9508662 Drew The University-Industry Cooperative Research Programs in the Mathematical Sciences are programs designed to establish a mechanism for exchange of mathematical scientists between academia and industry at different stages of their careers. These programs will strengthen the links between industry and academia and identify and encourage new avenues of research in the mathematical sciences. The University-Based Graduate Research Assistantships provide the opportunity for graduate students to spend part of their time in the classroom and part of their time in an industrial setting. These awards are a means of contributing to the future vitality of the scientific effort of the nation. This research will model the flow of a fluid containing a large number of small paramagnetic particles. When this fluid is subjected to a magnetic field, the particles tend to align (polymerize), and the flow properties of the fluid change dramatically. The aligned states will be modeled using a probability density function for the length of chains of particles. A Monte Carlo model for the distribution function will be derived, and appropriate attachment and breaking models tested. This model will be coupled to the fluid flow. The result of this work will be a prediction tool that incorporates the microscopic physics of the processes involved in the lengths of the chains, and that can be compared to flow data.
