Water entry is a classic historical problem in fluid mechanics, and is often one of the first phenomena related to fluids that children encounter, when they throw stones into a lake or pond. While conceptually simple, water entry is extremely complex and involves air entrainment, surface tension, and multiphase flow even at low speeds. The situation becomes much more complicated as the projectile speed is increased, as shock waves and cavitation play important roles.
Bryan Schmidt,
Case Western Reserve University (CWRU)
In this seminar, I will discuss my research group’s recent progress investigating water entries at previously un-investigated speeds in excess of 1.5 km/s, which is supersonic even in the liquid water. Our approach involves experiments with a two-stage light gas gun facility as well as high fidelity simulations with a realistic equation of state model for the water that includes phase change and the supercritical regime. The talk will highlight some interesting phenomena such as cavitation, shock waves, a supersonic splash and possible ice formation, and feature plenty of cool high speed videos.
Bryan Schmidt is an Assistant Professor in Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) in Cleveland, Ohio. He received his Bachelors Degree in Aerospace Engineering from CWRU and his MS and PhD in Aeronautics from the California Institute of Technology. His research interests include fluid mechanics, hypersonics, turbulence, and advanced imaging techniques. He is a Senior Member of the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics and a recipient of Young Investigator Program (YIP) awards from both the Air Force Office of Scientific Research and the Office of Naval Research.