PhD project: Lava to chocolate: the flow of solidifying liquids
Project description
Icicles, dripping candles, chocolate fountains and lava flow are all examples of flowing liquids that cool down and solidify. Predicting the behaviour is complex, and requires combining the effects of heat-flow, temperature dependent rheology, phase-change and fluid dynamics. To gain fundamental understanding, in this project you will perform experiments using a model polymer melt (for example polyethylene glycol). You will use rheological and calorimetry measurements to characterise the temperature dependent properties of the fluid, optical imaging to monitor the extent of the flow, thermal imaging to map the heat flow and optical coherence tomography to measure the surface profile and sub-surface features. The wealth of experimental data can be reduced into useful dimensionless numbers: the Grätz number relates flow to cooling; the Stefan number compares latent heat to heat capacity; and the dimensionless solidification temperature is a measure of how close the liquid is to the melting point. By exploring the full phase-space, we hope to capture the wide range of observed flows and to be better able to predict and even control the damaging effects of lava flow.
You will collaborate with experimental vulcanologists and mathematical simulators.
Project supervisor
- Dr. David Fairhurst (School of Physics & Astronomy, University of Edinburgh)
The project supervisor welcomes informal enquiries about this project.
Find out more about this research area
The links below summarise our research in the area(s) relevant to this project:
- Find out more about Soft Matter Physics.
- Find out more about the Institute for Condensed Matter and Complex Systems.
What next?
- Find out how to apply for our PhD degrees.
- Find out about fees and funding and studentship opportunities.
- View and complete the application form (on the main University website).
- Find out how to contact us for more information.