Franco TAPIA
Institute: University Institute of Industrial Thermal Systems (IUSTI), France
Title: Postdoctoral Researcher
Country/Region: CHILE
Period: 2021/09/01-2022/8/31
Theme: Understanding volcanic explosion by using a physical approach of magma
Host: Mie ICHIHARA
Introduction: I am a physicist and Dr. in Engineering and Science of Materials at University of Santiago of Chile. I am interested in flows of heterogeneous materials, specifically in phenomena concerning dry or immersed granular flows: shear banding, avalanches, fracturing, soils erosion, multiphase flow, etc. I have developed my career as an experimentalist since my Ph.D. in Chile and then in my following postdocs in ENS-Lyon and Aix-Marseille in France. In the last years I put special emphasis in developing the granular suspension rheology as a useful tool to provide some understanding of granular physics and clues for prediction of granular collapse and flow. I feel very excited to start this new scientific project of magma flow at ERI under the supervision of Prof. Mie Ichihara and enjoy this great experience in this new environment.
Research Report:
1 Introduction
One of the puzzling phenomena in volcanism is the ductile-to-brittle transition that magma undergoes
when it is rapidly stretched. Magma is a complex multiphase system that comprises a melted-silica
matrix, gas, and suspended solid crystals. To shed light on the rheological effects of solid crystals in
magma, I have recently joined the Ichihara research group. My objective is to propose and conduct
a model experiment that can help us understand the mechanical behavior of a suspension under
extensional deformation modes, with the ultimate goal of better understanding the ductile-to-brittle
transition of magma.
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Fiscal Year: 2021