Tailoring particle shape for enhancing the homogeneity of powder mixtures:Experimental study and DEM modelling

The effect of particle shape modification on the segregation reduction of enzyme granules in laundry detergent powder mixtures was investigated,both experimentally and computationally using Deseret Element Method(DEM).The shape of modified enzyme particles was in such a way that the large and dense enzyme particles were layered by other fine particles in the detergent powder,by means of a process known in the literature as“seeded granulation”.It is found that the homogeneity of modified enzyme particles could be improved significantly comparing to the original spherical enzyme particles in powder mixtures.Overall,the results of this research demonstrated that the segregation-induced properties of the dense/spherical enzyme particles could be lowered by altering their shape,which could enable the enzyme particles to behave almost similar to other ingredients during the pile formation process.     

Smart computing approach for design and scale-up of conical spouted beds with open-sided draft tubes

Open-sided draft tubes provide an optimal gas distribution through a cross flow pattern between the spout and the annulus in conical spouted beds.The design,optimization,control,and scale-up of the spouted beds require precise information on operating and peak pressure drops.In this study,a multi-layer perceptron(MLP)neural network was employed for accurate prediction of these hydrodynamic characteristics.A relatively huge number of experiments were accomplished and the most influential dimensionless groups were extracted using the Buckingham-pi theorem.Then,the dimensionless groups were used for developing the MLP model for simultaneous estimation of operating and peak pressure drops.The iterative constructive technique confirmed that 4-14-2 is the best structure for the MLP model in terms of absolute average relative deviation(AARD%),mean square error(MSE),and regression coefficient(R²).The developed MLP approach has an excellent capacity to predict the transformed operating(MSE=0.00039,AARD%=1.30,and R²=0.76099)and peak(MSE=0.22933,AARD%=11.88,and R2=0.89867)pressure drops.     

Improving the hydrodynamic performance of the SUBOFF bare hull model: a CFD approach

The main aims of this study are to investigate the hydrodynamic performance of an autonomous underwater vehicle(AUV),calculate its hydrodynamic coefficients,and consider the flow characteristics of underwater bodies.In addition,three important parts of the SUBOFF bare hull,namely the main body,nose,and tail,are modified and redesigned to improve its hydrodynamic performance.A three-dimensional(3D)simulation is carried out using the computational fluid dynamics(CFD)method.To simulate turbulence,the k-ωshear stress transport(SST)model is employed,due to its good prediction capability at reasonable computational cost.Considering the effects of the length-to-diameter ratio(LTDR)and the nose and tail shapes on the hydrodynamic coefficients,it is concluded that a hull shape with bullet nose and sharp tail with LTDR equal to 7.14 performs better than the SUBOFF model.The final proposed model shows lower drag by about 14.9%at u=1.5 m·s^-1.Moreover,it produces 8 times more lift than the SUBOFF model at u=6.1 m·s^-1.These effects are due to the attachment of the fluid flow at the tail area of the hull,which weakens the wake region.     

Analysis of a two-grid method for semiconductor device problem

The mathematical model of a semiconductor device is governed by a system of quasi-linear partial differential equations.The electric potential equation is approximated by a mixed finite element method,and the concentration equations are approximated by a standard Galerkin method.We estimate the error of the numerical solutions in the sense of the Lqnorm.To linearize the full discrete scheme of the problem,we present an efficient two-grid method based on the idea of Newton iteration.The main procedures are to solve the small scaled nonlinear equations on the coarse grid and then deal with the linear equations on the fine grid.Error estimation for the two-grid solutions is analyzed in detail.It is shown that this method still achieves asymptotically optimal approximations as long as a mesh size satisfies H=O(h^1/2).Numerical experiments are given to illustrate the efficiency of the two-grid method.     

Analytical solution for the stress field of hierarchical defects:multiscale framework and applications

Hierarchical defects are defined as adjacent defects at different length scales.Involved are the two scales where the stress field distribution is interrelated.Based on the complex variable method and conformal mapping,a multiscale framework for solving the problems of hierarchical defects is formulated.The separated representations of mapping function,the governing equations of potentials,and the stress field are subsequently obtained.The proposed multiscale framework can be used to solve a variety of simplified engineering problems.The case in point is the analytical solution of a macroscopic elliptic hole with a microscopic circular edge defect.The results indicate that the microscopic defect aggregates the stress concentration on the macroscopic defect and likely leads to global propagation and rupture.Multiple micro-defects have interactive effects on the distribution of the stress field.The level of stress concentration may be reduced by the coalescence of micro-defects.This work provides a unified method to analytically investigate the influence of edge micro-defects within the scope of multiscale hierarchy.The formulated multiscale approach can also be potentially applied to materials with hierarchical defects,such as additive manufacturing and bio-inspired materials.     

Effective enhanced model for a large deformable soft pneumatic actuator

Soft pneumatic actuators have been widely used for implementing sophisticated and dexterous movements,due to numerous fascinating features compared with their rigid counterparts.Relatively speaking,modeling and analysis of an entire soft pneumatic actuator considering contact interaction between two adjacent air chambers is extremely rare,which is exactly what we are particularly interested in.Therefore,in order to establish an accurate mechanical model and analyze the overall configuration and stress distribution for the soft pneumatic actuator with large deflection,we consider the contact interaction of soft materials rather than hard materials,to produce an effective enhanced model for soft contact of a large deformable pneumatic actuator.In this article,a multiple-point contact approach is developed to circumvent the mutual penetration problem between adjacent air chambers of the soft actuator that occurs with the single-point contact approach employed in linear elastic rigid materials.In contrast to the previous simplified rod-based model that did not focus on contact interaction which was adopted to clarify the entire deformation of the actuator,the present model not only elaborates nonlinear large deformation and overall configuration variations,but also accurately delineates stress distribution law inside the chamber structure and the stress concentration phenomenon.By means of a corresponding static experiment,a comparison of the simulation results with experimental data validates the effectiveness and accuracy of this model employing a multiple-point contact approach.Excellent simulation of the actual bending deformation of the soft actuator is obtained,while mutual penetration is successfully circumvented,whereas the model with single-point contact cannot achieve those goals.Finally,as compared with the rod-based model,the results obtained using the proposed model are more consistent with experimental data,and simulation precision is improved.     

Nonlinear Performance of MEMS Vibratory Ring Gyroscope

Micro-electro-mechanical system(MEMS)gyroscopes are an important sort of inertial sensor for identifying parameters of spinning structures,such as the spinning speed and angular deviation,based on the Coriolis effect.In this paper,the nonlinear mechanism of MEMS vibratory ring gyroscopes is analyzed by applying a fully coupled nonlinear model,in which the gyroscopic coupling and geometrically and structurally nonlinear couplings are all taken into account.The coupled differential equations governing the drive and sense motions are established via the Lagrangian equations.Numerical simulation is conducted,and the key nonlinear components and energy transfer behaviors between the drive and sense modes are elucidated.It is revealed that the cubic rigidity nonlinearity is another significant factor leading to the coupling between the drive and sense modes other than the gyroscopic coupling.Perturbation analysis is also carried out by using the method of multiple scales.The nonlinear frequency-amplitude responses of the drive and sense vibrations are obtained,and comprehensive parametric studies are performed.The significant effects of system damping,excitation amplitude,drive amplitude and spinning speed on the responses are discussed,which will facilitate to improve the nonlinear performance and sensitivity of the gyroscope.     

Shape of free-fall arch in quasi-2D silo

In this study,the optical flow method is used to measure the velocity distribution of a granular flow in a rectangular quasi-two-dimensional silo.Using the velocity gradient,a free-fall arch(FFA)is obtained and its geometric characteristics are calculated.A parabola-shaped FFA structure is discovered above the orifice in the steady flow state.The shape of the FFA affects the flow rate through the orifice.Furthermore,as jamming begins to occur,the geometry of the FFA disappears gradually from both sides and then from the middle;finally,the FFA disappears completely in the state of jamming.As the boundary between finite-stress and stress-free regions,the FFA facilitates further studies regarding the discontinuity of the stress area above the orifice.     

A drag force formula for heterogeneous granular flow systems based on finite average statistical method

The existing drag models are mostly based on the assumption of homogenous fluidization.However,the use of a homogeneous drag model to predict a heterogeneous granular flow system will cause a deviation.In this study,we developed a drag force model based on the assumption of heterogeneous fluidization.To prevent weakening of the heterogeneous characteristics in the drag force formula,we propose a finite average statistical method to filter the information of the heterogeneous granular cluster.The filtered information was used to fit the modified drag formula,which can reflect the heterogeneity of the granular cluster considering different configurations.A comparison shows that the new proposed drag formula filtered by the finite average statistical method fits well with energy minimization multi-scale simulation results.     

A numerical investigation of CO_2 dilution on the thermochemical characteristics of a swirl stabilized diffusion flame

The turbulent combustion flow modeling is performed to study the effects of CO_2 addition to the fuel and oxidizer streams on the thermochemical characteristics of a swirl stabilized diffusion flame. A flamelet approach along with three well-known turbulence models is utilized to model the turbulent combustion flow field. The k-ω shear stress transport(SST) model shows the best agreement with the experimental measurements compared with other models. Therefore, the k-ω SST model is used to study the effects of CO_2 dilution on the flame structure and strength, temperature distribution, and CO concentration. To determine the chemical effects of CO_2 dilution, a fictitious species is replaced with the regular CO_2 in both the fuel stream and the oxidizer stream. The results indicate that the flame temperature decreases when CO_2 is added to either the fuel or the oxidizer stream. The flame length reduction is observed at all levels of CO_2 dilution. The H radical concentration indicating the flame strength decreases, following by the thermochemical effects of CO_2 dilution processes. In comparison with the fictitious species dilution, the chemical effects of CO_2 addition enhance the CO mass fraction. The numerical simulations show that when the dilution level is higher, the rate of the flame length reduction is more significant at low swirl numbers.     

Unsteady bio-fluid dynamics in flying and swimming

Flying and swimming in nature present sophisticated and exciting ventures in biomimetics, which seeks sustainable solutions and solves practical problems by emulating nature's time-tested patterns, functions, and strategies. Bio-fluids in insect and bird flight, as well as in fish swimming are highly dynamic and unsteady; however, they have been studied mostly with a focus on the phenomena associated with a body or wings moving in a steady flow. Characterized by unsteady wing flapping and body undulation, fluid-structure interactions, flexible wings and bodies, turbulent environments, and complex maneuver, bio-fluid dynamics normally have challenges associated with low Reynolds number regime and high unsteadiness in modeling and analysis of flow physics. In this article, we review and highlight recent advances in unsteady bio-fluid dynamics in terms of leading-edge vortices, passive mechanisms in flexible wings and hinges, flapping flight in unsteady environments, and micro-structured aerodynamics in flapping flight, as well as undulatory swimming, flapping-fin hydrodynamics, body–fin interac-tion, C-start and maneuvering, swimming in turbulence,collective swimming, and micro-structured hydrodynamics in swimming. We further give a perspective outlook on future challenges and tasks of several key issues of the field.     

双柱单锥型液-液旋流管内流场的激光诊断

应用激光测速仪，对一种双柱单锥型液 液旋流管内的流动结构，进行了全场范围内的多工况流动诊断研究．揭示出其切向速度由内旋流区和外旋流区构成，其中内旋流区中的速度分布符合准强制涡关系，外旋流区中的速度分布符合准自由涡关系；轴向速度由上行流动区和下行流动区构成，两者之间在直管段以零速点作分界，在锥体段则以零速区作过渡并伴随有一定的回流出现，且该过渡区或回流区的大小随锥体截面的收缩而减小，直到进入直管段后消失；各湍流量的分布以管芯处最大向外逐渐减小，沿轴向是直管段中的湍流度大于锥体段中的湍流度，而且湍流度在旋流管内具有各向异性的特性．     

黄土构造节理研究及其应用

作者发现大量不同力学性质的黄土构造节理后，识别了它们的区域性、系统性特征；认定其两组扭裂面代表新构造应力场最大剪切应力方向，利用黄土构造节理系及由其控制的土层沟槽网络恢复了相应地区Q3-4构造应力场；提出构造节理是黄土区地下水运移的主要通道和赋存的场所；发现构造节理是黄土区地裂缝、滑坡、崩塌和水土流失等地质灾害的构造基础之一，证实构造节理是黄土地层的软弱面，风化和继之而来的应力侵蚀就由此开始，进而逐步塑造黄土碟、穴、井、桥、柱、墙、沟等潜蚀地貌和部分侵蚀地貌。研究黄土构造节理对恢复新构造应力场、帮助预测地裂乃至地震活动、控制水土流失和滑塌灾害、进行工程乃至区域稳定性评价、重新认识黄土潜蚀地貌发育规律、指导干旱半干旱黄土区找水，既有理论意义又有实际意义。     

盐岩储库区地面沉降预测与控制研究现状与展望

利用盐岩地层建设地下油气储库群已成为各国发展能源储备的重要方向,然而关于储库区地面沉降的研究至今仍处于探索阶段。由于地面沉降所造成的重大事故屡见不鲜,因此有必要集中力量研究盐岩库区地面沉降问题,为我国盐岩储库群的建设提供可靠的理论依据。本文主要从以下3个方面总结了近几十年来国内外学者在盐岩储库区地面沉降预测方面所做出的努力与成绩： （1）现场监测——法国、德国、美国先后建立了现场监测网络,获得了大量的长期监测数据;  （2）理论计算——我国学者于20世纪90年代末将随机介质理论引入到盐矿水溶开采地面沉降预测中,从而为储库区地面沉降预测提供了新的理论基础;  （3）数值模拟——欧洲学者利用FLAC2D 程序对盐岩储库区的地面稳定性进行了数值模拟,而我国学者则利用在新概率积分法的基础上建立起的预测模型成功进行了沉降预测模拟。此外,为了有效地控制库区地面变形,预留矿柱式水溶开采法在国外众多盐岩地下储库群建设中得以广泛应用。本文最后提出在后续研究中将重点着眼于地表变形随时间的发展过程,并对现有理论模型进行适当的修正以及利用现场实测数据进一步完善预测所需参数的选取方法,从而使预测结果更为准确可靠。     

岩体风化的综合分带研究

岩体的风化不仅会引起岩石物质成份、化学成份变化 ,而且也引起岩体裂隙、岩体完整性的改变。因而风化岩体中裂隙数量、岩体块度的变化与岩体的风化程度具有较好的对应关系。论文研究了用岩体裂隙间距、岩体的完整性指标、岩石质量指标对岩体风化程度进行分带 ,较好地将岩体风化分带与岩体结构、岩体工程特性紧密地结合起来。在岩体风化程度的定量划分上作了新的探索。     

Microgravity effects on the rising velocity of bubbles and slugs in vertical pipes of good and poor wettability

Bubbles and slugs rising in vertical pipes of good and poor wettability were observed with a high-speed video camera in normal gravity as well as in microgravity. The wettability of the pipe did not affect the mean rising velocity of bubbles in microgravity. The same was true for the mean rising velocity of slugs in microgravity. An empirical relation was derived for the mean rising velocity of bubbles and slugs in mirogravity as a function of the superficial velocities of gas and liquid.     

中国东部沿海地带及邻区的环境工程地质与可持续发展研究

沿海地带是海陆交接的边缘地带, 是-个多功能的自然综合体, 蕴藏着丰富的自然资源, 开发潜力很大。但沿海地带自然环境复杂多变, 生态环境极为脆弱, 而沿海地带的开发利用又涉及许多部门和学科, 在开发过程中已引起若干环境工程地质问题, 因此, 加强沿海地带资源开发的环境工程地质研究有极为重要的意义。本文分析了我国沿海地带资源开发过程中引起的主要环境工程地质问题, 采用BP神经网络模型对沿海地带及其邻区的工程地质环境质量进行了评价与区划。在此基础上, 对中国沿海地带可持续发展方略进行了探讨。     

Galerkin finite element simulation of convection driven by rotation and gravitation

The performance of the Galerkin finite element method when applied to time-dependent convection involving rotation, self-gravitation and the normal gravity field in a horizontal cylinder is discussed in this paper. The governing equations, the parameters of the problem and our implementation of the numerical schemes are presented. The accuracy, spatial scale of resolution, flexibility and robustness of the resulting code show the element method as a valuable tool for research in this area or in related problems in astrophysical fluid dynamics. The numerical difficulties in large-amplitude flows are associated with an error-control scheme for time integration and the ‘short-time’ wiggles in transient Dirichlet problems. Coarse grids give the correct qualitative picture in most simulations, but the type of solution at short time (and hence grid refinement) presumably resolves the degeneracy in the azimuthal orientation of convection cells in flows driven by self-gravitation and (perhaps) centrifugal buoyancy. The final state in transient flows is a motionless isothermal fluid. However, residual motions can be nullified only in the limit of zero grid size in flows driven by centrifugal buoyancy (self-gravitation), while a fairly coarse grid is sufficient for this purpose in normal gravity-driven flows.     

弹性动力学反问题的数值反演方法

系统介绍了弹性动力学反问题中各种数值反演方法,包括各种近似下的线性化反演方法;非线性迭代反演方法;确定性和非确定性搜索的优化反演方法;大范围收敛的同伦反演方法以及多尺度反演方法。阐述了各类反演方法的原理、特点、适用范围和存在的局限性,指出了数值反演方法进一步研究的方向。      

定床弯道内水沙两相运动的数值模拟

在适体同位网格中采用非正交曲线坐标系下的三维k-ε-kp固液两相双流体湍流模型研究弯道内水流和悬浮泥沙运动,主要计算了试验室S型水槽内清水流动的三维流场、120°弯道内水沙两相流动中底沙与底流的运动轨迹以及S型水槽内水沙两相流动的两相流场和泥沙浓度场. 对于S型水槽内清水流动,数值结果与试验结果吻合良好. 120°弯道内水沙两相流动中固液两相的运动轨迹在弯道直线段基本重合,在弯道内泥沙轨迹逐步偏离水体轨迹,其偏离程度随泥沙粒径增大而增大. 从S型水槽内水沙两相流动计算结果中发现泥沙纵向流速在壁面附近比水流纵向速度大,在远离壁面区域比水流纵向速度小;弯道内泥沙横向流速比水流横向流速小;垂向流速在直线段和泥沙沉速相当,在弯道内受螺旋水流影响而变化;两相流速差别随泥沙粒径增大而变大;泥沙浓度呈现下浓上稀的分布,在弯道内横向断面上呈现凸岸大凹岸小的分布,泥沙浓度随泥沙粒径增大而减小.