Z. C. Feng

Bio: Z. C. Feng is an academic researcher from University of Missouri. The author has contributed to research in topics: Heat flux & Thermal conduction. The author has an hindex of 24, co-authored 110 publications receiving 1917 citations. Previous affiliations of Z. C. Feng include University of California, Santa Barbara & University of Minnesota.

Nonlinear bubble dynamics

Abstract: ▪ Abstract The inertia-dominated dynamics of a single gas or vapor bubble in an incompressible or nearly incompressible liquid has been the subject of intense investigation for many years. Studies prior to 1976 were thoroughly reviewed by Plesset & Prosperetti (1977) in Volume 9 of this series. Our review fills the gap between Plesset & Prosperetti's review and the present. We focus on new understandings of bubble dynamics through a nonlinear dynamical systems approach.

Symmetry-breaking bifurcations in resonant surface waves

Abstract: Surface waves in a nearly square container subjected to vertical oscillations are studied. The theoretical results are based on the analysis of a derived set of normal form equations, which represent perturbations of systems with 1:1 internal resonance and with D4 symmetry. Bifurcation analysis of these equations shows that the system is capable of periodic and quasi-periodic standing as well as travelling waves. The analysis also identifies parameter values at which chaotic behaviour is to be expected. The theoretical results are verified with the aid of some experiments.

Instability of a liquid jet emerging from a droplet upon collision with a solid surface

Abstract: A linear perturbation theory is developed to investigate the interface instabilities of a radially-expanding, liquid jet in cylindrical geometries. The theory is applied to rapidly spreading droplets upon collision with solid surfaces as the fundamental mechanism behind splashing. The analysis is based on the observation that the instability of the liquid sheet, i.e., the formation of the fingers at the spreading front, develops in the extremely early stages of droplet impact. The shape evolution of the interface in the very early stages of spreading is numerically simulated based on the axisymmetric solutions obtained by a theoretical model. The effects that factors such as the transient profile of an interface radius, the perturbation onset time, and the Weber number have on the analysis results are examined. This study shows that a large impact inertia, associated with a high Weber number, promotes interface instability, and prefers high wave number for maximum instability. The numbers of fingers at the spreading front of droplets predicted by the model agree well with those experimentally observed.

Development of sorting, aligning, and orienting motile sperm using microfluidic device operated by hydrostatic pressure

Abstract: In vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) are the most commonly used assisted reproductive technologies to overcome male infertility problems. One of the obstacles of IVF and ICSI procedures is separating motile sperm from non-motile sperm to select the most competent sperm population from any given sperm sample. In addition, orientation and separation of the head from the tail is another obstacle for ICSI. Using the self-movement of sperm against flow direction, motile and non-motile sperm can be separated with an inexpensive polymeric microfluidic system. In this paper, we describe the development of a microfluidic system obtained through low-cost fabrication processes. We report experimental results of sperm sorting using hydrostatic pressure of three different species: bull, mouse, and human. The movement of cells in these channels was observed under a microscope and recorded with a digital camera. It is shown that the hydrostatic pressure and self-movement of motile sperm can be used to solve separating, aligning and orienting sperm in the microchannel.

Dynamics of a Mechanical System with a Shape Memory Alloy Bar

Abstract: We study the dynamics of a simple mechanical system containing a mass and a bar made of shape memory alloys. Our objective is to understand the effect of stress induced phase transtormation on the system dynamics. Specifically, the effectiveness of an idealized vibration isolator made of shape memory alloys is examined both numerically and experimentally. We find that the stress induced phase transformation within the material has two effects: the resonance frequency of the system is lower and the peak response near the resonance is heavily suppressed. Furthermore, both of these effects depend on the forcing amplitude and they are more pronounced at large forcing amplitudes. We also find that nonlinearity associated with the phase transformation gives rise to complicated dynamics. In particular, period-three responses are found for some forcing parameters. It the case of a biased load, period-doubling cascade and chaotic motion can occur. However, this complicated dynamics disappears at large forcing ampl...

Pattern formation outside of equilibrium

Abstract: A comprehensive review of spatiotemporal pattern formation in systems driven away from equilibrium is presented, with emphasis on comparisons between theory and quantitative experiments. Examples include patterns in hydrodynamic systems such as thermal convection in pure fluids and binary mixtures, Taylor-Couette flow, parametric-wave instabilities, as well as patterns in solidification fronts, nonlinear optics, oscillatory chemical reactions and excitable biological media. The theoretical starting point is usually a set of deterministic equations of motion, typically in the form of nonlinear partial differential equations. These are sometimes supplemented by stochastic terms representing thermal or instrumental noise, but for macroscopic systems and carefully designed experiments the stochastic forces are often negligible. An aim of theory is to describe solutions of the deterministic equations that are likely to be reached starting from typical initial conditions and to persist at long times. A unified description is developed, based on the linear instabilities of a homogeneous state, which leads naturally to a classification of patterns in terms of the characteristic wave vector q0 and frequency ω0 of the instability. Type Is systems (ω0=0, q0≠0) are stationary in time and periodic in space; type IIIo systems (ω0≠0, q0=0) are periodic in time and uniform in space; and type Io systems (ω0≠0, q0≠0) are periodic in both space and time. Near a continuous (or supercritical) instability, the dynamics may be accurately described via "amplitude equations," whose form is universal for each type of instability. The specifics of each system enter only through the nonuniversal coefficients. Far from the instability threshold a different universal description known as the "phase equation" may be derived, but it is restricted to slow distortions of an ideal pattern. For many systems appropriate starting equations are either not known or too complicated to analyze conveniently. It is thus useful to introduce phenomenological order-parameter models, which lead to the correct amplitude equations near threshold, and which may be solved analytically or numerically in the nonlinear regime away from the instability. The above theoretical methods are useful in analyzing "real pattern effects" such as the influence of external boundaries, or the formation and dynamics of defects in ideal structures. An important element in nonequilibrium systems is the appearance of deterministic chaos. A greal deal is known about systems with a small number of degrees of freedom displaying "temporal chaos," where the structure of the phase space can be analyzed in detail. For spatially extended systems with many degrees of freedom, on the other hand, one is dealing with spatiotemporal chaos and appropriate methods of analysis need to be developed. In addition to the general features of nonequilibrium pattern formation discussed above, detailed reviews of theoretical and experimental work on many specific systems are presented. These include Rayleigh-Benard convection in a pure fluid, convection in binary-fluid mixtures, electrohydrodynamic convection in nematic liquid crystals, Taylor-Couette flow between rotating cylinders, parametric surface waves, patterns in certain open flow systems, oscillatory chemical reactions, static and dynamic patterns in biological media, crystallization fronts, and patterns in nonlinear optics. A concluding section summarizes what has and has not been accomplished, and attempts to assess the prospects for the future.

Drop Impact Dynamics: Splashing, Spreading, Receding, Bouncing ...

Abstract: The review deals with drop impacts on thin liquid layers and dry surfaces. The impacts resulting in crown formation are referred to as splashing. Crowns and their propagation are discussed in detail, as well as some additional kindred, albeit nonsplashing, phenomena like drop spreading and deposition, receding (recoil), jetting, fingering, and rebound. The review begins with an explanation of various practical motivations feeding the interest in the fascinating phenomena of drop impact, and the above-mentioned topics are then considered in their experimental, theoretical, and computational aspects.

Micromachining a miniaturized capillary electrophoresis-based chemical analysis system on a chip

Abstract: Micromachining technology was used to prepare chemical analysis systems on glass chips (1 centimeter by 2 centimeters or larger) that utilize electroosmotic pumping to drive fluid flow and electrophoretic separation to distinguish sample components. Capillaries 1 to 10 centimeters long etched in the glass (cross section, 10 micrometers by 30 micrometers) allow for capillary electrophoresis-based separations of amino acids with up to 75,000 theoretical plates in about 15 seconds, and separations of about 600 plates can be effected within 4 seconds. Sample treatment steps within a manifold of intersecting capillaries were demonstrated for a simple sample dilution process. Manipulation of the applied voltages controlled the directions of fluid flow within the manifold. The principles demonstrated in this study can be used to develop a miniaturized system for sample handling and separation with no moving parts.

Liquid Sloshing Dynamics

Abstract: Preface Introduction 1. Fluid field equations and modal analysis in rigid containers 2. Linear forced sloshing 3. Viscous damping and sloshing suppression devices 4. Weakly nonlinear lateral sloshing 5. Equivalent mechanical models 6. Parametric sloshing (Faraday's waves) 7. Dynamics of liquid sloshing impact 8. Linear interaction of liquid sloshing with elastic containers 9. Nonlinear interaction under external and parametric excitations 10. Interactions with support structures and tuned sloshing absorbers 11. Dynamics of rotating fluids 12. Microgravity sloshing dynamics Bibliography Index.

Time evolution of liquid drop impact onto solid, dry surfaces

Abstract: The normal impact of liquid drops onto solid, dry surfaces has been studied experimentally, using high-resolution digital photography. A large number of parameters were varied in a systematic manner. The focus of this paper is the quantitative determination of the influence of these parameters on the drop spreading upon impact and on the phenomenological description of the outcomes. Dimensional similarity of the spreading can only be achieved for the very early stage of the impact process. At later stages, the number of influencing factors increases, generally precluding any universal correlation. Particular emphasis is placed on the influence of the wettability and the surface roughness on spreading.