Applications of vortex gas models to tornadogenesis and maintenance

Processes related to the production of vorticity in the forward and rear flank downdrafts and their interaction with the boundary layer are thought to play a role in tornadogenesis. We argue that an inverse energy cascade is a plausible mechanism for tornadogenesis and tornado maintenance and provide supporting evidence which is both numerical and observational. We apply a three-dimensional vortex gas model to supercritical vortices produced at the surface boundary layer possibly due to interactions of vortices brought to the surface by the rear flank downdraft and also to those related to the forward flank downdraft. Two-dimensional and three-dimensional vortex gas models are discussed, and the three-dimensional vortex gas model of Chorin, developed further by Flandoli and Gubinelli, is proposed as a model for intense small- scale subvortices found in tornadoes and in recent numerical studies by Orf et al. In this paper, the smaller scales are represented by intense, supercritical vortices, which transfer energy to the larger-scale tornadic flows (inverse energy cascade). We address the formation of these vortices as a result of the interaction of the flow with the surface and a boundary layer.Comment: 20 pages, 6 figure

Modeling the behavior of heat-shrinkable thin films

We describe an asymptotic model for the behavior of PET-like heat-shrinkable thin films that includes both membrane and bending energies when the thickness of the film is positive. We compare the model to Koiter’s shell model and to models in which a membrane energy or a bending energy are obtained by Γ-convergence techniques. We also provide computational results for various temperature distributions applied to the films

Fractal powers in Serrin\u27s swirling vortex solutions

We consider a modification of the fluid flow model for a tornado-like swirling vortex developed by Serrin [Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. London, Series A, Math & Phys. Sci. 271(1214) (1972), 325–360], where velocity decreases as the reciprocal of the distance from the vortex axis. Recent studies, based on radar data of selected severe weather events [Mon. Wea. Rev. 133(9) (2005), 2535–2551; Mon. Wea. Rev. 128(7) (2000), 2135–2164; Mon. Wea. Rev. 133(1) (2005), 97–119], indicate that the angular momentum in a tornado may not be constant with the radius, and thus suggest a different scaling of the velocity/radial distance dependence. Motivated by this suggestion, we consider Serrin\u27s approach with the assumption that the velocity decreases as the reciprocal of the distance from the vortex axis to the power b with a general b\u3e0. This leads to a boundary-value problem for a system of nonlinear differential equations. We analyze this problem for particular cases, both with nonzero and zero viscosity, discuss the question of existence of solutions, and use numerical techniques to describe those solutions that we cannot obtain analytically

On the axisymmetric steady incompressible Beltrami flows

In this paper, Beltrami vector fields in several orthogonal coordinate systems are obtained analytically and numerically. Specifically, axisymmetric incompressible inviscid steady state Beltrami (Trkalian) fluid flows are obtained with the motivation to model flows that have been hypothesized to occur in tornadic flows. The studied coordinate systems include those that appear amenable to modeling such flows: the cylindrical, spherical, paraboloidal, and prolate and oblate spheroidal systems. The usual Euler equations are reformulated using the Bragg-Hawthorne equation for the stream function of the flow, which is solved analytically or numerically in each coordinate system under the assumption of separability of variables. Many of the obtained flows are visualized via contour plots of their stream functions in the rz-plane. Finally, the results are combined to provide a qualitative quasi-static model for a progression of tornado-like flows that develop as swirl increases. The results in this paper are equally applicable in electromagnetics, where the equivalent concept is that of a force-free magnetic field

A stochastic model for PSA levels: behavior of solutions and population statistics

This paper investigates the partial differential equation for the evolving distribution of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels following radiotherapy. We also present results on the behavior of moments for the evolving distribution of PSA levels and estimate the probability of long-term treatment success and failure related to values of treatment and disease parameters. Results apply to a much wider range of parameter values than was considered in earlier studies, including parameter combinations that are patient specific

Applications of a vortex gas models to tornadogenesis and maintenance

Processes related to the production of vorticity in the forward and rear flank downdrafts and their interaction with the boundary layer are thought to play a role in tornadogenesis. We argue that an inverse energy cascade is a plausible mechanism for tornadogenesis and tornado maintenance and provides supporting evidence which is both numerical and observational. We apply a three-dimensional vortex gas model to supercritical vortices produced at the surface boundary layer possibly due to interactions of vortices brought to the surface by the rear flank downdraft and also to those related to the forward flank downdraft. Two-dimensional and three-dimensional vortex gas models are discussed, and the three-dimensional vortex gas model of Chorin, developed further by Flandoli and Gubinelli, is proposed as a model for intense small-scale subvortices found in tornadoes and in recent numerical studies by Orf et al. In this paper, the smaller scales are represented by intense, supercritical vortices, which transfer energy to the larger-scale tornadic flows (inverse energy cascade). We address the formation of these vortices as a result of the interaction of the flow with the surface and a boundary layer

Phase boundaries in anisotropic elastic materials

This dissertation treats exact axisymmetric steady-state solutions of the governing equations of a two-phase anisotropic nonlinearly elastic disk and gives a full qualitative description of such solutions for very general classes of materials. The special feature of these solutions is that they admit non-planar interfaces due to non-constant deformation gradients. In particular, this work treats the classical mechanical shrink-fit problem (including linear stability) and the isothermal steady-state phase-change free-boundary problem for both coherent and noncoherent interfaces. It also presents some aspects of the steady-state phase-change free-boundary problem for the coherent interface in thermoelastic case. As an auxiliary result it provides the analog of the Maxwell condition for noncoherent interfaces