“When I meet God, I’m going to ask him two questions: why relativity? and why turbulence? I really believe he will have an answer for the first.”

W. Heisenberg


Turbulence is an expression of a very complex, non-laminar movement of liquids. More generally this term means a complex behavior of any physical system, sometimes chaotic behavior. The turbulent movement e.g. of liquid evinces in appearing whirlpools and other coherent structures, the phenomenon of the stream separation and in the phenomenon of mixing. A smoke rising above from the cigarette is a typical example. At first it disposes into strips (laminar movement) so as about 10 cm above the cigarette to produce initial eddies which in the end lose tidied up structure.

This phenomenon is a chaotic process of such a great degree of complication that by now it hasn’t been successful to create a satisfying mathematics and physics analysis. There is no knowing whether liquid in a state of turbulence is a chaotic system. Certainly it isn't a low-dimensional system like Lorenzo's system, though an origin of applied equations of movement in both cases is similar. Conducted simulations of turbulent flows are burdened with many defects. The lack of a theoretical model questions the legitimacy of all simplifications and approximations. Enormous power of computers is necessary due to a great number of dynamic variables necessary for analysis, and due to the need to take into account the bonds. Since it isn’t possible to neglect the influence e.g. of contact phenomena on the point of contact the liquid with the solid.

This project is an attempt to seize turbulent movements of liquids during the flow, as one of the most fascinating examples of the self-organization. However, it isn’t the analysis of turbulence, as phenomena - it is the analysis of topologies which can come into existence in the course of flow, as an element shaping the geometry. For the purposes of experiments apparatus was made, being used for evoking turbulent movements and for the analysis and measurement of the result. It is supported by a peculiar system of materials of diversified density. As the liquid, serving the simulation of turbulence heated up paraffin was used, which in an appropriate temperature keeps properties of free flow. In contact with other liquids of different temperature (the most often lower) there appears a possibility of strengthening topology created by the flow through immediate solidification of joint of two liquids or the whole depending on the density of colder liquid. The main element of apparatus is an aquarium with water which is boiled. Inside there is a smaller aquarium with paraffin in a state of liquid, which is held in a constant temperature of about 65 ° C. The result is 3D scanned and saved as a three-dimensional model which is analyzed with specialist software.

An extraction of specific language of parameters exploited during examinations and their analysis in combination are a result of conducted experiments. It allows to describe the generation of the complicated topology evoked by turbulent movements and for drawing up a catalogue of specific forms. In further phase it can constitute an interesting base for creating the topological architectural structures being based on a movement.


Type:
Thesis project

Title:
Topo|Logic|Lab

Team:
Tomasz Starczewski

Advisors:
Claudia Pasquero and Marco Poletto

Facilites:
Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalunya

Year:
2010