Flow field characteristics study of a flapping airfoil using computational fluid dynamics

The flow field of a flapping airfoil in Low Reynolds Number (LRN) flow regime is associated with complex nonlinear vortex shedding and viscous phenomena. The respective fluid dynamics of such a flow is investigated here through Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) based on the Finite Volume Method (FVM). The governing equations are the unsteady, incompressible two-dimensional Navier-Stokes (N-S) equations. The airfoil is a thin ellipsoidal geometry performing a modified figure-of-eight-like flapping pattern. The flow field and vortical patterns around the airfoil are examined in detail, and the effects of several unsteady flow and system parameters on the flow characteristics are explored. The investigated parameters are the amplitude of pitching oscillations, phase angle between pitching and plunging motions, mean angle of attack, Reynolds number (Re), Strouhal number (St) based on the translational amplitudes of oscillations, and the pitching axis location (x/c). It is shown that these parameters change the instantaneous force coefficients quantitatively and qualitatively. It is also observed that the strength, interaction, and convection of the vortical structures surrounding the airfoil are significantly affected by the variations of these parameters.     

Periodically correlated autoregressive Hilbertian processes

We consider periodically correlated autoregressive processes in Hilbert spaces. Our studies on these processes involve existence, covariance structure, estimation of the covariance operators, strong law of large numbers and central limit theorem.     

Variational transition state theory with multidimensional tunnelling and kinetic isotope effects in the reactions of C2H6, C2H5D and C2D6 with .CCl3 to produce CHCl3 and CDCl3

ABSTRACT

Rate constants for the reactions of C₂H₆, C₂H₅D and C₂D₆ with .CCl₃. for the production of CHCl₃ and CDCl₃ (k₁, k₂, k₃ and k₄) were computed using variational transition state theory coupled with hybrid-meta density functional theory (MPWB1K) over the temperature range of 200–2900 K. The ground-state vibrational adiabatic potential was plotted for all channels. Small- and large-curvature tunnelling were determined to include quantum effects in the calculation of rate constants. Harmonic vibrational frequencies along the reaction path were calculated in curvilinear coordinates with scaled frequencies. Anharmonicity was included in the lowest-frequency torsion. The position of formation and dissociation of bonds was specified using the variation in harmonic vibrational frequencies along the reaction path. Representative tunnelling energy and the thermally averaged transmission probability at 298 K (P(E)exp?( ? ΔE/RT)) were determined for the reactions in which tunnelling is important. The kinetic isotope effect was used to calculate the considerable contributions of tunnelling and vibration. The expressions for rate constants were determined using nonlinear least-square fitting over the temperature range of 200–2900 K.     

Monte Carlo simulation of a confined hard ellipse fluid

The structural and thermodynamic properties of a confined hard ellipse fluid are studied using Monte Carlo simulation. The angular, average number densities and order parameters of hard ellipses confined between hard parallel walls are obtained for various bulk densities, aspect ratios and wall separations. The results show that the effect of the existence of the wall on the molecular fluid structure, either on their directions or their locations, with respect to the bulk, especially close to the walls, is significant. For this system the pressure is also obtained and it is shown that the average density at the wall is proportional to the pressure, βP=〈ρ_w〉. Our simulation results show that the order parameters depend on the number of the particles in the box unless it exceeds thousand.     

Nil-Armendariz Rings Relative to a Monoid

For a monoid M, we introduce nil-Armendariz rings relative to M, which are a generalization of nil-Armendariz and M-Armendariz rings, and investigate their properties. First we show that semicommutative rings are nil-Armendariz relative to every unique product monoid M. Also it is shown that for a strictly totally ordered monoid M and an ideal I of R, if I is a semicommutative subrng of R and R/I nil-Armendariz relative to M, then R is nil-Armendariz relative to M. Then we show that if R is a semicommutative ring and nil-Armendariz relative to M, then R is nil-Armendariz relative to M × N, where N is a unique product monoid. As corollaries we obtain some results of [2] and [10].     

Evaluating policies based on their long term average cost

Many decision problems can be characterized by a set of possible states and a cost associated with each possible state transition, hi this paper we discuss how to select a policy from a set of possible policies in the long term. If the cost matrix is not available the transition matrix can be used to compare expected return times to states. In our setting the transition matrix is defined by use of linguistic terms and as a consequence, the expected return times are fuzzy. In the case where the cost matrix is available, fuzzy average costs are computed. The resulting fuzzy quantities are compared by introducing the concept of minimizing sets. Finally, we look at the case where the transition takes place from a state to a state that is known to be an element of some subset of states, but we do not know which one. We use the Dempster–Shafer theory [Shafer 1976] together with techniques of Norton [Norton 1988] and Smetz [Smetz 1976] to approximate the transition probabilities     

Laser surface alloying of an electroless Ni–P coating with Al-356 substrate

Laser surface alloying of an electroless plating Ni–P coatings on an Al-356 aluminium alloy was carried out using a 1-kW pulsed Nd:YAG laser. The microstructure, chemical composition and phase identification of the alloyed layer were determined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and X-ray diffractometry (XRD), respectively. It was shown that laser surface treatment produced a relatively smooth, crack-free and hard surface layer. The hardness of the surface significantly increased due to the formation of the uniformly distributed fine Ni–Al intermetallic phases. The corrosion behaviour of the surface alloyed specimens in 3.5% NaCl solution at 23 °C was also determined by electrochemical techniques. The laser-alloyed surface showed an improved corrosion and pitting potential compared to the substrate as well as the plated Ni–P coating.