Speaker: Dan Anderson, Mathematics, George Mason University

Title: Liquid Droplets Dynamics: Variations on a Theme

Abstract: Free-boundary problems in fluid mechanics arise in many scientific, industrial and everyday settings. The spreading of a liquid droplet on a solid substrate is one such free-boundary problem that has long-attracted the attention of fluid dynamics researchers and applied mathematicians. In this talk, we shall describe this droplet problem briefly but go on to consider variations of this problem in which the droplet may undergo phase transformation or otherwise be dramatically altered by other factors. In particular, we shall describe the dynamics of evaporating droplets, freezing droplets, melting droplets and droplets being imbibed into porous substrates, among others. We shall present experimental results as well as mathematical models developed to describe these problems.

Place: Science and Technology Building I, Room 242

Presentation files: [ppt]

Department of Mathematical Sciences
George Mason University
4400 University Drive, MS 3F2
Fairfax, VA 22030-4444
http://math.gmu.edu/
Tel. 703-993-1460, Fax. 703-993-1491