Calculations of turbulent separated flows

A numerical study of incompressible turbulent separated flows is carried out by using two-equation turbulence models of the K-epsilon type. On the basis of realizability analysis, a new formulation of the eddy-viscosity is proposed which ensures the positiveness of turbulent normal stresses - a realizability condition that most existing two-equation turbulence models are unable to satisfy. The present model is applied to calculate two backward-facing step flows. Calculations with the standard K-epsilon model and a recently developed RNG-based K-epsilon model are also made for comparison. The calculations are performed with a finite-volume method. A second-order accurate differencing scheme and sufficiently fine grids are used to ensure the numerical accuracy of solutions. The calculated results are compared with the experimental data for both mean and turbulent quantities. The comparison shows that the present model performs quite well for separated flows

Failure mechanisms of graphene under tension

Recent experiments established pure graphene as the strongest material known to mankind, further invigorating the question of how graphene fails. Using density functional theory, we reveal the mechanisms of mechanical failure of pure graphene under a generic state of tension. One failure mechanism is a novel soft-mode phonon instability of the $K_1$-mode, whereby the graphene sheet undergoes a phase transition and is driven towards isolated benzene rings resulting in a reduction of strength. The other is the usual elastic instability corresponding to a maximum in the stress-strain curve. Our results indicate that finite wave vector soft modes can be the key factor in limiting the strength of monolayer materials