An Experimental and Numerical Study of Normal Particle Collisions in a Viscous Liquid

This dissertation would not have been possible without the help and advice of a lot of people. I am deeply grateful to my advisor, Professor Melany L. Hunt, who introduced me to the enchanting world of liquid-solid flows, guided me through the academic challenges with great patience and supported me consistently in every aspect of my research. She shared the happiness during my good times and gave sincere trust and encouragement during my bad times. I learned from her for being not only a good scientist but also a responsible and considerate person. I also thank Professor Tim Colonius, who has been a great source of answers to my questions regarding numerical methods. The discussions with him by the round table in his office were enjoyable and memorable. He and his former student, Dr. Kunihiko Taira, generously shared their immersed boundary projection method computer code with me. Thank them for helping me start my numerical work from such a high level. Sincere gratitude is extended to the other defense committee members, Professor John F. Brady and Professor Guillaume Blanquart, for taking their time to read my thesis and offering many valuable suggestions. I am fortunate to be in a research group with an active, friendly, and open atmosphere. Thank these amiable group members, Fuling Yang, Angel Ruiz-Angulo, Erin Koos, Nathalie Vriend and Esperanza Linares for their nice comments on my research and kind assistance on my experiments.