#2024gofm

[fuckyeahfluiddynamics]

Bow Shock Instability

There are few flows more violent than planetary re-entry. Crossing a shock wave is always violent; it forces a sudden jump in density, temperature, and pressure. But at re-entry speeds this shock wave is so strong the density can jump by a factor of 13 or more, and the temperature increase is high enough that it literally rips air molecules apart into plasma. (Image credit: A. Álvarez and A. Lozano-Duran) Read the full article

[fuckyeahfluiddynamics]

Manu Jumping, a.k.a. How to Make a Big Splash

The Māori people of Aotearoa New Zealand compete in manu jumping to create the biggest splash. In this video, researchers break down the physics of the move and how it creates an enormous splash. (Video and image credit: P. Rohilla et al.) Read the full article

[fuckyeahfluiddynamics]

Dancing Metal Droplets

Droplets of a gallium alloy are liquid at room temperature. When spiked with aluminum grains and immersed in a solution of NaOH, the droplets change shape and move in a random fashion.  (Video and image credit: N. Kim) Read the full article

[fuckyeahfluiddynamics]

Salt Fingers

Any time a fluid under gravity has areas of differing density, it convects. We're used to thinking of this in terms of temperature -- "hot air rises" -- but temperature isn't the only source of convection.  (Video and image credit: M. Mohaghar et al.) Read the full article

[fuckyeahfluiddynamics]

Entraining Bubbles

Every time I fill a glass at my refrigerator, I watch how the falling jet creates a cloud of bubbles. The bubbles form when the impacting water jet pulls air in with it, though, as this video shows, the exact origins can vary. (Video and image credit: S. Relph and K. Kiger)

[fuckyeahfluiddynamics]

"Droplet on a Plucked Wire"

What happens to a droplet hanging on a wire when the wire gets plucked? That's the fundamental question behind this video, which shows the effects of wire speed, viscosity, and viscoelasticity on a drop's detachment.  (Video and image credit: D. Maity et al.) Read the full article

[fuckyeahfluiddynamics]

A Drop's Shape Effects

Falling raindrops get distorted by the air rushing past them, ultimately breaking large droplets into many smaller ones. This research poster shows how variable this process is by showing two different raindrops, both of the same 8-mm initial diameter.  (Image credit: S. Dighe et al.) Read the full article

[fuckyeahfluiddynamics]

Bigger Particles Slide Farther

Mudslides and avalanches typically carry debris of many shapes and sizes. To understand how debris size affects flows like these, researchers use simplified, laboratory-scale experiments like this one.  (Video and image credit: S. Burnett et al.) Read the full article