Analytical/experimental comparison of the axial velocity in trailing vortices

The axial velocity of a vortex is a parameter which is known to be strongly related to the vortex breakdown, yet to date a complete description of its physical origins has not been achieved. A series of experiments studying the vortex trailed from a NACA 0015 wing using stereoscopic particle image velocimetry is presented and the axial velocity studied in detail. The problem of centering the instantaneous vector fields is addressed showing a high sensitivity of the results from the centering method which is adopted. It is shown that a strong axial velocity excess exists and a linear relationship between the axial velocity and a circulation parameter of the vortex is shown. The experimental data are compared with the analytical descriptions of the velocity in the centre of a simplified vortex giving new insights of the viscous effects in the development of the axial flow

Near field structure of wing tip vortices

High spatial resolution experiments in the near field of a trailing vortex using a Stereoscopic Particle Image Velocimetry technique have been carried out. A NACA 0015 model with flat tip has been tested for several Reynolds numbers and angles of attack. An axisymmetric meandering of the vortex is observed and a discussion on the aperiodicity correction method has identified the helicity peak as the most convenient indicator of the vortex centre. The axial velocity in the centre of the vortex has been recorded always as an excess except for low angle of attack cases where intermittent peaks of excess and deficit are superimposed on a large patch of deficit velocity. The double vortex structure and the consequent double inflection in the tangential velocity profiles is also studied with reference to a vortex age parameter. At already 2 chords of distance from the trailing edge the profiles exhibit axisymmetric behaviour. A spiral structure of the vortex core has been reported as effect of the early stage of the rolling up and considerations on the rotation confirmed the high dependency of the initial phase of the rolling up with the tip shape. The square tip produces a strong asymmetry of the vortex core and an intense secondary vortex. Good agreement of the tangential velocity and the circulation profiles between the experiments and analytical vortex expressions has been observed. The results confirm the existence of a three-part vortex structure, namely an inner, a logarithmic and an outer region of the vortex where the former is affected by the initial vortex structure and the latter is not universal but shows a dependence on the angle of attack

On Tensor Products and Elementary Operators

In This Paper We Describe Operator Systems And Elementary Operators Via Tensor Products. We Also Discuss Norms Of Elementary Operators

Effect of humidity on transonic flow

An experimental investigation of the effects of humidity-induced condensation on shock/boundary-layer interaction has been conducted in a transonic wind-tunnel test. The test geometry considered was a wall-mounted bump model inserted in the test section of the wind tunnel. The formation of a λ-shape condensation shock wave was shown from schlieren visualization and resulted in a forward movement of the shock wave, reduced shock wave strength, and reduced separation. Empirical correlations of the shock wave strength and humidity/dew point temperature were established. For humidity levels below 0.15 or a dew point temperature of 268 K, the effect of humidity was negligible. The unsteady pressure measurements showed that if a condensation shock wave formed and interacted with a main shock wave, the flow becomes unsteady with periodic flow oscillations occurring at 720 Hz

Prediction of Flow Pattern Behaviour Behind Square Cylinder using Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) Approach

The aim of this study is to investigate the flow pattern behaviour by using computational fluid dynamic (CFD) approach. The square profile was chosen in purpose to have a better understanding of the behaviour which is relevant to the engineering applications. Numerical simulation was performed on various turbulence models with the range of Reynolds number from 6000 to 80000 with three incidence angles of 0°, 15°, and 30°. Mesh dependency study was performed with coarse, base and fine meshes. Fine mesh and standard k–ω were chosen as the best meshing and turbulence model to perform the simulation due to the capability in terms of less absolute error on aerodynamic coefficient and clear flow visualisation capture. It was found that the average values of Strouhal number for square profile was 0.12. For this particular study, the changes of incidence angle and variation of Reynolds number gave a significant flow pattern behind a square profile. The size of the vortices became smaller and closer to the structure as the incidence angle increased. At high Reynolds number, it was also observed that the size of the vortices increased progressively. The prediction of flow pattern behind square cylinder was successfully determined by using CFD approach

Low Mach number modeling of Type I X-ray burst deflagrations

The Low Mach Number Approximation (LMNA) is applied to 2D hydrodynamical modeling of Type I X-ray bursts on a rectangular patch on the surface of a non-rotating neutron star. Because such phenomena involve decidedly subsonic flows, the timestep increase offered by the LMNA makes routine simulations of these deflagrations feasible in an environment where strong gravity produces significant stratification, while allowing for potentially significant lateral differences in temperature and density. The model is employed to simulate the heating, peak, and initial cooling stages in the deep envelope layers of a burst. During the deflagration, Benard-like cells naturally fill up a vertically expanding convective layer. The Mach number is always less than 0.15 throughout the simulation, thus justifying the low Mach number approximation. While the convective layer is superadiabatic on average, significant fluctuations in adiabaticity occur within it on subconvective timescales. Due to convective layer expansion, significant compositional mixing naturally occurs, but tracer particle penetration through the convective layer boundaries on convective timescales is temporary and spatially limited. Thus, mixing occurs on the relatively slow burst timescale through thermal expansion of the convective layer rather than from mass penetration of the convective layer boundary through particle convection. At the convective layer boundaries where mixing is less efficient, the actual temperature gradient more closely follows the Ledoux criteria.Comment: 40 pages, 13 figures, accepted by ApJ, high resolution version: http://www.astro.northwestern.edu/~lin/references/Lin_LMNA_ApJ_2006.pd

Neuronal post-developmentally acting SAX-7S/L1CAM can function as cleaved fragments to maintain neuronal architecture in C. elegans [preprint]

Whereas remarkable advances have uncovered mechanisms that drive nervous system assembly, the processes responsible for the lifelong maintenance of nervous system architecture remain poorly understood. Subsequent to its establishment during embryogenesis, neuronal architecture is maintained throughout life in the face of the animal’s growth, maturation processes, the addition of new neurons, body movements, and aging. The C. elegans protein SAX-7, homologous to the vertebrate L1 protein family, is required for maintaining the organization of neuronal ganglia and fascicles after their successful initial embryonic development. To dissect the function of sax-7 in neuronal maintenance, we generated a null allele and sax-7S-isoform-specific alleles. We find that the null sax-7(qv30) is, in some contexts, more severe than previously described mutant alleles, and that the loss of sax-7S largely phenocopies the null, consistent with sax-7S being the key isoform in neuronal maintenance. Using a sfGFP::SAX-7S knock-in, we observe sax-7S to be predominantly expressed across the nervous system, from embryogenesis to adulthood. Yet, its role in maintaining neuronal organization is ensured by post-developmentally acting SAX-7S, as larval transgenic sax-7S(+) expression alone is sufficient to profoundly rescue the null mutants’ neuronal maintenance defects. Moreover, the majority of the protein SAX-7 appears to be cleaved, and we show that these cleaved SAX-7S fragments together, not individually, can fully support neuronal maintenance. These findings contribute to our understanding of the role of the conserved protein SAX-7/L1CAM in long-term neuronal maintenance, and may help decipher processes that go awry in some neurodegenerative conditions

Multi-input genetic algorithm for experimental optimization of the reattachment downstream of a backward-facing step with surface plasma actuator

The practical interest of flow control approaches is no more debated as flow control provides an effective mean for considerably increasing the performances of ground or air transport systems, among many others applications. Here a fundamental configuration is investigated by using non-thermal surface plasma discharge. A dielectric barrier discharge is installed at the step corner of a backward-facing step (Reh=30000, Re¿=1650). Wall pressure sensors are used to estimate the reattaching location downstream of the step. The primary objective of this paper is the coupling of a numerical optimizer with an experiment. More specifically, optimization by genetic algorithm is implemented experimentally in order to minimize the reattachment point downstream of the step model. Validation through inverse problem is firstly demonstrated. When coupled with the plasma actuator and the wall pressure sensors, the genetic algorithm finds the optimum forcing conditions with a good convergence rate, the best control design variables being in agreement with the literature that uses other types of control devices than plasma. Indeed, the minimum reattaching position is achieved by forcing the flow at the shear layer mode where a large spreading rate is obtained by increasing the periodicity of the vortex street and by enhancing the vortex pairing phenomena. At the best forcing conditions, the mean flow reattachment is reduced by 20%. This article, with its experiment-based approach, demonstrates the robustness of a single-objective multi-design optimization method, and its feasibility for wind tunnel experiments.Postprint (published version

Experimental optimization by genetic algorithm for flow separation control with surface plasma actuator

Postprint (published version