Partcle Tracking Velocimetry and Deformation of Flexible Nozzles

The use deformable bodies, particularly in nozzle fabrication and application has received some research interest in the engineering field but has been limited to the biomedical field. However, the implementation of soft nozzles requires an in-depth and comprehensive view of fluid-structure interaction (FSI). To have a deeper understanding of the FSI of flexible nozzles, we have developed a new Particle Tracking Velocimetry (PTV) that can track both the physical deformation of solid and the resulting flow at the same time. Experimentally, we generate laminar jet using hexagonal flow straightener and use several high-speed cameras to capture several videos for stereo imaging. To fabricate the nozzles, a resin 3D printer is used or a mold with a UV cured resin with fluorescent beads. To seed the flow, 100-micron white polyamide particles are used. The 3D particle locations are calculated using open-source PTV algorithm (myPTV). As a result of this testing, fluttering of the nozzles can be observed, highlighting key factors in FSI. Throughout this project, the deformation and the resulting flow were measured in a 3D space, which required the development of a new, robust PTV software with these capabilities.