Foam flow around an obstacle: simulations of obstacle–wall interaction

The flow of a two-dimensional foam around an obstacle provides a benchmark experiment in which to study the transition from discrete to continuous properties of this complex fluid. The interaction between the obstacle and the walls of the channel is simulated using the Surface Evolver. The lift and drag forces on a circular obstacle are measured and the contributions to the total force of the film network and the bubble pressures are assessed. As the distance of the obstacle from the wall decreases, the lift force is found to increase significantly whereas the drag force does not vary greatly.A paper presented at the AERC 2005     

Effects of body shape and viscoelasticity on the slow flow around an obstacle

A study was made of the motion of axisymmetrical objects in viscous and viscoelastic fluids within a cylindrical tank with the assumption of negligible inertial effects. A numerical treatment based on the Stokes equations of motion and an optimization technique enabled the details of the velocity and rate-of-deformation fields for a Newtonian fluid to be predicted. The influence of the shape of various bodies, some even with concave surfaces, was examined. The corresponding experiments were carried out with viscous and viscoelastic fluids using a visualization technique. A correlation between the main flow characteristics and the rheological behaviour of the fluids was established.     

Separated flow structures around a cylindrical obstacle in a narrow channel

A detailed experimental study is performed on the separated flow structures around a low aspect-ratio circular cylinder (pin-fin) in a practical configuration of liquid cooling channel. Distinctive features of the present arrangement are the confinement of the cylinder at both ends, water flow at low Reynolds numbers (Re = 800, 1800, 2800), very high core flow turbulence and undeveloped boundary layers at the position of the obstacle. The horseshoe vortex system at the junctions between the cylinder and the confining walls and the near wake region behind the obstacle are deeply investigated by means of Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). Upstream of the cylinder, the horseshoe vortex system turns out to be perturbed by vorticity bursts from the incoming boundary layers, leading to aperiodical vortex oscillations at Re = 800 or to break-away and secondary vorticity eruptions at the higher Reynolds numbers. The flow structures in the near wake show a complex three-dimensional behaviour associated with a peculiar mechanism of spanwise mass transport. High levels of free-stream turbulence trigger an early instabilization of the shear layers and strong Bloor–Gerrard vortices are observed even at Re = 800. Coalescence of these vortices and intense spanwise flow inhibit the alternate primary vortex shedding for time periods whose length and frequency increase as the Reynolds number is reduced. The inhibition of alternate vortex shedding for long time periods is finally related to the very large wake characteristic lengths and to the low velocity fluctuations observed especially at the lowest Reynolds number.     

Numerical investigation of the phenomenon of “blocking” with the flow of a stratified liquid around an obstacle

An investigation is made of the phenomenon of blocking with the laminar flow of an incompressible viscous liquid around periodically arranged obstacles. The character of the motion is followed under conditions of temperature stratification.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 4, pp. 151–153, July–August, 1976.     

Channel flow of a liquid crystal polymer around an obstacle: Weld line structure and strain field

 We have studied by in situ microscopy the flow of a lyotropic liquid crystal polymer, hydroxypropylcellulose (HPC) in water, around an obstacle placed in a rectangular flow channel. The obstacle separates the flow into two parts which rejoin downstream of the obstacle, resulting in the formation of a `weld-line'. Measuring the velocity field in the vicinity of the weld-line beyond the obstacle, we find as expected a positive elongational strain (acceleration) along the weld (parallel to the flow direction). For an anisotropic (concentrated) HPC solution we observe in addition a significant shear strain in the weld-line region, there being an important velocity gradient perpendicular to the plane of the weld line. Isotropic (lower concentration) solutions of the same polymer demonstrate no visible weld line, a larger elongational strain rate near the obstacle, and no shear component of strain downstream of the obstacle. These results are similar to observations reported for fluids reinforced by macroscopic fibres. Polarised light observations of the anisotropic solution show that the strain field generates a generally increased degree of orientation of the liquid crytalline polymer near the weld (generally reduced crossed-polariser transmitted intensity when the polariser is parallel to the flow direction), however there is also a striking fine birefringent colour variation in the weld-line region, reminiscent of the structure observed at the channel side walls in rectangular channel flow (Haw and Navard 2000). The results show that the simple concept of weld-line structure as confined to an enhanced alignment along the weld due to elongational strain is incomplete; the two-dimensional shear strain field must also be taken into account for the anisotropic fluid. Received: 22 December 1999/Accepted: 4 January 2000     

Asymptotic theory of laminar flow separation at a corner

The development of the reverse flow structure in the neighborhood of a corner in a viscous incompressible laminar flow at high Reynolds numbers is investigated numerically. It is found that as the angle of inclination increases the internal structure of the reverse flow zone becomes more complex as a result of secondary separation. The effect of the curvature of the surface is investigated.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 1, pp. 180–182, January–February, 1991.     

Turbulent flow around a surface-mounted obstacle using 2D-3C DPIV

The mean turbulent flow structure around a cube mounted on the surface of an open-surface water channel was studied using a two-dimensional implementation of digital particle image velocimetry (DPIV). The out-of-plane velocity component was obtained by the use of the concept of continuity applied to two-dimensional velocity fields recorded in parallel planes. Various methods were used for the identification and localization of large-scale vortical structures in the three-dimensional flow around the surface-mounted obstacle. The results show the feasibility of its application to three-dimensional PIV data and the superior performance of recent identification techniques (namely swirling strength and normalized angular momentum), over the classical vorticity-based criterion.     

Asymptotic theory of flow attachment for a viscous incompressible fluid

A study is made of the two-dimensional laminar flow of a viscous incompressible fluid in the neighborhood of the point of attachment of the flow to a solid surface. The case of large Reynolds numbers is considered. It is assumed that the dimensions of the separation region are of the same order of magnitude as the characteristic dimension of the body around which the flow takes place. The asymptotic theory of such flow is constructed by applying the method of matched asymptotic expansions to the analysis of the Navier-Stokes equations. It is shown that in the neighborhood of the attachment point the flow is locally inviscid and can be described by the complete system of Euler equations. A solution to the corresponding boundary-value problem is constructed numerically.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 6, pp. 63–71, November–December, 1980.     

Parabolic method of solving problems of the flow of a sonic gas stream around a thin symmetric profile

A parabolic method consisting of replacement of the stream acceleration ?_xx in the non-linear member of (1.1) by a specially chosen constant has been proposed [1] for the solution of the mixed-type transonic equation with boundary conditions on the profile, and the solution of the linear parabolic-type equation obtained can be considered as a certain approximation to the solution of the initial problem. An improvement of the parabolic method is the method of local linearization [2] (see [3] also), in which the acceleration ?_xx fixed from the beginning is replaced by a function of the coordinate x which satisfies some condition. An ordinary first-order differential equation is obtained for the velocity distribution along the profile in [2]. Another method of “defrosting” the acceleration ?_xx “frozen” from the beginning is proposed in this paper; a second-order ordinary differential equation is obtained for the velocity on the profile, which permits getting rid of some disadvantages of the local linearization method. Several solutions of (2.3) are presented in comparison to known exact solutions.     

DPIV study of the effect of a gable roof on the flow structure around a surface-mounted cubic obstacle

The present paper reports a thorough comparison of the turbulent flow characteristics exhibited by a cubic surface-mounted obstacle and a simple geometric variant (gable roof of 30° roof pitch). The measurements supporting this study were obtained by the use of a 2D-DPIV system. Significant differences in the large-scale vortical structures and turbulent kinetic energy fields implied drastic consequences with respect to the advective and turbulent dispersive characteristics of the flow at roof and ground levels.

Steady flow around a plane cascade by an ideal gas

The steady separation-free flow around a flat cascade by an ideal gas is discussed. Most of the attention is devoted to blocking regimes with a supersonic velocity in the entire flow and its subsonic component normal to the front of the cascade. A directing action of the cascade (the direction of the velocity and the Mach number of the advancing flow turn out to be related) is exhibited in these regimes which is a consequence of an independence of the flow in front of the cascade of the conditions behind it [1–5]. The most widespread method of their calculation [3, 4, 6] is based on the method of characteristics with establishment of the flow outside the cascade in a timelike coordinate. Although the integrated conservation laws also permit finding the parameters at infinity, the numerical construction of as long-range fields as desired with periodic sequences of attenuating discontinuities is practically impossible. The approximation of nonlinear acoustics (ANA) [7, 8] is justified here, as it is very effective in such problems [8–12]. A combination of ANA, the integrated conservation laws, and establishment in a calculation according to [13, 14] with isolation of the discontinuities has been realized in [5] for the construction of a solution on the entrance section of a cascade and everywhere in front of it. Below the method of [5] is extended to the entire flow and simplified even more. The flow on the entrance section of the cascade is, just as in [3], found in the approximation of a simple wave, in the rest of it and in a finite strip behind it-the flow is found with the help of the straight-through version of the scheme of [13, 14], and in the long-range field-in the ANA. A simpler version is proposed. In it ANA is applied outside the cascade and the linear theory is applied inside the cascade. Examples of the calculations are given. Similarity laws are formulated for all the regimes of streamline flow.Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Mekhaniki i Tekhnicheskoi Fiziki, No. 6, pp. 35–43, November–December, 1984.     

Asymptotic theory of the flow near the rear end of a slender axisymmetric body

Steady high-Reynolds-number flow of a viscous incompressible fluid past a slender axisymmetric body is considered. The structure of the near wake and the boundary layer in the vicinity of the rear end of the body is studied. The relationship between the maximum relative body thickness and the rearend shape giving a local boundary layer — potential flow interaction zone in a small neighborhood of the rear end is found. The boundary value problem for this region is solved numerically.Translated from Izvestiya Rossiiskoi Akademii Nauk, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 5, pp. 68–77, September–October, 1993.     

Anomalous two-layer flow regimes over an obstacle

Journal of Applied Mechanics and Technical Physics -     

Flow of a sonic free gas stream around a profile

The stream function far from a profile in a two-dimensional sonic free gas jet is constructed. The stream function satisfies the Tricomi equation and is constructed on the , plane by the method of singular integral equations. With unlimited increase of the jet width and by satisfying a certain condition, the stream function transforms to the self-similar solution of Frank [1, 2] and Guderley, which describes an unbounded sonic stream far from the profile. In conclusion, flow of a sonic jet issuing from a duct about a profile is considered.The author wishes to thank S. V. Fal'kovich for valuable suggestions in discussing this article.