The fluid mechanics of impact and other violent flows

Abstract:  This illustrated talk will be about two mathematical models which claim to describe the sudden changes in velocity and pressure that occur within a fluid domain when a water wave hits or meets a rigid impermeable surface, such as a seawall.  The first model involves classical mechanical ideas of impulse extended to the flow of a fluid.  The second model is a stab at describing the whipping motion (flip-through) of the free-surface when a wave breaks against a plane wall and makes a high speed splash.