Reduced-stress method for efficient computation of time-dependent viscoelastic flow with stress equations of FENE-P type

Most calculation procedures for time-dependent viscoelastic flows require iteration within the time step used to advance the solution, in order to satisfy simultaneously the momentum and the constitutive equations for each stress component. We have devised a way of reformulating the constitutive equation for the FENE-P model, or models described by similar equations expressed in terms of the stress tensor, which enables iterative methods for simulating time-dependent viscoelastic flows to become much more efficient: the number of iterations to obtain a solution with the reformulated stress equations is substantially smaller (by a factor of 5–10) than with a comparable method applied to the original, non- reformulated, constitutive equations. The proposed reformulation is rather simple and consists in considering as dependent variables the reduced stresses obtained by dividing the stress components by the extensibility function of the model. It is tested with three problems of increasing complexity, start-up of channel and square-duct flows, and start-up of a rotating duct flow.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Inspiral, merger and ringdown of unequal mass black hole binaries: a multipolar analysis

We study the inspiral, merger and ringdown of unequal mass black hole binaries by analyzing a catalogue of numerical simulations for seven different values of the mass ratio (from q=M2/M1=1 to q=4). We compare numerical and Post-Newtonian results by projecting the waveforms onto spin-weighted spherical harmonics, characterized by angular indices (l,m). We find that the Post-Newtonian equations predict remarkably well the relation between the wave amplitude and the orbital frequency for each (l,m), and that the convergence of the Post-Newtonian series to the numerical results is non-monotonic. To leading order the total energy emitted in the merger phase scales like eta^2 and the spin of the final black hole scales like eta, where eta=q/(1+q)^2 is the symmetric mass ratio. We study the multipolar distribution of the radiation, finding that odd-l multipoles are suppressed in the equal mass limit. Higher multipoles carry a larger fraction of the total energy as q increases. We introduce and compare three different definitions for the ringdown starting time. Applying linear estimation methods (the so-called Prony methods) to the ringdown phase, we find resolution-dependent time variations in the fitted parameters of the final black hole. By cross-correlating information from different multipoles we show that ringdown fits can be used to obtain precise estimates of the mass and spin of the final black hole, which are in remarkable agreement with energy and angular momentum balance calculations.Comment: 51 pages, 28 figures, 16 tables. Many improvements throughout the text in response to the referee report. The calculation of multipolar components in Appendix A now uses slightly different conventions. Matches version in press in PR

THE PRESSURE FIELD, NUCLEI DYNAMICS AND THEIR RELATION TO CAVITATION INCEPTION IN A TURBULENT SHEAR LAYER

Cavitation inception involves the stochastic interactions of nuclei with the unsteady low-pressure regions in turbulent flow for sufficient durations to cause their explosive growth. This thesis investigates both the unsteady pressure field and the evolution of nuclei in and around quasi-streamwise vortices (QSVs), which are the preferred sites for inception in a turbulent shear layer. The present study focuses on the shear layer developing behind a backward facing step. Early cavitation occurs at multiple points along the QSVs, with the frequency of events increasing with Reynolds number for the same cavitation index. To explain these observations, tomographic particle tracking is used for calculating the instantaneous velocity and pressure fields for non-cavitating flow. Interpolation of the time-resolved volumetric data to a uniform grid is performed using a constrained cost minimization process that makes the velocity divergence-free and material acceleration curl-free, leading to improvements in data quality. Integration of the material acceleration provides the pressure distribution. Regions of QSVs are detected using k-means clustering of variables involving the velocity gradients. The pressure is indeed lower, and its minima last longer within the QSVs compared to the surrounding flow. The diameters of low pressure regions and those of the cavity show very good agreement. In a Lagrangian framework, the pressure minima are likely to be preceded by axial vorticity stretching and followed by contraction, both associated with propagation of perturbations along the QSV axis. Consequently, the regions of low pressure are localized and intermittent, consistent with the appearance of cavitation. However, the likelihood of low-pressure events does not increase with Reynolds numbers, in contrast to the trends of cavitation inception events. Therefore, the effects of nuclei availability are studied under controlled seeding of microbubbles using holography for detecting them. Their concentration in the shear layer is higher compared to that in the freestream, presumably owing to entrainment, with the discrepancy becoming more pronounced with increasing speed. Once cavitation inception occurs, the concentration of large bubbles increases drastically, leading to further increase in the frequency of events

Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationPlatelet aggregation, an important part of the development of blood clots, is a complex process involving both mechanical interaction between platelets and blood, and chemical transport on and o the surfaces of those platelets. Radial Basis Function (RBF) interpolation is a meshfree method for the interpolation of multidimensional scattered data, and therefore well-suited for the development of meshfree numerical methods. This dissertation explores the use of RBF interpolation for the simulation of both the chemistry and mechanics of platelet aggregation. We rst develop a parametric RBF representation for closed platelet surfaces represented by scattered nodes in both two and three dimensions. We compare this new RBF model to Fourier models in terms of computational cost and errors in shape representation. We then augment the Immersed Boundary (IB) method, a method for uid-structure interaction, with our RBF geometric model. We apply the resultant method to a simulation of platelet aggregation, and present comparisons against the traditional IB method. We next consider a two-dimensional problem where platelets are suspended in a stationary fluid, with chemical diusion in the fluid and chemical reaction-diusion on platelet surfaces. To tackle the latter, we propose a new method based on RBF-generated nite dierences (RBF-FD) for solving partial dierential equations (PDEs) on surfaces embedded in 2D domains. To robustly tackle the former, we remove a limitation of the Augmented Forcing method (AFM), a method for solving PDEs on domains containing curved objects, using RBF-based symmetric Hermite interpolation. Next, we extend our RBF-FD method to the numerical solution of PDEs on surfaces embedded in 3D domains, proposing a new method of stabilizing RBF-FD discretizations on surfaces. We perform convergence studies and present applications motivated by biology. We conclude with a summary of the thesis research and present an overview of future research directions, including spectrally-accurate projection methods, an extension of the Regularized Stokeslet method, RBF-FD for variable-coecient diusion, and boundary conditions for RBF-FD

Transient elastohydrodynamic analysis of piston skirt lubricated contact under combined axial, lateral and tilting motion

Most modern engines utilise pistons with an offset gudgeon pin. In internal combustion engines, the offset is to the major thrust side of the piston. The piston thrust side is the part of the piston perpendicular to the gudgeon pin that carries the majority of side loading during the power stroke. Primary reason for having the gudgeon pin positioned eccentrically is to prevent the piston from slamming into the cylinder bore after the connecting rod journal passes the top dead centre. This phenomenon is referred to as piston slap, and is more pronounced in compression ignition and high performance engines due to higher combustion pressure than that of commercial spark ignition engines. The coming together of the piston and the bore results in scuffing, at best, or, catastrophic failure at worst. Clearance space between bore and piston is filled by a lubricant film. The main role of the lubricant is to separate the piston and bore by reacting to the applied load. Investigating the above problem requires a holistic approach, whereby a dynamic three degree-of-freedom piston model is coupled with a lubrication model to represent the actual system. The dynamic model determines the motion of the piston in combined axial, lateral and rotation about the gudgeon pin. The reactive forces due to lubricant films on the major and minor thrust sides of the piston play significant roles in piston dynamics and are evaluated by either quasi-static or transient solution of the lubricant contact conjunctions. The novel quasi-static analysis is carried out in the sense of its detailed approach, including many key practical features. not incorporated in other analyses, hitherto reported in literature. These features include first and foremost the development of a specific contact mechanics model for evaluation of conforming contacts for piston skirt against liner or bore. The quasi-static analysis includes many practical feature not encountered in other literature on the subject, such as detailed surface irregularities and modification features, and with thermal distortion. The analysis has been extended to thermohydrodynamics, as well as micro-hydrodynamics, all with high computational mesh densities, and robust methods of solution in space and time domains, including effective influence Newton-Raphson method and linear acceleration integration scheme. The transient tribo-elasto-multi-body dynamics problem includes physics of motion study from film thickness prediction and secondary motion evaluation of the order of micrometers and minutes of arc to large rigid body dynamics, including simultaneous solution of the contact problem at both major and minor thrust sides. Such a comprehensive solution has not hitherto been reported in literature. The thesis discusses many aspects of piston dynamics problem, through the broad spectrum of vehicle manufacture, with many pertinent practical engineering issues. In particular, it provides solutions for high performance Formula 1 racing engines. This is the first ever comprehensive analysis of piston tribodynamics for this range of engines at very high combustion pressures. This study has shown the paramount influence of profile of piston in promoting lubrication between the contiguous bodies, as evident from the pattern of lubricant flow through the contact. Deformation of the bodies increases the volume of lubricant in the contact. During the reversal in direction of piston motion, when the entraining velocity momentarily cases and reversal takes place, the load is held by an elastic squeez

Stress Intensity Factors - T-Stresses - Weight Functions. Supplement Volume

Stresses in the vicinity of the crack tips are responsible for failure of crack-containing components. The singular stress contribution is characterised by the stress intensity factor K, the first regular stress term is represented by the so-called T-stress. Whereas in the main volume, IKM 50, predominantly one-dimensional cracks were considered in homogeneous materials, this supplement volume compiles new results on one-dimensional and two-dimensional cracks