This smoke is also used in discothèques. It’s harmless, but after a day of work in such an environment you really want to take a shower. I use the smoke particles to visualize turbulent air flows, or vortices. The laser shines on the particles, and with cameras from different angles I create 3D images of the flow.
The vortices are created when air flows over a small cavity. When the vortices hit the wall of the cavity they create sound. I register the sound with microphones, and in combination with the 3D images I try to understand exactly which flow features are responsible for the sound emission. It’s very exciting.
I really like being a PhD student – having all those smart people around you. We all look at flows, but still, we do very different things. Look at the research presentation next to mine for example; it’s about blood stream in chicken embryos. Other people are looking at multiphase flows, like the way oils and water mix for example.
Before I came to TU Delft I did a master’s in aerodynamics at the Politecnico of Milan, and then I worked there for one year after my degree on a project about an airplane that takes off vertically. I worked on the aerodynamics of the aircraft. What I do now is completely different. It’s fundamental research. When you‘re a PhD student you get the opportunity to think about new problems and figure out new solutions. You don’t even know if there are answers. Often you feel stupid, because you have no idea if the things you’re doing are right. But if you don’t feel stupid, that means that you know the answer, and if you know the answer that means you’re not doing something challenging. You have to find the right balance.
When I’m finished with my research I might go to Australia. My boyfriend – we’re getting married in a few months – is from Australia. I met him here. He also works on fluid mechanics.”
Vrachtwagens rijden af en aan met units die met een kraan aan en op elkaar worden gezet. Werden twee weken geleden nog funderingen gestort, nu al staan er meerdere verdiepingen van het demontabele gebouw dat eerder dienst deed voor hogeschool InHolland.
Bij de start van het nieuwe collegejaar moet het gebouw gebruiksklaar zijn en 4600 vierkante meter extra onderwijsruimte bieden.
Comments are closed.