Effect of pressure gradients on the different stages of roughness induced boundary layer transition

The physical mechanisms of roughness-induced transition (RIT) in pressure gradient boundary layers are studied using direct numerical simulations. Recent investigations have examined RIT processes in zero-pressure-gradient boundary layers (Suryanarayanan et al., 2019). The present study uses a vorticity dynamics point of view to examine how these processes are altered by a locally accelerating or decelerating flow that strains the vorticity field and creates a net vorticity flux at the wall. Flow acceleration is imposed on specific streamwise extents of the flow. This provides an understanding about how the fundamental mechanisms in different stages of RIT are affected by pressure gradients. The present results suggest that both lift-up and subsequent amplification of the unsteady perturbations are mitigated by flow acceleration. The effect on lift-up is explained by the compression (i.e. large negative value of the stretching term) of the wall-normal vorticity by negative dv/dy. Consistent with earlier experimental observations on spots and wedges, favorable pressure gradients reduce turbulent wedge spreading and nearly arrest the spreading when sufficiently strong. This result is also explained in terms of vorticity dynamics.     

An analysis of over-relaxation in a kinetic approximation of systems of conservation laws

The over-relaxation approach is an alternative to the Jin–Xin relaxation method in order to apply the equilibrium source term in a more precise way. This is also a key ingredient of the lattice Boltzmann method for achieving second-order accuracy. In this work, we provide an analysis of the over-relaxation kinetic scheme. We compute its equivalent equation, which is particularly useful for devising stable boundary conditions for the hidden kinetic variables.     

Formation of low-temperature deformation-induced segregations of nickel in Fe–Ni-based austenitic alloys

ABSTRACT

The authors present the results of an investigation in Fe–Ni-Cr austenitic alloys of the low-temperature deformation-induced segregations of nickel that form in the micro regions being (i) located close to grain- and subgrain boundaries and (ii) characteristic of the concentration and magnetic inhomogeneities indicated by the appearance of a dark diffraction contrast at the electron diffraction patterns taken from these regions typical (at the same time) of an enhanced value of Curie temperature. The observed effects were connected with the micro distortions caused by the local change of lattice parameter because of an increase in nickel concentration, as well as in the result of a magnetostriction dilatation. Using methods of the X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (XEDS) and atomic-probe body-section radiography (tomography – APT) has made it possible to determine the borders of those regions of austenite that were characteristic of an enhanced concentration of nickel in the fields of the localisation of a deformation-induced segregation of nickel in the vicinity of grain (subgrain) boundaries of austenitic alloys of the types Fe–13Cr–30Ni and Fe–37Ni–3Ti.     

Computation of hydrodynamic mass and damping coefficients for a cavitating marine propeller flow using a panel method

The present paper deals with the numerical calculation of hydrodynamic mass and damping coefficients under consideration of unsteady sheet cavitation on marine propeller flows. In the first part of the paper, the mathematical and numerical background behind the numerical method is introduced. The numerical calculations carried out in this work are based on a low-order panel method. Panel methods belong to the class of collocation techniques and are applied to obtain a numerical solution of a potential flow based system of boundary integral equations. They are suitable for the present application because of their short computation time which makes them applicable in the design process of marine propellers.Additionally, two different approaches for the determination of hydrodynamic masses and damping are introduced in this work. The hydrodynamic masses and damping are important in studies of the ship motion in seaway and in the analysis of vibrations of a vessel and its appendages. The developed approaches are applied on a propeller flow in heave motion. Hereby, the calculations are performed for a non-rotating and rotating propeller under non-cavitating and cavitating conditions. The results obtained from the simulations are discussed in detail and an outlook is given.     

Probing the early stages of thermal fractionation by successive self‐nucleation and annealing performed with fast scanning chip‐calorimetry

The thermal fractionation kinetics of a linear low‐density polyethylene (LLDPE) during Successive Self‐Nucleation and Annealing (SSA) is investigated by fast scanning chip‐calorimetry (FSC), by systematically varying the holding times (t_s) at each fractionation temperature (T_s). The range of explored fractionation times spans four orders of magnitude, from 0.001 to 10 s. Discernible thermal fractions are already detected in the very early stages of the process, at t_s shorter than one second. As t_s increases, the melting endotherm after SSA indicates a progressive lamellar thickening and narrowing of the thicknesses distribution of the various crystalline fractions. The largest variations are observed for the families of crystals containing the longest crystallizable sequences, which also undergo a change of their relative content as a consequence of self‐nucleated crystallization at T_s. The quality of the thermal fractionation obtained in 10 seconds with FSC is equivalent to that of conventional differential scanning calorimetry SSA (t_s = 300 s). © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016 , 54, 2200–2209     

Solvability of the boundary value problem for stationary magnetohydrodynamic equations under mixed boundary conditions for the magnetic field

The global solvability of the boundary value problem for stationary magnetohydrodynamic equations under the Dirichlet boundary condition for the velocity and mixed boundary conditions for the magnetic field is proved.     

Temperature‐dependent phase‐segregation behavior and antifouling performance of UV‐curable methacrylated PDMS/PEG coatings

Controllable phase segregation adjustment for immiscible polymer blends has always been tough, which hinders the development of amphiphilic antifouling coatings from more accessible blends. Herein, methacrylated poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS‐MA) was synthesized and mixed with poly(ethylene glycol)methylether methacrylate (PEG‐MA). It was interestingly discovered that these PDMS‐MA/PEG‐MA blends displayed upper critical solution temperatures (UCST) due to thermo‐induced conformational change of PEG‐MA and the UCST changed with PDMS‐MA/PEG‐MA mass ratios. Micro‐/nano‐phase segregation, nanophase segregation, or homogenous morphology were therefore achieved. These PDMS‐MA/PEG‐MA blends with different mass ratios were UV‐cured under varying temperatures to fabricate coatings. Their surface morphology and wettability are readily adjusted by phase segregation. For the first time, highly hydrophilic surface was achieved for coatings with microphase segregation because of the exposure of PEG‐rich domains, which exhibited an enhanced protein resistance against bovine serum albumin (BSA). Anti‐bacterial performance (Shewanella loihica) was also observed for these PDMS/PEG coatings. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016 , 54, 1612–1623