Fluid Thin Films Research Group
Dynamics of Thin Liquid Films: Mathematics and Experiments
The science of thin liquid films has developed rapidly in recent years, with applications to coating flows, biofluids, microfluidic engineering, and medicine. These recent developments open up many opportunities for substantial contributions to the field by our group, using a combination of mathematical modeling, analysis and numerical simulation, coupled to carefully chosen quantitative experiments. Our current efforts are focused on three different
free-surface flow problems: Marangoni-driven flows (via either thermal effects or surfactants), the dynamics of thin films where inertia become important, and instabilities in vibrated thin films.
Our models for these phenomena are given by nonlinear partial differential equations, whose analysis and numerical computation present a rich variety of challenging problems. Several specific problems arising from earlier work
on undercompressive waves and rupturing films will also be pursued.
- Principal Investigators
- Senior Personnel
- Postdoctoral Research Associates
- Graduate Students
- Lake Bookman (NCSU)
- Harrison Potter (Duke)
- Undergraduate students
- Kali Allison (Harvey Mudd)
- Wynn Vonnegut (Harvey Mudd)
- Kevin Blackwell (NCSU)
- Jeffrey Wong (Harvey Mudd)
- Collaborators and prior members
Harvey Mudd undergraduates Kali Allison and Wynn Vonnegut
with Karen Daniels and Michael Shearer at the NCSU Undergraduate Research
Symposium, July 2010.
Old Photo Gallery
Publications from previous grants
Fluid Dynamics Resources
Nonlinear dynamics and breakup of free-surface flows by J. Eggers,
Reviews of Modern Physics, 69, 865-930 (1997)
Long-scale evolution of thin liquid films by A. Oron,
S. H. Davis, and S. G. Bankoff, Reviews of Modern Physics,
69, 931-980 (1997)
Thin Films with High Surface Tension by T. G. Myers,
SIAM Review Volume 40, Number 3 pp. 441-462 (1998).
The Mathematics of Moving Contact Lines in Thin Liquid Films by
A. L. Bertozzi, Notices of the AMS, June 1998.
Wetting: statics and dynamics by P. G. de Gennes,
Reviews of Modern Physics, 57, 827-863 (1985).
Instabilities in Gravity Driven Flow of Thin Fluid Films by
L. Kondic, SIAM Review, 45, 1, pp. 95-115 (2003).
Wetting and spreading by Bonn, Eggers, Indekeu
Meunier and Rolley, Rev. Mod. Phys. 81, 739-805 (2009).
Dynamics and stability of thin liquid films by
R. V. Craster and O. K. Matar, Rev. Mod. Phys. 81, 1131-1198 (2009)
Related research groups
We are grateful for support from the following funding programs:
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in
this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the
views of the National Science Foundation.