Temperature effects on capillary instabilities in a thin nematic liquid crystalline fiber embedded in a viscous matrix

Linear stability analysis of capillary instabilities in a thin nematic liquid crystalline cylindrical fiber embedded in an immiscible viscous matrix is performed by formulating and solving the governing nemato-capillary equations, that include the effect of temperature on the nematic ordering as well as the effect of the nematic orientation. A representative axial nematic orientation texture with the planar easy axis at the fiber surface is studied. The surface disturbance is expressed in normal modes, which include the azimuthal wave number m to take into account non-axisymmetric modes. Capillary instabilities in nematic fibers reflect the anisotropic nature of liquid crystals, such as the ordering and orientation contributions to the surface elasticity and surface normal and bending stresses. Surface gradients of normal and bending stresses provide additional anisotropic contributions to the capillary pressure that may renormalize the classical displacement and curvature forces that exist in any fluid fiber. The exact nature (stabilizing and destabilizing) and magnitude of the renormalization of the displacement and curvature forces depend on the nematic ordering and orientation, i.e. the anisotropic contribution to the surface energy, and accordingly capillary instabilities may be axisymmetric or non-axisymmetric. In addition, when the interface curvature effects are accounted for as contributions of the work of interfacial bending and torsion to the total energy of the system, the higher-order bending moment contribution to the surface stress tensor is critical in stabilizing the fiber instabilities. For the planar easy axis, the nematic ordering contribution to the surface energy, which renormalizes the effect of the fiber shape, plays a crucial role to determine the instability mechanisms. Moreover, the unstable modes, which are most likely observed, can be driven by the dependence of surface energy on the surface area. Low-ordering fibers display the classical axisymmetric mode, since the surface energy decreases by decreasing the surface area. Decreasing temperature gives rise to the encounter with a local maximum or to monotonic increase of the characteristic length of the axisymmetric mode. Meanwhile, in the presence of high surface ordering, non-axisymmetric finite wavelength instabilities emerge, with higher modes growing faster since the surface energy decreases by increasing the surface area. As temperature decreases, the pitches of the chiral microstructures become smaller. However, this non-axisymmetric instability mechanism can be regulated by taking account of the surface bending moment, which contains higher order variations in the interface curvatures. More and more non-axisymmetric modes emerge as temperature decreases, but, at constant temperature, only a finite number of non-axisymmetric modes are unstable and a single fastest growing mode emerges with lower and higher unstable modes growing slower. For nematic fibers, the classical fiber-to-droplet transformation is one of several possible instability pathways, while others include chiral microstructures. The capillary instabilities' growth rate of a thin nematic fiber in a viscous matrix is suppressed by increasing either the fiber or matrix viscosity, but the estimated droplet sizes after fiber breakup in axisymmetric instabilities decrease with increasing the matrix viscosity. Received 15 April 2002 and Received in final form 3 October 2002 RID="a" ID="a"e-mail: alejandro.rey@mcgill.ca     

Vibration of high-speed rotating rings coupled to space-fixed stiffnesses

This study investigates the vibration of high-speed rotating rings coupled to space-fixed discrete stiffnesses. The ring radial and tangential deformations are defined using space-fixed (Eulerian) coordinates, where material particles pass through fixed locations in space. Engineering strain is used in the strain energy expression. The derived nonlinear equations from Hamilton's principle are linearized about the steady non-trivial configuration that results from constant ring rotation. Comparisons are made to other models in the literature that use different assumptions. The governing equations are cast in terms of matrix differential operators that reveal the system's standard gyroscopic system structure. The natural frequencies and vibration modes are calculated over a wide-range of rotation speeds for axisymmetric free rings and a non-axisymmetric ring with a space-fixed discrete stiffness element.     

A finite volume method and experimental study of a stator of a piezoelectric traveling wave rotary ultrasonic motor

Piezoelectric traveling wave rotary ultrasonic motors are motors that generate torque by using the friction force between a piezoelectric composite ring (or disk-shaped stator) and a metallic ring (or disk-shaped rotor) when a traveling wave is excited in the stator. The motor speed is proportional to the amplitude of the traveling wave and, in order to obtain large amplitudes, the stator is excited at frequencies close to its resonance frequency. This paper presents a non-empirical partial differential equations model for the stator, which is discretized using the finite volume method. The fundamental frequency of the discretized model is computed and compared to the experimentally-measured operating frequency of the stator of Shinsei USR60 piezoelectric motor.     

Excitation mechanisms and dispersion characteristics of guided waves in multilayered cylindrical solid media

This paper first reviews a method of simulating the propagation characteristics of guided waves in multilayered coaxial cylindrical elastic solid media. Secondly, this method is used to investigate the properties of the guided waves for the ultrasonic long-range non-destructive evaluation techniques for rockbolts. To do so, the special case of non-leaky guided modes in open waveguides is considered. The method explains how the complex dispersion function is converted into a real function: hence the bisection technique can be employed to search for all the real roots. The model is used to (i) characterize the low dispersion range and anomalous dispersion of normal and Stoneley modes and (ii) analyze the excitation mechanisms of guided waves from axisymmetric and non-axisymmetric acoustic sources. The results are used to select suitable excitation frequency ranges associated with dominant modes with large amplitudes, low dispersion, and distinguishable propagation velocities to reduce signal distortion. The results suggest the lowest order flexural mode, excited by a radial force source, has potential to be used in practice. Also, the highly dispersive Stoneley mode propagating along a cylindrical interface is defined and distinguished from the normal mode using two properties, velocity high-frequency asymptotes and amplitude distributions along the radial direction.     

On the effect of viscosity and thermal conductivity on sound propagation in ducts: A re-visit to the classical theory with extensions for higher order modes and presence of mean flow

The dispersion equation for the axisymmetric modes of viscothermal acoustic wave propagation in uniform hard-walled circular ducts containing a quiescent perfect gas is classical. This has been extended to cover the non-axisymmetric modes and real fluids in contemporary studies. The fundamental axisymmetric mode has been the subject of a large number of studies proposing approximate solutions and the characteristics of the propagation constants for narrow and wide ducts with or without mean flow is well understood. In contrast, there are only few publications on the higher order modes and the current knowledge about their propagation characteristics is rather poor. On the other hand, there is a void of papers in the literature on the effect of the mean flow on the quiescent modes of propagation. The present paper aims to contribute to the filling of these gaps to some extent. The classical theory is re-considered with a view to cover all modes of acoustic propagation in circular ducts carrying a real fluid moving axially with a uniform subsonic velocity. The analysis reveals a new branch of propagation constants for the axisymmetric modes, which appears to have escaped attention hitherto. The solution of the governing wave equation is expressed in a modal transfer matrix form in frequency domain and numerical results are presented to show the effects over wide ranges of frequency, viscosity and mean flow parameters on the propagation constants. The theoretical formulation allows for the duct walls to have finite impedance, but no numerical results are presented for lined ducts or ducts carrying a sheared mean flow.     

A numerical method for the study of nonlinear stability of axisymmetric flows based on the vector potential

We develop in this paper a numerical method to simulate three-dimensional incompressible flows based on a decomposition of the flow into an axisymmetric part, in terms of the stream function and the circulation, and a non-axisymmetric part in terms of a potential vector function. The method is specially suited for the study of nonlinear stability of axially symmetric flows because one may follow neatly the raising of the different non-axisymmetric modes, their nonlinear development, and their nonlinear interaction. The numerical technique combines finite differences on a non-uniform grid in the axial direction, a Chebyshev spectral collocation technique in the radial direction, and a Fourier spectral method in the azimuthal direction for the non-axisymmetric vector potential. As an example to check the efficiency and accuracy of the method we apply it to the flow inside a rotating circular pipe, and compare the resulting travelling waves with previous stability results for this problem, for different values of the Reynolds and the swirl numbers.     

Non-Axisymmetric Oscillation of Acoustically Levitated Water Drops at Specific Frequencies

A category of non-axisymmetric oscillations of acoustically levitated water drops was observed. These oscillations can be qualitatively described by superposing a sectorial oscillating term upon the initial oblate shape resulting from the effect of acoustic radiation pressure. The oscillation frequencies are around 25 Hz for the 2-lobed mode and exactly 50 Hz for the 3- and 4-1obed modes. These oscillations were excited by the disturbance from the power supply. For the same water drop, higher mode oscillations were observed with more oblate initial shape, indicating that the eigenfrequencies of these non-axisymmetric oscillations decrease with increasing initial distortion. The maximum velocity and acceleration within the oscillating drop can attain 0.3 m·s^-1 and 98.7 m·s^-2 respectively, resulting in strong fluid convection and enhanced heat and mass transfer.     

A distributed-mass approach for dynamic analysis of Bernoulli-Euler plane frames

The exact dynamic analysis of plane frames should consider the effect of mass distribution in beam elements, which can be achieved by using the dynamic stiffness method. Solving for the natural frequencies and mode shapes from the dynamic stiffness matrix is a nonlinear eigenproblem. The Wittrick-Williams algorithm is a reliable tool to identify the natural frequencies. A deflated matrix method to determine the mode shapes is presented. The dynamic stiffness matrix may create some null modes in which the joints of beam elements have null deformation. Adding an interior node at the middle of beam elements can eliminate the null modes of flexural vibration, but does not eliminate the null modes of axial vibration. A force equilibrium approach to solve for the null modes of axial vibration is presented. Orthogonal conditions of vibration modes in the Bernoulli-Euler plane frames, which are required in solving the transient response, are theoretically derived. The decoupling process for the vibration modes of the same natural frequency is also presented.     

Spatial coherence of laser light propagating in an optical fibre

The modulus of the complex degree of spatial coherence at the exit face of an optical fibre is determined for a quasi-monochromatic, spatially coherent source. It is found that the contribution of the cross-terms between many modes to the formulus of pointwise correlation is negligible for a highly multimode fibre in which even and odd modes are equally excited, although care must be taken when even or odd modes only are selectively excited in the waveguide. Experimental results obtained by using a Koesters prism in the wavefront reversing interferometer are also presented for a graded-index multimode fibre and a quasi-single mode fibre. Modal contents of the propagating field in the optical fibre can be successfully determined, provided that the coherence time of a quasi-monochromatic source and the path difference of the wavefront reversing system are knowna priori.     

Calculation of natural frequencies and modes of tires in road contact by utilizing Eigenvalues of the axisymmetric non-contacting tire

Given the experimental or theoretical natural frequencies and modes of a tire mounted and inflated, but not in ground contact, an analytical method is presented that allows one to obtain the natural frequencies and modes when the tire is in ground contact. This is of practical advantage since measurements or calculations of the free axisymmetric tire are considerably simpler than directly measuring or analyzing the non-axisymmetric case of ground contact.     

Natural beam focusing of non-axisymmetric guided waves in large-diameter pipes

The propagation of non-axisymmetric guided waves in larger diameter pipes is studied in this paper by treating the guided waves as corresponding Lamb waves in an unwrapped plate. This approximation leads to a simpler method for calculating the phase velocities of hollow cylinder guided waves, which reveals a beam focusing nature of non-axisymmetric guided waves generated by a partial source loading. The acoustic fields in a pipe generated by a partial-loading source includes axisymmetric longitudinal modes as well as non-axisymmetric flexural modes. The circumferential distribution of the total acoustic field, also referred as an angular profile, diverges circumferentially while guided waves propagate with dependence on such factors as mode, frequency, cylinder size, propagation distance, etc. Exact prediction of the angular profile of the total field can only be realized by numerical calculations. In particular cases, however, when the wall thickness is far less than the cylinder diameter and the wavelength is smaller than or comparable to the pipe wall thickness, the acoustic field can be analyzed based on the characteristics of Lamb waves that travel along a periodic unwrapped plate. Based on this assumption, a simplified model is derived to calculate the phase velocities of non-axisymmetric flexural mode guided waves. The model is then applied to discussions on some particular characteristics of guided-wave angular profiles generated by a source loading. Some features of flexural modes, such as cutoff frequency values are predicted with the simpler model. The relationship between the angular profiles and other factors such as frequency, propagation distance, and cylinder size is obtained and presented in simple equations. The angular profile rate of change with respect to propagation distance is investigated. In particular, our simplified model for non-axisymmetric guided waves predicts that the wave beam will converge to its original circumferential shape after the wave propagates for a certain distance. A concept of "natural focal point" is introduced and a simple equation is derived to compute the 1st natural focal distance of non-axisymmetric guided waves. The applicable range of the simplified equation is provided. Industrial pipes meet the requirement of wall thickness being far less than the pipe diameter. The approximate analytical algorithms presented in this paper provides a convenient method enabling quick acoustic field analysis on large-diameter industrial pipes for NDE applications.     

Numerical analysis of the hybrid transducer ultrasonic motor: comparison of characteristics calculated by transmission-line and lumped-element models

In this paper, a hybrid transducer ultrasonic motor is numerically analyzed by using two equivalent electrical circuit models. A transmission-line model for the torsional vibration in the stator, which can model any torsional vibration mode and their combinations, was introduced and compared with a lumped-element model, which modeled the fundamental torsional resonance mode in the stator. The calculation result by using the transmission-line model demonstrated that the second harmonic torsional vibration increased either with the static spring force by which the rotor was pressed to the stator or with the load torque placed on the rotor. The difference in the calculated motor performance between the two models appeared when the second harmonic torsional vibration became large at a sufficient static spring force.     

轴流压气机转子叶尖泄漏涡和尾迹在静子尖区的传播

用三维激光多普勒测速系统测量了轴流压气机设计状态转子叶尖泄漏涡和尾迹在静子尖区的传播过程。结果表明,转子叶尖泄漏涡和转子尾迹周期地扫过静子通道尖区,导致该区出现周期性的流动阻塞和脉动。转子尾迹在静子通道内追赶上从前一转子叶片通道内下来的叶尖泄漏涡,二者的相互作用和掺混导致静子尖区更为复杂的二次流动。同转子尾迹相比,转子叶尖泄漏涡对静子尖区的影响更为明显和深远。静叶尾部吸力面出现流动分离,分离流同低能物质之间发生相互作用和掺混。     

基于喷管节流的轴流转子非轴对称间隙布局研究

实际工作中的压气机转子叶尖间隙往往存在着非轴对称性,对压气机性能及稳定性产生影响.本文以上海交通大学LSRC压气机实验台的第一级转子为研究对象,开展了转子非轴对称间隙布局的数值模拟研究.在数值模拟中,通过在转子出口设置喷管的方式模拟节流过程,分析了喷管结构对压气机性能的影响,并对该方法与常规背压节流方法进行了对比验证....     

The Method of Fundamental Solutions for Solving Exterior Axisymmetric Helmholtz Problems with High Wave-Number

In this paper, we investigate the method of fundamental solutions (MFS) for solving exterior Helmholtz problems with high wave-number in axisymmetric domains. Since the coefficient matrix in the linear system resulting from the MFS approximation has a block circulant structure, it can be solved by the matrix decomposition algorithm and fast Fourier transform for the fast computation of large-scale problems and meanwhile saving computer memory space. Several numerical examples are provided to demonstrate its applicability and efficacy in two and three dimensional domains.     

柱状弯曲超声波电机的定转子接触方式和力传递模型

柱状弯曲超声波电机在相机的镜头调焦、电动窗帘以及各种MEMS的微驱动等领域具有广泛的应用前景。本文针对柱状弯曲超声波电机,理论和实验提示了定、转子的单点和双点接触方式,提出了临界预紧力概念,给出了这两种方式下的定、转子间的力接触传递关系,进而给出了电机的机械特性和工作效率计算式,结合研制的电机样机进行分析,验证了本模型的准确性,并分析了电机性能与预紧力的关系。研制的φ14 mm的电机样机,实现堵转转矩达0.11 Nm,空转转速为300 r/min左右。     

板状行波马达简化电学模型的建立

提出一种利用具有等同振动特性的1/2波长马达定子来建立圆板型行波超声马达电学模型的方法,该方法结合马达定子复合板振动模式的特点,直接利用哈密顿原理对行波型马达定子的等效电路进行精确求解。模型反映了行波马达形成机理,同时计入了马达高阶非轴对称振动模式、齿的结构尺寸、压电陶瓷各向异性等要素。利用该方法可求解行波型马达在各阶常用振动模式下的静态电容、动态电容、动态电感、动态电阻、等效输入阻抗等电学参数,与实验测试达到了很好的一致性。     

A traveling wave ultrasonic motor of high torque

A traveling wave ultrasonic motor of high torque with a new configuration is proposed in this paper. In the new design, a part of the motor serves as the stator. The rotor is the vibrator consisting of a toothed metal ring with piezoelectric ceramic bonded, which generates ultrasonic vibration. The rotor is in contact with the shell of motor and is driven by the friction between the rotor and the stator. This configuration not only removes the rotor in a conventional type of traveling wave ultrasonic motor but also changes the interaction between the rotor and the stator of the motor so that it improves the output performance of the motor. Although an electric brush is added to the ultrasonic motor, it is easy to be fabricated because of the low speed of motor. The finite element method was used to compute the vibration modes of an ultrasonic motor with a diameter of 100mm to optimize the design of the motor. A 9th mode was chosen as the operation mode with a resonance frequency about 25 kHz. According to the design, a prototype was fabricated. Its performance was measured. The rotation speed-torque curves for various frequencies were obtained. The result shows that its stall torque is greater than 4 Nm within a range of 400 Hz. This ultrasonic motor was used to drive the window glass of a mobile car and the result was satisfactory. In the further the research on the friction material between the stator and the rotor is under way to improve the efficiency of the ultrasonic motor.     

A matrix model of the axle vibration of a piezoelectric motor

In this work, a matrix model of the axle vibration of a piezoelectric motor is proposed. The stator of this motor is composed of a thin piezoelectric membrane and a steel axle fitted at the center of the membrane. The rotor consists of a cylinder-shaped permanent magnet, pressed in contact with the other end of the axle by means of the magnetic forces. A travelling wave is excited in the membrane by using four electrodes and four, properly delayed, driving signals. The rotating flexural displacement of the membrane produces a wide precessional motion of the axle. In this way, a continuous slipping takes place between the axle and the rotor, and therefore, a torque is transmitted to the rotor. In this paper, the precessional motion of the axle is modeled as the composition of two transverse vibrations belonging to two perpendicular planes passing through the axle. The axle, vibrating in its transverse mode, is modeled as a two-port system: the input is the bending moment supplied by the membrane, and the output is the transverse force at the terminal end of the axle. With this model, we have computed the trasmission transfer function as a function of frequency, and the transversal displacement along the axle at its resonance frequency. The computed results are in reasonable agreement with experimental interferometric measurements carried out on a prototype.     

有内共振时的扬声器分谐波和混沌

研究了当轴对称模态由驱动力共振激发,并且轴对称模态和非轴对称模态存在2:1内共振时的扬声器辐射体薄壳的分谐波和昆沌。采用多尺度法分析了非线性模态方程的稳态解及其稳定性,由此进一步确定了驱动频率和驱动力平面上的分岔集。给出了所考虑情形下扬声器分谐波的阈值电压公式,该阈值电压低于无内共振时的阈值电压。除出现非轴对称模态的1/2分谐波振动外,2个模态的振幅经Hopf分岔后作极限环运动,并经倍周期分岔进入混沌运动。混沌出现是由于2个模态间能量的强烈交换。理论结果和实验结果基本吻合,该一致性表明了所建扬声器非线性薄壳模型的正确性。