Dynamic structures of bubble-driven liquid flows in a cylindrical tank

The spatial and temporal structures of turbulent water flows driven by air bubbles in a cylindrical tank were investigated. The time-resolved particle image velocimetry technique was adopted for quantitative visualization. Flow rates of compressed air were changed from 1 to 5?L/min at 0.5?MPa, and the corresponding range of bubble-based Reynolds number (Re) ranged from 8,300 to 21,100. The dynamics of flow structures was further investigated by the time-resolved proper orthogonal decomposition analysis technique. With increasing Re, mean velocity fields driven by the rising bubbles are almost same, but turbulence is dramatically enhanced. Both spatial and temporal modes were quite different with respect to the air flow rates. Three most dominant spatial structures are recirculating flow, bubble-induced motion, and sloshing of free surface, the bigger the latter the higher Re. We found the frequency of sloshing motion from flow visualization and the FFT analysis of temporal modes.     

Accurate transverse stress evaluation in composite/sandwich thick laminates using a C0 HSDT and a novel post-processing technique

An efficient method for accurate evaluation of through-the-thickness distribution of transverse stresses in thick composite and sandwich laminates, using a displacement-based C⁰ higher-order shear deformation theory (HSDT), is presented. The technique involves a least square of error (LSE) method applied to the 3D equilibrium equations at the post-processing phase, after a primary finite element analysis is performed using the HSDT. This is distinctly different from the conventional method of integrating the 3D equilibrium equations, for transverse stress recovery in composite laminates during post-processing. Competence of the technique is demonstrated in the numerical examples through comparison with results from first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT), another HSDT and those from analytical and 3D elasticity solutions available in literature.     

Intensity of convective mass/heat transfer in a rotary regenerator rotor with the transverse needle-fins

A forced convective mass transfer coefficient was electrochemically measured for a cylindrical bundle of transverse needle-fins ?1 × 10.9, applied as the rotor porous matrix of a rotary heat regenerator. The baffle inside the rotor was present. The technique based on the ferricyanide–ferrocyanide redox reaction controlled at the cathode, in the presence of a sodium hydroxide based electrolyte, was used in this experiment. A set of the six neighbouring fins, connected in parallel, was the cathode. The distribution of the mass transfer coefficient according to different static rotor angle position and the mean mass transfer Chilton–Colburn coefficient correlation j _M  = j _M (Re) for rotation numbers, Ro: 0, 0.8, 1.6 and 2.0 were stated in the mean Reynolds number, Re, range 180–985. The comparison was made between the convective heat fluxes of the pin-fins and the sheet rotor, for Ro = 0.     

Pulsed electromagnetic radiation from a line source in the presence of a semi-infinite screen in the plane interface of two different media

The two-dimensional diffraction of a pulsed electromagnetic wave by a semi-infinite screen located in the interface of two different media is investigated theoretically. The incident electromagnetic field is taken to be generated by a line source. With the aid of the Wiener-Hopf technique and the Cagniard-De Hoop technique closed-form expressions for the field components anywhere in the configuration are obtained. Numerical results are presented in the case of E-polarization.     

Stable two-layer flows at all Re; visco-plastic lubrication of shear-thinning and viscoelastic fluids

Multi-fluid flows are frequently thought of as being less stable than single phase flows. Consideration of different non-Newtonian models can give rise to different types of hydrodynamic instability. Here we show that with careful choice of fluid rheologies and flow paradigm, one can achieve multi-layer flows that are linearly stable for Re = ∞. The basic methodology consists of two steps. First we eliminate interfacial instabilities by using a yield stress fluid in one fluid layer and ensuring that for the base flow configurations studied we maintain an unyielded plug region at the interface. Secondly we eliminate linear shear instabilities by ensuring a strong enough Couette component in the second fluid layer, imposed via the moving interface. We show that this technique can be applied to both shear-thinning and visco-elastic fluids.     

Forming of aluminum alloys at elevated temperatures – Part 1: Material characterization

A temperature-dependent anisotropic material model for use in a coupled thermo-mechanical finite element analysis of the forming of aluminum sheets was developed. The anisotropic properties of the aluminum alloy sheet AA3003-H111 were characterized for a range of temperatures 25–260 °C (77–500 °F) and for different strain rates. Material hardening parameters (flow rule) and plastic anisotropy parameters (R₀, R₄₅ and R₉₀) were calculated using standard ASTM uniaxial tensile tests. From this experimental data, the anisotropy coefficients for the Barlat YLD96 yield function [Barlat, F., Maeda, Y., Chung, K., Yanagawa, M., Brem, J.C., Hayashida, Y., Lege, D.J., Matsui, K., Murtha, S.J., Hattori, S., Becker, R.C., Makosey, S., 1997a. Yield function development for aluminum alloy sheets. J. Mech. Phys. Solids 45 (11/12), 1727–1763] in the plane stress condition were calculated for several elevated temperatures. Curve fitting was used to calculate the anisotropy coefficients of Barlat’s YLD96 model and the hardening parameters as a function of temperature. An analytical study of the accuracy and usability of this curve fitting technique is presented through the calculation of plastic anisotropy R-parameters and yield function plots at different temperatures.     

Characterization of patterns in rimming flow

Patterns were generated inside a horizontal cylinder rotating at low speeds. The cylinder was filled with a very low volume liquid fraction of 1.8% of Newtonian fluid and the rotation speed ranged between 0.08 and 5.2 s⁻¹. A novel laser-plane technique was utilized to obtain time series from each pattern. This enabled the characterization of fluid patterns using Fourier spectral (FS) and dynamical-systems (chaotic) techniques such as the recurrence map, correlation dimension (D₂) and Hurst exponent (H). Four patterns were found (fingers, furrows, waterfall and smooth tooth) before annular flow was reached. The results indicate that the FS technique not is suitable for flow pattern characterization; and H only has the ability to indicate a possible pattern change. The best tool for indicating the pattern transitions and the inner coat liquid evolution was found to be recurrence maps and D₂.     

Flow around a cylinder surrounded by a permeable cylinder in shallow water

The change in flow characteristics downstream of a circular cylinder (inner cylinder) surrounded by an outer permeable cylinder was investigated in shallow water using particle image velocimetry technique. The diameter of the inner cylinder and the water height were kept constant during the experiments as d?=?50?mm and h _w ?=?25?mm, respectively. The depth-averaged free-stream velocity was also kept constant as U?=?170?mm/s which corresponded to a Reynolds number of Re_d?=?8,500 based on the inner cylinder diameter. In order to examine the effect of diameter and porosity of the outer cylinder on flow characteristics of the inner cylinder, five different outer cylinder diameters (D?=?60, 70, 80, 90 and 100?mm) and four different porosities (???=?0.4, 0.5, 0.6 and 0.7) were used. It was shown that both porosity and outer cylinder diameter had a substantial effect on the flow characteristics downstream of the circular cylinder. Turbulent statistics clearly demonstrated that in comparison with the bare cylinder (natural case), turbulent kinetic energy and Reynolds stresses decreased remarkably when an outer cylinder was placed around the inner cylinder. Thereby, the interaction of shear layers of the inner cylinder has been successfully prevented by the presence of outer cylinder. It was suggested by referring to the results that the outer cylinder having 1.6????D/d????2.0 and 0.4????D/d????0.6 should be preferred to have a better flow control in the near wake since the peak magnitude of turbulent kinetic energy was considerably low in comparison with the natural case and it was nearly constant for these mentioned porosities ??, and outer cylinder to inner cylinder diameter ratios D/d.     

Dynamic behaviour of cold wires in heated airflows (300 < T < 600 K)

A theoretical and experimental investigation of cold wire frequency response is presented for the case of heated airflows (T < 600 K). Experiments using an external heating technique have been carried out for sensors in different flow situations. Particular attention has been paid to the influence of temperature on cold wire transfer function characteristics (time-constant and plateau level).     

Transition phenomena in the wake of an inclined square cylinder

The division of flow regimes in a square cylinder wake at various angles of attack (α) is studied. This study provides evidence of the existence of modes A and B instabilities in the wake of an inclined square cylinder. The critical Reynolds numbers for the inception of these instability modes were identified through the determination of discontinuities in the Strouhal number versus Reynolds number curves. The spectra and time traces of wake streamwise velocity were observed to display three distinct patterns in different flow regimes. Streamwise vortices with different wavelengths at various Reynolds numbers were visualized. A PIV technique was employed to quantitatively measure the parameters of wake vortices. The wavelengths of the streamwise vortices in the modes A and B regimes were measured by using the auto-correlation method. From the present investigation, the square cylinder wake at various angles of attack undergoes a similar transition path to that of a circular cylinder, although various quantitative parameters measured which include the critical Reynolds numbers, spanwise wavelength of secondary vortices, and the circulation and vorticity of wake vortices all show an α dependence.     

Nondestructive residual-stress measurement in a wide-flanged rolled beam by acoustoelasticity

X-ray stress analysis is a standard nondestructive stress-measurement technique, but its use is limited in the sense that only a surface layer is surveyed. Recently, acoustoelasticity has emerged as a technique for nondestructive stress analysis. Acoustoelasticity makes use of stress-induced acoustic-birefringent effects. It gives stress distributions averaged through the thickness of a specimen. This technique is attractive because it does not require a transparent plastic model as photoelasticity does. However, much should be done before this method is established as a standard nondestructive technique of stress analysis. The most important among them is to separate stress-induced birefringence from that introduced by texture structure. For special cases, such as axisymmetric stress distributions and when a stress-free region is knowna priori, residual-stress distributions can be evaluated nondestructively. In this paper, we measured residual-stress distribution in a wide-flanged rolled beam by using a recently developed T-type transducer. The results were compared to those obtained from conventional destructive methods.     

Numerical study of adverse pressure gradient generation over a flat plate using a rotating cylinder

Generating an adverse pressure gradient (APG), using a rotating cylinder in the proximity of a plane wall under a laminar freestream flow, is studied numerically in this work. The magnitude of the generated APG is a function of the gap, G, between the cylinder and the wall, and the rotational speed of the cylinder, Ω. The flow in such a configuration is characterized by periodic transient vortex shedding at high Reynolds number. A numerical model for the computation of the transient flow for this configuration is developed using the ANSYS CFD simulation tool. The model is validated against published experimental and numerical data for similar flow configurations and excellent agreement is observed. A parametric study is carried out for different combinations of G and Ω for two different Reynolds numbers of 200 and 1000 to examine the development of the resulting separation bubble due to the generated APG. The mechanism of the boundary layer separation over the plane wall and the corresponding wake dynamics is investigated. Results are presented in terms of the distribution of the pressure coefficient as well as skin friction coefficient along the wall and flow patterns around and downstream of the cylinder in the proximity of the wall. The results of these computations confirm that using a rotating cylinder over a plane wall in a freestream flow is an effective technique to generate a controlled range of adverse pressure gradients.     

Mode III crack problems for two bonded functionally graded piezoelectric materials

This paper investigates the singular electromechanical field near the crack tips of an internal crack. The crack is perpendicular to the interface formed by bonding two half planes of different functionally graded piezoelectric material. The properties of two materials, such as elastic modulus, piezoelectric constant and dielectric constant, are assumed in exponential forms and vary along the crack direction. The singular integral equations for impermeable and permeable cracks are derived and solved by using the Gauss–Chebyshev integration technique. It shows that the stresses and electrical displacements around the crack tips have the conventional square root singularity. The stress intensity and electric displacement intensity factors are highly affected by the material nonhomogeneity parameters β and γ. The solutions for some degenerated problems can also be obtained.     

A single-camera technique for simultaneous measurement of large solid particles transported in rapid shallow channel flows

This paper describes a measurement technique that was successfully applied in a study of bed load transport of large spherical solid particles in a shallow and supercritical flow (Fr?=?2.59–3.17) down a steep slope. The experimental condition was characterized by the relatively large solid particle size compared to the flow depth (d _p /h?=?0.23–0.35), and compared to the tracer diameter (d _p /d _t ?≈?130). The technique incorporated particle image velocimetry and particle tracking velocimetry (PTV) to simultaneously measure the characteristics of the two phases. In order to detect true solid particles and to distinguish them from each other and the unwanted objects, a particle characterization (PCR) algorithm based on Hough transform was employed. The output from the PCR process was utilized for PTV, as well as to generate the corresponding tracer images for special needs. Validation tests have confirmed the pixel accuracy and high reliability of the combined technique. Experimental results obtained with the developed technique include flow velocities, particle velocities, and concentration. The analysis has shown that the particle concentration profile followed an exponential relationship of the form similar to that of Rouse’s profiles, despite the large d _p /h ratio. It also revealed the effect of phase interaction, as a low loading rate of light particles on the order of O(10^?3) could yield a noticeable slowdown in the streamwise fluid velocity.     

Solidification of nano-enhanced phase change material (NEPCM) in a wavy cavity

The effects of surface waviness (λ?=?0, 0.125, 0.25, 0.5) and nanoparticle dispersion (??=?0, 0.05, 0.1) on solidification of Cu-water nanofluid inside a vertical enclosure are investigated numerically for different Grashof number (Gr?=?10⁵, 10⁶, 10⁷). An enthalpy porosity technique is used to trace the solid and liquid interface. Comparisons with previously published works show the accuracy of the obtained results. A maximum of 25.9% relative variation of freezing time with surface waviness was observed for λ?=?0.5, while the relative variation of freezing time with nanoparticles in comparison with surface waviness was negative for high values of λ. It was observed that surface waviness can be used to control the solidification time based on enhancing different mechanism of solidification.     

Effects of cell shape and strut cross-sectional area variations on the elastic properties of three-dimensional open-cell foams

The Voronoi tessellation technique and the finite element (FE) method are utilized to investigate the microstructure-property relations of three-dimensional (3-D) cellular solids (foams) that have irregular cell shapes and non-uniform strut cross-sectional areas (SCSAs). Perturbations are introduced to a regular packing of seeds to generate a spatially periodic Voronoi diagram with different degrees of cell shape irregularity (amplitude a), and to the constant SCSA to generate a uniform distribution of SCSAs with different degrees of SCSA non-uniformity (amplitude b). Twenty FE models are constructed, based on the Voronoi diagrams for twenty foam samples (specimens) having the same pair of a and b, to obtain the mean values and standard deviations of the elastic properties. Spatially periodic boundary conditions are applied to each specimen. The simulation results indicate that for low-density imperfect foams, the elastic moduli increase as cell shapes become more irregular, but decrease as SCSAs get less uniform. When the relative density (R) increases, the elastic moduli of imperfect foams increase substantially, while the Poisson's ratios decrease moderately. The effect of the interaction between the two types of imperfections on foam elastic properties appears to be weak. In addition, it is found that the strut cross-sectional shape has a significant effect on the foam properties. Also, the elastic response of foams with the cell shape and SCSA imperfections appears to be isotropic regardless of changes in a, b and R and the strut cross-sectional shape.     

Stress Monitoring of Post-processed MEMS Silicon Microbridge Structures Using Raman Spectroscopy

Inherent residual stresses during material deposition can have profound effects on the functionality and reliability of fabricated Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) devices. Residual stress often causes device failure due to curling, buckling, or fracture. Typically, the material properties of thin films used in surface micromachining are not well controlled during deposition. The residual stress; for example, tends to vary significantly for different deposition methods. Currently, few nondestructive techniques are available to measure residual stress in MEMS devices prior to the final release etch. In this research, micro-Raman spectroscopy is used to measure the residual stresses in polysilicon MEMS microbridge devices. This measurement technique was selected since it is nondestructive, fast, and provides the potential for in-situ stress monitoring. Raman spectroscopy residual stress profiles on unreleased and released MEMS microbridge beams are compared to analytical and FEM models to assess the viability of micro-Raman spectroscopy as an in-situ stress measurement technique. Raman spectroscopy was used during post-processing phosphorus ion implants on unreleased MEMS devices to investigate and monitor residual stress levels at key points during the post-processing sequences. As observed through Raman stress profiles and verified using on-chip test structures, the post-processing implants and accompanying anneals resulted in residual stress relaxation of over 90%.     

Effects of Permeable Cylinder on the Flow Structure in Deep Water

Flow behaviors around permeable cylinders were investigated using Particle Image Velocimetry technique in deep water. The height of deep water and free stream velocity were kept constant as h_w = 340 mm and U = 156 mm/s. To find out the effect of the permeable cylinders on the flow structure, eight different porosities (β = 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.65, 0.7, 0.75, 0.8, and 0.85) were used. The results have indicated that the permeable cylinders are effective on the control of large-scale vortical structures downstream of the permeable cylinder. As the porosity increases, turbulent kinetic energy and Reynolds shear stress decrease. This means that the fluctuations in the wake region are significantly weakened by permeable cylinders. The permeable cylinders having the porosity higher than 0.6 do not pose an obstacle in the flow. Furthermore, for all diameter values of permeable cylinders, it can be concluded that the flow structures downstream of the permeable cylinder show similar trend with each other.     

Time-averaged topological flow patterns and their influence on vortex shedding of a square cylinder in crossflow at incidence

Flow characteristics around the square cylinder and their influence on the wake properties are studied. Time-averaged flow patterns on the surfaces of square cylinder in a cross-stream at incidence are experimentally probed by surface-oil flow technique and analyzed by flow topology for Reynolds numbers between 3.9×10⁴ and 9.4×10⁴ as the incidence angle changes from 0° to 45°. Vortex shedding characteristics are measured by a single-wire hot-wire anemometer for Reynolds numbers between 5×10³ and 1.2×10⁵. The effects of topological flow patterns on the wake properties then are revealed and discussed. Flows around the square cylinder are identified as three categories: the subcritical, supercritical, and wedge flows according to the prominently different features of the topological flow patterns. The Strouhal number of vortex shedding, turbulence in the wake, and wake width present drastically different behaviors in different characteristic flow regimes. A critical incidence angle of 15° separates the subcritical and supercritical regimes. At the critical incidence angle the wake width and shear-layer turbulence present minimum values. The minimum wake width appearing at the critical incidence angle, which leads to the maximum Strouhal number, is due to the reattachment of one of the separated boundary layer to the lateral face of the square cylinder. If the Strouhal numbers are calculated based on the wake width instead of the cross-stream projection width of cylinder, the data in the subcritical and supercritical regimes are well correlated into two groups, which would approach constants at high Reynolds numbers.     

Linear viscoelasticity of styrenic block copolymers–clay nanocomposites

In this work, the rheological behavior of block copolymers with different morphologies (lamellar, cylindrical, spherical, and disordered) and their clay-containing nanocomposites was studied using small amplitude oscillatory shear. The copolymers studied were one asymmetric starblock styrene–butadiene–styrene copolymer and four styrene–ethylene/butylenes–styrene copolymers with different molecular architectures, one of them being modified with maleic anhydride. The nanocomposites of those copolymers were prepared by adding organophilic clay using three different preparation techniques: melt mixing, solution casting, and a hybrid melt mixing–solution technique. The nanocomposites were characterized by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy, and their viscoelastic properties were evaluated and compared to the ones of the pure copolymers. The influence of copolymer morphology and presence of clay on the storage modulus (G′) curves was studied by the evaluation of the changes in the low frequency slope of log G′× logω (ω: frequency) curves upon variation of temperature and clay addition. This slope may be related to the degree of liquid- or solid-like behavior of a material. It was observed that at temperatures corresponding to the ordered state, the rheological behavior of the nanocomposites depended mainly on the viscoelasticity of each type of ordered phase and the variation of the slope due to the addition of clay was small. For temperatures corresponding to the disordered state, however, the rheological behavior of the copolymer nanocomposites was dictated mostly by the degree of clay dispersion: When the clay was well dispersed, a strong solid-like behavior corresponding to large G′ slope variations was observed.