Thesis Project Form

The student will investigate with numerical simulations the role of eyelashes on the reduction of particle deposition on the cornea.

Eyelashes are thought to have two important roles: i) they decrease the evaporation rate of the tear film and ii) protect the cornea from particle deposition. We propose study particle deposition on the ocular surface with numerical simulations with the aim of quantify the importance of eyelashes. We will consider various geometries of the cornea, the eyelashes and investigate the role of the properties of the incoming flow. We will also consider particles of various diameters and densities.

The student will learn how to carry out numerical simulations of fluid flow and particle transport. We will use the free software OpenFOAM, which solves the governing equations using the finite volume method.