Flow physics of normal and abnormal bioprosthetic aortic valves

Flow physics of transvalvular flows in the aorta with bioprosthetic valves are investigated using computational modelling. For the efficient simulations of flow-structure-interaction in transvalvular flows, a simplified, reduced degree of freedom valve model is employed with a sharp interface immersed boundary based incompressible flow solver. Simulations are performed for normal as well as abnormal valves with reduced leaflet motion that models the effect of early leaflet thrombosis. The structure of the aortic jet and the hemodynamic stresses on the aortic wall are analysed to understand the hemodynamic impacts and possible long-term clinical implications of sub-clinical, reduced leaflet motion. The simulation results have shown that the reduced leaflet motion tilts the direction of aortic jet and generates stronger flow separation and re-attachment on the aortic wall downstream from the reduced motion leaflets. The modified flow pattern increases the wall pressure fluctuation and average wall shear stress on the downstream aortic wall, and results in the asymmetric oscillatory shear index distributions, which may have long-term clinical implications such as aortic wall damage and remodelling.     

On the inflation and deflation dynamics of liquid-filled,hyperelastic balloons

We derive a reduced-order model describing the inflation and deflation dynamics of a liquid-filled hyperelastic balloon, focusing on inviscid laminar flow and the extensional motion of the balloon. We initially study the flow and pressure fields for dictated motion of the solid, which throughout deflation are obtained by solving the potential problem. However, during inflation, flow separation creates a jet within the balloon, requiring a different approach. The analyses of both flow regimes lead to a simple piecewise model, describing the fluidic pressure during inflation and deflation, which is verified by finite element computations. We then use a variational approach to derive the equation describing the interaction between the extensional mode of the balloon and the entrapped fluid, yielding a nonlinear hybrid oscillator equation. Analytical and graphical investigations of the suggested model are presented, shedding light on its static and dynamic behaviour under different operating conditions. Our simplified model and its underlying assumptions are verified utilizing a fully coupled finite element scheme, showing excellent agreement.     

Uncertainty quantification for dynamics of geometrically nonlinear structures coupled with internal acoustic fluids in presence of sloshing and capillarity

In this paper, we propose an uncertainty quantification analysis, which is the continuation of a recent work performed in a deterministic framework. The fluid–structure system under consideration is the one experimentally studied in the sixties by Abramson, Kana, and Lindholm from the Southwest Research Institute under NASA contract. This coupled system is constituted of a linear acoustic liquid contained in an elastic tank that undergoes finite dynamical displacements, inducing geometrical nonlinear effects in the structure. The liquid has a free surface on which sloshing and capillarity effects are taken into account. The problem is expressed in terms of the acoustic pressure field in the fluid, of the displacement field of the elastic structure, and of the normal elevation field of the free surface. The nonlinear reduced-order model constructed in the recent work evoked above is reused for implementing the nonparametric probabilistic approach of uncertainties. The objective of this paper is to present a sensitivity analysis of this coupled fluid–structure system with respect to uncertainties and to use a classical statistical inverse problem for carrying out the experimental identification of the hyperparameter of the stochastic model. The analysis show a significant sensitivity of the displacement of the structure, of the acoustic pressure in the liquid, and of the free-surface elevation to uncertainties in both linear and geometrically nonlinear simulations.     

Investigation on the effect of density ratio on the convergence behavior of partitioned method for fluid–structure interaction simulation

In order to investigate the effect of density ratio of fluid and solid on the convergence behavior of partitioned FSI algorithm, three strong-coupling partitioned algorithms (fixed-point method with a constant under-relaxation parameter, Aitken’s method and Quasi-Newton inverse least squares (QN-ILS) method) have been considered in the context of finite element method. We have employed the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations for a Newtonian fluid domain and the total Lagrangian formulation for a non-linear motion of solid domain. Linear-elastic (hyper-elastic) model has been employed for solid material with small (large) deformation. A pulsatile inlet-flow interacting with a 2D circular channel of linear-elastic material and a pressure wave propagation in a 3D flexible vessel have been simulated. Both linear-elastic and hyper-elastic (Mooney–Rivlin) models have been adopted for the 3D flexible vessel. From the present numerical experiments, we have found that QN-ILS outperforms the others leading to a robust convergence regardless of the density ratio for both linear-elastic and hyper-elastic models. On the other hand, the performances of the fixed-point method with a constant under-relaxation parameter and the Aitken’s method depend strongly on the density ratio, relaxation parameter selected for coupling iteration, and degree of deformation. Although the QN-ILS of this work is still slower than a monolithic method for serial computation, it has an advantage of easier parallelization due to the modularity of the partitioned FSI algorithm.     

Accurate iteration-free mixed-stabilised formulation for laminar incompressible Navier–Stokes: Applications to fluid–structure interaction

Stabilised mixed velocity–pressure formulations are one of the widely-used finite element schemes for computing the numerical solutions of laminar incompressible Navier–Stokes. In these formulations, the Newton–Raphson scheme is employed to solve the nonlinearity in the convection term. One fundamental issue with this approach is the computational cost incurred in the Newton–Raphson iterations at every load/time step. In this paper, we present an iteration-free mixed finite element formulation for incompressible Navier–Stokes that preserves second-order temporal accuracy of the generalised-alpha and related schemes for both velocity and pressure fields. First, we demonstrate the second-order temporal accuracy using numerical convergence studies for an example with a manufactured solution. Later, we assess the accuracy and the computational benefits of the proposed scheme by studying the benchmark example of flow past a fixed circular cylinder. Towards showcasing the applicability of the proposed technique in a wider context, the inf–sup stable P2–P1 pair for the formulation without stabilisation is also considered. Finally, the resulting benefits of using the proposed scheme for fluid–structure interaction problems are illustrated using two benchmark examples in fluid-flexible structure interaction.     

尿液中的纳米微晶及其与尿石形成的关系

尿石症是一种世界范围的常见病和多发病,其主要的矿物成分为草酸钙(CaOxa)等[1-2]。但至今为止,尿石症形成过程中的许多化学及物理问题尚不清楚:尿液中的微晶是怎样生长和聚集?随后又是怎样黏附到尿路细胞膜上而形成结石?正常人与尿石患者尿液中微晶的数量和尺寸等存在什么样的     

四氯化锆四元催化体系中乙烯齐聚反应的动力学研究

研究了四氧化锆作主催化剂的四元催化体系中，乙烯压力、催化剂浓度和温度对乙烯齐聚反应的影响．测定了稳定态下乙烯齐聚反应的宏观动力学方程和表观活化能．     

CO吸附原位红外光谱结合分子模拟计算研究FCC汽油加氢脱硫催化剂的选择性

以脱硫选择性不同的2组催化裂化汽油加氢脱硫催化剂为研究对象, 采用CO吸附原位红外光谱表征了2组催化剂的活性相特征, 并通过分子模拟计算方法比较了助剂Co加入前后噻吩和1-己烯在催化剂表面的电荷分布、吸附能及其加氢反应的活化能等, 探讨了助剂Co的加入对选择性加氢脱硫催化剂脱硫选择性的作用机理. 结果表明, 加氢脱硫催化剂CoMoS活性相的增加有利于提高催化剂的加氢脱硫/加氢降烯烃(HDS/HYD)选择性. 与1-己烯加氢位相比, Co的加入显著提高了噻吩分子加氢位的缺电子性, 噻吩在催化剂表面的吸附度增强, 显著降低噻吩加氢反应的能垒, 从而使噻吩加氢反应更易进行. 这也表明CoMoS为高HDS活性、高HDS/HYD选择性的活性相.     

计算材料科学中桥域多尺度方法的若干进展

材料科学中存在固有的多尺度特性,桥域多尺度方法是在宏观尺度(如连续介质力学)中引入不同的细微观尺度的计算区域,乃至纳米尺度的分子动力学、量子力学计算区域,将不同尺度的研究方法通过一定的数学模型耦合在一起。该方法既能节约计算成本,又能保证所研究问题的物理特性。本文对多尺度方法的基本概念、跨尺度桥域多尺度方法的发展、基本原理、耦合方法和离散方程进行了讨论,给出了几个应用算例,并在最后进行了总结,展望了今后的可能发展方向。     

Correspondence between de Saint-Venant and Boussinesq. 1: Birth of the Shallow–Water Equations

The Shallow–Water Equations (SWEs), also referred to as the de Saint-Venant equations, constitute the current governing mathematical tool for free-surface water flows. These include, e.g., flood flows in rivers and in urban zones, flows across hydraulic structures as dams or wastewater facilities, flows in the environmental fields, glaciology, or meteorology. Despite this attractiveness, the system of two partial differential equations has an exact mathematical solution only for a limited number of problems of practical relevance.This historical work on the SWEs is based on a correspondence between two 19th-century scientists, de Saint-Venant and Boussinesq. Their well-known papers are thus commented from the point of development of their theory; the input of both scientists is evidenced by their writings, and comments of both to each other that led to what is commonly known as the SWEs. Given the age difference of the two of 45 years, the experienced engineer de Saint-Venant, and the mathematician Boussinesq, two eminent researchers, met to discuss not only problems in hydraulics, but in physics generally. In addition, their correspondence embraced also questions in ethics, religion, history of sciences, and personal news.The results of the SWEs cease to hold if streamline curvature effects dominate; this includes breaking waves, solitary and cnoidal waves, or non-linear waves in general. In most other cases, however, the SWEs perfectly apply to typical flows in engineering practice; they are considered the fundamental system of equations describing open channel flows. This work thus provides a background to its birth, including lots of comments as to its improvement, physical meanings, methods of solution, and a discussion of the results. This paper also deals with the steady flow equations, gives a short account on the main persons mentioned in the Correspondence, and provides a summary of further developments of the SWEs until 1920.