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  • AME Department Seminar

    Fri, Nov 19, 2010 @ 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

    Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering

    Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars


    Speaker: Élisabeth Guazzelli , Associate Professor, IUSTI - CNRS, Polytech'Marseille

    Talk Title: Falling Clouds of Particles

    Abstract: The time evolution of clouds of particles settling under the action of gravity in an otherwise pure liquid is investigated both experimentally and numerically. It is found that an initially spherical cloud containing enough particles is unstable even in the complete absence of inertia. The cloud slowly evolves into a torus which breaks up into secondary droplets which deform into tori themselves in a repeating cascade. The discrete nature of the particles is fundamental in the understanding of these instabilities. Faster breakup is observed for clouds of anisotropic particles such as fibers due to the self motion of the anisotropic particles. When inertia is finite, the cloud also deforms into a flat torus that eventually destabilizes and breaks up into a number of secondary droplets. While this behavior bears some similarity with that observed at zero-inertia, the underlying physical mechanisms differ. Moreover, the evolution of the cloud deformation is accelerated as inertia is increased. Two inertial regimes where macro-scale inertia and micro-scale inertia become successively dominant are clearly identified.

    Host: Dr. E. Kanso

    More Info: http://ame-www.usc.edu/seminars/index.shtml#upcoming

    Location: Hedco Neurosciences Building (HNB) - 100

    Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

    Contact: April Mundy

    Event Link: http://ame-www.usc.edu/seminars/index.shtml#upcoming


    This event is open to all eligible individuals. USC Viterbi operates all of its activities consistent with the University's Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor.


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