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  5. Leaf roll-up and aquaplaning in strong winds and floods

Leaf roll-up and aquaplaning in strong winds and floods

File(s)
miller_dfd_2008_small.mpg (8.34 MB)
small, lower quality movie
miller_dfd_2008.mpg (84.29 MB)
full quality file
Permanent Link(s)
https://hdl.handle.net/1813/11489
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Fluid Dynamics Videos
Author
Miller, Laura
Herschlag, Gregory
Santhanakrishnan, Arvind
Abstract

Flexible plants, fungi, and sessile animals are thought to reconfigure in the wind and water to reduce the drag forces that act upon them. In strong winds, for example, leaves roll up into cone shapes that reduce flutter and drag when compared to paper cut-outs with similar shapes and flexibility. During flash floods, herbaceous broad leaves aquaplane on the surface of the water which reduces drag. Simple mathematical models of a flexible beam immersed in a two-dimensional flow will also reconfigure in flow. What is less understood is how the mechanical properties of a two-dimensional leaf in a three-dimensional flow will passively allow roll up and aquaplaning. In this study, we film leaf roll-up and aquaplaning in tree and vine leaves in both strong winds and water flows.

Journal / Series
Laura Miller
Sponsorship
Burroughs Wellcome CASI Award 1005782.01
Date Issued
2008-10-10T20:35:12Z
Keywords
drag reduction
•
leaves
•
biomechanics

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