Our laboratory is mainly an experimental facility, as such, we like to develop tools that improve our experimental prowess. Further, we enjoy finding applied mathematical models that elegantly explain physical phenomena we witness. However, we welcome numerical simulations that can accurately model our experiments, or chances to validate numerical work and look for collaborators in this area whenever possible.
Sloshing Dynamics
Professor Tadd Truscott along with Masters Student Robert Klaus and undergraduate Taylor W. Killian investigate the impact dynamics of hollow elastic spheres partially filled with fluid in a research paper and podcast featured on Physics of Fluids. Unlike an empty sphere, the internal fluid mitigates some of the rebound through an impulse driven exchange of [...]
Quiescent Cavitation
A popular party trick is to fill a glass bottle with water and hit the top of the bottle with an open hand, causing the bottom of the bottle to break open. We investigate the source of the catastrophic cracking through the use of high-speed video and an accelerometer attached to the bottom of a [...]
Flapping Flight
As a moth flaps its wings, a vortex is generated on the leading edge of the wing. The flapping motion allows the vortex to remain attached and provide a lifting force. It is thought that the lifting force from the vortex is what allows moths and other animals with flapping wings to fly and hover. [...]
Eggs in Milk
A hard-boiled egg spinning on a countertop and passing through a puddle of milk draws milk up the side of the egg and then ejects it at the maximum radius. This same phenomenon occurs for any partially submerged spinning object whose radius increases upward from the fluid surface (e.g., spheres, inverted cones, rings, etc.). In [...]
Bouncing in Puddles
When a ball is dropped into a puddle, momentum is exchanged between the impacting ball and the surrounding fluid, decreasing the rebound height. At impact, a radial jet and splash curtain are formed as fluid is instantaneously displaced by the falling ball. During rebound, the splash curtain is drawn in and a column of fluid [...]
Buoyant Rising Spheres
When a buoyant rising sphere exits the free surface there are several angles of trajectory and heights observed. Children experience this when playing with a ball while swimming. The pop up height and direction of trajectory above the free surface are dependent on the release depth of the sphere below the free surface. The release [...]
Axisymmetric Projectiles
Previous studies have shown that applying a hydrophobic coating to one-half of a hydrophilic sphere will cause asymmetric cavity formation and a deflection in the trajectory of a sphere. Half of an axisymmetric projectile will be coated with the hydrophobic coating and dropped in a similar manner to determine if there is similar asymmetric cavity [...]
Bubble Rupture
When the conditions are right, a solid sphere can pass through a soap bubble without rupturing the soap film. As the sphere passes through the soap film, a pinch-off occurs and the soap film reseals itself. Predicting whether or not a soap film will rupture is dependent upon the speed and size of the solid [...]
Sloshing Dynamics
When a hollow, elastic ball has been partially filled with a fluid, the rebound after being dropped is suppressed quite substantially. This principle helps a roller hockey ball to remain on the ground rather than bounce during play. Future research may lead to other other applications such as passive damping systems based on sloshing liquids. In the video below, [...]
Vocal Folds
We utilize the synthetic aperture particle image velocimetry technique to visualize the air flow past an artificial vocal fold. The video explains the technique in more detail and highlights the jets formed in the wake of the vocal folds. The air passes through two silicone molds representing the vocal muscles inside the thorax. As the [...]
Past Projects
Water Entry of Spheres
From Dynamics of Water Entry by Tadd T. Truscott, Jeffrey M. Aristoff, Alexandra H. Techet & John Bush, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The videos illustrate the hydrodynamics associated with water-entry of spheres, which can be highly variable with respect to their material and kinematic properties. The first video, contrasts the nature of impact between a [...]
Alcohol and Oil
The patterns formed by droplets falling through a different liquid was studied over a century ago. We perform similar experiments here, whereby droplets of naphthenic oil approximately 3 mm in diameter are released from several heights into a container filled with isopropyl alcohol. The oil is denser than and miscible in the alcohol, which results [...]