MC 6460
Speaker
Colin Denniston | Department of Applied Mathematics & Physics and Astronomy, Western University
Title
Modelling Moving Objects in a Complex Fluid
Abstract
An object freely moving in a fluid (i.e. not a prescribed motion) is a difficult situation to model as it involves solving partial differential equations over a domain with a moving boundary. As the motion of the boundary is not prescribed, its motion must also be part of the solution. The situation is even more difficult in a complex fluid where there are additional boundary conditions for the internal structure of the fluid at the objects boundary. I will discuss methods of solving this problem and, in particular, focus on advances in the immersed boundary method for inertial flows and massive objects. I will illustrate the results using work my group has done on colloids, polymers, and moving discs in liquid crystals.