ME 544 Microgravity & Capillary Fluid Mechanics I

Liquid-gas flows behave significantly different in the near absence of gravity. Such flows are dominated by surface tension, i.e. capillary forces. The principles of capillary phenomena and applied capillary fluidics are reviewed from empirical, theoretical, and numerical perspectives: concepts of surface tension, wetting, and geometry. Simplified analyses are pursued to model spontaneous flows exploited in microfluidic engineering systems on earth and macrofluidic systems aboard spacecraft. Exposure to literature, lab demonstrations, numerics, and drop tower experimentation.