Morphodynamic equilibria in double–inlet systems: Their existence, multiplicity and stability

Tidal inlet systems, which consist of back–barrier basins connected to the open sea by one or multiple inlets, are found at many places along sandy coasts. They are valuable for ecology (breeding and feeding areas), economy (gas–mining and sand–mining) and recreation, and are important for coastal safety. But they are also sensitive to external...

Process stratigraphy: from numerical simulation to lithology prediction

Process-based stratigraphic models provide attractive tools to simulate sedimentary system dynamics spanning a wide range of spatial and temporal scales and segments of the sediment routing system while allowing full access to the model responses, i.e. the spatial distribution of lithologies as a function of the intervening processes and...

Clay-laden subaqueous gravity flows: Flow structures, deposits, and run-out distance

Submarine gravity flows constitute the last link in the source-to-sink sediment transport chain. They are the main mechanism for the transportation of sediment from the shallower to the deeper parts of the ocean. Due to their great volume, mobility, and power, they pose a formidable threat to the offshore infrastructures, and can generate...

Training rivers with longitudinal walls: long-term morphological responses

Rivers have been trained for centuries by series of transverse groynes. This generally results in damages to their ecosystems as well as in undesirable longterm morphological developments. We analyze here the possibility to train rivers in a new way by subdividing their channel in parallel channels with specific functions with longitudinal...

On the mechanics and stability of micro-plates in electrically loaded MEMS devices

In the last decades, Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) have drawn immense attention due to their potential use in a wide variety of modern applications, including micro-mechanical sensors and actuators. MEMS are devices combining mechanical and electrical components between 1 and 100 micrometers, all integrated into a single chip. The...

Aeroelastic Limit-Cycle Oscillations resulting from Aerodynamic Non-Linearities

Aerodynamic non-linearities, such as shock waves, boundary layer separation or boundary layer transition, may cause an amplitude limitation of the oscillations induced by the fluid flow around a structure. These aeroelastic limit-cycle oscillations (LCOs) resulting from aerodynamic non-linearities have been studied numerically in this PhD thesis...

Mathematical models for atherosclerotic plaque evolution

Atherosclerosis is a disease in which low density lipoproteins (LDL) accumulate in the arterial wall due to an inflammatory response, which is triggered by the oxidation of LDL molecules that are already present in the arterial wall. Progression of atherosclerotic plaques involves many components which includes, macrophages, monocytes, LDL,...

On asymptotic approximations of first integrals for a class of nonlinear oscillators

In this thesis a class of nonlinear oscillator equations is studied. Asymptotic approximations of first integrals for the nonlinear differential equations are constructed by using the recently developed perturbation method based on integrating vectors. The existence and the stability of time-periodic solutions can be determined from these...