Correction of wandering smoothing effects on static measurements of a wing-tip vortex

Wandering is a typical feature of wing-tip vortices and it consists in random fluctuations of the vortex core. Consequently, vortices measured by static measuring techniques appear to be more diffuse than in reality, so that a correction method is needed. In the present paper statistical simulations of the wandering of a Lamb-Oseen vortex are first performed by representing the vortex core locations through bi-variate normal probability density functions. It is found that wandering amplitudes smaller than 60% of the core radius are well predicted by using the ratio between the RMS value of the mean cross-velocity and its slope measured at the mean vortex center. Furthermore, the principal axes of wandering can be accurately evaluated from the opposite of the cross-correlation coefficient between the spanwise and the normal velocities measured at the mean vortex center. The correction of the wandering smoothing effects is then carried out through four different algorithms that perform the deconvolution of the mean velocity field with the probability density function that represents the wandering. The corrections performed are very accurate for the simulations with wandering amplitudes smaller than 60% of the core radius, whereas errors become larger with increasing wandering amplitudes. Subsequently, the whole procedure to evaluate wandering and to correct the mean velocity field is applied to static measurements, carried out with a fast-response five-hole pressure probe, of a tip vortex generated from a NACA 0012 half-wing model. It is found that the wandering is predominantly in the upward-outboard to downward-inboard direction. Furthermore, the wandering amplitude grows with increasing streamwise distance from the wing, whereas it decreases with increasing angle of attack and free-stream velocity.     

Physical & thermal properties of model polysiloxane rubbers: impact of crosslink density and tin concentration

The influence of the tin octanoate catalyst on the physical and thermal properties of RTV 5370 polysiloxane rubbers has been studied. To assess the likely influence of crosslinking on a number of physical and thermal properties in polysiloxanes, “model siloxane networks” (representing networks of well defined composition/structure) have been formulated by the hydrosilylation of polysiloxane diols of known average molecular weight with tetraethoxysilane curing agent. It was found that linear swell and the crystallisation melting transitions of these systems were both significantly affected by changes in crosslink density. A selection of RTV5370 foamed rubbers with different tin concentrations were prepared in a similar manner to assess the influence of the tin catalyst. For these materials it was found that the area of the crystalline melting transition decreased with increasing tin concentration, an effect indicative of increased crosslinking. Samples with double the standard amount of tin (10% wt catalyst) show a shift in the crystallisation transition to higher temperature with no further effect beyond this concentration. Furthermore, the storage modulus (E') of the rubbers at room temperature appears to be independent of the tin catalyst concentration. Through correlation with the data from the model siloxanes, these results suggests that increasing the catalyst concentration appears to induce additional crosslinking interactions that are stable at low temperatures but not stable at room temperature.     

Absorption of H and D Ly-α radiation by O2 molecules at high temperatures

Absorption cross sections of molecular oxygen were measured at the H and D Ly-α wavelengths (1215.67 and 1215.34 Å) between 800 and 1700°K, the cross sections being given by the equation σ (cm²) = 4.2E-18 exp(-3070/T) (4.2E-18 = 4.2 × 10^-18). The absorption cross section for v = 1 is (9±2)E-19 cm² and that for v = 2 is (7±3)E-18 cm², compared to 1.E-20 cm² for v = 0. Vibrational relaxation times were found to be in agreement with literature data over the range of common temperatures.     

Investigation of the origin of the glucose response in a glucose oxidase|polyaniline system

The origin of the signal seen in response to glucose in a polyaniline|glucose oxidase system is explored by immittance spectroscopy, by comparing data from an equivalent circuit model and the parameters obtained from a solution of the faradaic branch of the frequency dispersion for a coupled chemical—electrochemical reaction mechanism. It was shown that an RC subcircuit in the equivalent circuit model was sensitive to peroxide concentration, and the interaction of peroxide with polyaniline at potentials where it either oxidised or reduced the polyaniline was discussed. This information was used to compare the data obtained in a bulk and entrapped glucose oxidaselglucose system, and it was seen that the origin of the response could not be fully attributed to peroxide interaction in the latter case. Under anaerobic conditions with entrapped enzyme, it was proposed that a complex between the gluconolactone product of the enzyme reaction and the polymer leads to a more conducting polymer, with inherent charge compensation, and this results in the observed enhanced current signal.     

Highly functionalized dimeric tetraethynylethenes and expanded radialenes: strong evidence for macrocyclic cross-conjugation

A selection of dimeric tetraethynylethenes (TEEs) and perethynylated expanded radialenes, containing different donor/acceptor substitution patterns, have been prepared and fully characterized. The first X-ray crystal structure of an expanded [6]radialene, with twelve peripheral 3,5-di(tert-butyl)phenyl substituents, is presented. This macrocycle, the all-carbon core of which is isomeric with fullerene C60, adopts a non-planar, "chair-like" conformation. Also a TEE dimer, carrying N,N-dimethylaniline donor substituents, has been subjected to an X-ray crystallographic analysis. The electronic properties were studied by UV/Vis spectroscopy and electrochemistry, providing fundamental insight into mechanisms of pi-electron delocalization in the acyclic and macrocyclic chromophores. Donor or donor-acceptor-substituted dimeric TEE derivatives show very strong absorptions extending over the entire UV/Vis region; their longest wavelength absorption bands have high charge-transfer character. Macrocyclic cross-conjugation in the expanded radialenes becomes increasingly efficient with increasing donor-acceptor polarization. A dual, strongly solvent-polarity-dependent fluorescence was observed for a tetrakis(N,N-dimethylaniline)-substituted dimeric TEE; this interesting emission behavior is explained by the twisted intramolecular charge-transfer (TICT) state model. Donor-substituted expanded radialenes display huge resonance-enhanced third-order nonlinear optical coefficients.     

On the mode-coupling theory of vibrational line broadening in near-critical fluids

Molecular-dynamics simulations of a neat atomic fluid, coupled with a simple model for vibrational frequency perturbations, are used to investigate vibrational line broadening near the liquid-gas critical point. All features of our simulations are in qualitative agreement with recent Raman experiments on nitrogen. We also use our simulation results to assess the validity of the mode-coupling theories that have been used to analyze experiment. We find that the theoretical results are not in good agreement with simulation, both for the temperature dependence of the linewidth, and for the frequency time-correlation functions. However, the mode-coupling prediction that critical line broadening is due to the diverging correlation time of the frequency fluctuations is shown to be correct.