(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Engineering, 2006) Gammelgard, Peter Norman; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Brett Towler
Microbial biofouling of wetted surfaces can adversely impact the hydrodynamic performance of pressurized conduits. These impacts are due, in part, to the viscoelastic material properties of biofilm. Of particular interest is the response of biofilm to changing hydrodynamic conditions and its effect on potential for biofilm removal. The goal of this research was two fold; 1) to develop a three dimensional numerical model, incorporating the viscoelastic material description of biofilm, to simulate the response of biofilm to varying hydrodynamic conditions and 2) use this model to identify behavioral characteristics of said biofilm which provide insight into effective removal procedures. Using a viscoelastic Burger fluid material description for biofilm, a numerical fluid-structure interface model was developed.
