Modelling the fluid dynamics of microstructured optical fibre draws

The project will look at developing a mathematical framework based on boundary integral methods for the study of the rheology of microstructrured optical fibre draws. Differently from other methods based on tracking volumes of fluids, boundary integral methods focus on tracking surfaces. This presents numerous advantages for the case of microstructured fibres containing tens to hundreds of air holes. It is expected to further enhance our capability to master the complex drawing process of these fibres, and to lead us towards lower loss, higher performance fibres.
The project will run alongside experimental activities that will produce custom datasets to validate the models.