Kat graduated from Cardiff University in 2019 with an MMath in Mathematics. During her time there she studied a mixture of pure and applied mathematics and found her main interests lie within fluid dynamics, though she also enjoys all things computational. Between her third and final years she undertook a summer research project focusing on proper generalized decomposition of parabolic PDEs, which she continued into her MMath dissertation, generalizing to the applications of differential equations. Outside of her studies, she likes to get involved in various forms of aerial fitness and circus inspired acrobatics: basically anything that allows her to be upside down.

Research project title:
Fluid dynamical analysis of drops on fluid baths

Supervisor(s):  
Paul Milewski, Phil Trinh, Jonathan Evans

Project description:
When a small droplet impacts on a bath of the same fluid it usually coalesces. In certain regimes, however, a thin layer of air remains between the droplet and the bath acting as a barrier, and as such it is possible for the droplet to be propelled upwards due to the restorative capillary force of the bath, before this air layer is depleted. If the bath is vibrated at a suitable vibration frequency, this rebounding mechanism can repeat periodically causing the droplet to bounce indefinitely off the surface of the bath. In addition, for a vibrating bath, Faraday waves are generated radiating outwards from the impact site on the surface of the bath. As the vibration amplitude is increased, the rebounds are higher and the resulting Faraday waves increase in amplitude, eventually destabilising the droplet causing it to ‘walk’ across the surface of the bath. These phenomena provide motivation for the problem at hand, as the main topic of study will be the role of the lubrication air layer that allows for this droplet, and also similar solid-fluid impacts at the capillary scale, to exhibit rebound. Using a combination of theoretical and numerical methods we aim to elucidate the phenomena of such bouncing droplets.