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Christophe Eloy

I am a Professor of Fluid Mechanics at Centrale Marseille, and my research activity is carried out at the IRPHE institute in Marseille.

My research addresses various fundamental problems of fluid and solid mechanics, including fluid-structure interactions, hydrodynamic instabilities, animal locomotion, aeroelasticity, rotating flows, and plant biomechanics. It generally involves a combination of analytical modeling, experiments, and numerical work.

I am currently looking for interns, PhD student and postdocs to work on the ERC-funded project C0PEP0D. It is an exciting project at the crossroad of Fluid Mechanics, Biology and Artificial Intelligence. Feel free to contact me if you are interested. More details at this link: C0PEP0D webpage.

 

Research

Swimming

Fish

There are several examples of convergent evolution among swimming animals (sharks, dolphins, and ichthyosaurs, for instance). This raises several important questions: What is the relation between form and function for these animals? Can the fish shapes be understood in terms of hydrodynamics only? Can we design performant swimming robots inspired from fish? (Right picture: Carp swimming through weeds in a stream, by Ando Hiroshige.)

References

Flag Flutter

Flag

A flag starts to flutter when it is placed in a flow with sufficient speed. This model problem of fluid-structure interactions has been extensively studied since the pioneering works of Rayleigh in the 19th century. Yet, its nonlinear dynamics is still poorly understood and efficient methods to extract energy from this aeroelastic instability remain to be developed.

References

Tree Architecture

Tree

In his notebooks, Leonardo da Vinci observed that “all the branches of a tree at every stage of its height, when put together, are equal in thickness to the trunk”. Yet, the mechanisms underlying this Leonardo’s rule are still debated today. One hypothesis is that branches sense wind-induced loads and adjust their diameters to resist fracture, while keeping biomass investments to a minimum.

References
Media Coverage

Flagella and Cilia

Cilia

Flagella and cilia are slender organelles used by eukaryotic cells to produce or sense flow. Although their internal structure, the axoneme, has been remarkably conserved throughout evolution, their kinematics can be very diverse. We have studied whether these kinematics could result from a minimization of energetic costs.

References
 

Publications

    2022

  1. Donato Angulo, O. D., Eloy, C., Cros, A., Divergence instability in an air-conveying soft tube: Analysis of static zig-zag shapes. J. Fluids Struct., 115, 103765 (2022).  
  2. Longo, L., Cruz, K., Cadot, N., Sarrouy, E., Ricciardi, G., Eloy, C., Drag coefficient estimation in FSI for PWR fuel assembly bowing. Nucl. Eng. Des., 399, 111995 (2022).  
  3. Monthiller, R.,Loisy, A., Koehl, M.A.R., Favier, B., Eloy, C., Surfing on turbulence: A strategy for planktonic navigation. Phys. Rev. Lett., 129, 064502 (2022).  
  4. Loisy, A., Eloy, C., Searching for a source without gradients: how good is infotaxis and how to beat it. Proc. R. Soc. A., 478, 20220118 (2022).  
  5. Capanna, R., Ricciardi, G., Sarrouy, E., Eloy, C., Seismic response of cylinder assemblies in axial flow. J. Fluid Mech., 943, A15 (2022).  
  6. Moulia, B., Badel, E., Bastien, R., Duchemin, L., Eloy, C., The shaping of plant axes and crowns through tropisms and elasticity: an example of morphogenetic plasticity beyond the Shoot Apical Meristem. New Phytol., 233, 2354-2379 (2022).

    7. 2021

  7. Gao, D., Meunier, P., Le Dizès, S., Eloy, C., Zonal flow in a resonant precessing cylinder. J. Fluid Mech., 923, A29 (2021).  
  8. Théry, A., Wang, Y., Dvoriashyna, M., Eloy, C., Elias, F., Lauga, E., Rebound and scattering of motile Chlamydomonas algae in confined chambers. Soft Matter, 17, 4857-4873 (2021).  

    9. 2020

  9. Safaie, M., Jurado-Parras M.-T., Sarno, S., Louis, J., Karoutchi, C., Petit, L. F., Pasquet, M. O., Eloy, C., Robbe, D., Turning the body into a clock: Accurate timing is facilitated by simple stereotyped interactions with the environment. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci., 117(23), 13084–13093 (2020).

    10. 2019

  10. Durán Venegas, E., Le Dizès, S., Eloy, C., A strongly-coupled model for flexible rotors. J. Fluids Struct., 89, 219-231 (2019).  
  11. Capanna, R., Ricciardi, G., Sarrouy, E., Eloy, C., Experimental study of fluid structure interaction on fuel assemblies on the ICARE experimental facility. Nucl. Eng. Des., 352, 110146 (2019).  

    12. 2018

  12. Duchemin, L. , Eloy, C., Badel, E., Moulia, B., Tree crowns grow into self-similar shapes controlled by gravity and light sensing. J. R. Soc. Interface, 15, 20170976 (2018).  
  13. Gao, D., Chen, W., Eloy, C., Li H., Multi-mode responses, rivulet dynamics, flow structures and mechanism of rain-wind induced vibrations of a flexible cable. J. Fluids Struct., 82, 154-172 (2018).  
  14. Filella, A., Nadal, F., Sire, C., Kanso, E., Eloy, C., Model of collective fish behavior with hydrodynamic interactions. Phys. Rev. Lett., 120, 198101 (2018).  

    15. 2017

  15. Yu, Z., Eloy, C., Extension of Lighthill's slender-body theory to moderate aspect ratios. J. Fluids Struct., 76, 84-94 (2017).  
  16. Eloy, C., Fournier, M., Lacointe, A., Moulia, B., Wind loads and competition for light sculpt trees into self-similar structures. Nat. Commun., 8, 1014 (2017).

    17. 2016

  17. Arbie, M. R., Ehrenstein, U., Eloy, C., Stability of momentumless wakes. J. Fluid Mech., 808, 316-336 (2016).  
  18. Lagrange, R., Meunier, P., Eloy, C., Triadic instability of a non-resonant precessing fluid cylinder. C. R. Mécanique, 344, 418-433 (2016).  
  19. Paraz, F., Schouveiler, L., Eloy, C., Thrust generation by a heaving flexible foil: Resonance, nonlinearities, and optimality. Phys. Fluids, 28, 011903 (2016).  

    20. 2015

  20. Morin, A., Caussin, J.-B., Eloy, C., Bartolo, D., Collective motion with anticipation: Flocking, spinning, and swarming. Phys. Rev. E, 91, 012134 (2015).  

    21. 2014

  21. Lopez, D., Eloy, C., Michelin, S., de Langre, E., Drag reduction, from bending to pruning. Europhys. Lett., 108, 48002 (2014).  
  22. Paraz, F., Eloy, C., Schouveiler, L., Vortex patterns generated by a heaving flexible plate. J. Vis., 17, 295-297 (2014).  
  23. Paraz, F., Eloy, C., Schouveiler, L., Experimental study of the response of a flexible plate to a harmonic forcing in a flow. C. R. Mecanique, 342, 532-538 (2014).  
  24. Ehrenstein, U., Marquillie, M., Eloy, C., Skin friction on a flapping plate in uniform flow. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A., 372, 20130345 (2014).  
  25. Arellano Castro, R., Guillamot, L., Cros, A., Eloy, C., Non-linear effects on the resonant frequencies of a cantilevered plate. J. Fluids Struct., 46, 165-173 (2014).  

    26. 2013

  26. Schouveiler, L., Eloy, C., Flow-induced draping. Phys. Rev. Lett., 111, 064301 (2013).  
  27. Lauga, E., Eloy, C., Shape of optimal active flagella. J. Fluid Mech., 730, R1 (2013).  
  28. Ehrenstein, U., Eloy, C., Skin friction on a moving wall and its implications for swimming animals. J. Fluid Mech., 718, 321-346 (2013).  
  29. Eloy, C., On the best design for undulatory swimming. J. Fluid Mech., 717, 48-89 (2013).  

    30. 2012

  30. Eloy, C., Lauga, E., Kinematics of the most efficient cilium. Phys. Rev. Lett., 109, 038101 (2012).  
  31. Eloy, C., Optimal Strouhal number for swimming animals. J. Fluids Struct., 30, 205-218 (2012).  
  32. Eloy, C., Kofman, N., Schouveiler, L., The origin of hysteresis in the flag instability. J. Fluid Mech., 691, 583-593 (2012).  

    33. 2011

  33. Eloy, C., Leonardo's rule, self-similarity and wind-induced stresses in trees. Phys. Rev. Lett., 107, 258101 (2011).  
  34. Eloy, C., Schouveiler, L., Optimisation of two-dimensional undulatory swimming at high Reynolds number. Int. J. Nonlinear Mech., 46, 568 (2011).  
  35. Doaré, O., Sauzade, M., Eloy, C., Flutter of an elastic plate in a channel flow: Confinement and finite-size effects. J. Fluids Struct., 27, 76-88 (2011).  
  36. Lagrange, R., Meunier, P., Nadal, F., Eloy, C., Precessional instability of a fluid cylinder. J. Fluid Mech., 666, 104-145 (2011).  

    37. 2010

  37. Eloy, C., Doaré, O., Duchemin, L., Schouveiler, L., A unified introduction to fluid mechanics of flying and swimming at high Reynolds number. Exp. Mech., 50, 1361-1366 (2010).  
  38. Buchak, P., Eloy, C., Reis, P. M., The clapping book: Wind-driven oscillations in a stack of elastic sheets. Phys. Rev. Lett., 105, 194301 (2010).  

    39. 2009

  39. Lagrange, R., Meunier, P., Eloy, C., Nadal, F., Dynamics of a fluid inside a precessing cylinder. Mec. Ind., 10, 187-194 (2009).  
  40. Schouveiler, L., Eloy, C., Coupled flutter of parallel plates. Phys. Fluids, 21, 081703 (2009).  

    41. 2008

  41. Eloy, C., Lagrange, R., Souilliez, C., Schouveiler, L., Aeroelastic instability of cantilevered flexible plates in uniform flow. J. Fluid Mech., 611, 97 (2008).  
  42. Lagrange, R., Eloy, C., Nadal, F., Meunier, P., Instability of a fluid inside a precessing cylinder. Phys. Fluids, 20, 081701 (2008).  
  43. Meunier, P., Eloy, C., Lagrange, R., Nadal, F., A rotating fluid cylinder subject to weak precession. J. Fluid Mech., 599, 405-440 (2008).  

    44. 2007

  44. Eloy, C., Souilliez, C., Schouveiler, L., Flutter of a rectangular plate. J. Fluids Struct., 23, 904-919 (2007).  

    45. Older articles

  45. Souilliez, C., Schouveiler, L., Eloy, C., Flutter modes of a flexible plate in an air flow. J. Vis., 9, 242 (2006).  
  46. Schouveiler, L., Eloy, C., Le Gal, P., Flow-induced vibrations of high mass ratio flexible filaments freely hanging in a flow. Phys. Fluids, 17, 047104, 8 pages (2005).  
  47. Eloy, C., Le Gal, P., Le Dizès, S., Elliptic and triangular instabilities in rotating cylinders. J. Fluid Mech., 476, 357-388 (2003).  
  48. Eloy, C., Le Dizès, S., Stability of the Rankine vortex in a multipolar strain field. Phys. Fluids, 13, 660-676 (2001).  
  49. Eloy, C., Le Gal, P., Le Dizès, S., Experimental study of the multipolar vortex instability. Phys. Rev. Lett., 85, 3400-3403 (2000).  
  50. Eloy, C., Le Dizès, S., Three-dimensional instability of Burgers and Lamb-Oseen vortices in a strain field. J. Fluid Mech., 378, 145-166 (1999).  
  51. Le Dizès, S., Eloy, C., Short-wavelength instability of a vortex in a multipolar strain field. Phys. Fluids, 11, 500-502 (1999).  
  52. Eloy, C., Clément, E., Stochastic aspects of the force network in a regular granular piling. J. Phys. I France, 7, 1541-1558 (1997).  
  53. Gurnis, M., Eloy, C., Zhong, S., Free-surface formulation of mantle convection, part 2: Implication for subduction zone observables. Geophys. J. Int., 127, 719-727 (1996).  
 
 

Contact

I am always open to new projects and collaborations, so feel free to contact me.

eloy@irphe.univ-mrs.fr

 
 

IRPHE - UMR 7342
49 rue Joliot-Curie
13013 Marseille
+33 4 13 55 20 49
 
 

Copyright © Christophe Eloy 2016.
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