Four Years of Extreme Ultraviolet Observations of Markarian 421: II. Temporal Analysis

The Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE) satellite accumulated ~one million seconds of public data between 1994 and 1997 for the BL Lacertae object Markarian 421. This is the second of two papers in which we present the results of spectral and temporal analysis of this EUVE data set. We analyze in the present paper the imaging data by means of power spectrum and structure function techniques, while the spectral analysis is presented in a companion paper. We find for MRK 421 a power spectrum with slope -2.14 +- 0.28 with a break at ~3 days. This is the first time that a break in the power spectrum of a BL Lacertae object has been found. We also find evidence of non-stationarity for MRK 421 EUV emissionComment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal. 16 pages, 14 Postscript figures, 3 Table

Active Flow Control at Low Reynolds Numbers by Periodic Airfoil Morphing

This paper investigates the application of a periodically deforming airfoil surface for the purpose of flow control at low Reynolds numbers. A physical model has been fabricated by bonding Macro Fiber Composite (MFC) actuators to the underside of a NACA 4415’s suction surface. The results presented build on work by Jones et al.1 First, the behavior of the surface when actuated at a range frequencies is investigated through a combination of photogrammetric and laser sensor measurements. Second, the aerodynamic performance of this novel flow control technique is presented. It is shown that when the actuation frequency ‘locks-in’ to the surface motion significant improvements in performance are observed in a flight regime notorious for poor airfoil behavior

A Nonextensive Statistical Physics Analysis of the 1995 Kobe, Japan Earthquake

This paper presents an analysis of the distribution of earthquake magnitudes for the period 1990–1998 in a broad area surrounding the epicenter of the 1995 Kobe earthquake. The frequency–magnitude distribution analysis is performed in a nonextensive statistical physics context. The nonextensive parameter q M , which is related to the frequency-magnitude distribution, reflects the existence of long-range correlations and is used as an index of the physical state of the studied area. Examination of the possible variations of q M values is performed during the period 1990–1998. A significant increase of q M occurs some months before the strong earthquake on April 9, 1994 indicating the start of a preparation phase prior to the Kobe earthquake. It should be noted that this increase coincides with the occurrence of six seismic events. Each of these events had a magnitude M = 4.1. The evolution of seismicity along with the increase of q M indicate the system’s transition away from equilibrium and its preparation for energy release. It seems that the variations of q M values reflect rather well the physical evolution towards the 1995 Kobe earthquake

Buckling of thick cylindrical shells under external pressure: A new analytical expression for the critical load and comparison with elasticity solutions

AbstractIn this paper a set of stability equations for thick cylindrical shells is derived and solved analytically. The set is obtained by integration of the differential stability equations across the thickness of the shell. The effects of transverse shear and the non-linear variation of the stresses and displacements are accounted for with the aid of the higher order shell theory proposed by [Voyiadjis, G.Z. and Shi, G., 1991, A refined two-dimensional theory for thick cylindrical shells, International Journal of Solids and Structures, 27(3), 261–282.]. For a thick shell under external hydrostatic pressure, the stability equations are solved analytically and yield an improved expression for the buckling load. Reference solutions are also obtained by solving numerically the differential stability equations. Both the full set that contains strains and rotations as well as the simplified set that contains rotations only were solved numerically. The relative magnitude of shear strain and rotation was examined and the effect of thickness was quantified. Differences between the benchmark solutions and the analytic expressions based on the refined theory and the classical shell theory are analysed and discussed. It is shown that the new analytic expression provides significantly improved predictions compared to the formula based on thin shell theory

Investigation of the three-dimensional flow past a flatback wind turbine airfoil at high angles of attack

Flatback airfoils are airfoils with a blunt trailing edge. They are currently commonly used in the inboard part of large wind turbine blades, as they offer a number of aerodynamic, structural, and aeroelastic benefits. However, the flow past them at high angles of attack (AoA) has received relatively little attention until now. This is important because they usually operate at high AoA at the inboard part of Wind Turbine blades. The present investigation uses Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) and hybrid RANS + large eddy simulation predictions to analyze the flow in question. The numerical results are validated against previously published wind tunnel experiments. The analysis reveals that to successfully simulate this flow, the spanwise extent of the computational domain is crucial, more so than the selection of the modeling approach. Additionally, a low-drag regime observed at angles of attack before stall is identified and analyzed in detail. Finally, the complex interaction between the three-dimensional separated flow beyond maximum lift (stall cells) with the vortex shedding from the blunt trailing edge is revealed

The flow past a flatback airfoil with flow control devices: benchmarking numerical simulations against wind tunnel data

As wind turbines grow larger, the use of flatback airfoils has become standard practice for the root region of the blades. Flatback profiles provide higher lift and reduced sensitivity to soiling at significantly higher drag values. A number of flow control devices have been proposed to improve the performance of flatback profiles. In the present study, the flow past a flatback airfoil at a chord Reynolds number of 1:5_106 with and without trailing edge flow control devices is considered. Two different numerical approaches are applied, unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) simulations and detached eddy simulations (DES). The computational predictions are compared against wind tunnel measurements to assess the suitability of each method. The effect of each flow control device on the flow is examined based on the DES results on the finer mesh. Results agree well with the experimental findings and show that a newly proposed flap device outperforms traditional solutions for flatback airfoils. In terms of numerical modelling, the more expensive DES approach is more suitable if the wake frequencies are of interest, but the simplest 2D RANS simulations can provide acceptable load predictions

Control of low Reynolds number flow around an airfoil using periodic surface morphing: a numerical study

The principal aim of this paper is to use Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS) to explain the mechanisms that allow periodic surface morphing to improve the aerodynamic performance of an airfoil. The work focuses on a NACA-4415 airfoil at Reynolds number Rec=5×104 and 0° angle of attack. At these flow conditions, the boundary layer separates at x∕c=0.42, remains laminar until x∕c≈0.8, and then transitions to turbulence. Vortices are formed in the separating shear layer at a characteristic Kelvin–Helmholtz frequency of Sts=4.9, which compares well with corresponding experiments. These are then shed into the wake. Turbulent reattachment does not occur because the region of high turbulent kinetic energy (and therefore mixing) is located too far downstream and too far away from the airfoil surface to influence the near-wall flow. The effect of three actuation frequencies is examined by performing the simulations on a computational domain that deforms periodically. It is found that by amplifying the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability mechanism, Large Spanwise Coherent structures are forced to form and retain their coherence for a large part of the actuation cycle. Following their formation, these structures entrain high momentum fluid into the near-wall flow, leading to almost complete elimination of the recirculation zone. The instantaneous and phase averaged characteristics of these structures are analyzed and the vortex coherence is related to the phase of actuation. In order to further clarify the process of reduction in the size of recirculation zone, simulations start from the fully-developed uncontrolled flow and continue for 25 actuation cycles. The results indicate that the modification of airfoil characteristics is a gradual process. As the number of cycles increases and the coherent vortices are repeatedly formed and propagate downstream, they entrain momentum, thereby modifying the near wall region. During this transient period, the separated shear layer approaches the airfoil surface and the size of recirculation region decreases. It takes at least 15 cycles for the flow to develop a repeatable, periodic pattern

The earthquake intervent time distribution along the Hellenic subduction Zone.

Η ελληνική ζώνη υποβύθισης είναι η πιο σεισμική περιοχή της Ευρώπης. Η κατανομή Weibullέχει χρησιμοποιηθεί σαν μοντέλο για την περιγραφή των χρονικών διαστημάτων μεταξύ διαδοχικών σεισμών σε συγκεκριμένες ρηξιγενείς ζώνες (Rikitake, 1976; Rikitake, 1991), καθώς και για την περιγραφή της σεισμικότητας μίας ευρύτερης περιοχής (Hasumietal., 2009). Taδεδομένα που αναλύουμε σε αυτή την εργασία αφορούν την ελληνική ζώνη υποβύθισης και καλύπτουν την περίοδο 1976-2009. Χρησιμοποιούμε τις σεισμικές πηγές επιφανειακών σεισμών όπως αυτές ορίζονται από τους PapaioannouandPapazachos(2000), καθώς και τονκατάλογο σεισμών των Makropoulosetal. (2012) για την Ελλάδα και τις παρακείμενες περιοχές. Η εφαρμογή της κατανομής Weibullστα χρονικά διαστήματα μεταξύ διαδοχικών σεισμών αναλύεται και περιγράφεται σε αυτή την εργασία.The Hellenic Subduction Zone (HSZ) is the most seismically active region in Europe (Becker and Meier, 2010). The evolution of such an active region is characterized by complex phenomenology and is expressed through seismicity. Seismicity temporal patterns remain as one of the most important topics in earth sciences. The Weibull distribution has been used as a recurrence time model for large earthquakes (Rikitake, 1976; Rikitake, 1991). Moreover,Hasumi et al. (2009) used the Weibulllog Weibull distribution for the study of the interoccurrence times of earthquakes in Japan.The dataset formed in this study concerns the seismic belt of the HSZ during the period 1976-2009. We use the external seismic sources of shallow earthquakes in the Aegean and the surrounding area (Papaioannou and Papazachos, 2000) along with the updated and extended earthquake catalogue for Greece and adjacent areas (Makropoulos et al., 2012).The application of the Weibull distribution to the interevent times of the formed dataset is analyzed and discussed