GALCIT Colloquium

Multidisciplinary approaches can provide a unique experimental toolbox to resolving, understanding, and controlling fluid behavior. In this talk I'll present two such tools enabled by advancements in micro/nanoscale fabrication and describe how they can be applied to fundamental fluid mechanics research. The first investigation considered the behavior of a new family of surface modifications inspired by the Nepenthes pitcher plant and revealed a novel, passive method of turbulent drag reduction. Both experimental and numerical approaches were used to examine the drag reduction mechanism and the robustness of the modifications under turbulent shear flow. The second investigation describes a selective, strain-based velocimetry technique that utilizes the bending of a free-standing, electrically-conductive nanoribbon under fluid forcing. The sensor behavior is experimentally and theoretically characterized and found to be suitable for a wide range of applications including medical devices and turbulent flow measurements.