Showing papers in "Acta Mechanica Sinica in 2001"

Aerodynamic force and flow structures of two airfoils in flapping motions

Abstract: Aerodynamic force and flow structures of two airfoils in a tandem configuration in flapping motions are studied, by solving the Navier-Stokes equations in moving overset grids. Three typical phase differences between the fore- and aftairfoil flapping cycles are considered. It is shown that: (1) in the case of no interaction (single airfoil), the time average of the vertical force coefficient over the downstroke is 2.74, which is about 3 times as large as the maximum steady-state lift coefficient of a dragonfly wing; the time average of the horizontal force coefficient is 1.97, which is also large. The reasons for the large force coefficients are the acceleration at the beginning of a stroke, the delayed stall and the “pitching-up” motion near the end of the stroke. (2) In the cases of two-airfoils, the time-variations of the force and moment coefficients on each airfoil are broadly similar to that of the single airfoil in that the vertical force is mainly produced in downstroke and the horizontal force in upstroke, but very large differences exist due to the interaction. (3) For in-phase stroking, the major differences caused by the interaction are that the vertical force on FA in downstroke is increased and the horizontal force on FA in upstroke decreased. As a result, the magnitude of the resultant force is almost unchanged but it inclines less forward. (4) For counter stroking, the major differences are that the vertical force on AA in downstroke and the horizontal force on FA in upstroke are decreased. As a result, the magnitude of the resultant force is decreased by about 20 percent but its direction is almost unchanged. (5) For 90°-phase-difference stroking, the major differences are that the vertical force on AA in downstroke and the horizontal force on FA in upstroke are decreased greatly and the horizontal force on AA in upstroke increased. As a result, the magnitude of the resultant force is decreased by about 28% and it inclines more forward. (6) Among the three cases of phase angles, inphase flapping produces the largest vertical force (also the largest resultant force); the 90°-phase-difference flapping results in the largest horizontal force, but the smallest resultant force.

Particulate size effects in the particle-reinforced metal-matrix composites

Abstract: The influences of particle size on the mechanical properties of the particulate metal matrix composite are obviously displayed in the experimental observations. However, the phenomenon can not be predicted directly using the conventional elastic-plastic theory. It is because that no length scale parameters are involved in the conventional theory. In the present research, using the strain gradient plasticity theory, a systematic research of the particle size effect in the particulate metal matrix composite is carried out. The roles of many composite factors, such as: the particle size, the Young's modulus of the particle, the particle aspect ratio and volume fraction, as well as the plastic strain hardening exponent of the matrix material, are studied in detail. In order to obtain a general understanding for the composite behavior, two kinds of particle shapes, ellipsoid and cylinder, are considered to check the strength dependence of the smooth or non-smooth particle surface. Finally, the prediction results will be applied to the several experiments about the ceramic particle-reinforced metal-matrix composites. The material length scale parameter is predicted.

Mineral bridges of nacre and its effects

Abstract: Nacre, or mother-of-pearl, is a kind of composites of aragonite platelets sandwiched between organic materials. Its excellent mechanical properties are thought to stem from the micro architecture that is traditionally described as a "brick and mortar" arrangement. In this paper, a new microstructure, referred to as mineral bridge in the biomineralization, is directly observed in the organic matrix layers (mortar) of nacre. This is an indication that the organic matrix layer of nacre should be treated as a three-dimensional interface and the micro architecture of nacre ought to be considered as a "brick-bridge-mortar" structure rather than the traditional one. Experiments and analyses show that the mineral bridges not only improve the mechanical properties of the organic matrix layers but also play an important role in the pattern of the crack extension in nacre.

Numerical investigation of the adverse effect of wind on the heat transfer performance of two natural draft cooling towers in tandem arrangement

Abstract: This article reports the findings on the adverse effect of the crosswind on the performance of natural draft cooling towers through numerical computation with thek-e eddy-viscosity turbulence model. It is observed here that the cause of the adverse effect of the crosswind on the cooling towers can be attributed to the around flow effect which destroys the radial inflow into the cooling towers when the wind is absent. Hence, a significant deterioration in the heat transfer from the heat exchangers at lateral sides occurs.

Hydrodynamic behavior of an underwater moving body after water entry

Abstract: An experimental study was conducted to investigate the water entry phenomenon. A facility was designed to carry out the tests with the entry velocities of around 352 m/s. Visualization, pressure measurement, velocity measurement and underwater impact test were performed to investigate the hydroballistic behavior of the underwater moving body, the underwater flow field, the supercavitation, etc.. This study shows that the motion of a high-speed underwater body is strongly three-dimensional and chaotic. Furthermore, it is found that the distribution of the trajectory deflection of the underwater projectile depends on the depth of water. It is also found by measuring the deformation on a witness plate submerged in water, that the impact energy of an underwater projectile is reduced as it penetrates deeper into water.

A study on the mechanism of high-lift generation by an airfoil in unsteady motion at low reynolds number

Abstract: The aerodynamic force and flow structure of NACA 0012 airfoil performing an unsteady motion at low Reynolds number (Re=100) are calculated by solving Navier-Stokes equations. The motion consists of three parts: the first translation, rotation and the second translation in the direction opposite to the first. The rotation and the second translation in this motion are expected to represent the rotation and translation of the wing-section of a hovering insect. The flow structure is used in combination with the theory of vorticity dynamics to explain the generation of unsteady aerodynamic force in the motion. During the rotation, due to the creation of strong vortices in short time, large aerodynamic force is produced and the force is almost normal to the airfoil chord. During the second translation, large lift coefficient can be maintained for certain time period and $$\bar C_L $$ , the lift coefficient averaged over four chord lengths of travel, is larger than 2 (the corresponding steady-state lift coefficient is only 0.9). The large lift coefficient is due to two effects. The first is the delayed shedding of the stall vortex. The second is that the vortices created during the airfoil rotation and in the near wake left by previous translation form a short “vortex street” in front of the airfoil and the “vortex street” induces a “wind”; against this “wind” the airfoil translates, increasing its relative speed. The above results provide insights to the understanding of the mechanism of high-lift generation by a hovering insect.

Electromechanical deformation and fracture of piezoelectric/ferroelectric materials

Abstract: This review presents the progress and current status of the investigation on electromechamical deformation and fracture of piezoelectric/ferroelectric materials. An attempt is made to summarize a few fundamental aspects, which include electromechanical constitutive relations, piezoelectric micromechanics and electric fracture and fatigue, instead of describing all technological backgrounds, basic physics, experimental findings, and theoretical developments. A number of open questions and future prospective are presented. It is hoped that this review will encourage people to joint the exploration of this important and interesting field.

On the mechanism of the formation of horizontal cracks in a vertical column of saturated sand

Abstract: Extended horizontal cracks have been observed experimentally in a vertical column of saturated sand when a flow of water is forced to percolate upward through it. This paper provides a theory for this phenomenon. It will be shown that the presence of inhomogeneity in permeability along the length of the column is essential for such cracks to develop. It will also be shown that small initial inhomogeneity may be magnified through the transport of the finer component of the sand by percolation. Under certain conditions liquefaction takes place at a section of the sand column causing a crack to initiate and grow there. This theory is found to be in good qualitative agreement with the experimental findings.

FE formulation for the viscoelastic body modeled by fractional constitutive law

Abstract: This paper presents finite element (FE) formulation of the viscoelastic materials described by fractional constitutive law. The time-domain three-dimensional constitutive equation is constructed. The FE equations are set up by equations are solved by numerical integration method. The numerical algorithm developed by the authors for Liouville-Riemann's fractional derivative was adopted to formulate FE procedures and extended to solve the more general case of the hereditary integration. The numerical examples were given to show the correctness and effectiveness of the integration algorithm.

An improved cross-correlation method for(digital)particle image velocimetry

Abstract: An improved method that brings enhancement in accuracy for the interrogation of (digital) PIV images is described in this paper. This method is based on cross-correlation with discrete window offset, which makes use of a translation of the second interrogation window and rebuilds it considering rotation and shear. The displacement extracted from PIV images is predicted and corrected by means of an iterative procedure. In addition, the displacement vectors are validated at each intermediate of the iteration process. The present improved cross-correlation method is compared with the conventional one in accuracy by interrogation of synthetic and real (digital) PIV images and the interrogation results are discussed.

Microgravity experiments of two-phase flow patterns aboard mir space station

Abstract: A first experimental study on two-phase how patterns at a long-term, steady microgravity condition was conducted on board the Russian Space Station "MIR" in August 1999. Carbogal and air are used as the liquid and the gas phase, respectively. Bubble, slug, slug-annular transitional, and annular hows are observed. A new region of annular how with lower liquid superficial velocity is discovered, and the region of the slug-annular transitional flow is wider than that observed by experiments on board the parabolic aircraft. The main patterns are bubble, slug-annular transitional and annular flows based on the experiments on board MIR space station. Some influences on the two-phase how patterns in the present experiments are discussed.

Large eddy simulation of complex turbulent flows: Physical aspects and research trends

Abstract: In the current paper, we have primarily addressed one powerful simulation tool developed during the last decades-Large Eddy Simulation (LES), which is most suitable for unsteady three-dimensional complex turbulent flows in industry and natural environment. The main point in LES is that the large-scale motion is resolved while the small-scale motion is modeled or, in geophysical terminology, parameterized. With a view to devising a subgrid-scale(SGS) model of high quality, we have highlighted analyzing physical aspects in scale interaction and-energy transfer such as dissipation, backscatter, local and non-local interaction, anisotropy and resolution requirement. They are the factors responsible for where the advantages and disadvantages in existing SGS models come from. A case study on LES of turbulence in vegetative canopy is presented to illustrate that LES model is more based on physical arguments. Then, varieties of challenging complex turbulent flows in both industry and geophysical fields in the near future-are presented. In conclusion; we may say with confidence that new century shall see the flourish in the research of turbulence with the aid of LES combined with other approaches.

Analysis of electric boundary condition effects on crack propagation in piezoelectric ceramics

Abstract: There are three types of cracks: impermeable crack, permeable crack and conducting crack, with different electric boundary conditions on faces of cracks in piezoelectric ceramics, which poses difficulties in the analysis of piezoelectric fracture problems. In this paper, in contrast to our previous FEM formulation, the numerical analysis is based on the used of exact electric boundary conditions at the crack faces, thus the common assumption of electric impermeability in the FEM analysis is avoided. The crack behavior and elasto-electric fields near a crack tip in a PZT-5 piezoelectric ceramic under mechanical, electrical and coupled mechanical-electrical loads with different electric boundary conditions on crack faces are investigated. It is found that the dielectric medium between the crack faces will reduce the singularity of stress and electric displacement. Furthermore, when the permittivity of the dielectric medium in the crack gap is of the same order as that of the piezoelectric ceramic, the crack becomes a conducting crack, the applied electric field has no effect on the crack propagation.

The three-point fifth-order accurate generalized compact scheme and its applications

Abstract: A three-point fifth-order accurate generalized compact scheme (GC scheme) with a spectral-like resolution is constructed in a general way. The scheme satisfies the principle of stability and the principle about suppression of the oscillations, therefore numerical errors can decay automatically and no spurious oscillations are generated around shocks. The third-order TVD type Runge-Kutta method is employed for the time integration, thus making the GC scheme best suited for unsteady problems. Numerical results show that the GC scheme is shock-capturing. The time-dependent boundary conditions proposed by Thompson are well employed when the algorithm is applied to the Euler equations of gas dynamics.

Mode I and mode II crack tip asymptotic fields with strain gradient effects

Abstract: The strain gradient effect becomes significant when the size of fracture process zone around a crack tip is comparable to the intrinsic material lengthl, typically of the order of microns. Using the new strain gradient deformation theory given by Chen and Wang, the asymptotic fields near a crack tip in an elastic-plastic material with strain gradient effects are investigated. It is established that the dominant strain field is irrotational. For mode I plane stress crack tip asymptotic field, the stress asymptotic field and the couple stress asymptotic field can not exist simultaneously. In the stress dominated asymptotic field, the angular distributions of stresses are consistent with the classical plane stress HRR field; In the couple stress dominated asymptotic field, the angular distributions of couple stresses are consistent with that obtained by Huang et al. For mode II plane stress and plane strain crack tip asymptotic fields, only the stress-dominated asymptotic fields exist. The couple stress asymptotic field is less singular than the stress asymptotic fields. The stress asymptotic fields are the same as mode II plane stress and plane strain HRR fields, respectively. The increase in stresses is not observed in strain gradient plasticity for mode I and mode II, because the present theory is based only on the rotational gradient of deformation and the crack tip asymptotic fields are irrotational and dominated by the stretching gradient.

Three-dimensional analysis of scale dependence of sub-micron polycrystals due to configuration entropy

Abstract: The authors proposed a plausible explanation for the deviation of experimental data for sub-micron polycrystals from the Hall-Petch relation by introducing the configuration entropy The present paper extends the previous two-dimensional analysis to the three-dimensional case The statistical distribution of dislocation lengths within a spherical grain and the bow-out of dislocations are considered According to Ashby's model, analyses are pursued for the statistically stored dislocations and geometrically necessary dislocations, respectively It is confirmed that the configuration entropy model can predict the abnormal Hall-Petch dependence for grain sizes in the sub-micron range

Damage of a high-energy solid propellant and its effects on combustion

Abstract: In order to improve the safety of high-energy solid propellants, a study is carried out for the effects of damage on the combustion of the NEPE (Nitrate Ester Plasticized Polyether) propellant. The study includes: (1) to introduce damage into the propellants by means of a large-scale drop-weight apparatus; (2) to observe microstructural variations of the propellant with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and then to characterize the damage with density measurements; (3) to investigate thermal decomposition; (4) to carry out closed-bomb tests. The NEPE propellant can be considered as a viscoelastic material. The matrices of damaged samples are severely degraded, but the particles are not. The results of the thermal decomposition and closed-bomb tests show that the microstructural damage in the propellant affects its decomposition and burn rate.

The analysis of thin-walled composite laminated helicopter rotor with hierarchical warping functions and finite element method

Abstract: In the present paper, a series of hierarchical warping functions is developed to analyze the static and dynamic problems of thin walled composite laminated helicopter rotors composed of several layers with single closed cell. This method is the development and extension of the traditional constrained warping theory of thin walled metallic beams, which had been proved very successful since 1940s. The warping distribution along the perimeter of each layer is expanded into a series of successively corrective warping functions with the traditional warping function caused by free torsion or free bending as the first term, and is assumed to be piecewise linear along the thickness direction of layers. The governing equations are derived based upon the variational principle of minimum potential energy for static analysis and Rayleigh Quotient for free vibration analysis. Then the hierarchical finite element method is introduced to form a numerical algorithm. Both static and natural vibration problems of sample box beams are analyzed with the present method to show the main mechanical behavior of the thin walled composite laminated helicopter rotor.

Wave-soil-pipe coupling effect on submarine pipeline on-bottom stability

Abstract: Wave-soil-pipe coupling effect on the untrenched pipeline stability on sands is for the first time investigated experimentally. Tests are conducted in the U-shaped water tunnel, which generates an oscillatory how, simulating the water particle movements with periodically changing direction under the wave action. Characteristic times and phases during the instability process are revealed. Linear relationship between Froude number and non-dimensional pipe weight is obtained. Effects of initial embedment and loading history are observed. Test results between the wavesoil-pipe interaction and pipe-soil interaction under cyclic mechanical loading are compared. The mechanism is briefly discussed. For applying in the practical design, more extensive and systematic investigations are needed.

Analysis of global dynamics in a parametrically excited thin plate

Abstract: The global bifurcations and chaos of a simply supported rectangular thin plate with parametric excitation are analyzed. The formulas of the thin plate are derived by von Karman type equation and Galerkin's approach. The method of multiple scales is used to obtain the averaged equations. Based on the averaged equations, the theory of the normal form is used to give the explicit expressions of the normal form associated with a double zero and a pair of pure imaginary eigenvalues by Maple program. On the basis of the normal form, a global bifurcation analysis of the parametrically excited rectangular thin plate is given by the global perturbation method developed by Kovacic and Wiggins. The chaotic motion of thin plate is also found by numerical simulation.

Studies on stability and dynamics of a swirling jet

Abstract: The temporal instability and nonlinear evolution of the swirling jet near a nozzle exit are studied by both normal-mode method and three dimensional direct numerical simulation (3D DNS). It is found that the swirl enhances the maximum linear growth rates for negative helical modes, while decreases the growth rate for axisymmetric mode. Numerical simulations show that the evolution in early stage is compared well with the linear stability theory. In nonlinear stage, the swirl promotes the breakup of 3D large scale organized structures in the flow into small eddies.

Boundary element method for moving and rolling contact of 2d elastic bodies with defects

Abstract: A scheme of boundary element method for moving contact of two-dimensional elastic bodies using conforming discretization is presented. Both the displacement and the traction boundary conditions are satisfied on the contacting region in the sense of discretization. An algorithm to deal with the moving of the contact boundary on a larger possible contact region is presented. The algorithm is generalized to rolling contact problem as well. Some numerical examples of moving and rolling contact of 2D elastic bodies with or without friction, including the bodies with a hole-type defect, are given to show the effectiveness and the accuracy of the presented schemes.

An experimental study on the coherent structures and chaotic phenomena in the axisymmetric countercurrent shear flow

Abstract: The coherent structures and the chaotic phenomena in the transition of the axisymmetric countercurrent mixing shear flow were investigated experimentally. Two kinds of self-excited oscillation modes could exist in the axisymmetric countercurrent mixing shear flow. One is the shear layer self-excited oscillation mode corresponding to the high Reynolds number regime and the other is the jet column self-excited oscillation mode corresponding to the low Reynolds number regime in the case of the velocity ratio ranging from 1 to 1.5. Analyzing the auto-power spectrum, self-correlation-function and three dimensional reconstructed phase trajectory, the route to chaos through three Hopf bifurcations intercepted by an intermittence of the dynamical system corresponding to the axisymmetric countercurrent mixing shear flow was discovered when the velocity ratio is equal to 1.32.

High-order self-excited vibration induced by dry friction between two elastic structures —Vibration mechanism of the Chinese culture relic dragon washbasin

Abstract: Combining theoretical and experimental modal analyses on selfexcited vibration induced by dry friction between two elastic structures, we can explain the high-order sell-excited vibration phenomenon in which water droplets spurt from fourteen or twelve areas of the Chinese culture relic dragon washbasin when it is rubbed with hands, and clarify the mechanism of the singular high-order selfexcited vibration. The experimental modes and the practical measured results are presented for a special dragon washbasin. The theoretical results agree well with the experimental ones.

Constitutive relation of discontinuous reinforced metal-matrix composites

Abstract: A micromechanical model is developed to simulate the mechanical behaviors of discontinuous reinforced composites. The analysis for a representative unit cell is based on the assumption of a periodic array of aligned reinforcements. The minimum energy principle is used to determine the unknown coefficients of the displacement field of the unit cell. The constitutive behavior of composites is studied to obtain the relationship between the main variables of matrix and reinforcements. It is concluded that the how strength of composites is strongly influenced by volume fraction, aspect ratio of reinforcement, and the strain hardening exponent of matrix. An analytical constitutive relation of composites is obtained. The predicted results are in agreement with the existing experimental and numerical results.

Conjugate model for heat and mass transfer of porous wall in the high temperature gas flow

Abstract: Heat and mass transfer of a porous permeable wall in a high temperature gas dynamical flow is considered. Numerical simulation is conducted on the ground of the conjugate mathematical model which includes filtration and heat transfer equations in a porous body and boundary layer equations on its surface. Such an approach enables one to take into account complex interaction between heat and mass transfer in the gasdynamical flow and in the structure subjected to this flow. The main attention is given to the impact of the intraporous heat transfer intensity on the transpiration cooling efficiency.

Experimental study on turbulent features in the negative transport region of asymmetric plane channel flow

Abstract: Turbulent features of streamwise and vertical components of velocity in the negative transport region of asymmetric plane channel flow have been studied experimentally in details. Experiments show that turbulent fluctuations in negative transport region are suppressed, and their probability distributions are far from Gaussian. Besides, the skewness factors attain their negative maxima at the position of the maximum mean velocity, whereas the flatness factors attain their positive maxima at the same position.

Some characteristics of low-speed streaks under sheared air-water interfaces

Abstract: The characteristics of low-speed fluid streaks occurring under sheared air-water interfaces were examined by means of hydrogen bubble visualization technique. A critical shear condition under which the streaky structure first appears was determined to be u(tau) approximate to 0.19 cm/s. The mean spanwise streak spacing increases with distance from the water surface owing to merging and bursting processes, and a linear relationship describing variation of non-dimensional spacing +)over bar> versus y(+) was found essentially independent of shear stress on the interface. Values of +)over bar>, however, are remarkably smaller than their counterparts in the near-wall region of turbulent boundary layers. Though low-speed streaks occur randomly in time and space, the streak spacing exhibits a lognormal probability distribution behavior. A tentative explanation concerning the formation of streaky structure is suggested, and the fact that +)over bar> takes rather smaller values than that in wall turbulence is briefly discussed.

Parameter estimation of engineering turbulence model

Abstract: A parameter estimation algorithm is introduced and used to determine the parameters in the standardk-∈ two equation turbulence model (SKE). It can be found from the estimation results that although the parameter estimation method is an effective method to determine model parameters, it is difficult to obtain a set of parameters for SKE to suit all kinds of separated flow and a modification of the turbulence model structure should be considered. So, a new nonlineark-∈ two-equation model (NNKE) is put forward in this paper and the corresponding parameter estimation technique is applied to determine the model parameters. By implementing the NNKE to solve some engineering turbulent flows, it is shown that NNKE is more accurate and versatile than SKE. Thus, the success of NNKE implies that the parameter estimation technique may have a bright prospect in engineering turbulence model research.

BGK-equation simulation of the exhaust plume formed by a manoeuvre thruster in outer space

Abstract: The general principle of utilizing the BGK equation to simulate a macroscopic gas flow is illustrated. Two typical examples, i.e., a low-speed axisymmetric submerged jet and the Prandtl-Meyer expansion to a vacuum, are presented for validating the feasibility and accuracy of the BGK-equation simulation in continuum and non-continuum flow regimes. This approach is then used to simulate the exhaust plume formed by a small manoeuvre thruster of an artificial satellite in the outer space. The plume impingement on a flat surface perpendicular to the nozzle axis is also simulated by the same method. In the latter case the impingement force acting on the flat surface is calculated. When the flow reaches to the steady state the calculated impingement force is reasonably compared with the theoretical value of the nozzle thrust.