Bed of polydisperse viscous spherical drops under thermocapillary effects

Viscous flow past an ensemble of polydisperse spherical drops is investigated under thermocapillary effects. We assume that the collection of spherical drops behaves as a porous media and estimates the hydrodynamic interactions analytically via the so- called cell model that is defined around a specific representative particle. In this method, the hydrodynamic interactions are assumed to be accounted by suitable boundary conditions on a fictitious fluid envelope surrounding the representative particle. The force calculated on this representative particle will then be extended to a bed of spherical drops visualized as a Darcy porous bed. Thus, the “effective bed permeability” of such a porous bed will be computed as a function of various parameters and then will be compared with Carman–Kozeny relation. We use cell model approach to a packed bed of spherical drops of uniform size (monodisperse spherical drops) and then extend the work for a packed bed of polydisperse spherical drops, for a specific parameters. Our results show a good agreement with the Carman–Kozeny relation for the case of monodisperse spherical drops. The prediction of overall bed permeability using our present model agrees well with the Carman–Kozeny relation when the packing size distribution is narrow, whereas a small deviation can be noted when the size distribution becomes broader.     

Phase-field approach to fracture for finite-deformation contact problems

The present contribution deals with a variationally consistent Mortar contact algorithm applied to a phase-field fracture approach for finite deformations, see [4]. A phase-field approach to fracture allows for the numerical simulation of complex fracture patterns for three dimensional problems, extended recently to finite deformations (see [2] for more details). In a nutshell, the phase-field approach relies on a regularization of the sharp (fracture-) interface. In order to improve the accuracy, a fourth-order Cahn-Hilliard phase-field equation is considered, requiring global C¹ continuity (see [1]), which will be dealt with using an isogeometrical analysis (IGA) framework. Additionally, a newly developed hierarchical refinement scheme is applied to resolve for local physical phenomena e.g. the contact zone (see [3] for more details). The Mortar method is a modern and very accurate numerical method to implement contact boundaries. This approach can be extended in a straightforward manner to transient phase-field fracture problems. The performance of the proposed methods will be examined in a representative numerical example. (© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Minimization- and Saddle-Point-Based Modeling of Diffusion-Deformation-Processes in Hydrogels

Hydrogels have gained importance during the last years due to their wide range of synthetically fabricable elastic properties as well their increasing meaning in biomedical applications. Future exploitation of the vast prospects of hydrogels is however only feasible by establishing reliable material models that precisely capture their behavior in different environments. To this end, we propose a consistent variational framework for deformation-diffusion processes, offering a canonically compact approach to the chemo-mechanical coupling of hydrogels via a saddle-point as well as a new minimization formulation. The work depicts the construction of rate-type potentials for the chemo-mechanical evolution problem and their transformation into time-discrete incremental potentials. In terms of spatial discretization, the finite element method is employed, benefiting from the intrinsic symmetric structure of the variational foundation. While the saddle-point formulation yields the well-known LBB condition as a constraint for finite element interpolations, on the part of its minimizing counterpart H(Div, ℬ︁)-conforming elements have to be chosen. We illustrate appropriate solutions to both challenges, using mixed Taylor-Hood for the saddle-point and Raviart-Thomas elements for the minimization formulation and discuss advantages of the new approach. (© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

An anisotropic phase-field model for transversely isotropic barium titanate with bounded moduli

This contribution presents a phase-field model for transversely isotropic barium titanate, which allows for the adjustment of the full set of anisotropic material parameters. It is a direct extension of the work by Schrade et al. [1] who proposed a phase-field model for ferroelectrics in the framework of invariant theory. In the present contribution, the loss of positive definiteness is avoided by formulating energetic terms that provide upper and lower bounds for all material moduli involved. We show the characteristics of the formulation by a set of numerical examples in two and three dimensions. (© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

A Magneto-Mechanically Coupled Phase-Field Model at Large Deformation

The aggregate magneto-mechanical behavior of magneto-rheological elastomers (MREs) stems from the magnetic properties of the ferromagnetic inclusion and the mechanical properties of the matrix material. We propose a large deformation micro-magnetic theory, to predict the behavior and interaction of ferromagnetic particles inside an elastomeric matrix. A rate-type variational principle, with the magnetization as the order parameter is proposed. A large deformation Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation for the time evolution of the magnetization, is obtained directly from the proposed variational principle. (© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

On Kemnitz’ conjecture concerning lattice-points in the plane

In 1961, Erdős, Ginzburg and Ziv proved a remarkable theorem stating that each set of 2n−1 integers contains a subset of size n, the sum of whose elements is divisible by n. We will prove a similar result for pairs of integers, i.e. planar lattice-points, usually referred to as Kemnitz’ conjecture. Dedicated to Richard Askey on the occasion of his 70th birthday. 2000 Mathematics Subject Classification Primary—11B50.     

Renormalization as a functor on bialgebras

The Hopf algebra of renormalization in quantum field theory is described at a general level. The products of fields at a point are assumed to form a bialgebra B and renormalization endows T(T(B)⁺), the double tensor algebra of B, with the structure of a noncommutative bialgebra. When the bialgebra B is commutative, renormalization turns S(S(B)⁺), the double symmetric algebra of B, into a commutative bialgebra. The usual Hopf algebra of renormalization is recovered when the elements of S¹(B) are not renormalized, i.e., when Feynman diagrams containing one single vertex are not renormalized. When B is the Hopf algebra of a commutative group, a homomorphism is established between the bialgebra S(S(B)⁺) and the Faà di Bruno bialgebra of composition of series. The relation with the Connes-Moscovici Hopf algebra is given. Finally, the bialgebra S(S(B)⁺) is shown to give the same results as the standard renormalization procedure for the scalar field.     

Chain and distributive coalgebras

We show that coalgebras whose lattice of right coideals is distributive are coproducts of coalgebras whose lattice of right coideals is a chain. Those chain coalgebras are characterized as finite duals of Noetherian chain rings whose residue field is a finite dimensional division algebra over the base field. They also turn out to be coreflexive. Infinite dimensional chain coalgebras are finite duals of left Noetherian chain domains. Given any finite dimensional division algebra D and D-bimodule structure on D, we construct a chain coalgebra as a cotensor coalgebra. Moreover if D is separable over the base field, every chain coalgebra of type D can be embedded in such a cotensor coalgebra. As a consequence, cotensor coalgebras arising in this way are the only infinite dimensional chain coalgebras over perfect fields. Finite duals of power series rings with coeficients in a finite dimensional division algebra D are further examples of chain coalgebras, which also can be seen as tensor products of D^∗, and the divided power coalgebra and can be realized as the generalized path coalgebra of a loop. If D is central, any chain coalgebra is a subcoalgebra of the finite dual of D[[x]].     

2-Adic valuations of certain ratios of products of factorials and applications

We prove the conjecture of Falikman-Friedland-Loewy on the parity of the degrees of projective varieties of n×n complex symmetric matrices of rank at most k. We also characterize the parity of the degrees of projective varieties of n×n complex skew symmetric matrices of rank at most 2p. We give recursive relations which determine the parity of the degrees of projective varieties of m×n complex matrices of rank at most k. In the case the degrees of these varieties are odd, we characterize the minimal dimensions of subspaces of n×n skew symmetric real matrices and of m×n real matrices containing a nonzero matrix of rank at most k. The parity questions studied here are also of combinatorial interest since they concern the parity of the number of plane partitions contained in a given box, on the one hand, and the parity of the number of symplectic tableaux of rectangular shape, on the other hand.