The spatial-temporal evolution of coherent structures in log law region of turbulent boundary layer

The spatial-temporal evolution of coherent structures(CS) is significant for turbulence control and drag reduction. Among the CS, low and high speed streak structures show typical burst phenomena. The analysis was based on a time series of three-dimensional and three-component(3D-3C) velocity fields of the flat plate turbulent boundary layer(TBL) measured by a Tomographic and Time-resolved PIV(Tomo TRPIV) system. Using multi-resolution wavelet transform and conditional sampling method, we extracted the intrinsic topologies and found that the streak structures appear in bar-like patterns. Furthermore, we seized locations and velocity information of transient CS, and then calculated the propagation velocity of CS based on spatial-temporal cross-correlation scanning. This laid a foundation for further studies on relevant dynamics properties.     

Maximum cross-correlated kurtosis-based unsaturated stochastic resonance and its application to bearing fault diagnosis

Considering the random impulses of mechanical noise and the limitations involved while identifying mechanical fault impulse signals via traditional measurement indices of signal-to-noise ratio, which require the characteristic frequency to be known in advance, this study proposes an adaptive unsaturated stochastic resonance method employing maximum cross-correlated kurtosis as the signal detection index. The proposed method combines the features of a cross-correlated coefficient to indicate periodic fault transients and those of spectrum kurtosis to locate these transients in the frequency domain. Actual vibration signals collected from motor and gear bearings subjected to heavy noise are used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. Through a coarse tree-based machine learning method, the proposed method is verified to be more suitable for explaining the periodic impulse components of bearing signals, as compared to the ensemble empirical mode decomposition denoising method and unsaturated stochastic resonance using the kurtosis-intercorrelation index.     

Self-shaping of bioinspired chiral composites

Self-shaping materials such as shape memory polymers have recently drawn considerable attention owing to their high shape-changing ability in response to changes in ambient conditions, and thereby have promising applications in the biomedical, biosensing, soft robotics and aerospace fields. Their design is a crucial issue of both theoretical and technological interest. Motivated by the shape-changing ability of Towel Gourd tendril helices during swelling/deswelling, we present a strategy for realizing self-shaping function through the deformation of micro/nanohelices. To guide the design and fabrication of selfshaping materials, the shape equations of bent configurations, twisted belts, and helices of slender chiral composite are developed using the variation method. Furthermore, it is numerically shown that the shape changes of a chiral composite can be tuned by the deformation of micro/nanohelices and the fabricated fiber directions. This work paves a new way to create self-shaping composites.     

Physical implication of two problems in transition prediction of boundary layers based on linear stability theory

Up to now,the most widely used method for transition prediction is the one based on linear stability theory.When it is applied to three-dimensional boundary layers,one has to choose the direction,or path,along which the growth rate of the disturbance is to be integrated.The direction given by using saddle point method in the theory of complex variable function is seen as mathematically most reasonable.However,unlike the saddle point method applied to water waves,here its physical meaning is not so obvious,as the frequency and wave number may be complex.And on some occasions,in advancing the integration of the growth rate of the disturbance,up to a certain location,one may not be able to continue the integration,because the condition for specifying the direction set by the saddle point method can no longer be satisfied on the basis of continuously varying wave number.In this paper,these two problems are discussed,and suggestions for how to do transition prediction under the latter condition are provided.     

高聚物减阻溶液对壁湍流输运过程的影响

基于相同雷诺数下清水和高分子聚合物溶液壁湍流的高时间分辨率粒子图像测速技术(time-resolved particle image velocimetry, TRPIV)的对比实验, 从高聚物溶液对湍流边界层动量能量输运影响的角度分析其减阻的机理. 对比两者的雷诺应力发现高聚物的存在抑制了湍流输运过程. 这一影响与高聚物对壁湍流中占主导地位的涡旋运动和低速条带等相干结构的作用密切相关. 运用条件相位平均、相关函数和线性随机估计(linear stochastic estimation, LSE)等方法, 分析提取了高聚物溶液流场中的发卡涡和发卡涡包等典型相干结构的空间拓扑形态. 相比于清水, 高聚物溶液中相干结构的流向尺度增大, 涡旋运动的发展及低速流体喷射的强度受到削弱, 表明了添加的高聚物阻碍了湍流原有的能量传递和自维持的机理. 正是通过影响相干结构, 高聚物抑制了湍流边界层中近壁区与外区之间的动量和能量输运, 使得湍流的无序性降低, 从而减小了湍流流动的阻力.     

Boundary-layer disturbances subjected to free-stream turbulence and simulation on bypass transition

The phenomena associated with the entrainment of free-stream turbulence(FST) into boundary-layer flows are relevant for a number of subjects.It has been believed that the continuous spectra of the Orr-Sommerfeld(O-S)/Squire equations describe the entrainment process,and thus they are used to specify the inlet condition in simulation of bypass transition.However,Dong and Wu(Dong,M.and Wu,X.On continuous spectra of the Orr-Sommerfeld/Squire equations and entrainment of free-stream vortical disturbances.Journal of Fluid Mechanics,732,616–659(2013)) pointed out that continuous spectra exhibit several non-physical features due to neglecting the non-parallelism.They further proposed a large-Reynolds-number asymptotic approach,and showed that the non-parallelism is a leading-order effect even for the short-wavelength disturbance,for which the response concentrates in the edge layer.In this paper,the asymptotic solution is verified numerically by studying its evolution in incompressible boundary layers.It is found that the numerical results can be accurately predicted by the asymptotic solution,implying that the latter is adequate for moderate Reynolds numbers.By introducing a series of such solutions as the inflow perturbations,the bypass transition is investigated via the direct numerical simulation(DNS).The transition processes,including the evolution of streaks,the amplification of secondary-instability modes,and the emergence of turbulent spots,agree with the experimental observations.     

Tomographic PIV investigation on coherent vortex structures over shark-skin-inspired drag-reducing riblets

Nature has shown us that the microstructure of the skin of fast-swimming sharks in the ocean can reduce the skin friction drag due to the well-known shark-skin effect.In the present study,the effect of shark-skin-inspired riblets on coherent vortex structures in a turbulent boundary layer(TBL) is investigated.This is done by means of tomographic particle image velocimetry(TPIV) measurements in channel fl ws over an acrylic plate of drag-reducing riblets at a friction Reynolds number of 190.The turbulent fl ws over drag-reducing riblets are verifie by a planar time-resolved particle image velocimetry(TRPIV) system initially,and then the TPIV measurements are performed.Two-dimensional(2D) experimental results with a dragreduction rate of around 4.81% are clearly visible over triangle riblets with a peak-to-peak spacing s+of 14,indicating from the drag-reducing performance that the buffer layer within the TBL has thickened;the logarithmic law region has shifted upward and the Reynolds shear stress decreased.A comparison of the spatial topological distributions of the spanwise vorticity of coherent vortex structures extracted at different wall-normal heights through the improved quadrant splitting method shows that riblets weaken the amplitudesof the spanwise vorticity when ejection(Q2) and sweep(Q4) events occur at the near wall,having the greatest effect on Q4 events in particular.The so-called quadrupole statistical model for coherent structures in the whole TBL is verified Meanwhile,their spatial conditional-averaged topological shapes and the spatial scales of quadrupole coherent vortex structures as a whole in the overlying turbulent fl w over riblets are changed,suggesting that the riblets dampen the momentum and energy exchange between the regions of near-wall and outer portion of the TBL by depressing the bursting events(Q2 and Q4),thereby reducing the skin friction drag.     

Gent models for the inflation of spherical balloons

We revisit an iconic deformation of non-linear elasticity: the inflation of a rubber spherical thin shell. We use the 3-parameter Mooney and Gent-Gent (GG) phenomenological models to explain the stretch–strain curve of a typical inflation, as these two models cover a wide spectrum of known models for rubber, including the Varga, Mooney–Rivlin, one-term Ogden, Gent-Thomas and Gent models. We find that the basic physics of inflation exclude the Varga, one-term Ogden and Gent-Thomas models. We find the link between the exact solution of non-linear elasticity and the membrane and Young–Laplace theories often used a priori in the literature. We compare the performance of both models on fitting the data for experiments on rubber balloons and animal bladder. We conclude that the GG model is the most accurate and versatile model on offer for the modelling of rubber balloon inflation.     

Scattering of Tollmien-Schlichting waves as they pass over forward-/backward-facing steps

Forward-/backward-facing steps in boundary-layer flows are often seen in engineering applications, and they have potential impacts on laminar-turbulent transition through scattering of the oncoming instability modes(e.g., Tollmien-Schlichting(T-S) waves). This issue is studied in the present paper by applying a local scattering framework, which is a rather generic mathematical framework on describing the mode scattering process. In this framework, a high-Reynolds-number triple-deck formalism is employed, and a transmission coefficient, defined as the ratio of the asymptotic amplitude of the instability mode downstream of the step to that upstream, is introduced. Through the systematical study, it has been found that both the forward-and backward-facing steps have a destabilizing effect on the oncoming T-S waves in subsonic boundary layers, this effect increases with the height of the step and/or the frequency of the T-S wave, and a backward-facing step(BFS) always has a greater impact than a forward-facing step(FFS). These facts agree with most of the previous investigations.However, one numerical study(WORNER, A., RIST, U., and WAGNER, S. Humps/steps influence on stability characteristics of two-dimensional laminar boundary layer. AIAA Journal, 41, 192–197(2003)), which was based on an ad-hoc configuration, showed an opposite impact of an FFS. Through the investigation on the specific configuration, it is revealed that the wrong conclusion was drawn by misinterpreting the numerical results.     

TRPIV MEASUREMENT OF DRAG-REDUCTION IN THE TURBULENT BOUNDARY LAYER OVER RIBLETS PLATE

采用高时间分辨率粒子图像测速技术对沟槽壁面平板湍流边界层速度矢量场的时间序列及其统计量进行了实验测量,讨论了在同一来流速度下沟槽壁面对平均速度剖面﹑雷诺切应力及湍流强度的影响. 用流向速度分量的多尺度空间局部平均结构函数辨识壁湍流多尺度相干结构,用条件采样和相位平均技术提取壁湍流多尺度相干结构喷射和扫掠事件的脉动速度、展向涡量的二维空间拓扑形态. 结果表明,与同材料光滑壁面对比,沟槽壁面实现了10.73%的摩阻减小量;沟槽壁面湍流边界层湍流强度及雷诺切应力皆比光滑平板湍流边界层对应统计量小,说明沟槽壁面有效降低了湍流边界层内流体的脉动. 通过比较壁湍流相干结构猝发事件各脉动速度分量与展向涡量的空间分布特征,肯定了沟槽壁面的减阻效果,发现沟槽壁面通过抑制相干结构猝发事件实现减阻.