March 2024
This image illustrates the crack pattern that emerges as a suspension dries. The system consists of interconnected particles held together by capillary bridges, which, upon evaporation, result in the formation of cracks. This simulation was programmed so that the arbitrary arrangement of the evaporation bridges forms the recognizable letters “DEM9”. The left side displays particles color-coded by velocity, and the right, shows the stress in the network of capillary bridges.
PhD project: Physics of drying suspensions.
Drying suspensions display a fascinating network of cracks on drying. The cracks result from a number of complex interactions: The particles are concentrated into a close-packed array due to the evaporation of the fluid. Further drying results in a network of particles that are interconnected by liquid menisci. These menisci exert compressive capillary forces on the particle network which eventually lead to the formation of cracks. The aim of the project is to understand the cracking dynamics of drying suspensions by means of multiscale simulations.
Link to Research Group: