6,951 research outputs found
An investigation into unsteady base bleed for drag reduction in bluff two-box SUVs
This paper discusses a preliminary investigation into the use of base bleed on a production SUV using CFD analysis. The paper shows the methods used in creating the computational model and conducting the analysis, and present the findings to date. The paper shows that the reduction in drag increases as the mass flow rate of air is increased when the flow is deflected at the outlet. By controlling the turbulent wake to the rear of the vehicle, it is shown in the paper that mass flow rates of under 2kg/s can reduce drag coefficient by 8.2% with an outlet on the side of the vehicle, and that a mass flow rate of under 1.5kg/s can reduce the drag coefficient by 10.7% for an outlet on the upper section of the rear of the vehicle. The paper also discusses the feasibility of base bleed being applied to a production vehicle
Observational Tests and Predictive Stellar Evolution II: Non-standard Models
We examine contributions of second order physical processes to results of
stellar evolution calculations amenable to direct observational testing. In the
first paper in the series (Young et al. 2001) we established baseline results
using only physics which are common to modern stellar evolution codes. In the
current paper we establish how much of the discrepancy between observations and
baseline models is due to particular elements of new physics. We then consider
the impact of the observational uncertainties on the maximum predictive
accuracy achievable by a stellar evolution code. The sun is an optimal case
because of the precise and abundant observations and the relative simplicity of
the underlying stellar physics. The Standard Model is capable of matching the
structure of the sun as determined by helioseismology and gross surface
observables to better than a percent. Given an initial mass and surface
composition within the observational errors, and no additional constraints for
which the models can be optimized, it is not possible to predict the sun's
current state to better than ~7%. Convectively induced mixing in radiative
regions, seen in multidimensional hydrodynamic simulations, dramatically
improves the predictions for radii, luminosity, and apsidal motions of
eclipsing binaries while simultaneously maintaining consistency with observed
light element depletion and turnoff ages in young clusters (Young et al. 2003).
Systematic errors in core size for models of massive binaries disappear with
more complete mixing physics, and acceptable fits are achieved for all of the
binaries without calibration of free parameters. The lack of accurate abundance
determinations for binaries is now the main obstacle to improving stellar
models using this type of test.Comment: 33 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical
Journa
Wall Adhesion and Constitutive Modelling of Strong Colloidal Gels
Wall adhesion effects during batch sedimentation of strongly flocculated
colloidal gels are commonly assumed to be negligible. In this study in-situ
measurements of colloidal gel rheology and solids volume fraction distribution
suggest the contrary, where significant wall adhesion effects are observed in a
110mm diameter settling column. We develop and validate a mathematical model
for the equilibrium stress state in the presence of wall adhesion under both
viscoplastic and viscoelastic constitutive models. These formulations highlight
fundamental issues regarding the constitutive modeling of colloidal gels,
specifically the relative utility and validity of viscoplastic and viscoelastic
rheological models under arbitrary tensorial loadings. The developed model is
validated against experimental data, which points toward a novel method to
estimate the shear and compressive yield strength of strongly flocculated
colloidal gels from a series of equilibrium solids volume fraction profiles
over various column widths.Comment: 37 pages, 12 figures, submitted to Journal of Rheolog
Low Mass Neutron Stars and the Equation of State of Dense Matter
Neutron-star radii provide useful information on the equation of state of
neutron rich matter. Particularly interesting is the density dependence of the
equation of state (EOS). For example, the softening of the EOS at high density,
where the pressure rises slower than anticipated, could signal a transition to
an exotic phase. However, extracting the density dependence of the EOS requires
measuring the radii of neutron stars for a broad range of masses. A ``normal''
1.4 solar mass neutron star has a central density of a few times nuclear-matter
saturation density. In contrast, low mass (of the order of 0.5 solar masses)
neutron stars have central densities near nuclear-matter saturation density so
its radius provides information on the EOS at low density. Unfortunately,
low-mass stars are rare because they may be hard to form. Instead, a precision
measurement of nuclear radii on atomic nuclei may contain similar information.
Indeed, we find a strong correlation between the neutron radius of 208Pb and
the radius of a 0.5 solar-mass neutron star. Thus, the radius of such a neutron
star can be inferred from a measurement of the the neutron radius of 208Pb.
Comparing this value to the measured radius of a 1.4 solar-mass neutron star
should provide the strongest constraint to date on the density dependence of
the equation of state.Comment: 9 pages and 5 eps. figures (included
Tomographic Separation of Composite Spectra. IX. The Massive Close Binary HD 115071
We present the first orbital elements for the massive close binary, HD
115071, a double-lined spectroscopic binary in a circular orbit with a period
of 2.73135 +/- 0.00003 days. The orbital semiamplitudes indicate a mass ratio
of M_2/M_1 = 0.58 +/- 0.02 and yet the stars have similar luminosities. We used
a Doppler tomography algorithm to reconstruct the individual component optical
spectra, and we applied well known criteria to arrive at classifications of
O9.5 V and B0.2 III for the primary and secondary, respectively. We present
models of the Hipparcos light curve of the ellipsoidal variations caused by the
tidal distortion of the secondary, and the best fit model for a Roche-filling
secondary occurs for an inclination of i = 48.7 +/- 2.1 degrees. The resulting
masses are 11.6 +/- 1.1 and 6.7 +/- 0.7 solar masses for the primary and
secondary, respectively, so that both stars are very overluminous for their
mass. The system is one of only a few known semi-detached, Algol-type binaries
that contain O-stars. We suggest that the binary has recently emerged from
extensive mass transfer (possibly through a delayed contact and common envelope
process).Comment: Submitted to Ap
Radial Velocities of Six OB Stars
We present new results from a radial velocity study of six bright OB stars
with little or no prior measurements. One of these, HD 45314, may be a
long-period binary, but the velocity variations of this Be star may be related
to changes in its circumstellar disk. Significant velocity variations were also
found for HD 60848 (possibly related to nonradial pulsations) and HD 61827
(related to wind variations). The other three targets, HD 46150, HD 54879, and
HD 206183, are constant velocity objects, but we note that HD 54879 has
H emission that may originate from a binary companion. We illustrate
the average red spectrum of each target.Comment: Accepted for publication in PASP July 2007 issu
The Long Period, Massive Binaries HD 37366 and HD 54662: Potential Targets for Long Baseline Optical Interferometry
We present the results from an optical spectroscopic analysis of the massive
stars HD 37366 and HD 54662. We find that HD 37366 is a double-lined
spectroscopic binary with a period of 31.8187 +/- 0.0004 days, and HD 54662 is
also a double lined binary with a much longer period of 557.8 +/- 0.3 days. The
primary of HD 37366 is classified as O9.5 V, and it contributes approximately
two-thirds of the optical flux. The less luminous secondary is a broad-lined,
early B-type main-sequence star. Tomographic reconstruction of the individual
spectra of HD 37366 reveals absorption lines present in each component,
enabling us to constrain the nature of the secondary and physical
characteristics of both stars. Tomographic reconstruction was not possible for
HD 54662; however, we do present mean spectra from our observations that show
that the secondary component is approximately half as bright as the primary.
The observed spectral energy distributions (SEDs) were fit with model SEDs and
galactic reddening curves to determine the angular sizes of the stars. By
assuming radii appropriate for their classifications, we determine distance
ranges of 1.4 - 1.9 and 1.2 - 1.5 kpc for HD 37366 and HD 54662, respectively.Comment: 27 pages, 8 figures, Accepted for publication in Ap
Measurement of the CMS Magnetic Field
The measurement of the magnetic field in the tracking volume inside the
superconducting coil of the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) detector under
construction at CERN is done with a fieldmapper designed and produced at
Fermilab. The fieldmapper uses 10 3-D B-sensors (Hall probes) developed at
NIKHEF and calibrated at CERN to precision 0.05% for a nominal 4 T field. The
precise fieldmapper measurements are done in 33840 points inside a cylinder of
1.724 m radius and 7 m long at central fields of 2, 3, 3.5, 3.8, and 4 T. Three
components of the magnetic flux density at the CMS coil maximum excitation and
the remanent fields on the steel-air interface after discharge of the coil are
measured in check-points with 95 3-D B-sensors located near the magnetic flux
return yoke elements. Voltages induced in 22 flux-loops made of 405-turn
installed on selected segments of the yoke are sampled online during the entire
fast discharge (190 s time-constant) of the CMS coil and integrated offline to
provide a measurement of the initial magnetic flux density in steel at the
maximum field to an accuracy of a few percent. The results of the measurements
made at 4 T are reported and compared with a three-dimensional model of the CMS
magnet system calculated with TOSCA.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, 15 reference
The yellow hypergiants HR 8752 and rho Cassiopeiae near the evolutionary border of instability
High-resolution near-ultraviolet spectra of the yellow hypergiants HR 8752
and rho Cassiopeiae indicate high effective temperatures placing both stars
near the T_eff border of the ``yellow evolutionary void''. At present, the
temperature of HR 8752 is higher than ever. For this star we found
Teff=7900+-200 K, whereas rho Cassiopeiae has Teff=7300+-200 K. Both, HR 8752
and rho Cassiopeiae have developed strong stellar winds with Vinf ~ 120 km/s
and Vinf ~ 100 km/s, respectively. For HR 8752 we estimate an upper limit for
the spherically symmetric mass-loss of 6.7X10^{-6}M_solar/yr. Over the past
decades two yellow hypergiants appear to have approached an evolutionary phase,
which has never been observed before. We present the first spectroscopic
evidence of the blueward motion of a cool super/hypergiant on the HR diagram.Comment: 13 pages including 3 figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ Letter
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