Fluid Physics of Volcanoes
Lava flows from the volcanic eruptions constantly threaten the residents and the infrastructure around the world. The recent activities in Indonesia, Italy, Iceland, and Hawaii highlight the importance of hazard mitigation when the volume of lava is excessive. The physics of lava flow is complicated due to the nonlinear material properties of lava, the complex surface structures, and the heterogeneous temperature distribution. Such features have limited our understanding of the underlying physics of lava flow. Consequently, our attempts to divert lava flows have mostly been unsuccessful.
Your Research
Fluid physics of lava flow over complex topography and searching for an optimal shape of barrier to divert the flow; research at the intersection of physics of fluids, and geophysics. The experimentalist will develop an experimental setup to study the gravity current of complex fluids on a slope and their interaction with a barrier (defense wall). As a part of the experiments, an optical method will be developed to measure the 3D surface profile of the flow over time. The theoretician will use applied mathematical techniques and develop the currently available codes (solving Navier Stokes equations with nonlinear constitutive models) to model the same mechanism.
Research Question:
How does lava flow spreads over a slope?
How can we minimize the risk of lava flow by designing optimized barriers?
Methods involved
Experiments: 3D scanning, 3D Printing, High-speed imaging, image processing, Rheology, (if interested) Machine Learning
Theory: Theory of shallow geophysical flows, Partial Differential Equations
Literature
Dietterich et al. Nature Geophysics 2015. 8:494.