All posts by Thomas Forrister
Analyzing the Sound Pressure Level of Headphones on Ears
Designing headphones presents a unique challenge: Unlike with loudspeakers, you can’t measure the sensitivity using a free-field setup due to the speaker’s closeness to the ear.
Optimizing Microwave Ovens with Solid-State RF Cooking
Did you know that conventional microwave ovens use the same magnetron technology that was first used in WWII? These researchers thought it was time for an upgrade…
Finding the Best Way to Make Crêpes with Fluid Dynamics Research
The recipe for the perfect crêpe calls for flour, eggs, milk, sugar, butter, and…simulation? Fluid dynamicists used simulation to solve the optimal coverage problem for crêpe making.
Analyzing the Liquid Cooling of a Li-Ion Battery Pack
A sudden temperature increase or decrease can affect the efficiency of a lithium-ion battery. For the battery packs used in electric vehicles and other application areas, this can be a problem…
Happy Birthday, Sir William Ramsay
Argon got its name, which means “lazy”, because it doesn’t react with other elements in air — or seem to do much of anything. The chemist behind this discovery went on to find the noble gases.
Happy Birthday, James Joseph Sylvester
Ever heard the word combiants? What about plagiograph, allotrius, or zetaic? The Shakespeare of mathematics, James Joseph Sylvester used his love of poetry to find new ways to describe theories.
Defeating Giant Movie Monsters Using Mathematical Modeling
The predator-prey equation can predict how we’d fare in a monster invasion, as well as real-world biology and ecology scenarios like shark overpopulation and tumor movement.
Optimizing Lubricated Systems with Numerical Simulation
Experts at SIMTEC designed a lubricated mechanical contact using numerical modeling and built an application for optimizing the use of lubrication in rolling and sliding bearings.
Happy Birthday, Maria Goeppert Mayer
2, 8, 20, 28, 50, 82, and 126 were the “magic numbers” that led Maria Goeppert Mayer to develop the first mathematical model for nuclear shells in an atom.
Optimizing PID Controller Performance with COMSOL Multiphysics®
PID controllers involve three components that must work together simultaneously, and it can be challenging to get each of them just right. That’s where process control simulation comes in.
Keynote Video: Improving Process Understanding with Applications
When an organization’s research spans across many industries, consistent product quality becomes the name of the game. That’s why Huntsman Advanced Materials turned to simulation applications.
Analyzing Topology Optimization of a Photoacoustic Spectroscopy Cell
Signals generated via photoacoustic spectroscopy are often weak and difficult to detect. Acoustic cells can be used to amplify the signal, but they need to be designed with sensitivity in mind.
Speeding Up DNA Separation in a Microchannel via Simulation
DNA separation takes a long time using traditional methods. Now, researchers from the Missouri University of Science and Technology have found a faster way to get the job done.
Verification Model: Postbuckling Analysis of a Spherical Cap
Think about what happens to a soda or beer can when you crush it. This phenomenon is called buckling, in which compressive stress causes sudden failure in a structure.
Defying Gravity with a Realistic Acoustic Levitator Model
It’s not just science fiction: Objects really can levitate. 1 way this is possible is by using sound waves to lift and suspend particles midair. Simulation can broaden the use of this technology.
Protecting Against Atmospheric Corrosion with Simulation
Certain environmental factors, such as humidity and snow, can lead to atmospheric corrosion. The result? Rusty bikes, cars, and other metal structures. Simulation can protect against this effect.
Evaluating the Necking of an Elastoplastic Metal Bar Benchmark Model
To determine the strength of elastoplastic materials, engineers often use uniaxial testing to analyze necking instability. This benchmark model proves that simulation is also a reliable method.
How Eddy Current Braking Technology Is Freeing Us from Friction
What moves must eventually stop. Unlike mechanical brakes, eddy current braking systems prevent damage when braking at high speeds. Hop on and learn more about eddy currents in this blog post.
Happy Birthday, Ernst Mach
Mach bands, Mach numbers, Mach’s principle: Ernst Mach is an accomplished physicist of many namesake discoveries and contributions to science.
Analyzing an Arterial Self-Expanding Stent with COMSOL Multiphysics®
Interested in bioengineering? Read this overview of a self-expanding arterial stent modeled in COMSOL Multiphysics® with an implemented shape memory alloy material.
Improving Fire Protection for Structures via Building Physics Simulation
“I didn’t know there was a fire drill scheduled for today,” you say to a colleague. “There isn’t,” they respond. Then you smell smoke. Continue the story in this blog post on building physics.
Comparing 2 Shock Response Analyses for a Computer Circuit Board
Before hitting the market, motherboards and other fragile electronic components need to be able to withstand certain mechanical shock loads. That is where shock response analysis comes in.
Evaluating a Fire-Resistant Overpack for Nuclear Waste
Confinement system overpacks are used to safely store radioactive waste. Sogin uses heat transfer modeling to design safe and reliable overpacks that are resistant to fire.
Happy Birthday, Émilie du Châtelet
Émilie du Châtelet is known for translating Newtonian concepts, discovering a conservation law for total energy, and publishing an expansive work called Foundations of Physics.
