, and no matter how you rotate them, it’s impossible to superimpose one over the other. Our hands are a perfect example of chirality — a geometric configuration by [...]

Written in Blood: The Revealing Forensic “Tails” of Crime Scene Bloodstains

American Institute of Physics — Sun, 17 Dec 2023 01:59:59 +0000

A new study in forensic science reveals that the “tails” of bloodstains offer crucial information about the blood drop’s origin, enhancing crime scene analysis and evidence interpretation. Forensic science has captured the public imagination by storm, as the profusion of “true crime” media in the last decade or so suggests. By now, most of us [...]

Diving Into the Painful Truth: Brown University’s Surprising Belly Flop Study

Brown University — Wed, 08 Nov 2023 22:21:01 +0000

Experiments by a Brown-led research team investigated belly flop mechanics and found surprising insights about air-to-water impacts that could be useful for marine engineering applications. Anyone who’s ever done a belly flop into a swimming pool knows it ends with a blunt-sounding splat, a big splash and a searing red sting. What most people don’t [...]

The Science Behind Skipping Stones: Gateway to Marine Engineering Advances

American Institute of Physics — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 21:23:53 +0000

Researchers uncover dynamics of buoyant spheres and the formation of horizontal air cavities at the air-water interface. Driven by the need to safeguard marine animals and promote sustainable solutions within marine environments, an interdisciplinary team of researchers from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia and Sofia University in Bulgaria are [...]

Unmasking Clear Air Turbulence: Fugaku Supercomputer Simulates Invisible Winds, Enhancing Flight Safety

Nagoya University — Tue, 18 Jul 2023 00:36:34 +0000

A research group from Nagoya University utilized Japan’s Fugaku supercomputer to simulate clear-air turbulence around Tokyo, improving upon current predictive models. The study, published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, identified the collapse of the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability wave as a primary cause of turbulence. By validating their simulations against real-world observational data, the researchers hope [...]

Scientists Reveal That Water Can “Talk” to Electrons in Graphene

Max Planck Institute — Wed, 28 Jun 2023 14:03:50 +0000

Researchers confirm theory of quantum friction. Water and carbon make a quantum couple: the flow of water on a carbon surface is governed by an unusual phenomenon dubbed quantum friction. A recent study provides experimental proof of this phenomenon – previously predicted through theoretical research – occurring at the interface of liquid water and graphene, [...]

Bubble Wonder – Researchers Develop New Mathematical Model to Enhance Ultrasound Resolution

University of Tsukuba — Tue, 20 Jun 2023 13:55:34 +0000

A team of scientists at the University of Tsukuba has created a mathematical model that describes the relationship between sound waves and multiple encapsulated microbubbles, which are commonly used as contrast agents for ultrasound. This breakthrough could potentially aid advancements in the fields of medical imaging and drug delivery. Researchers from the University of Tsukuba [...]

A Toast to Science: Researchers Unveil the Mystery Behind Champagne’s Elegant Bubbles

Brown University — Tue, 23 May 2023 21:35:59 +0000

Fluid mechanics researchers found that surfactants give the celebratory drink its stable and signature straight rise of bubbles. Researchers from Brown University and the University of Toulouse discovered that surfactants, soap-like compounds, are responsible for the straight rise of bubbles in champagne. This unique bubble behavior, which differs from other carbonated drinks, has significant implications [...]

Physics Experiment Inspired by Earth’s Core Leads to Groundbreaking Discovery in Fluid Flow Turbulence

New York University — Tue, 16 May 2023 23:36:12 +0000

Turbulent flows take on a surprising spin in an experiment inspired by the Earth’s core. A team of physicists has discovered a new role for a specific type of turbulence—a finding that sheds light on fluid flows ranging from the Earth’s liquid core to boiling water. The research, which appears in the journal Proceedings of [...]

Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for a Cutting-Edge Tsunami Early Warning System

American Institute of Physics — Tue, 25 Apr 2023 15:00:24 +0000

Real-time classification of underwater earthquakes based on acoustic signals enables earlier, more reliable disaster preparation. Researchers have developed an AI-powered early warning system for tsunamis that uses acoustic technology and hydrophones to measure and classify underwater earthquakes in real-time, allowing for faster and more accurate risk assessments. Tsunamis are incredibly destructive waves that can destroy [...]

Unsolved for 500 Years: Researchers Crack Leonardo da Vinci’s Paradox

University of Seville — Fri, 03 Feb 2023 13:34:22 +0000

Researchers from the universities of Seville and Bristol have solved the mystery surrounding the unsteady path of an air bubble rising in water. Professors Miguel Ángel Herrada of the University of Seville and Jens G. Eggers of the University of Bristol have uncovered a mechanism that explains the erratic movement of bubbles rising in water. [...]

Threatening Even Large Ships – Unraveling the Mystery of Colossal Rogue Waves

University of Sydney — Tue, 10 Jan 2023 12:19:31 +0000

Extreme waves can be generated when waves cross. A study published in Physical Review Letters by researchers from the University of Sydney and Tokyo University has found that “rogue” ocean waves, also known as extreme or giant waves, may be more common in multi-directional wave patterns than previously thought. These waves, which can damage marine [...]

Mesmerizing: Watch Water Droplets Merge on the International Space Station

American Institute of Physics — Tue, 27 Dec 2022 15:20:44 +0000

Scientists designed and analyzed water droplet experiments that were conducted on the International Space Station. Understanding how water droplets spread and coalesce is essential for scenarios in everyday life, such as raindrops falling off cars, planes, and roofs, and for applications in energy generation, aerospace engineering, and microscale cell adhesion. However, these phenomena are difficult [...]

New Dynamical Framework for Turbulence Uncovered by Physicists

Georgia Institute of Technology — Tue, 06 Sep 2022 05:37:52 +0000

Findings reveal a new ‘roadmap’ for turbulence research with a broad range of applications, including more accurate weather forecasts and improving the fuel efficiency of cars and airplanes. Although most people don’t think about it, turbulence plays a key role in our daily lives. It makes for bumpy plane rides, affects weather and climate, limits [...]

Sizzling Sound of Deep-Frying Reveals Complex Physics of Vapor Cavities

American Institute of Physics — Tue, 07 Jun 2022 15:00:37 +0000

Moistened chopsticks, water droplets in hot cooking oil reveal complicated bubble dynamics and sound characteristics. As its name implies, fluid mechanics is a branch of physics concerned with the mechanics of fluids (liquids, gases, and plasmas) and the forces on them. It can be divided into two areas of study: fluid statics and fluid dynamics. [...]

Danger of Double Masking Against COVID-19

American Institute of Physics — Wed, 18 May 2022 19:24:12 +0000

Proper Fit Crucial for Optimal Mask Protection Face shape influences mask fit, suggests problems with double masking against COVID-19. In its updated guidance at the start of 2022, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said loosely woven cloth masks offer the least protection against COVID-19, and N95 and KN95 masks offer the [...]

Cloth COVID Masks Filter Less Than 10% of Particles – Inferior for Protection Against Airborne Viral Spread

American Institute of Physics — Tue, 01 Mar 2022 16:00:51 +0000

Simulations reveal low filtration efficiency in woven fabric. Like many other viruses, COVID-19 is transmitted primarily via particles carried in the air. An infected person breathes out particles containing the virus into the air, which can then be inhaled by another person, who then becomes infected. Flow simulations suggest that when a person breathes through [...]

“Quantum Friction” Explains Fluid Dynamics Mystery That Has Baffled Scientists for 15 Years

Simons Foundation — Wed, 02 Feb 2022 16:00:47 +0000

“Quantum friction” slows water flow through carbon nanotubes, resolving long-standing fluid dynamics mystery. For 15 years, scientists have been baffled by the mysterious way water flows through the tiny passages of carbon nanotubes — pipes with walls that can be just one atom thick. The streams have confounded all theories of fluid dynamics; paradoxically, fluid [...]

Simulations Reveal Fundamental Insights on Janus Particles

American Institute of Physics — Mon, 31 Jan 2022 10:52:03 +0000

Interfacial diffusion of nanoparticles strongly affected by their shape and surface coating. Named for a Roman god, Janus particles refer to nanoparticles that possess surfaces with two or more distinct physical chemical properties. The special nanoparticles were introduced to the scientific community by 1991 Nobel Prize winner Pierre-Gilles de Gennes, who pointed out that “objects [...]