Fringes, Flows, and Fractures—A Schlieren Study of Fluid and Optical Discontinuities
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: This article presents a collection of schlieren visualizations captured using a custom-built, laboratory-based imaging system, designed to explore a wide range of flow and refractive phenomena. The experiments were conducted as a series of observational case studies, serving as educational bloc notes for students and researchers working in fluid mechanics, optics, and high-speed imaging. High-resolution images illustrate various phenomena including shockwave propagation from bursting balloons, vapor plume formation from volatile liquids, optical surface imperfections in transparent materials, and the dynamic collapse of soap bubbles. Each image is accompanied by brief experimental context and interpretation, highlighting the physical principles revealed through the schlieren technique. The resulting collection emphasizes the accessibility of flow visualization in a teaching laboratory, and its value in making invisible physical processes intuitively understandable.
Source: Fluids
Language: English
Subfield: Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
Field: Computer Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,172
OpenAlex ID: W4414243458