An Experimental Study in the Hydroelastic Response of an Aluminum Wedge in Drop Tests

Slamming of marine planing craft is expected to arise due to the high speed nature of their operating conditions. High hydrodynamic forces are inevitably induced causing the shell plating to deflect, which in turn can influence the flow physics surrounding the hull. In order to study the hull’s hydroelastic response due to a slamming event, wedge drop experiments were performed with an aluminum wedge of 57 inches in length, 47 inches in breadth, and 20 degree deadrise with 1/4 in. thick unstiffened bottom panels. The elastic behavior of the hull plating was measured via two methods. The first method uses strain gages to analyze the wedge’s deadrise panel deflections, and the second method is a Stereoscopic- Digital Image Correlation (S-DIC) technique. In the present investigation, an S-DIC code has been developed and utilized to study the deflections and to advance the capabilities of future research. Comparisons are made between the methods and also with theoretical studies. The deflections measured are approximately 0.1 in. on a panel spanning 24.5 inches, and the predictions made using S-DIC and strain gages differ by approximately 23%

Investigation and Implementation of a Lifting Line Theory to Predict Propeller Performance

Numerous hydrodynamic theories may be used to predict the performance of marine propellers. The goal of this thesis is to investigate and implement a lifting line theory as a program written in FORTRAN and to test its capabilities on some Wageningen B-Series propellers. Special attention is given to the validation of the routines involved in the implementation of the theory. Difficulties were experienced in obtaining results that accurately reflect the published experimental results, and some discussion is included regarding possibilities for the sources of these errors. Also discussed are the results of other lifting line codes and their respective differences from the current implementation

Experimental Investigation into the Boundary Layer of a Robotic Anguilliform Propulsor

Boundary layer information local to three longitudinal positions has been characterized for a 130 cm long biomimetic self-propulsor known as NEELBOT-1.1 that swims with undulatory anguilliform-like motions, via analysis of stereo particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements for key moments in the undulation cycle and for numerous combinations of swimming conditions and motion parameters, ideal and non-ideal. No obvious turbulent flow structures or indications of boundary layer separation were observed at nonzero advance speeds, and skin friction coefficients were subsequently estimated for magnitude relative to the dynamic pressure associated with operation at the design swimming speed of Uo = 0.25 m/s. Estimates were correlated with measurements made for an oscillating and non-oscillating cylindrical test article that were benchmarked by initial mono PIV investigations of steady laminar flow over a flat plate at zero incidence which was tested while stationary and oscillating in its own plane. Behavior of boundary layer profiles pertaining to the robot, apparently significantly influenced by the traveling flexion waves characteristic of the anguilliform motions, is clearly distinguished from local oscillatory flow structures related to the other two test articles. Approximately 10–15% increases in local skin friction are observed for the robot over similar conditions for the cylinder, and downstream vortex shedding is readily observed for the oscillating cylinder. The results of this thesis will be used in validation of numerical analyses performed in parallel with this research for the purpose of calculating the time-mean frictional drag experienced by the robot and to determine whether it can produce enough thrust to overcome its drag without simultaneously increasing it beyond realizable thrust generation capabilities. Theoretical hydrodynamic descriptions of the wake velocity field agreed well with previous PIV measurements, but the theory does not treat viscous effects. Furthermore, the preliminary semi-empirical, quasi-static attempts to estimate frictional drag were shown to under-predict the actual drag by net force measurements taken while towing the robot at its design speed which was undulating for that expected swimming speed, hence the necessity of this thesis as further investigation

Improvement of Pork Loin Tenderness Using the Hydrodyne Process

In this research, exposure of pork to an explosive charge within a water-filled container created an immediate improvement in tenderness and enhanced proteolysis upon subsequent storage. Hydrodyne-treated pork was as tender 1 day post mortem as untreated pork aged 40 days. The tenderness advantage of the Hydrodyne process to unaged pork is immediate and appears unrelated to proteolysis. The Hydrodyne process is a very effective tenderization technique providing benefits similar to aging

Long-term outcome of radiological-guided insertion of implanted central venous access port devices (CVAPD) for the delivery of chemotherapy in cancer patients: institutional experience and review of the literature

Central venous access port devices (CVAPD) are necessary for delivery of prolonged infusional chemotherapy or in patients with poor peripheral venous access. Previous studies of Hickman catheters report complication rates in about 45% of patients. Our aim was to assess the early and late complication rate, and duration that the CVAPD remained functional, following insertion by interventional radiologists in patients with solid tumours. A prospective study was undertaken in 110 consecutive patients who had insertion of 111 subclavian CVAPD. The median age of patients was 57 years (range 17–83), 64 were females; 68 patients (61%) had gastrointestinal tumours and 25 (23%) had breast cancer. CVAPD were successfully implanted in all but one patient. There were four (4%) immediate major complications: thrombosis 2 and pneumothorax 2. Nine patients (8%) had bruising or pain. Four devices (4%) became infected. In total, 100 CVAPD (90%) were either removed as planned at the end of treatment (n=23) after a median 203 days, or remained in situ for a median of 237 days (7–1133). Premature removal occurred in eight patients due to infection (n=4), thrombosis (n=3) or faulty device (n=1). Four patients were lost to follow-up. Radiological insertion of CVAPD is safe and convenient with low rates of complications