Simultaneous digital image correlation/particle image velocimetry to unfold fluid–structure interaction during air-backed impact

Predicting the response of air-backed panels to impulsive hydrodynamic loading is essential to the design of marine structures operating in extreme conditions. Despite significant effort in this area of research, the lack of full-field measurement techniques of structural dynamics and flow physics hinders our understanding of the fluid–structure interaction. To fill this gap in knowledge, we designed a laboratory-scale experiment to elucidate fluid–structure interaction associated with impulsive hydrodynamic loading on a flexible plate. A combined experimental approach based on digital image correlation (DIC) and particle image velocimetry (PIV) was developed to afford spatially- and temporally-resolved measurements of the plate deflection and fluid velocity. From the velocity field measured through PIV, the hydrodynamic loading on the structure was estimated via a pressure-reconstruction algorithm. Experimental results point at a strong bidirectional coupling between structural dynamics and flow physics, which influence temporal and spatial patterns in counter-intuitive ways. While the plate deflection follows the fundamental in-vacuum mode shape of a clamped plate, the pressure exhibits a complex evolution. Not only does the location of the peak loading on the plate alternates between the clamp and the center as time progresses, but also the time evolution of the peak loading anticipated the peak displacement of the plate. This study contributes a new methodological approach to study fluid–structure interaction in three dimensions, offering insight in the physics of air-backed impact that could inform engineering design and scientific inquiry.     

Measurements of the orthogonal blade–vortex interaction using a particle image velocimetry technique

This paper describes the results of application of a particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique to an orthogonal blade–vortex interaction experiment. To help resolve the problem of vortex meander during the tests, two PIV systems were used, which produced two velocity vector maps closely separated in time. During the PIV analysis an image-based vector validation scheme was used, which was shown to reduce significantly the number of wild vectors reaching the vector map. Preliminary results from the tests showed that, close to the blade, a significant radial outflow was superimposed on the vortex flow field. The radial flow is thought to be due to the dispersion of the vortex axial core flow during vortex cutting, which distorts the vortex flow field and enlarges the vortex. Further away from the blade, no significant radial flow was detected and the vortex remained undisturbed. Received: 26 April 1999/Accepted: 9 November 1999     

Particle image velocimetry study of the shock-induced single mode Richtmyer–Meshkov instability

Full field particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements are obtained for the first time in Richtmyer–Meshkov instability shock tube experiments. The experiments are carried out in a vertical shock tube in which the light gas (air) and the heavy gas (SF₆) flow from opposite ends of the shock tube driven section and exit through narrow slots at the interface location. A sinusoidal perturbation is given to the interface by oscillating the shock tube in the horizontal direction. Richtmyer–Meshkov instability is then produced by the interaction with a weak shock wave (M _s  = 1.21). PIV measurements are obtained by seeding the flow with 0.30 μm polystyrene Latex spheres which are illuminated using a double-pulsed Nd:YAG laser. PIV measurements indicate the vorticity to be distributed in a sheet-like distribution on the interface immediately after shock interaction and that this distribution quickly rolls up into compact vortices. The integration of the vorticity distribution over one half wave length shows the circulation to increase with time in qualitative agreement with the numerical study of Peng et al. (Phys. Fluids, 15, 3730–3744, 2003).     

Application of particle image velocimetry and the background-oriented schlieren technique in the high-enthalpy shock tunnel G?ttingen

The applicability of the particle image velocimetry (PIV) and the background-oriented schlieren (BOS) techniques in the high-enthalpy shock tunnel G?ttingen of the German Aerospace Center, DLR is demonstrated. As a part of this feasibility study two different experiments are performed. The velocity field past a wedge in a Mach 6 flow at a total specific enthalpy of 1.5 MJ/kg is determined by means of PIV and the results are compared to numerical predictions. The BOS technique is applied to investigate the density field in the shock layer of a sphere at 12 and 22 MJ/kg total specific enthalpies. Using a ray tracer method, the BOS results are compared to the data obtained by corresponding numerical computations.     

Simultaneous velocity and concentration measurements in the near field of a turbulent low-pressure jet by digital particle image velocimetry–planar laser-induced fluorescence

The main purpose of this work is to develop a method for simultaneous measurement of velocity and passive scalar concentration by means of digital particle image velocimetry and planar laser-induced fluorescence. Details of the implementation of the method are given, and the technique is applied to measurements of concentration and velocity in the centre-plane of a liquid jet with a Reynolds number of 6,000. The measurements are compared with large eddy simulations. Mean velocities and concentrations, fluctuating velocities and concentrations, and correlation between fluctuating velocities and concentrations are analysed for the first six diameters downstream of the jet exit. The general agreement between measured and simulated results was found to be good, in particular for mean quantities. Mean profiles are also found to be in good agreement with other experimental work on jets reported in the literature. The “whole-plane” measurement method was found to be very useful for detailed comparisons of turbulent statistics with simulated data. The inadequacy of models for turbulent mass transport based on the standard gradient diffusion concept is demonstrated through the experimental data. Received: 4 October 2000/Accepted: 27 November 2000     

Simultaneous particle image velocimetry and chemiluminescence visualization of millisecond-pulsed current�Cvoltage-induced perturbations of a premixed propane/air flame

The effects of millisecond-wide, pulsed current?Cvoltage-induced behavior in premixed laminar flames have been investigated through the simultaneous collection of particle image velocimetry (PIV) and chemiluminescence data with particular attention paid to the onset mechanisms. Disturbances caused by applied voltages of 2?kV over a 30-mm gap to a downward propagating, atmospheric pressure, premixed propane/air flame with a flow speed near 2?m/s and an equivalence ratio of 1.06 are investigated. The combined PIV and chemiluminescence-based experimental data show the observed disturbance originates only in or near the cathode fall region very close to the burner base. The data also suggest that the coupling mechanism responsible for the flame disturbance behavior is fluidic in nature, developing from the radial positive chemi-ion distribution and an ion-drift current-induced net body force that acts along the annular space discharge distribution in the reaction zone in or near the cathode fall. This net body force causes a reduction in flow speed above these near cathodic regions causing the base of the flame to laterally spread. Also, this effect seems to produce a velocity gradient leading to the transition of a laminar flame to turbulent combustion for higher applied current?Cvoltage conditions as shown in previous work (Marcum and Ganguly in Combust Flame 143:27?C36, 2005; Schmidt and Ganguly in 48th AIAA aerospace sciences meeting. Orlando, 2010).     

The development of high-speed particle image velocimetry (20 kHz) for large eddy simulation code refinement in bluff body flows

Flow interaction with a bluff body generates a highly complex flow field and has been the subject of much experimental and theoretical analysis. It has been shown that large eddy simulation (LES) modelling provides a more realistic analysis of the flow for such situations where the large scales of turbulence must be resolved. The inherent small-scale spatial velocity averaging in particle image velocimetry (PIV) is commensurate with the sub-grid scale modelling of LES and, therefore, offers potential as a code refinement technique. To demonstrate this potential, however, PIV must be performed with a temporal resolution of typically kHz and a spatial resolution of sub-mm² to be relevant for the vast majority of flows of engineering interest. This paper reports the development of a high-speed PIV system capable of operating at 20 kHz with a spatial resolution of 0.9 mm². This is the combined highest speed, highest resolution PIV data reported to date. The experiment chosen to demonstrate the system is the study of the steady flow interaction with circular and square cross-section obstacles. A Reynolds number of 3,900 is chosen for the cylinder flow to extend the database used by Breuer M. (1998 Int J Heat Fluid 19:512–521) in his extensive LES modelling of this flow. Data presented include a sequence of two-dimensional velocity and vorticity fields, including flow streamlines. Importantly, the random error, inherent in a PIV measurement, is discussed and a formula presented which allows the error to be estimated and regions of the flow identified where LES comparisons would be uncertain.     

Comparative study of in-cylinder tumble flows in an internal combustion engine using different piston shapes—an insight using particle image velocimetry

This paper deals with the experimental investigations of the in-cylinder tumble flows in a single-cylinder engine with five different piston crown shapes at an engine speed of 1,000 rev/min., during suction and compression strokes under motoring conditions using particle image velocimetry. Two-dimensional in-cylinder tumble flow measurements and analysis are carried out in combustion space on a vertical plane passing through cylinder axis. Ensemble average velocity vectors are used to analyze the tumble flow structure. Tumble ratio and average turbulent kinetic energy are evaluated and used to characterize the tumble flows. From results, it is found that at end of compression, pentroof-offset-bowl piston shows about 41 and 103% improvement in tumble ratio and average turbulent kinetic energy respectively, compared to that of flat piston. The present study will be useful in understanding effect of piston crown shapes on nature of the in-cylinder fluid tumble flows under real engine conditions.     

Modeling fluid–particle interaction in dilute-phase turbulent liquid–particle flow simulation

The present work examines the predictive capability of a two-fluid CFD model that is based on the kinetic theory of granular flow in simulating dilute-phase turbulent liquid–particle pipe flows in which the interstitial fluid effect on the particle fluctuating motion is significant. The impacts of employing different drag correlations and turbulence closure models to describe the fluid–particle interactions (i.e. drag force and long-range interaction) are examined at both the mean and fluctuating velocity l...     

Particle image velocimetry （PIV） measurements of tip vortex wake structure of wind turbine

Large-view flow field measurements using the particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique with high resolution CCD cameras on a rotating 1/8 scale blade model of the NREL UAE phase VI wind turbine are conducted in the engineering-oriented Φ3.2 m wind tunnel.The motivation is to establish the database of the initiation and development of the tip vortex to study the flow structure and mechanism of the wind turbine.The results show that the tip vortex first moves inward for a very short period and then moves out...     

A LBM–DEM solver for fast discrete particle simulation of particle–fluid flows

The lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) for simulating fluid phases was coupled with the discrete element method (DEM) for studying solid phases to formulate a novel solver for fast discrete particle simulation (DPS) of particle–fluid flows. The fluid hydrodynamics was obtained by solving LBM equations instead of solving the Navier–Stokes equation by the finite volume method (FVM). Interparticle and particle–wall collisions were determined by DEM. The new DPS solver was validated by simulating a three-dimensional gas–solid bubbling fluidized bed. The new solver was found to yield results faster than its FVM–DEM counterpart, with the increase in the domain-averaged gas volume fraction. Additionally, the scalability of the LBM–DEM DPS solver was superior to that of the FVM–DEM DPS solver in parallel computing. Thus, the LBM–DEM DPS solver is highly suitable for use in simulating dilute and large-scale particle–fluid flows.     

Particle size influence on effective permittivity of particle–gas mixture with particle clusters

The influence of particle size on the effective permittivity of a particle–gas mixture in the presence of particle clusters was studied using numerical analysis involving the three-dimensional finite element method. The effective permittivity of the mixture was obtained by calculating the electrostatic energy generated in the computation domain. Numerical results show that for fixed volume fraction of particles in the mixture, the effective permittivity of the mixture increases with decreasing particle size. Static experiments were carried out by using a differential capacitance sensor with parallel plates. The variation of the effective permittivity with particle size is shown by experimental data to agree with the numerical results. The methodology described and the results obtained in this paper may be used to help modify the measurement of particles volume fraction in the presence of particle clusters when a capacitance sensor is used.     

Cellular detonation diffraction in gas–particle mixtures

Diffraction of cellular heterogeneous detonation out of a channel into open half-space in a mixture of aluminum particles and oxygen is investigated numerically. The flow is found to be very similar to gas detonation diffraction. The detonation weakening behind the step results in combustion front deceleration and decoupling from the leading shock wave. Subsequent re-initiation takes place in a transverse wave. New transverse waves are generated along the expanding front. The computations that were performed show that the critical number of cells is several times less than that for gases. This is confirmed by theoretical estimates based upon the Mitrofanov–Soloukhin approach.     

Tomographic particle-image velocimetry and thermography in Rayleigh-Bénard convection using suspended thermochromic liquid crystals and digital image processing

Steady-state flow and temperature fields in shallow rectangular enclosures heated from below were visualized and quantitatively characterized by using glycerol as the working fluid and suspended thermochromic liquid crystals as tracers. Couples of photographs taken on 120 transparency film for two orthogonal sets of vertical plane sections were digitized by a 1,200-dpi flatbed scanner and split into HSL (hue-saturation-lightness) components by using commercial general-purpose image processing software. Two-dimensional velocity fields were obtained from the lightness component by a two-frame cross-correlation technique using a commercial particle-image velocimetry (PIV) package. Temperature fields were obtained from the hue component on the basis of an in situ calibration procedure, conducted under conditions of stable thermal stratification. Finally, 2D flow and temperature distributions were interpolated by a purpose-written Fortran program to give 3D flow and thermal fields in the enclosure. Results are presented here for the case of a 1:2:4 aspect ratio cavity at a Rayleigh number of ∼ 14,500, for which a complex 3D flow and temperature distribution was observed. Published online: 7 January 2003     

Influence of a homogeneous axial magnetic field on Taylor–Couette flow of ferrofluids with low particle–particle interaction

Experimental results concerning the stability of Couette flow of ferrofluids under magnetic field influence are presented. The fluid cell of the Taylor–Couette system is subject to a homogeneous axial magnetic field and the axial flow profiles are measured by ultrasound Doppler velocimetry. It has been found that an axial magnetic field stabilizes the Couette flow. This effect decreases with a rotating outer cylinder. Moreover, it could be observed that lower axial wave numbers are more stable at a higher axial magnetic field strength. Since the used ferrofluid shows a negligible particle–particle interaction, the observed effects are considered to be solely based on the hindrance of free particle rotation.     

Transient phenomena in one-dimensional compressible gas–particle flows

The transient behavior of compressible gas– particle flows produced in shock tubes with particle-laden driver section is studied. Particular attention is focused on the time scales with which the solution approaches the equilibrium state. Theoretical estimates indicate that the gas and particle contact surfaces equilibrate first, followed by the shock wave, and finally by the expansion fan. The estimates are in good agreement with numerical simulations. The simulations also show that the approach to equilibrium condition of the shock speed is non-monotonic (monotonic) if the mass fraction of particles initially located in the driver section is below (above) a particle-diameter dependent critical value. For the speed of the particle contact surface, the reverse trends are observed.      

Discrete particle modeling of granular Rayleigh–Taylor instability

The gravitational air–grain Rayleigh–Taylor (RT) flow instability in a Hele-Shaw cell was studied using a parallel three-dimensional discrete particle model (DPM). The onset of flow instability and the development of fingering flow structures were well captured by the model. Power spectra analysis of solid volume fraction field indicated the non-linear coarsening process of the fingering flow structures. The sensitivity of the flow patterns to the initial porosity, the Atwood number, and the ratio of particle size to the Hele-Shaw cell width was also demonstrated. The excellent agreement of DPM simulation results with the reported experimental observations proved the robustness and reliability of the numerical approach to model complex multiphase flows such as granular RT instability.     

Measurement on particle rotation speed in gas–solid flow based on identification of particle rotation axis

When a two-dimensional (2D) imaging system is used to visualize particle motion in a 3D gas–solid flow, the particle rotation speed was found extremely difficult to be accurately measured due to the fact that the direction of rotation axis was usually random and hard to be distinguished. The paper presents a method to calculate the particle rotation speed from particle images based on the identification of its rotation axis using two or more characteristic points on its surface. The idea was analyzed and realized in a mathematical way and based on which a calculation program was given. The measurement method was verified with an experiment using a small sphere with known rotation axis and rotation speed. The effects of several factors, including the direction of the particle rotation axis, the particle image resolution, the types and positions of characteristic points, etc., on the measurement error are discussed. The error is found to be acceptable for most cases. The measurement method was finally applied to those small glass beads in a real 3D gas–solid flow inside a cold circulating fluidized bed (CFB) riser, which indicates that the problems of 2D imaging system applying to 3D particulate system could be solved by using this mathematical method.     

Numerical investigation of fluid–particle interactions for embolic stroke

Roughly one-third of all strokes are caused by an embolus traveling to a cerebral artery and blocking blood flow in the brain. The objective of this study is to gain a detailed understanding of the dynamics of embolic particles within arteries. Patient computed tomography image is used to construct a three-dimensional model of the carotid bifurcation. An idealized carotid bifurcation model of same vessel diameters was also constructed for comparison. Blood flow velocities and embolic particle trajectories are resolved using a coupled Euler–Lagrange approach. Blood is modeled as a Newtonian fluid, discretized using the finite volume method, with physiologically appropriate inflow and outflow boundary conditions. The embolus trajectory is modeled using Lagrangian particle equations accounting for embolus interaction with blood as well as vessel wall. Both one- and two-way fluid–particle coupling are considered, the latter being implemented using momentum sources augmented to the discretized flow equations. It was observed that for small-to-moderate particle sizes (relative to vessel diameters), the estimated particle distribution ratio—with and without the inclusion of two-way fluid–particle momentum exchange—were found to be similar. The maximum observed differences in distribution ratio with and without the coupling were found to be higher for the idealized bifurcation model. Additionally, the distribution was found to be reasonably matching the volumetric flow distribution for the idealized model, while a notable deviation from volumetric flow was observed in the anatomical model. It was also observed from an analysis of particle path lines that particle interaction with helical flow, characteristic of anatomical vasculature models, could play a prominent role in transport of embolic particle. The results indicate therefore that flow helicity could be an important hemodynamic indicator for analysis of embolus particle transport. Additionally, in the presence of helical flow, and vessel curvature, inclusion of two-way momentum exchange was found to have a secondary effect for transporting small to moderate embolus particles—and one-way coupling could be used as a reasonable approximation, thereby causing substantial savings in computational resources.