Investigation and prediction of the bending of single and tandem pillars in a laminar cross flow

Cantilever beams are increasingly applied as sensory structures for force and flow measurements. In nature, such hair-like mechanoreceptors often occur not as single hairs but in larger numbers distributed around the body-surface and with different mechanical properties. In addition, reconfiguration of such structures with the flow changes their response and mutual interaction. This raises the question how it affects the signal conditioning on each individual sensor. Simple configurations involving single and tandem pairs of flexible cylinders (of aspect ratio 10) are studied as elementary units of such sensor arrays at Reynolds numbers of order Red=O(1–10). Experimental reference studies were carried out with a tandem pair of up-scaled models using flexible cylinders mounted on a flat plate and towed in a viscous liquid environment. Direct numerical simulations (DNS) are used to determine the local drag along the rigid cylinders (pillars) for different orientations of the tandem relative to the main flow direction at steady flow conditions. The bending is then computed via beam bending theory. A prediction model based on the cross-flow velocity and an empirical relation for the drag coefficient is proposed and tested. The results show good agreement of the bending lines with the experiments and the direct numerical simulations for single and tandem configurations. It is then used to illustrate the expected sensor response at any point in a given complex flow field. This study contributes to the understanding of pre-conditioning effects in a sensor array measuring near-wall flow

A Brechtian theatre pedagogy for intercultural education research

The following article explores the potential of Bertolt Brecht's theatre pedagogy for intercultural education research. It is argued that Brecht's pedagogical views on theatre connect to those interculturalists who prioritise the embodied dimensions of intercultural encounters over a competence-driven orientation. Both share a love for aesthetic experimentation as the basis for learning and critical engagement with a complex world. The article outlines how a Brechtian theatre pedagogy was enacted as part of four drama-based research workshops, which were designed to explore international students’ intercultural ‘strangeness’ experiences. It is described how a participant account of an intercultural encounter was turned into a Brechtian playscript by the author and then performed by participants. The analysis is based on the author's as well as the performers’ reflections on the scripting process and their performance experiences. It is argued that a Brechtian pedagogy can lead to collective learning experiences, critical reflection and an embodied understanding of intercultural experience in research. The data produced by a Brechtian research pedagogy is considered ‘slippery’ (aesthetic) data. It is full of metaphoric gaps and suitably resonates the affective dimensions and subjective positionings that constitute intercultural encounters

'Humanity, sovereignty and the camps'

This article responds to the commentary on my book, Between War and Politics: International Relations and the Thought of Hannah Arendt, by Helen M. Kinsella, Richard Beardsworth and Anthony Burke. Burke's claim that Arendt betrays a 'normative defeatism' based solely on his reading of Origins of Totalitarianism is misguided. It is a narrow reading to suggest that Arendt was uninterested in institutions and laws more cosmopolitan in intent than traditional inter-state law. In response to Beardsworth, I argue that Arendt's criticism of the reduction of all politics to violence is not normative in the way he suggests. Nor is it 'merely' to repeat the 'Schmittian/realist argument that conflict is irreducible'. Arendt's agenda is different. Finally, I respond to Kinsella's provocative defence of some concordance (as distinct from equivalence) between the Nazi concentration camps of World War II and US-run camps at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

Blowout mechanism of Alasehir (Turkey) geothermal field and its effects on groundwater chemistry

Anatolia region is one of the most seismically active regions in the world and has a considerably high level of geothermal energy potential. Some of these geothermal resources have been used for power generation and direct heating. Most of the high enthalpy geothermal systems are located in western part of Turkey. Alasehir is the most important geothermal site in western part of Turkey. Many geothermal wells have been drilled in Alasehir Plain to produce the geothermal fluid from the deep reservoir in the last 10 years. A blowout accident happened during a geothermal well drilling operation in Alasehir Plain, and significant amount of geothermal fluid surfaced out along the fault zone in three locations. When drilling string entered the reservoir rock about 1000 m, blowout occurred. As the well head preventer system was closed because of the blowout, high-pressure fluid surfaced out along the fault zone cutting the Neogene formation. In order to understand the geothermal fluid effects on groundwater chemistry, physical and chemical compositions of local cold groundwater were monitored from May 2012 to September 2014 in the study area. The geothermal fluid was found to be of Na–HCO3 water type, and especially, arsenic and boron concentrations reached levels as high as 3 and 127 mg/L, respectively. The concentrations of arsenic and boron in the geothermal fluid and groundwater exceeded the maximum allowable limits given in the national and international standards for drinking water quality. According to temporally monitored results, geothermal fluid has extremely high mineral content which influenced the quality of groundwater resources of the area where water resource is commonly used for agricultural irrigation.Dokuz Eylul University (2014.KB.FEN.012); State Hydraulic Work