Rohit Velankar, a high school senior, embarked on a journey to understand the relationship between a container’s elasticity and the way its fluid drains. What started as a science fair project soon evolved into a collaborative effort with his father, Sachin Velankar, a professor of chemical and petroleum engineering. Together, they conducted experiments in their basement that led to the publication of their first joint paper in the journal Physics of Fluids.
Through their experiments, Rohit and Sachin discovered that deli containers with rubber lids emptied faster than those with plastic lids due to a phenomenon known as “glugging.” This process occurs when the exiting fluid reduces the pressure within the bottle, leading to rhythmic oscillations. By creating their own acrylic bottles with rubber lids and conducting pressure measurements, they confirmed that flexible containers indeed drain faster but produce larger and less frequent glugs.
Exploring Flexibility in Containers
The Velankars utilized the resources available at Fox Chapel Area High School’s makerspace to design and construct their ideal bottles for the experiments. By adjusting the diameter of the hole at the bottom of each bottle, they were able to simulate varying levels of flexibility. This hands-on approach allowed them to gain a deeper understanding of how container elasticity affects the fluid draining process.
This father-son collaboration not only shed light on the intricate dynamics of fluid flow but also highlighted the potential for further exploration in this area. The findings of their study open up new possibilities for designing more efficient fluid containers that utilize elasticity to enhance the draining process. By bridging the gap between theoretical concepts and practical experimentation, Rohit and Sachin Velankar have set a precedent for future scientific inquiries in fluid dynamics.
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