A multiscale approach to mesh-based surface tension flows

We present an approach to simulate flows driven by surface tension based on triangle meshes. Our method consists of two simulation layers: the first layer is an Eulerian method for simulating surface tension forces that is free from typical strict time step constraints. The second simulation layer is a Lagrangian finite element method that simulates sub-grid scale wave details on the fluid surface. The surface wave simulation employs an unconditionally stable, symplectic time integration method that allows for a high propagation speed due to strong surface tension. Our approach can naturally separate the grid- and sub-grid scales based on a volumepreserving mean curvature flow. As our model for the sub-grid dynamics enforces a local conservation of mass, it leads to realistic pinch off and merging effects. In addition to this method for simulating dynamic surface tension effects, we also present an efficient non-oscillatory approximation for capturing damped surface tension beha...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2010
• Where: SIGGRAPH
• Authors: Nils Thürey, Chris Wojtan, Markus Gross, Greg Turk
• Keywords: Computer Graphics, SIGGRAPH 2010, Strong Surface Tension, Surface Tension, Surface Tension Forces