Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 28, 2026

Probing and Mapping Electrode Surfaces in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells
Published on: September 20, 2012
Fluid flow lifting a body from a solid surface
1Department of Mathematics, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
Abstract:
If a body is at rest on horizontal ground and a sudden horizontal flow of fluid is applied, the body either remains on the ground (rocking, rolling, sliding or spinning) or is lifted off impulsively. This lift-off is followed by a return to the ground or by a fly-away in the sense of continued departure from the ground. Related phenomena arise in the lift-off of an air vehicle from, effectively, moving ground. The present investigation seeks fairly precise mechanistic conditions under which lift-off and subsequent return or fly-away occur for a thin body or more generally for any thin gap of fluid between a body and the ground. Nonlinear fluid-solid interaction takes place in which the motion of the body and the surrounding fluid affect each other. Small-time analysis on lift-off and a numerical study are presented, followed by large-time analysis showing a critical flow speed for fly-away for any shape of the body. The changes in ground effect, from being dominant during lift-off to diminishing in fly-away, are explored together with relevant applications.
Related Concept Videos
Composition of Body Fluids
Surface Tension of Fluid
Surface tension varies...
Lift
Body Water Content and Fluid Compartments
Steady Flow of a Fluid Stream
During this process, the momentum of the fluid within the control volume remains constant over the time interval dt. By applying the...
Metallic Solids
All metallic solids exhibit high thermal and electrical conductivity, metallic luster, and malleability....

