Kirigami fog nets

ORAL

Abstract

Fog is harvested in numerous arid coastal regions by nets placed in dominant winds to catch water droplets. We study experimentally how flexible meshes can adapt their shapes to wind and avoid clogging by capillary effects, in order to maintain a good efficiency of fog collection. By considering aerodynamic, capture and drainage requirements together with mechanical constraints, we propose an optimal geometry for kirigami nets of a given material.

Presenters

  • Denis Terwagne

    Physique, trio S lab, ULB, Universite libre de Bruxelles

Authors

  • Pierre Bintein

    Physique, trio S lab, ULB

  • Axel Cornu

    Physique, trio S lab, ULB

  • Nicolas Vandewalle

    Physique, GRASP, University of Liege, GRASP, Physics Dept, University of Liege, Belgium

  • Denis Terwagne

    Physique, trio S lab, ULB, Universite libre de Bruxelles