Prof. Frédérick Gosselin proud to announce that I have accepted to serve on the editorial board of the Journal of Fluids and Structures, the best known journal in the field of fluid-structure interaction.
Shibo Zou’s new paper is out in Cell Reports Physical Science! Dans cet article, Shibo montre comment une instabilité de mécanique des fluides peut être utilisée pour microstructurer des fibres avec une imprimante 3D, et comment, lorsqu’elles sont imprimées avec du polycarbonate, ces fibres peuvent être intégrées dans un composite transparent absorbant les chocs. Parce que les fibres se bouclent et fusionnent sur elles-mêmes lors de l’impression, elles nécessitent beaucoup d’énergie pour se briser. Regardez un résumé vidéo d’une minute trente secondes de ce travail ci-dessous.
The runner of a high-head Francis hydraulic turbine is flattened and has vibration modes resembling those of a disc. When the runner rotates in water, the vibrating waves propagating in the direction of rotation and against rotation interact differently with water. There is therefore a doubling of natural frequencies. This implies that the turbine designer must work harder to identify these frequencies and ensure that no resonance phenomenon will occur on the turbine in operation. This task is now (slightly) simplified by the new analytical model developed by Max Louyot as part of his master’s degree in partnership with Andritz Hydro Canada, published in the Journal of Fluids and Structures.
My review paper on the “Mechanics of a plant in fluid flow” is out in the Journal of Experimental Botany. This review covers the statics and dynamics of plant–fluid interactions, e.g., the static reconfiguration of a plant deforming under fluid flow, and also its dynamic swaying and flapping. It covers the mechanics at play in terrestrial plants as well as aquatic plants and seaweeds. Biological implications are highlighted and ideas for future research avenues are suggested.
Sampada Bodkhe‘s PhD work on 3D printing of piezo-electric sensors has been selected by Quebec Science magazine in its Top-10 Discoveries of the Year 2018! The breakthrough allows 3D printing at room temperature of a deformation sensor and its electrodes in one step. We demonstrate how this can be used to make smart clothes that measure breathing or movement. We also demonstrate how one can print embedded sensors on a miniature drone wing allowing to monitor in real time its vibrations.
Visit the Québec Science website to vote for her invention and make it the Top discovery of 2018 in Quebec!
Before she finished her PhD and left the Laboratory for Multiscale Mechanics at Polytechnique Montréal, Sampada Bodkhe invented a way to 3D print piezoelectric sensors in one step: she coextrudes the active sensor and the electrodes together in one go, without the need for a subsequent poling or treatment step. Just print your sensor and its ready to use!
You can read a popularized account of her work on Advanced Science News. FYI, we applied for a patent with Gestion Univalor.
Trees bend and twist when subjected to wind. This deformation, or reconfiguration, allows the tree to reduce its drag. In our paper published in the Journal of Fluids and Structures we investigate how torsional and bending deformations play different roles in reconfiguration. We investigate this through a combination of wind tunnel experiments on flexible reinforced foam rods and a theoretical Kirchhoff rod model.
Kirchhoff rod bending and twisting with large amplitude under fluid flow