A parallel cell‐based DSMC method on unstructured adaptive meshes

A parallel DSMC method based on a cell‐based data structure is developed for the efficient simulation of rarefied gas flows on PC‐clusters. Parallel computation is made by decomposing the computational domain into several subdomains. Dynamic load balancing between processors is achieved based on the number of simulation particles and the number of cells allocated in each subdomain. Adjustment of cell size is also made through mesh adaptation for the improvement of solution accuracy and the efficient usage of meshes. Applications were made for a two‐dimensional supersonic leading‐edge flow, the axi‐symmetric Rothe's nozzle, and the open hollow cylinder flare flow for validation. It was found that the present method is an efficient tool for the simulation of rarefied gas flows on PC‐based parallel machines. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A laser Doppler anemometry technique for Reynolds stresses measurement

A technique is described for the measurement of all components of mean velocity and Reynolds stresses, in a complex turbulent flow where achieving coincidence data acquisition is difficult. The method is based on data recorded using four orientations of the laser probe. It is shown that the measurement errors are not the same for all the components of the Reynolds tensor, but they are sufficiently small to give a good accuracy. An application to a turbomachinery flow is given to illustrate the method.     

Nano-tribological study on a super-hydrophobic film formed on rough aluminium substrates

A novel super-hydrophobic stearic acid (STA) film with a water contact angle of 166^o was prepared by chemical adsorption on aluminum wafer coated with polyethyleneimine (PEI) film. The micro-tribological behavior of the super-hydrophobic STA monolayer was compared with that of the polished and PEI-coated Al surfaces. The effect of relative humidity on the adhesion and friction was investigated as well. It was found that the STA monolayer showed decreased friction, while the adhesive force was greatly decreased by increasing the surface roughness of the Al wafer to reduce the contact area between the atomic force microscope (AFM) tip and the sample surface to be tested. Thus the friction and adhesion of the Al wafer was effectively decreased by generating the STA monolayer, which indicated that it could be feasible and rational to prepare a surface with good adhesion resistance and lubricity by properly controlling the surface morphology and the chemical composition. Both the adhesion and friction decreased as the relative humidity was lowered from 65% to 10%, though the decrease extent became insignificant for the STA monolayer. The project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (50375151, 50323007, 10225209) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (KJCX-SW-L2)     

Photorefractive Four-Wave Mixing Switches Utilizing Pockels Effect -Longitudinal and Lateral Switches-

We carried out detailed calculations for photorefractive wave-mixing switches based on one of three crystals with high electro-optic coefficients, namely, BaTiO₃, Strontium Barium Niobate (SBN (0.75)), and Potasium Sodium Strontium Barium Niobate (KNSBN). A comparison of results for the three crystals shows that a 0_-cut BaTiO³ crystal is suitable for a longitudinal switch and requires a voltage of about 80 for a 2-mm-thick crystal to induce sufficient phase mismatch. The electrodes must be transparent for the incident and diffracted beams. A 45_-cut SBN (0.75) crystal, however, is suitable for a lateral switch and requires a voltage of about 150 for a 1-mm-wide crystal. The electrodes do not need to be transparent.     

Color Zone Map in Peripheral Vision at Various Illuminance Levels

We measured the entire region of mesopic and photopic vision to determine the color zone covering the visual field with unique red, yellow, green, and blue hue components. Eight kinds of test stimuli in the natural color system (NCS) color notation system were used. These stimuli were presented at horizontal and vertical meridians, and at meridians inclined at 45° angles. The illuminance level was set at six levels: 0.01 lx-1000 lx. The evaluation method measured chromatic, white, and black components as well as the hue component of the stimuli. Results show that the color zone of the retina extended further into the periphery with increasing illuminance; the response of opponent colors y-b was shown to be greater than that of the opponent colors r-g.     

Real-time color holographic interferometry devoted to 2D unsteady wake flows

A new optical technique based on real time holographic interferometry in true colors has been implemented around the transonic wind tunnel of the ONERA-Lille center to analyze 2D unsteady wake flows. Tests realized in color interferometry, real time and double exposure, use simultaneously three wavelengths of a continuous waves laser (argon and krypton mixed) and holograms are recorded on silver-halide single-layer panchromatic Slavich PFG03c plates. The very principle of real-time true color holographic interferometry uses three primary wavelengths (red, green and blue) to record, under no-flow conditions, the interference among the three measurement beams and the three reference beams simultaneously on a single reference hologram. After the holographic plate is developed, it is placed on the test setup again in the position it occupied during exposure and the hologram is illuminated again by the three reference beams and three measurement beams. A flat, uniform color can then be observed behind the hologram. So a horizontal, vertical, or even circular fringe pattern can be formed and the achromatic central fringe can be made out very clearly. The single color is used to determine the path difference zero on the interferograms. The flow studied was the unsteady flow downstream of a cylinder placed crosswise in the test section. A sequence of hundred interferograms was recorded on the flow around the cylinder at Mach 0.37. The vortex formation and dissipation phases can be seen very clearly, along with the fringe beat to either side of the cylinder.     

Synthesis of a soluble pyrrole copolymer with phenetidine

A new series of copolymers was synthesized through the oxidative polymerization of pyrrole (PY) and o‐phenetidine (PHT) with inorganic oxidants in acidic media. The polymerization parameters including the mixing method of the oxidant with the comonomer, the comonomer ratio, the time, the temperature, the oxidant, the organic medium, and the acid were systematically optimized for the synthesis of copolymers with high yields, intrinsic viscosities, and solubility. The resultant copolymers were characterized by elemental analysis, infrared, ultraviolet–visible, solution high‐resolution ¹H NMR and solid‐state high‐resolution ¹³C NMR, circular dichroism spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry. The results showed that the PY observed content in the copolymers was much higher than the PY feed content. The regular variation of the polymerization yield, intrinsic viscosity, solubility, macromolecular structure, and electroactivity of the resulting polymers with the comonomer ratio, together with the complete solubility of a PY/PHT (10/90) polymer in highly polar solvents, indicated the formation of real random copolymers containing both PY and PHT units rather than a mixture of two homopolymers. However, the polymers containing more than 59 mol % PY were not homogeneous copolymers consisting of soluble and insoluble parts. A semiquantitative relationship between the polymerization yield or solubility of the copolymers and the polarity index of the organic solvents was examined. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 2073–2092, 2004     

Living polymerization of styrene initiated by mercaptan/ε‐caprolactam

The bulk polymerization of styrene initiated by ?‐caprolactam (CL) and n‐dodecyl mercaptan (RSH) has been explored. This novel polymerization system shows living characteristics. For example, the molecular weight of the resulting polymers increases with conversion, and the system has the ability to form diblock copolymers and so forth. The polymer chain end contains thiol and lactam structures, which we have investigated with Fourier transform infrared, ¹H NMR, and ¹³C NMR techniques. Electron spin resonance spectra and theoretical calculations by the Hartree–Fock methods have been used to examine the mechanism. The results reveal that the initial polymerization starts from thiol via a chain‐transfer reaction, and the propagation proceeds by the insertion of a monomer between the terminal group and the intermediate structure of lactam. Finally, the polymerization kinetics have been examined. The polymerization rate varies linearly with the concentration of CL and RSH, and this confirms the mechanism. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 4976–4993, 2004     

Synthesis and characterization of new segmented polyurethanes with side‐chain,liquid‐crystalline chain extenders

Liquid‐crystalline, segmented polyurethanes with methoxy–biphenyl mesogens pendant on the chain extender were synthesized by the conventional prepolymer technique and esterification reaction. Two, side‐chain, liquid‐crystalline (SCLC) polyurethanes with mesogens having spacers of six and eight methylene units were prepared. The structures of the mesogenic units and SCLC polyurethanes were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and ¹H NMR. Polymer properties were also examined by solubility tests, water uptakes, and inherent viscosity measurements. Differential scanning calorimetry studies indicated that the transition temperature of the isotropic to the liquid‐crystalline phase decreased with increasing spacer length. Wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD) studies revealed the existence of liquid‐crystalline phases for both SCLC polyurethanes. Polarized optical microscopic investigations further confirmed the thermotropic liquid‐crystalline behaviors and nematic mesophases of both samples. Thermogravimetric analysis displayed better thermal stabilities for both SCLC polymers and indicated that the presence of mesogenic side chains may increase the thermal stability of segmented polyurethanes. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 290–302, 2004     

Behavior and surface energies of polybenzoxazines formed by polymerization with argon,oxygen, and hydrogen plasmas

Polybenzoxazine (PBZZ) thin films can be fabricated by the plasma‐polymerization technique with, as the energy source, plasmas of argon, oxygen, or hydrogen atoms and ions. When benzoxazine (BZZ) films are polymerized through the use of high‐energy argon atoms, electronegative oxygen atoms, or excited hydrogen atoms, the PBZZ films that form possess different properties and morphologies in their surfaces. High‐energy argon atoms provide a thermodynamic factor to initiate the ring‐opening polymerization of BZZ and result in the polymer surface having a grid‐like structure. The ring‐opening polymerization of the BZZ film that is initiated by cationic species such as oxygen atoms in plasma, is propagated around nodule structures to form the PBZZ. The excited hydrogen atom plasma initiates both polymerization and decomposition reactions simultaneously in the BZZ film and results in the formation of a porous structure on the PBZZ surface. We evaluated the surface energies of the PBZZ films polymerized by the action of these three plasmas by measuring the contact angles of diiodomethane and water droplets. The surface roughness of the films range from 0.5 to 26 nm, depending on the type of carrier gas and the plasma‐polymerization time. By estimating changes in thickness, we found that the PBZZ film synthesized by the oxygen plasma‐polymerization process undergoes the slowest rate of etching in CF₄ plasma. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 4063–4074, 2004