PHYSICAL MATHEMATICS SEMINAR


TOPIC:		HOW FLEXIBLE BODIES INTERACT WITH FLOWING FLUIDS


SPEAKER:	MICHAEL SHELLEY
		Applied Mathematics Lab
		Courant Institute, NYU

ABSTRACT:

The interaction of flowing fluids with compliant bodies gives rise to a
class of beautiful free-boundary problems that is central to many
scientific problems in biology and engineering.  I will overview my work
on several fundamental examples: At the low Reynolds number end, I discuss
the modeling and simulation of the dynamics of elastic fibers, and focus
upon buckling instabilities driven by flow or growth processes.  At the
high Reynolds end, I discuss recent experiments at Courant concerning the
interaction of both "flags" and "elastic plates" with high-speed flows.
For each, I will show how modeling, analysis, and computation sheds light
on the fundamental mechanisms underlaying the experimental results.


DATE:		TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2002

TIME:		2:30 PM

LOCATION:	Building 2, Room 338


Refreshments will be served at 3:30 PM in Room 2-349


Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Department of Mathematics
Cambridge, MA  02139