Date: 18th October 2024, 14:00
Speaker: Dr. Lennon Ó Náraigh, University College Dublin
Title: A mathematical model and mesh-free numerical method for contact-line motion in lubrication theory
Abstract:
In gas-liquid flows, a contact line refers to the intersection between the gas-liquid interface and a boundary wall. If the fluid is in motion, then so is the contact line. This apparently contradicts the no-slip boundary condition of fluid dynamics, and gives rise to a singularity in the equations of motion. Such a paradox signals missing physics. A problem is that the missing physics is on the nanoscale, whereas the typical fluid dynamical applications are on the micron or millimeter scales. It becomes necessary in practice to parametrize the missing physics. In this talk, we give an overview of two classical parametrizations which are extremely useful for two-phase flow simulations. This part of the talk will be more of a review of the state-of-the-art. Then, we will introduce a novel regularization of the contact-line singularity problem, valid in the case of thin-film flows.