Speaker: Dr Christopher Goodyer, Schooling of Computing, University of Leeds

Title: 3-d Computational Modelling of Barrier Membranes: Geometry, Meshing and Parallism

Abstract: 
With the increase in computational power available over the past decade it has become possible to accurately simulate the structures in many barrier membranes. Whilst we started our research focused on skin, the wide range of materials, both natural and man-made, that gain their barrier properies from their geometric structure within the membrane means that there are a wealth of geometric parameters to study and understand.

Working with Prof Annette Bunge, a skin expert at the Colorado School of Mines, and Prof Martin Berzins a computer scientist at the University of Utah, we have developed simulation software to solve problems of Fickian diffusion through heterogeneous membranes with three dimensional structure.

In this talk I will discuss the development of our finite element solver for these barrier membranes. Unlike many numerical applications it is not the partial differential equations themselves that makes these problems hard to solve, but the geometries on which they are applied. Understanding the affect of varying individual geometric descriptions, such as flake shape, aspect radio, or stagger, is very important before being able to judge the variation in results obtained from real membranes with less rigorous descriptions of the geormetries. in particular we have been very interested in how well the geometric relationships in the literature can be applied in practive. For instance, when the geometry is in the correct "operating ranges" for an equation then substantial savings of computational effort can be made by not simulating, whereas other geometries may give wildly inaccurate results from using these equations.

Computational aspects to be discussed will include the use of local adaptivity, anistropic meshing and parallelism, and the difficulties of applying them together. In addition I will focus on some of the applications to which we have applied our solvers, and the directions we see as important for future research.

CSC Staff/ Research Meeting will take place Wednesday 15th February 2012 between 12:00 - 14:00 hours

This week's Complexity Forum will be given by David Quigley (Physics, Warwick).

There will be an informal sandwich lunch at 12:30 in the Complexity Science Common Room for seminar attendees.

Here are the details:

Time and place: 13:00, Wednesday 15 Feb., Zeeman D1.07

Speaker: David Quigley (Dept. of Physics, University of Warwick)

Title:

Abstract: Modelling non-classical mechanisms of crystal nucleation and growth

http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/cross_fac/comcom/dtcsite/events/?calendarItem=094d43ed31aefe220131af1727035a0b

CSC Coffee and Cookies are held at 14:00 hours in the Computer Science Common Room, 1st Floor, Computer Science Building.

Please come along, All are welcome

CSC Coffee and Cookies are held at 14:00 hours in the Computer Science Common Room, 1st Floor, Computer Science Building.

Please come along, All are welcome