Computational Fluid Dynamics in Computer Graphics - Page 2

What is a fluid?

Just What Is A Fluid?

A fluid can be described as a collection of molecules (or macroparticles) that are not structurally connected. These particles can be on widely varying scales: O2 molecule in air, chunk of dirt in landslide

Gas - particles not in constant contact with each other (steam, cloud, wind)
Liquid - particles in near-constant contact (ocean waves, paint splotch, waterfall)
Difficult to classify - things like peanut butter, silly putty, jello, rock/magma, glacier ice, window glass

What Can A Fluid Do?

Transport itself
Rotate, translate, and deform objects (transfer momentum)
[MPEG movie]
Move and mix (via diffusion or turbulence) separate chemical species or gases
[MPEG movie]
Transport heat energy
Erode solid objects
Combust
[MPEG movie]

What Properties Describe A Fluid?

Depending on what effect you wish to simulate, some or most of these properties are unimportant.

Velocity
Density
Pressure
Temperature
Surface tension
Viscosity
Mixture fractions (OH radical concentration in combustion calculation)

back | forward

Mark J. Stock, Aerospace Engineering, The University of Michigan