Impact and Splashing of Droplets onto Complex Substrates (PURVISR_U21SF)

This project will consider high-speed droplet impacts onto complex substrates, such as flexible or porous plates.  In particular, the focus will be on how different surfaces can either enhance or supress splashing.  Inspired in part by understanding how ice forms on aircraft during flight through clouds, and how splashing can be controlled to enable better ice protection, the project will use a combination of mathematical modelling, analytical techniques, and numerical solutions, to investigate both the initial and longer time response before and after an impact.  

Although droplet impacts onto rigid surfaces has been well studied and mostly understood, how impact, splashing and spreading depend on surface properties is only more recently becoming experimentally considered, and modelling is still in its infancy.   

Of particular interest in this project is: 

1. Impact onto pliable or elastic surfaces 

2. Impact onto hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces 

3. Impact and spreading on porous substrates. 

In each case, the mathematics will involve expanding classical Wagner theory for liquid impact problems, either coupling it with novel boundary conditions or with additional model equations.  In each case, we are interested in both the behaviour just before impact (bubble entrapment, delayed or hastened impact time) building on, for example, Hicks and Purvis (2017), as well as the behaviour after impact (splashing, spreading, penetration, substrate response) building on, again for example, Pegg, Purvis and Korobkin (2018). 

References:

i) Gas-cushioned droplet impacts with a thin layer of porous media Hicks, P. & Purvis, R. 2017, Journal of Engineering Mathematics. 102. 

ii) Droplet impact onto an elastic plate: a new mechanism for splashing, Pegg, M., Purvis, R. & Korobkin, A.  2018. Journal of Fluid Mechanics. 839. 

Funding Notes:

This PhD project is offered on a self-funding basis.  It is open to applicants with funding or those applying to funding sources.  Details of tuition fees can be found at https://www.uea.ac.uk/about/university-information/finance-and-procurement/finance-information-for-students/tuition-fees 

A bench fee is also payable on top of the tuition fee to cover specialist equipment or laboratory costs required for the research.  Applicants should contact the primary supervisor for further information about the fee associated with the project.