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Tuesday, 04/28/2026 Professor Xiaoyu Tang Northeastern University, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering “Impact Dynamics of Dense Suspension Droplets on Liquid Surfaces” |
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ABSTRACT Droplet impact is a ubiquitous phenomenon in both nature and industry, ranging from raindrops striking the ocean surface to industrial spray coating. When droplets contain suspended particles, they exhibit complex rheology that significantly alters impact dynamics. Unlike impacts on solid surfaces, suspension impacts on liquid surfaces involve a unique interplay of capillarity and mixing and offer a probe into particle jamming and relaxation in highly inhomogeneous transient flows. This presentation explores the behavior of dense suspension droplets impacting liquid surfaces across a range of impact velocities and volume fractions. I will highlight how inertia, capillarity, and suspension rheology orchestrate distinctive behaviors—such as “jammed sphere” formation and suppressed cavity dynamics—that differ significantly from Newtonian droplets. I will then focus on the mechanism behind cavity suppression, relating it to the relaxation of the jammed suspension. Finally, I will present experimentally identified and theoretically predicted boundaries for cavity suppression, providing practical guidance for applications requiring controlled surface disturbance. This work establishes a novel platform for understanding suspension rheology under extreme conditions and offers practical insights on how these dynamics can be leveraged for industrial applications. BRIEF ACADEMIC/EMPLOYMENT HISTORY: Xiaoyu Tang joined Northeastern University’s Mechanical and Industrial Engineering department as an Assistant Professor in 2021. She obtained her PhD in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from Princeton University under the supervision of Prof. Chung K. Law. Prior to joining Northeastern University, she was a postdoctoral researcher in Prof. Todd M. Squires’ group in the Department of Chemical Engineering at University of California, Santa Barbara. She has received the NSF CAREER award and ACS Petroleum Research Fund Doctoral New Investigator Award. MOST RECENT RESEARCH INTERESTS: Her research interests include physics of flow in complex systems, encompassing particle suspension, electrokinetics, interfacial phenomena, and chemical reactions. Combining state-of-the-art diagnostic techniques and theoretical modeling, her group dedicates to advance fundamental understanding of the controlling mechanisms to provide innovative solutions to applications in additive manufacturing, drug delivery, and oil recovery.
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Last Updated: 04/08/2026 08:11