Reduced dimension modeling of leading edge turbulent interaction noise

A computational aeroacoustics approach is used to model the effects of real airfoil geometry on leading edge turbulent interaction noise for symmetric airfoils at zero angle of attack. For the first time, one-component (transverse), two-component (transverse and streamwise), and three-component (transverse, streamwise, and spanwise) synthesized turbulent disturbances are modeled instead of single frequency transverse gusts, which previous computational studies of leading edge noise have been confined to. The effects of the inclusion of streamwise and spanwise disturbances on the noise are assessed, and it is shown that accurate noise predictions for symmetric airfoils can be made by modeling only the transverse disturbances, which reduces the computational expense of simulations. Additionally, the two-component turbulent synthesis method is used to model the effects of airfoil thickness on the noise for thicknesses ranging from 2% to 12%. By using sufficient airfoil thicknesses to show trends, it is found that airfoil thickness will reduce the noise at high frequency, and that the sound power P will reduce linearly with increasing airfoil thickness

Mesoscale modeling of the rheology of pressure sensitive adhesives through inclusion of transient forces

For optimal application, pressure-sensitive adhesives must have rheological properties in between those of a viscoplastic solid and those of a viscoelastic liquid. Such adhesives can be produced by emulsion polymerisation, resulting in latex particles which are dispersed in water and contain long-chain acrylic polymers. When the emulsion is dried, the latex particles coalesce and an adhesive film is formed. The rheological properties of the dried samples are believed to be dominated by the interface regions between the original latex particles, but the relation between rheology and latex particle properties is poorly understood. In this paper we show that it is possible to describe the bulk rheology of a pressure-sensitive adhesive by means of a mesoscale simulation model. To reach experimental time and length scales, each latex particle is represented by just one simulated particle. The model is subjected to oscillatory shear flow and extensional flow. Simple order of magnitude estimates of the model parameters already lead to semi-quantitative agreement with experimental results. We show that inclusion of transient forces in the model, i.e. forces with memory of previous configurations, is essential to correctly predict the linear and nonlinear properties.Comment: 29 pages, 8 figure

Cheminement des eaux superficielles et télédétection pour la modélisation hydrologique distribuée

Communication invitée lors du 13. International Symposium on Spatial Data Handling: 2008; Montpellier, France: 2008/07/23-25Les cheminements superficiels des eaux sont de mieux en mieux décrits à partir des informations spatiales. En particulier les MNT à très haute résolution spatiale apportent des données nouvelles qui autorisent une description fine des réseaux d'écoulement superficiel et donc l'intégration de ces structures dans les modélisations hydrologiques distribuées. Mais si les techniques numériques d'observation ont fait de grands progrès dans les années passées, par contre il n'en est pas de même pour les concepts en modélisation et les expérimentations de terrain, ce qui provoque un point de blocage pour une réelle utilisation des données de télédétection finement résolues dans les modèles. Le développement de nouvelles techniques de mesure sur le terrain, de type low cost et réseaux communicants, est porteur de renouveau dans ce domaine. / Water paths are better and better described through spatial data. High resolution DTM are a good solution for mapping fine water networks and their integration into hydrological modelling. But if, in past years, big progresses concerned spatial data techniques, on the other hand they did concern concepts in modelling and ground experiments. And this is a difficulty for a real use of remote sensing data into finely resolved models. New possibilities are carrying revival in this field, through development of low cost ground techniques and communicating wireless networks

Reclaiming human machine nature

Extending and modifying his domain of life by artifact production is one of the main characteristics of humankind. From the first hominid, who used a wood stick or a stone for extending his upper limbs and augmenting his gesture strength, to current systems engineers who used technologies for augmenting human cognition, perception and action, extending human body capabilities remains a big issue. From more than fifty years cybernetics, computer and cognitive sciences have imposed only one reductionist model of human machine systems: cognitive systems. Inspired by philosophy, behaviorist psychology and the information treatment metaphor, the cognitive system paradigm requires a function view and a functional analysis in human systems design process. According that design approach, human have been reduced to his metaphysical and functional properties in a new dualism. Human body requirements have been left to physical ergonomics or "physiology". With multidisciplinary convergence, the issues of "human-machine" systems and "human artifacts" evolve. The loss of biological and social boundaries between human organisms and interactive and informational physical artifact questions the current engineering methods and ergonomic design of cognitive systems. New developpment of human machine systems for intensive care, human space activities or bio-engineering sytems requires grounding human systems design on a renewed epistemological framework for future human systems model and evidence based "bio-engineering". In that context, reclaiming human factors, augmented human and human machine nature is a necessityComment: Published in HCI International 2014, Heraklion : Greece (2014

The BMV project: Search for photon oscillations into massive particles

In this contribution to PSAS08 we report on the research activities developed in our Toulouse group, in the framework of the BMV project, concerning the search for photon oscillations into massive particles, such as axion-like particles in the presence of a strong transverse magnetic field. We recall our main result obtained in collaboration with LULI at \'Ecole Polytechnique (Palaiseau, France). We also present the very preliminary results obtained with the BMV experiment which is set up at LNCMP (Toulouse, France).Comment: Proceedings of PSAS'08, to be published in Can. J. Phy

Plasma wet and dry approaches for agriculture: limitations, challenges and opportunities

International audienceCold atmospheric plasma processes are routinely investigated in regard of their ability to induce relevant biological effects like improving seeds germination, promoting stems length or increasing crops yields. If research works have already demonstrated how plasma processes can successfully drive to such agronomical benefits, few of them are focused on the underlying energetical costs. This parameter, although at the interface of science and economy, is of major importance to make plasma agriculture a sustainable model

Extraction of thalweg networks from DTMs: application to badlands

Contact: [email protected] study gully spatial patterns in the badlands using a continuous thalweg vector network, this paper presents methods to extract the badlands' thalweg network from a regular grid digital terrain model (DTM) by combining terrain morphology indices with a drainage algorithm. This method will delineate a thalweg only where the DTM denotes a significant curvature with respect to DTM accuracy and relies on three major steps. First, discontinuous concave areas were detected from the DTM using morphological criteria, either the plan curvature or the convergence index. Second, the concave areas were connected using a drainage algorithm, which provides a continuous, thick, tree-structured scheme. We assumed that these areas were physically significant and corresponded to a gully floor. Finally, the thick path was reduced to its main course and vectorised to obtain a thalweg network. The methods were applied to both virtual and actual DTM cases. The actual case was a LiDAR DTM of the Draix badlands in the French Alps. The obtained networks were quantitatively compared, both with a network obtained using the usual drainage area criteria and with a reference network mapped in the field. The CI-based network showed the great potential for thalweg network extraction

Robust badlands thalwegs network extraction from DTM for topological characterisation

International audienceThis paper presents methods to extract badlands thalwegs network from regular grid DTM by combining a terrain morphology indices to a drainage algorithm. The computation of a continuous vector network will permit the study of the badlands spatial patterns. Thess methods aim at delineating a thalweg only where the DTM denotes a significant curvature with respect to DTM accuracy. It relies on three major steps. Firstly, discontinuous concave areas are detected from the DTM using morphological criteria; the plan curvature and the convergence index . Secondly, the concave convergence areas are connected using a drainage algorithm which provides continuous and tree-structured thick scheme. We assume that these areas present physical significance and corresponds to a gully floor area. Finally, the thick path is reduced to its main curve and vectorised to obtain a thalwegs network. The methods are applied on both virtual and actual cases DTM. The actual case is a LiDAR DTM of Draix Badlands (French Alps). The obtained networks are quantitatively compared both to the one obtained with usual drainage area criteria and to a reference network. The networks comparison shows the great potential of the converge index based method for thalweg network extraction

A hierarchical graph matching method to assess accuracy of network extraction from DTM

International audienceMore and more elevation data and methods are available to automatically map hydrographic or thalweg networks. However, there are few methods to assess the network quality. The most used method to compare an extracted network to a reference network gives global quality information on only geographic criterion. The method proposed in this paper allows a network assessment compared to a reference network whose results can be interpreted more easily and more related to networks morphologies. This method is based on a hierarchical node matching within a graph. Nodes are classified by hierarchical level according to their importance in the tree-structured network. Then, a matching process seeks for nodes pairs between the two networks based on the geographic distance. The hierarchy introduces a priority order in the matching. The relative location of nodes pairs is checked in order to ensure a topological consistency. Finally, similarity statistics based on nodes matching counts are computed. While the usual method only takes into account a geographic criterion, the presented method integrates geographic, geometric and topologic criteria. It is an interactive and object-by-object matching. Moreover, the hierarchical approach helps comparing networks represented at different scales. It provides global statistics but also step-by-step maps that helps characterizing the spatial distribution of network delineation errors