Fractal-induced flow dynamics: Viscous flow around Mandelbrot and Julia sets

Document Type

Article

Source of Publication

Chaos Solitons and Fractals

Publication Date

10-1-2025

Abstract

This study explores viscous flow dynamics around fractal geometries, specifically the Mandelbrot and Julia sets, using finite element simulations. We analyze the impact of fractal roughness on flow characteristics across different Reynolds numbers Re0. At low Reynolds numbers, the influence of fractal roughness is minimal. However, as the Reynolds number increases, Kármán vortex shedding emerges, exhibiting distinct fractal-dependent patterns at specific thresholds (Re0=342.87 for the Mandelbrot set, Re0=289.553 for the San Marco fractal, and Re0=178.25,356.5,891.248 for the Siegel disk fractal). At sufficiently high Reynolds numbers, chaotic flow structures detach from the fractal boundary, destabilizing the boundary layer. To better capture the transition from laminar to turbulent regimes, we propose an alternative modeling approach using fractional derivatives in time. These findings provide new insights into flow behavior over complex geometries, with implications for turbulence modeling and engineering applications.

ISSN

0960-0779

Publisher

Elsevier BV

Volume

199

Disciplines

Mathematics

Keywords

Finite element method, Fractal geometries, Fractional derivatives, Julia set, Kármán vortex shedding, Mandelbrot set, Turbulence modeling, Viscous flow

Scopus ID

105007499647

Indexed in Scopus

yes

Open Access

no

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