Laboratory singing sand avalanches

Some desert sand dunes have the peculiar ability to emit a loud sound up to 110 dB, with a well-defined frequency: this phenomenon, known since early travelers (Darwin, Marco Polo, etc.), has been called the song of dunes. But only in late 19th century scientific observations were made, showing three important characteristics of singing dunes: first, not all dunes sing, but all the singing dunes are composed of dry and well-sorted sand; second, this sound occurs spontaneously during avalanches on a slip face; third this is not the only way to produce sound with this sand.More recent field observations have shown that during avalanches, the sound frequency does not depend on the dune size or shape, but on the grain diameter only, and scales as the square root of g/d - with g the gravity and d the diameter of the grains - explaining why all the singing dunes in the same vicinity sing at the same frequency.We have been able to reproduce these singing avalanches in laboratory on a hard plate, which made possible to study them more accurately than on the field. Signals of accelerometers at the flowing surface of the avalanche are compared to signals of microphones placed above, and it evidences a very strong vibration of the flowing layer at the same frequency as on the field, responsible for the emission of sound.Moreover, other characteristics of the booming dunes are reproduced and analyzed, such as a threshold under which no sound is produced, or beats in the sound that appears when the flow is too large. Finally, the size of the coherence zones emitting sound has been measured and discussed.     

Song of the dunes as a self-synchronized instrument

Since Marco Polo it has been known that some sand dunes have the peculiar ability to emit a loud sound with a well-defined frequency, sometimes for several minutes. The origin of this sustained sound has remained mysterious, partly because of its rarity in nature. It has been recognized that the sound is not due to the air flow around the dunes but to the motion of an avalanche, and not to an acoustic excitation of the grains but to their relative motion. By comparing singing dunes around the world and two controlled experiments, in the laboratory and the field, we prove that the frequency of the sound is the frequency of the relative motion of the sand grains. Sound is produced because moving grains synchronize their motions. The laboratory experiment shows that the dune is not needed for sound emission. A velocity threshold for sound emission is found in both experiments, and an interpretation is proposed.     

A Helmholtz resonator buried in the ground as a source of seismic waves and low-frequency sound in the atmosphere

The procedure is given for calculating the total power of low-frequency sound and seismic waves produced by a Helmholtz resonator in the form of an air-filled spherical cavity buried in the ground and supplied with a hole through which it is connected with the atmosphere. The sound is generated by air oscillations in the resonator’s neck section that is open to the atmosphere, while the compression and shear elastic waves are generated in the bulk of the ground by cyclic pressure fluctuations that act on the spherical walls of the cavity. Calculations show that the coincidence of the resonance frequencies (within approximately ten to hundred hertz), at which both the sound radiation to the atmosphere and the elastic seismic radiation in the form of longitudinal and transverse bulk waves are maximum, can occur only when the resonator is placed in a loose ground characterized by reduced elastic characteristics. In these conditions, the power of transverse waves exceeds the sound power by a factor of two and the power of longitudinal waves is smaller than the sound power by a factor of several tens.     

Dune morphodynamics

The physics of dunes relies on the interaction between a wind flow and an erodible topography. Thus, if strong enough to transport grains, the wind shapes sandy areas into dune fields. These dunes are reminiscent of a wavy sea so that sandy deserts are called sand seas. However, the comparison stops there. Contrary to water waves, dunes propagate only under wind action and when the wind stops, they do not vanish but stand. Consequently, dunes are not only the result of the present winds, but can integrate the wind regimes over long periods. Thus, they exhibit a range of shapes and sizes with superimposed patterns. They are witnesses of past wind regimes and their shape and orientation are used to constraint climatic models on other planetary bodies where they are observed as well (e.g., Mars, Titan and Venus). Here, we discuss the morphodynamics of dunes and endeavor to identify and to explain the physical mechanisms at play in the selection of their shape, size and orientation, whilst focusing on Earth desert sand dunes.     

双层弹性支撑板的水下宽带隔声

为实现水下宽带隔声,提出了一种由弹性元件支撑两块刚性端板构成的双层弹性支撑板结构。采用弹簧振子振动分析法和声传播理论,建立了平面波入射的水下隔声理论模型,分析了结构参数对隔声量的影响规律,结果表明足够小的弹性元件单位面积弹性系数或足够大的端板单位面积质量都可以连续一致地提高隔声量.仿真分析了双层弹性支撑板的振动位移和声输入阻抗,比较了双层弹性支撑板与连续介质层的隔声特性,结果表明,降低弹性元件质量,有助于在低频段消除半波全透射现象.在同厚度、同质量、同静态压缩率条件下,双层弹性支撑板能更好的降低两侧流体的振动及声耦合,隔声频带更宽,带内一致性更好,隔声量更大.     

颗粒介质中的粘滞系数

将颗粒介质看成是等效均匀介质, 其中的声衰减系数和声速等于该颗粒介质中的相应的量值(它们可由作者的理论给出), 等效静态密度可以用二元混合规则求得. 此外, 根据浓颗粒介质中相互作用的声传播理论, 当入射波为平面波时, 相互作用的次级波仍然是平面波. 在这样的情况下, 可以将三维非线性方程组简化为一维情况, 从而算得浓颗粒介质中的粘滞系数, 结果表明, 颗粒介质中的粘滞系数不仅依赖于颗粒的体积分数而且还与频率有关. 根据推导过程可知, 对比于爱因斯坦理论所能应用的限制, 本文的结果可以更广泛地应用于实际介质.     

Attenuation of electromagnetic wave propagation in sandstorms incorporating charged sand particles

A theoretical approach for predicting the attenuation of microwave propagation in sandstorms is presented, with electric charges generated on the sand grains taken into account. It is found that the effect of electric charges distributed partially on the sand surface is notable. The calculated attenuation is in good agreement with that measured in certain conditions. The distribution of electric charges on the surface of sand grains, which is not easy to measure, can be approximately determined by measuring the attenuation value of electromagnetic waves. Some effects of sand radius, dielectric permittivity, frequency of electromagnetic wave, and visibility of sandstorms on the attenuation are also discussed quantitatively. Finally, a new electric parameter is introduced to describe the roles of scattering, absorption and effect of charges in attenuation.     

A branching process model for sand avalanches

An analytically solvable model for sand avalanches of noninteracting grains of sand, based on the Chapman-Kolmogorov equations, is presented. For a single avalanche, distributions of lifetimes, sizes of overflows and avalanches, and correlation functions are calculated. Some of these are exponentials, some are power laws. Spatially homogeneous distributions of avalanches are also studied. Computer simulations of avalanches of interacting grains of sand are compared to the solutions to the Chapman-Kolmogorov equations. We find that within the range of parameters explored in the simulation, the approximation of noninteracting grains of sand is a good one.     

Waves and instabilities in dark interstellar molecular clouds containing ferromagnetic dust grains

The propagation characteristics of magnetization waves, as well as the instabilities of sound waves in a self-gravitating dark interstellar molecular cloud containing ferromagnetic dust grains and baryonic gas clouds, have been theoretically investigated by including the dynamics of both ferromagnetic dust grains and baryonic gases. It has been shown that there exist two types of subsonic or supersonic (depending on the field strength of the magnetization) transverse magnetization waves, which can be regarded as counterparts of Alfvén waves (for the parallel propagation) and magnetosonic waves (for the perpendicular propagation) in a magnetoactive plasma. It has also been found that, in addition to the usual Jeans instability, the sound waves suffer a new type of instability, which is due to the combined effects of the baryonic gas dynamics and self-gravitational field in both weakly and highly collisional regimes.     

Evidence for a crossover in the frequency dependence of the acoustic attenuation in vitreous silica

We report measurements of the sound attenuation coefficient in vitreous silica, for sound waves of wavelength between 50 and 80 nm, performed with the new inelastic UV light scattering technique. These data indicate that in silica glass a crossover between a temperature-dependent (at low frequency) and a temperature-independent (at high frequency) acoustic attenuation mechanism occurs at Q approximately equal to 0.15 nm(-1). The absence of any signature in the static structure factor at this Q value suggests that the observed crossover should be associated with local elastic constant fluctuations.     

Avalanche dynamics of crackle sound in the lung

We analyze a sequence of short transient sound waves, called "crackles," which are associated with explosive openings of airways during lung inflation. The distribution of time intervals between consecutive crackles Delta(t) shows two regimes of power law behavior. We develop an avalanche model which fits the data over five decades of Delta(t). We find that the regime for large Delta(t) is related to the dynamics of distinct avalanches in a Cayley tree, and the regime for small Delta(t) is determined by the dynamics of crackle propagation within a single avalanche. We also obtain a mean-field solution of the model which provides information about lung inflation.     

复合局域共振梁结构带隙研究

该文将周期局域共振梁结构中的基体结构由单一材料发展成多相材料,建立了周期复合局域共振梁结构。由共振单元在单胞中的排列位置,考虑了三种构型,并利用传递矩阵方法计算了在弹性基底作用下这些结构产生的局域共振带隙性质。结果表明,与局域共振梁结构相比,复合局域共振梁结构产生的局域共振带隙对应的频率范围更宽,禁带范围内弹性波的衰减峰值和衰减均值更高。除此之外,该文还分析了局域共振结构、单胞尺寸、基体材料和局域共振结构中的阻尼对弹性波在空间中传播和衰减特性的影响,为满足特定的隔声隔振要求的结构设计提供了依据。     

Simultaneous complete elastic and electromagnetic band gaps in periodic structures

We study elastic and electromagnetic properties in periodic structures and present “deaf and blind” structures, i.e. materials having simultaneous complete phononic and photonic band gaps, that is, transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) electromagnetic waves, pure shear elastic waves, and mixed shear and dilatation elastic waves, cannot propagate within these structures. These composite materials can control the flow of light and sound at the same time. The existence of complete gaps for electromagnetic and elastic waves can lead to the simultaneous localization of light and sound, a novel phenomena that can have strong influence on photon–phonon interactions. We study the dependence of the simultaneous and complete gaps on material parameters to provide design guidelines on how to create these photonic–phononic crystals. PACS 78.66.Sq; 78.20.Bh; 63.20.-e     

水中弹性结构声散射和声辐射机理——结构和水的声-振耦合作用

从三个方面综述水中弹性结构声散射和声辐射的机理,特别强调声-振耦合或流体负荷作用。首先从阻抗的角度讨论声-振耦合作用。对于典型问题散射和辐射声场可以用阻抗的形式表示,系统的总阻抗等于机械阻抗和辐射声阻抗之和。表面振速只依赖于总阻抗,而声辐射依赖于辐射声阻抗与总阻抗之比。总阻抗等于零给出系统的特征方程,方程的根就是声场函数的极点。其次应用共振散射和辐射理论讨论声-振耦合作用。此理论将声场表示成各种共振再辐射模态的叠加,从振动的角度揭示声-振耦合机理。已经证明,模态的再辐射效率近似正比于复频率极点的虚部。第三,应用基于Sommerfeld-Watson变换的表面弹性波理论讨论声-振耦合作用。此理论将声场表示成各种表面弹性波-环绕波的再辐射的叠加,从波动的角度揭示声-振耦合机理。也可以证明,环绕波的再辐射效率近似正比于复波数极点的虚部。     

Model for modulated and chaotic waves in zero-Prandtl-number rotating convection

The effects of time-periodic forcing in a few-mode model for zero-Prandtl-number convection with rigid body rotation is investigated. The time-periodic modulation of the rotation rate about the vertical axis and gravity modulation are considered separately. In the presence of periodic variation of the rotation rate, the model shows modulated waves with a band of frequencies. The increase in the external forcing amplitude widens the frequency band of the modulated waves, which ultimately leads to temporally chaotic waves. The gravity modulation, on the other hand, with small frequencies, destroys the quasiperiodic waves at the onset and leads to chaos through intermittency. The spectral power density shows more power to a band of frequencies in the case of periodic modulation of the rotation rate. In the case of externally imposed vertical vibration, the spectral density has more power at lower frequencies. The two types of forcing show different routes to chaos.      

EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF NOISE PRODUCED BY STEADY FLOW THROUGH A SIMULATED VASCULAR STENOSIS

An in vitro experiment is carried out in order to study the acoustic effects of a vascular constriction (stenosis) in people and provide correlations between these effects and parameters relevant to the hydrodynamic and acoustic processes. For this purpose, we measure the sound produced when water flows through an elastic tube which is either unobstructed or contains a rigid axisymmetric constriction. The sound is measured at the outside of a large annular container filled with water and bounded at the inside by the coaxial elastic tube. The analysis of the acoustic fields shows that a stenosis has two basic acoustic effects. These are a general increase in the sound level and the production of a number of additional distinct peaks (new frequency components) in the acoustic power spectrum. The frequencies of these peaks are close to the characteristic frequencies of vortex formation in the disturbed flow region behind a stenosis and the resonance frequencies of vibration of the post-stenotic segment of the tube. Another important result is that the stenosis generated acoustic power is approximately proportional to the fourth power of the stenosis severity and the same power of the flow Reynolds number.     

Saltation transport on Mars

We present the first calculation of saltation transport and dune formation on Mars and compare it to real dunes. We find that the rate at which grains are entrained into saltation on Mars is 1 order of magnitude higher than on Earth. With this fundamental novel ingredient, we reproduce the size and different shapes of Mars dunes, and give an estimate for the wind velocity on Mars.     

Transfer matrix method for internal noise prediction of an arbitrary shell-cavity structure induced by temporal-spatial random surface excitation

Combining structural finite element method(FEM),acoustic finite element and boundary element methods,a model of elastic shell vibration of an arbitrary shell-cavity structure coupled with internal and external sound fields is built.In addition,the transfer matrices from the excitation force to vibration of the shell and internal sound field are calculated.As the fluctuating pressure of turbulent boundary layer(TBL) is a temporal-spatial random surface excitation,the overall shape function matrix is introduced,and then the relationship between power spectral density matrix of the generalized nodal force of the elastic shell and power spectral density of the temporal-spatial random surface excitation is derived.Utilizing the vibro-acoustic coupled transfer matrix,relationships between the power spectral densities of vibration of the elastic shell/internal sound field and the power spectral density matrix of the generalized nodal force are obtained.Thus,the calculation method of vibration and internal sound field of an arbitrary shell-cavity structure induced by temporal-spatial random surface excitation is established.A typical vibro-acoustic coupled model of a rectangular cavity with acoustic media internally and externally,and with elastic rectangular plate on one side,is taken as example.The vibration of the elastic shell and power spectral density of the internal sound field are calculated and compared with the analytical method.The two results generally agree with the analytical one,with deviations of about 1 dB and 2 dB,respectively.The transfer matrix method has good adaptability which is not restricted by the shell-cavity structure and the shape of the inner region.     

A staggered-grid finite-difference method with perfectly matched layers for poroelastic wave equations.

A particle velocity-strain, finite-difference (FD) method with a perfectly matched layer (PML) absorbing boundary condition is developed for the simulation of elastic wave propagation in multidimensional heterogeneous poroelastic media. Instead of the widely used second-order differential equations, a first-order hyperbolic leap-frog system is obtained from Biot's equations. To achieve a high accuracy, the first-order hyperbolic system is discretized on a staggered grid both in time and space. The perfectly matched layer is used at the computational edge to absorb the outgoing waves. The performance of the PML is investigated by calculating the reflection from the boundary. The numerical method is validated by analytical solutions. This FD algorithm is used to study the interaction of elastic waves with a buried land mine. Three cases are simulated for a mine-like object buried in "sand," in purely dry "sand" and in "mud." The results show that the wave responses are significantly different in these cases. The target can be detected by using acoustic measurements after processing.     

On the crescentic shape of barchan dunes

Aeolian sand dunes originate from wind flow and sand bed interactions. According to wind properties and sand availability, they can adopt different shapes, ranging from huge motion-less star dunes to small and mobile barchan dunes. The latter are crescentic and emerge under a unidirectional wind, with a low sand supply. Here, a 3d model for barchan based on existing 2d model is proposed. After describing the intrinsic issues of 3d modeling, we show that the deflection of particules in reptation due to the shape of the dune leads to a lateral sand flux deflection, which takes the mathematical form of a non-linear diffusive process. This simple and physically meaningful coupling method is used to understand the shape of barchan dunes.Received: 26 January 2004, Published online: 9 April 2004PACS: 45.70.-n Granular systems - 47.54. + r Pattern selection; pattern formation