The pair distribution function for an array of screw dislocations

The paper addresses the problem of correlation within an array of parallel dislocations in a crystalline solid. The first two of a hierarchy of equations for the multi-point distribution functions are derived by treating the random dislocation distributions and the corresponding stress fields in an ensemble average framework. Asymptotic reasoning, applicable when dislocations are separated by small distances, provides equations that are independent of any specific kinetic law relating the velocity of a dislocation to the force acting on it. The only assumption made is that the force acting on any dislocation remains finite. The hierarchy is closed by making a standard closure approximation. For the particular case of a population of parallel screw dislocations of the same sign moving on parallel slip planes the solution for the pair distribution function is found analytically. For the dislocations having opposite signs the system of equations suggests that in ensemble average only geometrically necessary dislocations correlate, while balanced positive and negative dislocations would create dipoles or annihilate. Direct numerical simulations support this conclusion. In addition, the relation of the dislocation correlation to strain gradient theories and size effect is shown and discussed.     

Characterizing dynamic load propagation in cohesionless granular packing using force chain

When dynamic load is applied on a granular assembly, the time-dependent dynamic load and initial static load (such as gravity stress) act together on individual particles. In order to better understand how dynamic load triggers the micro-structure's evolution and furtherly the ensemble behavior of a granular assembly, we propose a criterion to recognize the major propagation path of dynamic load in 2D granular materials, called the “dynamic force chain”. Two steps are involved in recognizing dynamic force chains: (1) pick out particles with dynamic load larger than the threshold stress, where the attenuation of dynamic stress with distance is considered; (2) among which quasi-linear arrangement of three or more particles are identified as a force chain. The spatial distribution of dynamic force chains in indentation of granular materials provides a direct measure of dynamic load diffusion. The statistical evolution of dynamic force chains shows strong correlation with the indentation behaviors.     

Mathematical modelling of bubble driven flows in metallurgical processes

The complex fluid dynamics of two-phase bubbly flows in metallurgical reactors is modelled numerically by using a k–e turbulence model for the liquid phase, with a driving force determined by considering the motion of the bubbles. The latter are affected by the buoyancy forces and the drag caused by their relative motion with the mean and turbulent motions of the liquid, the turbulent component being obtained by random sampling to give an ensemble of bubble trajectories. The two-way coupling between the two phases is resolved by an iterative procedure which converges on a stable overall solution. The results are compared with measurements carried out on an air-water model and show good overall agreement.     

A Spectral Theory Formulation for Elastostatics by Means of Tensor Spherical Harmonics

Consider a set of (N+1)-phase concentric spherical ensemble consisting of a core region encased by a sequence of nested spherical layers. Each phase is spherically isotropic and is functionally graded (FG) in the radial direction. Determination of the elastic fields when the outermost spherical surface is subjected to a nonuniform loading and the constituent phases are subjected to some prescribed nonuniform body force and eigenstrain fields is of interest. When the outermost layer is an unbounded medium with zero eigenstrain and body force fields, then an N-phase multi-inhomogeneous inclusion problem is realized. Based on higher-order spherical harmonics, presenting a three-dimensional strain formulation with a robust form of compatibility equations, a spectral theory of elasticity in the spherical coordinate system is developed. Application of the established spectral theory leads to the exact closed-form solution when the elastic moduli of each phase vary as power-law functions of radius.     

Stereo PIV measurement of a finite, flapping rigid plate in hovering condition

Qualitative and quantitative flow visualizations were performed on a flapping rigid plate to establish a quantitative method for flow observation and evaluation of the force in the near field of a flapping wing. Flow visualization was performed qualitatively with dye visualization and quantitatively with velocity measurements using stereo particle image velocimetry (PIV) on three planes near the tip of the plate along its chord and oriented normally. By ensemble averaging the velocity fields of the same phase angles, they represent a portion of the volume near the tip. Measurements were conducted with two flapping frequencies to compare the flow structure. The second invariant of the deformation tensor visualized the leading edge and mid-chord vortices around the plate appearing due to flow separation behind the plate while other vortical structures were visualized by streamlines. These structures appear to be related to the dynamics of the leading edge vortex. Force analysis by integrating the phase-averaged velocity field within a chosen control volume showed increases in the maxima of the magnitudes of the non-dimensional unsteady force terms on the edge of the plate at the angles after the end of each stroke. The non-dimensional phase-averaged momentum flux was similar for both flapping frequencies.     

Evaluation of integral forces and pressure fields from planar velocimetry data for incompressible and compressible flows

The approach to determine pressure fields and integral loads from planar velocimetry data is discussed, in relation to the implementation for incompressible and compressible flows around two-dimensional objects. The method relies upon the application of control-volume approaches in combination with the deduction of the pressure field from the experimental data, by making use of the flow constitutive equations. In this paper the implementation for two specific application areas is addressed. The first is time-mean pressure field and force evaluation from velocity ensemble statistics, as obtained from time-uncorrelated PIV acquisition, for incompressible flow. Two test cases are considered for this flow regime: the unsteady vortical flow around a square section cylinder at incidence, as well as the force characterization of a low-speed airfoil. The second topic considers the extension of the method to steady compressible flow, with the supersonic flow around a bi-convex airfoil as experimental test case. As in this flow regime the density appears as an extra unknown in the momentum equation, additional flow equations need to be invoked. A convenient approach for this was found, using the gas law and the adiabatic flow condition, with which the pressure-integration procedure becomes essentially the same as for the incompressible case.     

A Hybrid Monte‐Carlo sampling smoother for four‐dimensional data assimilation

This paper constructs an ensemble‐based sampling smoother for four‐dimensional data assimilation using a Hybrid/Hamiltonian Monte‐Carlo approach. The smoother samples efficiently from the posterior probability density of the solution at the initial time. Unlike the well‐known ensemble Kalman smoother, which is optimal only in the linear Gaussian case, the proposed methodology naturally accommodates non‐Gaussian errors and nonlinear model dynamics and observation operators. Unlike the four‐dimensional variational method, which only finds a mode of the posterior distribution, the smoother provides an estimate of the posterior uncertainty. One can use the ensemble mean as the minimum variance estimate of the state or can use the ensemble in conjunction with the variational approach to estimate the background errors for subsequent assimilation windows. Numerical results demonstrate the advantages of the proposed method compared to the traditional variational and ensemble‐based smoothing methods. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The average stress tensor in systems with interacting particles

The derivation of an expression of the macroscopic stress tensor in terms of microscopic variables in systems of finite interacting particles is discussed from different points of view. It is shown that in volume averaging the introduction of a fictitious “interaction stress field”T ^I with special boundary conditions on the boundary of the averaging volume is needed. In ensemble averaging similar results are obtained by using a multipole expansion of the local stress and force fields. In the appropriate limiting cases, the obtained results are shown to be consistent with the results of kinetic theories of polymer solutions. Paper, presented at the First Conference of European Rheologists at Graz, April 14 – 16, 1982.     

Hysteresis and phase transition in many-particle storage systems

We study the behavior of systems that can be described as ensembles of interconnected storage particles. Our examples concern the storage of lithium in many-particle electrodes of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and the storage of air in a system of interconnected rubber balloons. We are particularly interested in those storage systems whose constituents exhibit non-monotone material behavior leading to transitions between two coexisting phases and to hysteresis. In the current study, we consider the case that the time to approach equilibrium of a single storage particle is much smaller than the time for full charging of the ensemble. In this regime, the evolution of the probability to find a particle of the ensemble in a certain state may be described by a non-local conservation law of Fokker–Planck type. The resulting equation contains two parameter which control whether the ensemble transits the 2-phase region along a Maxwell line or along a hysteresis path, or whether the ensemble shows the same non-monotone behavior as its constituents.     

Experimental assessment of performance characteristics for pitching flexible propulsors

Using a flexible hydrodynamic foil that pitches to produce thrust, the most pertinent aspects of a fish-like propulsion system are replicated in a controlled environment. The pitching and flexing combination creates a hydroelastic coupling in which the fluid and flexible foil simultaneously affect each other's behavior. The project investigated relationships for the propulsors’ thrust and efficiency performance to gain a better understanding of the dynamic interaction with the surrounding fluid. The analysis was conducted through reduction of the measured force and torque data. The experiments took place in a large recirculating water channel, using full span flexible propulsor models and a higher Reynolds number than previous flexible propulsor experiments. The propulsor pitched about a fixed axis at its quarter chord, with a six-axis load cell measuring the forces and torques on the shaft. The efficiency of the propulsor and the Coefficients of Thrust and Lift are presented as functions of both Strouhal Number and Stiffness Coefficient. The ensemble data will facilitate the engineering of fish-like propulsion systems for future application of this technology.     

Nonlinear dynamics and chaos of a finite-degree-of-freedom model of a buckled rod

The simple example of a mechanical system expressively exhibiting unpredictable and chaotic motions is a rod compressed by a supercritical force and subjected to a time-dependent transverse loading. Dynamics of this system can be analyzed either through modal analysis or through another lumped parameter modelling, for example, by discretization of the rod into an ensemble of segments. The paper is aimed to present the latter formulation of the problem and to discuss numerical results obtained in this framework.

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Sommario Un semplice esempio di sistema meccanico in grado di esibire in modo espressivo comportamenti dinamici non predicibili e caotici è rappresentato da una trave compressa in regime supercritico e soggetta ad un carico trasversale dipendente dal tempo. La dinamica di questo sistema può essere analizzata tramite approssimazioni modali, ovvero attraverso una modellazione a parametri concentrati, ad esempio discretizzando la trave in elementi rigidi con deformabilità localizzate. Il lavoro presenta quest'ultima formulazione del problema e ne discute i relativi risultati numerici.

     

A model for the shear viscosity of non-colloidal suspensions with Newtonian matrix fluids

We present a model for the shear viscosity of non-colloidal suspensions with Newtonian matrix fluids. The model is based on the original idea first presented by Brinkman (Applied Sci Research A1:27-34. 1947) for the viscous force exerted by a flowing fluid on a dense swarm of spherical particles. In particular, we consider an inertialess suspension in which the mean flow is driven by a pressure difference, and simultaneously, the suspension is subject to simple shear. Assuming steady state, incompressibility and taking into account a resistance force which is generated due to the presence of the particles in the flow, the three-dimensional governing equations for the mean flow around a single spherical particle are solved analytically. Self-consistency of the model provides a relationship between the resistance parameter and the volume fraction of the solid phase. A volume, or an ensemble, averaging of the total stress gives the bulk properties and an expression for the relative (bulk) viscosity of the suspension. The viscosity expression reduces to the Einstein limit for dilute suspensions and agrees well with empirical formulas from the literature in the semi-dilute and concentrated regimes. Since the model is based on a single particle and its average interaction with the other particles is isotropic, no normal stress differences can be predicted. A possible method of addressing this problem is provided in the paper.     

A conditional sampling method based on fuzzy clustering for the analysis of large-scale dynamics in turbulent flows

A conditional sampling technique, based on fuzzy clustering, is used to educe the organization of the secondary flow motions observed in the large-eddy simulation of a turbulent square channel flow. The data analysed are the multi-valued time series obtained from sampling the secondary velocity components at a fixed cross-section of the channel, over consecutive time steps. The mean values of the secondary flow motion velocities are one order of magnitude lower than their r.m.s values. The purpose of the conditional sampling scheme used is to replace the picture of the secondary flow motions provided by the unconditional time mean with several ensemble averages. In this way the whole variability of the instantaneous data can be split in two parts: one for the difference between the observed ensemble averages, and the other for the variability within each ensemble. Unlike other conditional sampling schemes which sort only part of the data into one or more families depending on an externally fixed condition, the fuzzy clustering approach used here first determines the optimum number of families or clusters and then classifies all the recorded time steps. The results show that the local turbulence intensities of the ensemble averages obtained from fuzzy clustering can be reduced by one order of magnitude. In addition, the classification of all the time steps into several clusters or families enables the large scale dynamics of the educed structures to be analysed.     

Research on data assimilation strategy of turbulent separated flow over airfoil

In order to increase the accuracy of turbulence field reconstruction, this paper combines experimental observation and numerical simulation to develop and establish a data assimilation framework, and apply it to the study of S809 low-speed and high-angle airfoil flow. The method is based on the ensemble transform Kalman filter(ETKF) algorithm, which improves the disturbance strategy of the ensemble members and enhances the richness of the initial members by screening high flow field sensitivity ...     

Single-pixel resolution ensemble correlation for micro-PIV applications

A new correlation method for particle image velocimetry (PIV) is proposed that yields velocity data at single-pixel spatial resolution. This method is an extension of the ensemble correlation method for PIV. This single-pixel ensemble correlation method is particularly suited for (quasi-) stationary and periodic flows, which are typically encountered in many micro-PIV applications, such as microfluidics and micro-scale biological flows. The method can yield data at the same level of precision and reliability as conventional PIV data. The main advantage of the new method is that it can resolve steep velocity gradients and obtain unbiased measurements of the velocity in the vicinity of flow boundaries (viz. walls). The performance as a function of the ensemble size is investigated by means of synthetic PIV images. Both ensemble correlation and single-pixel correlation are applied to micro-channel flow. With single-pixel ensemble correlation we obtained a spatial resolution of 300 nm. The results demonstrate that ensemble correlation over-estimates the measured channel width, whereas single-pixel correlation yields a result that is in agreement with the actual channel dimensions.Parts of this paper were previously presented at the 11th International Symposium on Applications of Laser Techniques to Fluid Mechanics, Lisbon, 8–11 July 2002, and the 5th International Symposium on Particle Image Velocimetry, Busan, 22–24 September 2003.

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A mechanism of transformational plasticity

In order to understand the phenomenon of reversible plasticity exhibited by shape memory alloys and other smart materials, we study an elementary prototypical model. Building on an original idea of Müller and Villaggio [17], we consider an inhomogeneous ensemble of bi-stable elements connected in series and loaded in a soft device. To interpret the fine structure of the hysteresis loops observed experimentally, we assume that the dynamics is maximally dissipative and investigate different evolutiona ry strategies for a “driven” system with external force changing quasi-statically. Our main result is that the inhomogeneity of the elastic properties leads to a distinctive hardening with serrations of a Portevin-Le Chatelier type and produces a realistic memory structure characterized by the “congruency” and “return point memory” properties. Received December 28, 2001 / Published online June 4, 2002 Dedicated to Ingo Müller on the occasion of his 65th birthday Communicated by Kolumban Hutter, Darmstadt     

A high‐fidelity low‐cost aerodynamic model using proper orthogonal decomposition

In this paper a high‐fidelity aerodynamic model is presented for use in parametric studies of weapon aerodynamics. The method employs a reduced‐order model obtained from the proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) of an ensemble of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solutions with varying parameters. This decomposition produces an optimal linear set of orthogonal basis functions that best describe the ensemble of numerical solutions. These solutions are then projected onto this set of basis functions to provide a finite set of scalar coefficients that represent the solutions. A pseudo‐continuous representation of these projection coefficients is constructed, which allows predictions to be made of parameter combinations not in the original set of observations. The paper explores the performance of a few design‐of‐experiment approaches for the generation of the initial ensemble of computational experiments. Response surface construction methods based on parametric and non‐parametric models for the pseudo‐continuous representation of the projection coefficients are also evaluated. The model has been applied to two‐flow problems related to high‐speed weapon aerodynamics, inviscid flow around a flare‐stabilized hypersonic projectile and supersonic turbulent flow around a fin‐stabilized projectile with drooping nose control. Comparisons of model predictions with high‐fidelity CFD simulations suggest that the POD provides a reliable and robust approach to the construction of reduced‐order models. The practicality of the model is shown to be sensitive to the technique used to generate the ensemble of observations from which the model is constructed, while the accuracy of the approach depends on the pseudo‐continuous representation of the projection coefficients. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Visualization of coherent structure in scalar fields of unsteady jet flows with interferometric tomography and proper orthogonal decomposition

Proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) is a method of examining spatial coherence in unsteady flow fields from an ensemble of multidimensional measurements. When applied to experimental data, the proper orthogonal decomposition is generally restricted to data sets with low spatial resolution. This is because of the inherent difficulties in generating an ensemble of measurements that contain a large number of data points. In this paper, a system for obtaining a large ensemble of three-dimensional scalar measurements using interferometric tomography is presented. The proper orthogonal decomposition is applied in three spatial dimensions to experimental data of two jet-like flows. The coherent structure present in the near field of a neutrally buoyant, helium–argon jet and the far field of a buoyant helium jet into air is visualized. The POD results of the helium–argon jet clearly reveal the breakdown region of a sequence of vortex rings and a large-scale flapping motion in the jet far field. The POD of the buoyant helium jet shows a number of competing modes with varying degrees of helicity. Received: 14 January 2000/Accepted: 26 September 2000     

Microstructure damage at ensemble of points for grain composites

Fracture concentration zones are considered in microstructure elements of grain composites. Mathematical model of micro-heterogeneous medium with random properties of elements is used for calculations. The distribution laws for the modules of elasticity and ultimate strengths in the elements as well as the tensor of macroscopic deformations for the composite serve as the initial data. Different types of stresses are evaluated. Correlation functions for micro stresses are obtained by the Green’s tensor method.Random microstructure strength condition is a difference between the stress and the ultimate strength at any point of an ensemble with a particular configuration. The probability of simultaneously exceeding the ultimate strength in this set of elements determines the likelihood of failure of this ensemble of points and the relative damage at the micro level.The damage is calculated using multivariate normal distribution. Structure of correlation matrix of distribution depends on the type of fracture concentration zones. Correlation functions of microstructure strength condition depend on the distance between the points of the ensemble. Calculations of multipoint damage are provided for several configurations of points, in particular, for the three points on a straight line segment, and for the five points in the vertices and the center of a tetrahedron. For two-dimensional distribution density, the smoothing surface formulas are derived, taking into account the moments of stresses up to and including the fourth order.The influence of microstructure properties and the type of ensemble of points on composite damage is demonstrated. Study of microstructure damage enables the prediction of early stages of construction material failure.