Application of the Transmission Line Matrix method for outdoor sound propagation modelling – Part 2: Experimental validation using meteorological data derived from the meso-scale model Meso-NH

Outdoor sound prediction is both a societal concern and a scientific issue. This paper deals with numerical simulations of micrometeorological (temperature and wind) fields for environmental acoustics. These simulations are carried out using the reference meso-scale meteorological model at the Meteo-France weather agency (Meso-NH). Meso-NH predictions at very fine scales (up to 3 m), including new developments (drag force approach), are validated both numerically and experimentally under stable, unstable and neutral conditions. Then, this information can be used as input data for the acoustic propagation model. The time-domain acoustic model is based on the Transmission Line Matrix method. Its development has also been promoted for application to outdoor sound propagation, i.e. to take into account topography, ground impedance, meteorological conditions, etc. In part 1, the presentation and evaluation of the Transmission Line Matrix method showed the relevance of this method’s use in the context of environmental acoustics. Finally, simulated noise levels under different propagation conditions were compared to in situ measurements. Satisfactory results were obtained regarding the variability of the observed phenomena.     

Stabilized flames in hybrid aluminum-methane-air mixtures

A premixed methane–air bunsen-type flame is seeded with micron-sized (d₃₂ = 5.6 μm) atomized aluminum powder over a wide range of solid fuel concentrations. The burning velocities of the resulting two-phase hybrid flame are determined using the total surface area of the inner flame cone and the known volumetric flow rate, and spatially resolved flame spectra are obtained with a spectral scanning system. Flame temperatures are derived through polychromatic fitting of Planck’s law to the continuous part of the spectrum. It is found that an increase in the solid fuel concentration changes the aluminum combustion regime from low temperature oxidation to full-fledged flame front propagation. For stoichiometric methane–air mixtures, the transition occurs in the aluminum concentration range of 140–220 g/m³ and is manifested by the appearance of AlO sub-oxide bands and an increase in the flame temperature to 2500 K. The flame burning velocity is found to decrease only slightly with an increase in aluminum concentration, in contrast to the rapid decrease in flame speed, followed by quenching, that is observed for flames seeded with inert SiC particles. The observed behavior of the burning velocity and flame temperature leads to the conclusion that intense aluminum combustion in a hybrid flame only occurs when the flame front propagating through the aluminum suspension is coupled to the methane–air flame.     

The influences of the wavelength bandwidth on the measured wind velocity and temperature in the static polarization wind imaging interferometer

The static polarization wind imaging interferometer (SPWII) is a device used to measure wind velocity and temperature of the upper atmosphere. In this paper, the principle of SPWII is expounded. Using the four-side pyramid prism and polarizer array, four intensity interferograms of different phase differences form on the four subareas of the CCD which is located at the focal plane of the imaging lens. The wind velocity and temperature can be derived from the interferograms. Using the approximation and the antitheses, we analyze the influences of the wavelength bandwidth on the measured wind velocity and atmospheric temperature. According to the design requirements of the SPWII, the errors of the wind velocity and the atmospheric temperature are less than 5 m/s and 5 K when the incident wavelength bandwidth is in the range of [?3.08, 3.08] nm. The range is estimated and verified by simulations. These results are helpful for the realization and data processing of the SPWII.     

A comprehensive model for simulating the interaction of water with solid surfaces in fire suppression environments

A novel framework for sprinkler-based fire suppression modeling has been developed that includes detailed interaction of water with solid surfaces. This model builds on the fire growth model (FireFOAM) previously developed at FM Global. The fundamental film-transport equations for mass continuity, momentum, and energy have been formulated and implemented in an open-source CFD code (OpenFOAM®) and subsequently coupled with FireFOAM. Water transport, as would occur in a fire suppression environment, is tracked along solid surfaces. Interaction of the water with the solid surfaces in the form of cooling and pre-wetting is represented. Coupling between the film-transport model and the gas-phase and condensed-phase regions has been specified through interfacial transport models. Model validation for vaporization and conjugate heat transfer is shown for a surrogate fire environment. Radiation heat transfer is applied to a vertical panel with water flowing down the surface. Heat fluxes range from 5 to 33 kW/m² and water flow rates range from 2 to 52 g/m/s.     

Reaction propagation modes in millimeter-scale tubes for ethylene/oxygen mixtures

Effects of tube diameter and equivalence ratio on reaction front propagations of ethylene/oxygen mixtures in capillary tubes were experimentally analyzed using high speed cinematography. The inner diameters of the tubes investigated were 0.5, 1, 2 and 3 mm. The flame was ignited at the center of the 1.5 m long smooth tube under ambient pressure and temperature before propagated towards the exits in the opposite directions. A total of five reaction propagation scenarios, including deflagration-to-detonation transition followed by steady detonation wave transmission (DDT/C–J detonation), oscillating flame, steady deflagration, galloping detonation and quenching flame, were identified. DDT/C–J detonation mode was observed for all tubes for equivalence ratios in the vicinity of stoichiometry. The velocity for the steady detonation wave propagation was approximately Chapman–Jouguet velocity for 1, 2, and 3 mm I.D. tubes; however, a velocity deficit of 5% was found for the case in 0.5 mm I.D. tube. For leaner mixtures, an oscillating flame mode was found for tubes with diameters of 1 to 3 mm, and the reaction front travelled in a steady deflagrative flame mode with velocities around 2–3 m/s when the mixture equivalence ratio becomes even leaner. Galloping detonation wave propagation was the dominant mode for the fuel lean regime in the 0.5 mm I.D. tube. For rich mixtures beyond the detonation limits, a fast flame followed by flame quenching was observed.     

Multiple fire interactions: A further investigation by burning rate data of square fire arrays

This paper presents the first effort to explore the spatial distributions of the burning rates in group fires consisting of a large number of fire points, by analyzing burn-out time data from experimental square fire arrays ranging from 3 × 3 to 15 × 15. A new concept termed fire layer is introduced and defined to characterize the spatial locations of fire points by which the complex spatial variations of burning rates, under different conditions, are analyzed and physically interpreted. Analysis shows that the fire layer burning rates vary from outer to inner in definite nonlinear modes. This indicates that the two fire interaction effects, heat feedback enhancement and air supply restriction, involve distinct spatial fluctuations in fire arrays. The spatial fluctuations of the two interaction effects are significantly affected by the two major parameters, fire spacing and fire array size. Definite spatial regions and parameter ranges for the spatial fluctuations and high competitions of the two interaction effects are clearly distinguished. It is demonstrated that the average burning rates of all fire layers involve consistent variations versus fire spacing or fire array size, especially with high comparability to the entire fire array. It is found that by varying fire spacing, the average burning rates for all fire layers vary linearly versus the fire area ratio, within the same ranges as the entire fire array, while there exist different fluctuation modes of fire layer burning rates with respect to fire array size. Furthermore, analysis shows that the burning rates of all fire layers will be significantly affected by fire merging when it occurs. Finally, a new approach is presented to simulate fire propagation among discrete fuel sources, by which the positive effect of the surrounding new fire points on the burning rates of the original ones is definitely indicated.     

Anomalous effects of hydrostatic pressure on ice surface self-diffusion

This paper presents an experimental study of the formation time of the groove that occurs at the intersection of a grain boundary and the free surface of a pure ice sample immersed in silicone oil at a pressure of approximately 10 MPa and temperature higher than ? 25 °C. Using the theoretical approach presented by Mullins (1957) [14], the surface diffusion coefficient is obtained. It is shown that, at 10 MPa, the ice surface diffusion coefficient is more than twice that observed at atmospheric pressure.     

Decoupling error for the atmospheric correction in ocean color remote sensing algorithms

This paper studies the decoupling error associated with the atmospheric correction procedures in the ocean color remote sensing algorithms. The decoupling error is caused by the lack of proper consideration of multiple scattering between the atmospheric and ocean components. In other words, the atmosphere and ocean are not coupled properly. A vector radiative transfer model for the coupled atmosphere and ocean (CAO) system based on the successive order of scattering (SOS) method is used to study the error. The inherent optical properties (IOPs) of the ocean are provided by the most updated bio-optical models. Two wavelengths are used in the study, 412 and 555 nm. For a detector located just above the ocean interface, the decoupling errors range from 0.3% to 7% at 412 nm; and from 0.3% to 3 % at 555 nm for zenith viewing angles smaller than 70°. The decoupling errors are significantly larger for larger zenith viewing angles for this detector. For a detector at the top of the atmosphere (TOA), it is hard to separate the decoupling error from the error introduced by the diffuse transmittance. If we assume the upwelling radiance is uniform just below the ocean surface when estimating the diffuse transmittance, the decoupling errors are from ?4% to 8% for zenith viewing angles smaller than 70°; and negative decoupling errors show up at mainly large zenith viewing angles.     

Two-dimensional numerical simulation on galloping detonation in a narrow channel

The numerical simulations of the two-dimensional galloping detonation performed by using two-dimensional full Navier–Stokes simulations with a detailed chemistry model are presented. The detonation in a narrow channel with d = 5 mm, which is approximately twice the half-reaction length of hydrogen, shows a feature of galloping detonation with two initiations during its propagation under the laminar flow assumption. The distance between these two initiations is approximately 1300 mm, which causes the induction time behind the leading shock wave. As the channel width increases, the galloping feature diminishes. The detonation propagates approximately 4% lower than D_CJ for d = 10 and 15 mm. By increasing the channel width, the strength of the detonation increases, as shown in the maximum pressure histories. The effects of turbulence behind the detonation show that the galloping feature disappears, although its propagation velocity becomes 0.9 D_CJ. The strength of the detonation becomes significantly weak compared with the detonation propagating in the wide channel widths, and this feature is similar to the laminar assumption. The trend of the velocity deficits in the NS simulations agrees fairly well with the trend of the modified ZND calculations with η = 0.25.     

Study of the formation of Co3O4 thin films using sol–gel method

Sol–gel derived coatings containing cobalt have been analyzed using impedance and reflection measurements. It is found that during the thermal treatments in air at temperatures in the range of 35–400 °C, cobalt migrates to the front surface of the coating where it is oxidized by the atmospheric oxygen and forms a top layer rich in nanocrystalline Co₃O₄. In samples heated above 260 °C, the current flows entirely through this top layer because it has higher conductivity than the rest of the coating. For these samples, the impedance spectra show two semicircles, related with the electrical properties of grain and grain boundaries of the cobalt oxide layer. Using the brick model, the grain boundary volume fraction was calculated as a function of the heating temperature.     

Compositional and structural medium energy ion scattering study of the temperature mediated diffusion determination at the Co/V interface in Co/V/MgO(100)

The impact of annealing at 300 °C on the elemental composition and the atomic structure of the Co/V interface in the 2.5 Å Co/70 Å V/MgO (100) system has been investigated by medium energy ion scattering (MEIS) using 100 keV He⁺ ions. By combining the experimental MEIS results with simulations we show that, while the Co/V interface is abrupt for the system kept at room temperature, annealing at 300 °C induces a strong interdiffusion leading to a Co_0.5V_0.5 surface bcc alloy with a high degree of disorder. Additionally, the MEIS data suggest that the surface of the annealed system is slightly rumpled by ~ 0.2 Å.     

A STM point-probe method for measuring sheet resistance of ultrathin metallic films on semiconducting silicon

We report a novel approach for distinguishing surface, bulk and space–charge layer conductivities of metalized semiconductor surfaces. The method employs current injection from the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope and a spring-contact electrode placed on the surface in situ in UHV. The current–voltage behavior is sensitive to polarity in a way that distinguishes the surface contribution. The method is illustrated for the Si(1 1 1) 7 × 7 metallized surface and dependence of the conductivity with changing thickness of silver overlayers.     

Laser-ablation-induced refractive index fields studied using pulsed digital holographic interferometry

Pulsed digital holographic interferometry has been used to investigate the plume and the shock wave generated in the ablation process of a Q-switched Nd-YAG (λ=1064 nm and pulse duration=12 ns) laser pulse on a polycrystalline boron nitride (PCBN) target under atmospheric air pressure. A special setup based on two synchronised wavelengths from the same laser for simultaneous processing and measurement has been used. Digital holograms were recorded for different time delays using collimated laser light (λ=532 nm) passed through the volume along the target. Numerical data of the integrated refractive index field were calculated and presented as phase maps showing the propagation of the shock wave and the plume generated by the process. Radon inversion has been used to estimate the 3D refractive index fields measured from the projections assuming rotational symmetry. The shock wave density has been calculated using the point explosion model and the shock wave condition equation and its behaviour with time at different power densities ranging from 1.4 to 9.1 GW/cm² is presented. Shock front densities have been calculated from the reconstructed refractive index fields using the Gladstone–Dale equation. A comparison of the shock front density calculated from the reconstructed data and that calculated using the point explosion model at different time delays has been done. The comparison shows quite good agreement between the model and the experimental data. Finally the reconstructed refractive index field has been used to estimate the electron number density distribution within the laser-induced plasma. The electron number density behaviour with distance from the target at different power densities and its behaviour with time are shown. The electron number densities are found to be in the order of 10¹⁸ cm^?3 and decay at a rate of 3×10¹⁵ electrons/cm³ ns.     

Improved Statistically Optimal Nearfield Acoustical Holography in subsonically moving fluid medium

Statistically Optimal Nearfield Acoustical Holography (SONAH) can be used to reconstruct three-dimensional sound fields by projecting two-dimensional data measured on a “small” aperture that partially covers a composite sound source in a “static” fluid medium. Here, an improved SONAH procedure is proposed that includes the mean flow effects of a moving fluid medium while the sound source and receivers are stationary. The backward projection performance of the proposed procedure is further improved by using a wavenumber filter to suppress subsonic noise components. Through numerical simulations at Mach 0.6, it is shown that the improved procedure can accurately reconstruct sound source locations and radiation patterns: e.g., the spatially averaged reconstruction errors of the conventional and improved SONAH procedures are 15.40 dB and 0.19 dB, respectively, for a monopole simulation and 21.60 dB and 0.19 dB for an infinite-size panel. The wavenumber filter further reduces spatial noise, e.g., decreasing the reconstruction error from 1.73 dB to 0.19 dB for the panel simulation. An existing data measured in a wind tunnel operating at Mach 0.12 is reused for the validation. The locations and radiation patterns of the two loudspeakers are successfully identified from the sound fields reconstructed by using the proposed SONAH procedure.     

Metallization of Ge(0 0 1)-p(2 × 1) surface as result of thermal fluctuations

We present a theoretical study of the metallization of Ge(0 0 1)-p(2 × 1) surface which is observed in experimental data. We have considered the connection between thermal fluctuation of this surface structure and its metallic properties. To this end we have performed long-time MD-DFT simulations. The obtained results show that thermal fluctuation of the Ge(0 0 1)-p(2 × 1) structure may cause its metallization which in not necessary connected with a flip-flop motion of dimer atoms. It was shown that the metallization of the Ge(0 0 1)-p(2 × 1) surface takes place when the dimer buckling angle is reduced to around 11°. In the case of our simulations the considered surface system remained in the metallic state for 25% of the simulation time. We have also found that the metallic state of the fluctuating Ge(0 0 1)-p(2 × 1) surface is built up by dangling bonds of the dimer atoms shifted up (D_up) and down (D_down).     

Fault detection of antenna arrays using infrared thermography

A fast and easy method for fault detection in antenna arrays using infrared thermography is presented. A thin, minimally perturbing, microwave absorption screen made of carbon loaded polymer is kept close in front of the faulty array. Electromagnetic waves falling on the screen increase its temperature. This temperature profile on the screen is identical to electric field intensity profile at the screen location. There is no temperature rise observed on the screen corresponding to non-radiating (faulty) elements and hence can be easily detected by IR thermography. The array input power is modulated at a low frequency which permits thermography to detect even weak fields. It also improves the resolution of thermal images. The power fed to the array is only 30 dBm. In order to show the utility of this technique, an example of 14 GHz 4 × 4 patch antenna array is given. The simulations are carried in CST Microwave Studio 2013. A good agreement between simulation and experimental results is observed.