Showing papers in "Acta Mechanica Sinica in 2007"

Dynamic flight stability of hovering insects

Abstract: The equations of motion of an insect with flapping wings are derived and then simplified to that of a flying body using the “rigid body” assumption. On the basis of the simplified equations of motion, the longitudinal dynamic flight stability of four insects (hoverfly, cranefly, dronefly and hawkmoth) in hovering flight is studied (the mass of the insects ranging from 11 to 1,648 mg and wingbeat frequency from 26 to 157 Hz). The method of computational fluid dynamics is used to compute the aerodynamic derivatives and the techniques of eigenvalue and eigenvector analysis are used to solve the equations of motion. The validity of the “rigid body” assumption is tested and how differences in size and wing kinematics influence the applicability of the “rigid body” assumption is investigated. The primary findings are: (1) For insects considered in the present study and those with relatively high wingbeat frequency (hoverfly, drone fly and bumblebee), the “rigid body” assumption is reasonable, and for those with relatively low wingbeat frequency (cranefly and howkmoth), the applicability of the “rigid body” assumption is questionable. (2) The same three natural modes of motion as those reported recently for a bumblebee are identified, i.e., one unstable oscillatory mode, one stable fast subsidence mode and one stable slow subsidence mode. (3) Approximate analytical expressions of the eigenvalues, which give physical insight into the genesis of the natural modes of motion, are derived. The expressions identify the speed derivative Mu (pitching moment produced by unit horizontal speed) as the primary source of the unstable oscillatory mode and the stable fast subsidence mode and Zw (vertical force produced by unit vertical speed) as the primary source of the stable slow subsidence mode.

A molecular mechanics approach for analyzing tensile nonlinear deformation behavior of single-walled carbon nanotubes

Abstract: In this paper, by capturing the atomic informa- tion and reflecting the behaviour governed by the nonlin- ear potential function, an analytical molecular mechanics approach is proposed. A constitutive relation for single- walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT's) is established to describe the nonlinear stress-strain curve of SWCNT's and to predict both the elastic properties and breaking strain of SWCNT's during tensile deformation. An analysis based on the virtual internal bond (VIB) model proposed by P. Zhang et al. is also presented for comparison. The results indicate that the proposed molecular mechanics approach is indeed an acceptable analytical method for analyzing the mechanical behavior of SWCNT's. of CNT's. The Young's modulus of CNT's was found to be about 1 TPa (2-5). Many theories of mechanics have also been proposed to study the mechanical properties of CNT's. Zhang et al. (6) developed a continuum mechanics approach to model elastic properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT's), and the Young's modulus of SWCNT's was pre- dicted to be 0.705 TPa. Li and Chou (7) presented a structural mechanics approach to model the deformation of CNT's, and calculated the Young's moduli for CNT's with different radii. A similar approach was presented by Chang and Gao (8), and the chirality- and size-dependent elastic properties such as Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio and shear modulus were predicted (9,10). Moreover, the nonlinear effect of SWCNT's was taken into account (11) recently. In view of the unrealistic demand of computational power to study materials of practical size, atomistic simulations are deemed unsuitable for the study of large scaled nanometer materials in large time spans. Therefore, various attempts have been made by researchers to introduce atomic character- istics into the mechanical theory. For example, the molecular mechanics originally developed by chemical scientists (12) can be considered one of the successful attempts. According to the definition of Burkert and Allinger (12), the total potential energy, U , is constitutive of several individual energy terms corresponding to bond stretching, angle bend- ing, torsion, and van der Waals interactions, respectively: U = � Ustretch + � Ubend

Stokes’ first problem for a viscoelastic fluid with the generalized Oldroyd-B model

Abstract: The flow near a wall suddenly set in motion for a viscoelastic fluid with the generalized Oldroyd-B model is studied. The fractional calculus approach is used in the constitutive relationship of fluid model. Exact analytical solutions of velocity and stress are obtained by using the discrete Laplace transform of the sequential fractional derivative and the Fox H-function. The obtained results indicate that some well known solutions for the Newtonian fluid, the generalized second grade fluid as well as the ordinary Oldroyd-B fluid, as limiting cases, are included in our solutions.

Using strain energy-based prediction of effective elastic properties in topology optimization of material microstructures

Abstract: An alternative strain energy method is proposed for the prediction of effective elastic properties of orthotropic materials in this paper. The method is implemented in the topology optimization procedure to design cellular solids. A comparative study is made between the strain energy method and the well-known homogenization method. Numerical results show that both methods agree well in the numerical prediction and sensitivity analysis of effective elastic tensor when homogeneous boundary conditions are properly specified. Two dimensional and three dimensional microstructures are optimized for maximum stiffness designs by combining the proposed method with the dual optimization algorithm of convex programming. Satisfactory results are obtained for a variety of design cases.

On the MHD flow of fractional generalized Burgers’ fluid with modified Darcy’s law

Abstract: This work is concerned with applying the fractional calculus approach to the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) pipe flow of a fractional generalized Burgers’ fluid in a porous space by using modified Darcy’s relationship. The fluid is electrically conducting in the presence of a constant applied magnetic field in the transverse direction. Exact solution for the velocity distribution is developed with the help of Fourier transform for fractional calculus. The solutions for a Navier–Stokes, second grade, Maxwell, Oldroyd-B and Burgers’ fluids appear as the limiting cases of the present analysis.

Electromagnetoelastic behaviors of functionally graded piezoelectric solid cylinder and sphere

Abstract: Analytical studies on electromagnetoelastic behaviors are presented for the functionally graded piezoelectric material (FGPM) solid cylinder and sphere placed in a uniform magnetic field and subjected to the external pressure and electric loading. When the mechanical, electric and magnetic properties of the material obey an identical power law in the radial direction, the exact displacements, stresses, electric potentials and perturbations of magnetic field vector in the FGPM solid cylinder and sphere are obtained by using the infinitesimal theory of electromagnetoelasticity. Numerical examples also show the significant influence of material inhomogeneity. It is interesting to note that selecting a specific value of inhomogeneity parameter β can optimize the electromagnetoelastic responses, which will be of particular importance in modern engineering designs.

Lane changing analysis for two-lane traffic flow

Abstract: In this paper, the two-lane traffic are studied by using the lane-changing rules in the car-following models. The simulation show that the frequent lane changing occurs when the lateral distance in car following activities is considered and it gives rise to oscillating waves. In contrast, if the lateral distance is not considered (or considered occasionally), the lane changing appears infrequently and soliton waves occurs. This implies that the stabilization mechanism no longer functions when the lane changing is permitted. Since the oscillating and soliton waves correspond to the unstable and metastable flow regimes, respectively, our study verifies that a phase transition may occur as a result of the lane changing.

Numerical simulation of soft palate movement and airflow in human upper airway by fluid-structure interaction method

Abstract: In this paper, the authors present airflow field characteristics of human upper airway and soft palate movement attitude during breathing. On the basis of the data taken from the spiral computerized tomography images of a healthy person and a patient with Obstructive Sleep Apnea-Hypopnea Syndrome (OSAHS), three-dimensional models of upper airway cavity and soft palate are reconstructed by the method of surface rendering. Numerical simulation is performed for airflow in the upper airway and displacement of soft palate by fluid-structure interaction analysis. The reconstructed three-dimensional models precisely preserve the original configuration of upper airways and soft palate. The results of the pressure and velocity distributions in the airflow field are quantitatively determined, and the displacement of soft palate is presented. Pressure gradients of airway are lower for the healthy person and the airflow distribution is quite uniform in the case of free breathing. However, the OSAHS patient remarkably escalates both the pressure and velocity in the upper airway, and causes higher displacement of the soft palate. The present study is useful in revealing pathogenesis and quantitative mutual relationship between configuration and function of the upper airway as well as in diagnosing diseases related to anatomical structure and function of the upper airway.

Structural modeling of sandwich structures with lightweight cellular cores

Abstract: An effective single layered finite element (FE) computational model is proposed to predict the structural behavior of lightweight sandwich panels having two dimensional (2D) prismatic or three dimensional (3D) truss cores. Three different types of cellular core topology are considered: pyramidal truss core (3D), Kagome truss core (3D) and corrugated core (2D), representing three kinds of material anisotropy: orthotropic, monoclinic and general anisotropic. A homogenization technique is developed to obtain the homogenized macroscopic stiffness properties of the cellular core. In comparison with the results obtained by using detailed FE model, the single layered computational model can give acceptable predictions for both the static and dynamic behaviors of orthotropic truss core sandwich panels. However, for non-orthotropic 3D truss cores, the predictions are not so well. For both static and dynamic behaviors of a 2D corrugated core sandwich panel, the predictions derived by the single layered computational model is generally acceptable when the size of the unit cell varies within a certain range, with the predictions for moderately strong or strong corrugated cores more accurate than those for weak cores.

Flow resistance and its prediction methods in compound channels

Abstract: A series of experiments was carried out in a large symmetric compound channel composed of a rough main channel and rough floodplains to investigate the resistance characteristics of inbank and overbank flows. The effective Manning, Darcy–Weisbach, Chezy coefficients and the relative Nikuradse roughness height were analyzed. Many different representative methods for predicting the composite roughness were systematically summarized. Besides the measured data, a vast number of laboratory data and field data for compound channels were collected and used to check the validity of these methods for different subsection divisions including the vertical, horizontal, diagonal and bisectional divisions. The computation showed that these methods resulted in big errors in assessing the composite roughness in compound channels, and the reasons were analyzed in detail. The error magnitude is related to the subsection divisions.

Explicit solution of the radial breathing mode frequency of single-walled carbon nanotubes

Abstract: On the basis of a molecular mechanics model, an analytical solution of the radial breathing mode (RBM) frequency of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) is obtained. The effects of tube chirality and tube diameter on the RBM frequency are investigated and good agreement between the present results and existing data is found. The present analytical formula indicates that the chirality and size dependent elastic properties are responsible for the effects of the chirality and small size on the RBM frequency of an SWCNT.

J 2 invariant relative orbits via differential correction algorithm

Abstract: This paper describes a practical method for finding the invariant orbits in J 2 relative dynamics. Working with the Hamiltonian model of the relative motion including the J 2 perturbation, the effective differential correction algorithm for finding periodic orbits in three-body problem is extended to formation flying of Earth’s orbiters. Rather than using orbital elements, the analysis is done directly in physical space, which makes a direct connection with physical requirements. The asymptotic behavior of the invariant orbit is indicated by its stable and unstable manifolds. The period of the relative orbits is proved numerically to be slightly different from the ascending node period of the leader satellite, and a preliminary explanation for this phenomenon is presented. Then the compatibility between J 2 invariant orbit and desired relative geometry is considered, and the design procedure for the initial values of the compatible configuration is proposed. The influences of measure errors on the invariant orbit are also investigated by the Monte–Carlo simulation.

Steady vortex force theory and slender-wing flow diagnosis

Abstract: The concept vortex force in aerodynamics is systematically examined based on a new steady vortex-force theory (Wu et al., Vorticity and vortex dynamics, Springer, 2006) which expresses the aerodynamic force (and moment) by the volume and boundary integrals of the Lamb vector. In this paper, the underlying physics of this theory is explored, including the general role of the Lamb vector in nonlinear aerodynamics, its initial formation, and its relevance to the total-pressure non-uniformity. As a typical example, the theory is applied to the flow over a slender delta wing at a large angle of attack. The highly localized flow structures with high Lamb-vector peaks are identified in terms of their net contribution to various constituents of the total aerodynamic force. This vortex-force diagnosis sheds new light on the flow control and configuration optimization.

Wave interaction with a new type perforated breakwater

Abstract: In this study examined is the wave interaction with a new modified perforated breakwater, consisting of a perforated front wall, a solid back wall and a wave absorbing chamber between them with a two-layer rock-filled core. The fluid domain is divided into three sub-domains according to the components of the breakwater. Then by means of the matched eigenfunction expansion method, an analytical solution is obtained to assess the hydrodynamic performance of the new structure. An approach based on a step approach method is introduced to solve the complex dispersion equations for water wave motions within two-layer porous media. Numerical results of the present model are compared with previous limiting cases. The effects of rock fill on the reflection coefficient and the horizontal wave force are discussed.

Analytic homotopy solution of generalized three-dimensional channel flow due to uniform stretching of the plate

Abstract: In this communication a generalized threedimensional steady flow of a viscous fluid between two infinite parallel plates is considered. The flow is generated due to uniform stretching of the lower plate in x- and y-directions. It is assumed that the upper plate is uniformly porous and is subjected to constant injection. The governing system is fully coupled and nonlinear in nature. A complete analytic solution which is uniformly valid for all values of the dimensionless parameters β, Re and λ is obtained by using a purely analytic technique, namely the homotopy analysis method. Also the effects of the parameters β, Re and λ on the velocity field are discussed through graphs.

Prediction of separation flows around a 6:1 prolate spheroid using RANS/LES hybrid approaches

Abstract: This paper presents hybrid Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) and large-eddy-simulation (LES) methods for the separated flows at high angles of attack around a 6:1 prolate spheroid. The RANS/LES hybrid methods studied in this work include the detached eddy simulation (DES) based on Spalart–Allmaras (S–A), Menter’s k–ω shear-stress-transport (SST) and k–ω with weakly nonlinear eddy viscosity formulation (Wilcox–Durbin+, WD+) models and the zonal-RANS/LES methods based on the SST and WD+ models. The switch from RANS near the wall to LES in the core flow region is smooth through the implementation of a flow-dependent blending function for the zonal hybrid method. All the hybrid methods are designed to have a RANS mode for the attached flows and have a LES behavior for the separated flows. The main objective of this paper is to apply the hybrid methods for the high Reynolds number separated flows around prolate spheroid at high-incidences. A fourth-order central scheme with fourth-order artificial viscosity is applied for spatial differencing. The fully implicit lower–upper symmetric-Gauss–Seidel with pseudo time sub-iteration is taken as the temporal differentiation. Comparisons with available measurements are carried out for pressure distribution, skin friction, and profiles of velocity, etc. Reasonable agreement with the experiments, accounting for the effect on grids and fundamental turbulence models, is obtained for the separation flows.

Active control of an aircraft tail subject to harmonic excitation

Abstract: Vibration of structures is often an undesirable phenomena and should be avoided or controlled. There are two techniques to control the vibration of a system, that is, active and passive control techniques. In this paper, a negative feedback velocity is applied to a dynamical system, which is represented by two coupled second order nonlinear differential equations having both quadratic and cubic nonlinearties. The system describes the vibration of an aircraft tail. The system is subjected to multi-external excitation forces. The method of multiple time scale perturbation is applied to solve the nonlinear differential equations and obtain approximate solutions up to third order of accuracy. The stability of the system is investigated applying frequency response equations. The effects of the different parameters are studied numerically. Various resonance cases are investigated. A comparison is made with the available published work.

Numerical simulation of blood flow and interstitial fluid pressure in solid tumor microcirculation based on tumor-induced angiogenesis

Abstract: A coupled intravascular–transvascular–interstitial fluid flow model is developed to study the distributions of blood flow and interstitial fluid pressure in solid tumor microcirculation based on a tumor-induced microvascular network. This is generated from a 2D nine-point discrete mathematical model of tumor angiogenesis and contains two parent vessels. Blood flow through the microvascular network and interstitial fluid flow in tumor tissues are performed by the extended Poiseuille’s law and Darcy’s law, respectively, transvascular flow is described by Starling’s law; effects of the vascular permeability and the interstitial hydraulic conductivity are also considered. The simulation results predict the heterogeneous blood supply, interstitial hypertension and low convection on the inside of the tumor, which are consistent with physiological observed facts. These results may provide beneficial information for anti-angiogenesis treatment of tumor and further clinical research.

Centrifugal experimental study of suction bucket foundations under dynamic loading

Abstract: Centrifugal experiments were carried out to investigate the responses of suction bucket foundations under horizontal and vertical dynamic loading. It is shown that when the loading amplitude is over a critical value, the sand at the upper part around the bucket is softened or even liquefied. The excess pore pressure decreases from the upper part to the lower part of the sand layer in the vertical direction and decreases radially from the bucket's side wall in the horizontal direction. Large settlements of the bucket and the sand layer around the bucket are induced by dynamic loading. The dynamic responses of the bucket with smaller height (the same diameter) are heavier.

Experimental study on the microstructure and nanomechanical properties of the wing membrane of dragonfly

Abstract: Detailed investigations on the microstructure and the mechanical properties of the wing membrane of the dragonfly are carried out. It is found that in the direction of the thickness the membrane was divided into three layers rather than a single entity as traditionally considered, and on the surfaces the membrane displays a random distribution rough microstructure that is composed of numerous nanometer scale columns coated by the cuticle wax secreted. The characteristics of the surface structure are measured and described. The mechanical properties of the membranes taken separately from the wings of live and dead dragonflies are investigated by the nanoindentation technique. The Young's moduli obtained here are approximately two times greater than the previous result, and the reasons that yield the difference are discussed.

Finite element simulations on the mechanical properties of MHS materials

Abstract: Finite element simulations are carried out to examine the mechanical behavior of the metallic hollow sphere (MHS) material during their large plastic deformation and to estimate the energy absorbing capacity of these materials under uniaxial compression. A simplified model is proposed from experimental observations to describe the connection between the neighboring spheres, which greatly improves the computation efficiency. The effects of the governing physical and geometrical parameters are evaluated; whilst a special attention is paid to the plateau stress, which is directly related to the energy absorbing capacity. Finally, the empirical functions of the relative material density are proposed for the elastic modulus, yield strength and plateau stress for FCC packing arrangement of hollow spheres, showing a good agreement with the experimental results obtained in our previous study.

Waverider configurations derived from general conical flowfields

Abstract: A method based on the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is presented for a flexible waverider's design. The generating bodies of this method could be any cones. In addition, either the leading edge or the profile of the scramjet's inlet is used as the waverider's definition curve, parameterized by the quadric function, the sigmoid function or the B-spline function. Furthermore, several numerical examples are carried out to validate the method and the relevant codes. The CFD results of the configurations show that all the designs are successful. Moreover, primary suggestions are proposed for practical design by comparing the geometrical and aerodynamic performances of the cone-derived waveriders at Mach 6.

A model for the scattering of long waves by slotted breakwaters in the presence of currents

Abstract: Slotted breakwaters have been used to provide economical protection from waves in harbors where surface waves and currents may co-exist. In this paper, the effects of currents on the wave scattering by slotted breakwaters are investigated by using a simple model. The model is based on a long wave approximation. The effects of wave height, barrier geometry and current strength on the reflection and transmission coefficients are examined by the model. The model results are compared with recent experimental data. It is found that both the wave-following and wave-opposing currents can increase the reflection coefficient and reduce the transmission coefficient. The model can be used to study the interaction between long waves and slotted breakwaters in coastal waters.

Elastic–plastic contact force history and response characteristics of circular plate subjected to impact by a projectile

Abstract: A new elastic–plastic impact–contact model is proposed in this paper. By adopting the principle of minimum acceleration for elastic–plastic continue at finite deformation, and with the aid of finite difference method, the proposed model is applied in the problem of dynamic response of a clamped thin circular plate subjected to a projectile impact centrally. The impact force history and response characteristics of the target plate is studied in detail. The theoretical predictions of the impact force and plate deflection are in good agreements with those of LDA experimental data. Linear expressions of the maximum impact force/transverse deflection versus impact velocity are given on the basis of the theoretical results.

Double plate system with a discontinuity in the elastic bonding layer

Abstract: The double plate system with a discontinuity in the elastic bonding layer of Winker type is studied in this paper. When the discontinuity is small, it can be taken as an interface crack between the bi-materials or two bodies (plates or beams). By comparison between the number of multifrequencies of analytical solutions of the double plate system free transversal vibrations for the case when the system is with and without discontinuity in elastic layer we obtain a theory for experimental vibration method for identification of the presence of an interface crack in the double plate system. The analytical analysis of free transversal vibrations of an elastically connected double plate systems with discontinuity in the elastic layer of Winkler type is presented. The analytical solutions of the coupled partial differential equations for dynamical free and forced vibration processes are obtained by using method of Bernoulli’s particular integral and Lagrange’s method of variation constants. It is shown that one mode vibration corresponds an infinite or finite multi-frequency regime for free and forced vibrations induced by initial conditions and one-frequency or corresponding number of multi-frequency regime depending on external excitations. It is shown for every shape of vibrations. The analytical solutions show that the discontinuity affects the appearance of multi-frequency regime of time function corresponding to one eigen amplitude function of one mode, and also that time functions of different vibration basic modes are coupled. From final expression we can separate the new generalized eigen amplitude functions with corresponding time eigen functions of one frequency and multi-frequency regime of vibrations.

A new bionic MAV’s flapping motion based on fruit fly hovering at low Reynolds number

Abstract: On the basis of the studies on the high unsteady aerodynamic mechanisms of the fruit fly hovering the aerodynamic advantages and disadvantages of the fruit fly flapping motion were analyzed. A new bionic flapping motion was proposed to weaken the disadvantages and maintain the advantages, it may be used in the designing and manufacturing of the micro air vehicles (MAV’s). The translation of the new bionic flapping motion is the same as that of fruit fly flapping motion. However, the rotation of the new bionic flapping motion is different. It is not a pitching-up rotation as the fruit fly flapping motion, but a pitching-down rotation at the beginning and the end of a stroke. The numerical method of 3rd-order Roe scheme developed by Rogers was used to study these questions. The correctness of the numerical method and the computational program was justified by comparing the present CFD results of the fruit fly flapping motion in three modes, i.e., the advanced mode, the symmetrical mode and the delayed mode, with Dickinson’s experimental results. They agreed with each other very well. Subsequently, the aerodynamic characteristics of the new bionic flapping motion in three modes were also numerically simulated, and were compared with those of the fruit fly flapping. The conclusions could be drawn that the high unsteady lift mechanism of the fruit fly hovering is also effectively utilized by this new bionic flapping. Compared with the fruit fly flapping, the unsteady drag of the new flapping decreases very much and the ratio of lift to drag increases greatly. And the great discrepancies among the mean lifts of three flapping modes of the fruit fly hovering are effectively smoothed in the new flapping. On the other hand, this new bionic flapping motion should be realized more easily. Finally, it must be pointed out that the above conclusions were just drawn for the hovering flapping motion. And the aerodynamic characteristics of the new bionic flapping motion in forward flight are going to be studied in the next step.

Study on transient aerodynamic characteristics of parachute opening process

Abstract: In the research of parachute, canopy inflation process modeling is one of the most complicated tasks. As canopy often experiences the largest deformations and loadings during a very short time, it is of great difficulty for theoretical analysis and experimental measurements. In this paper, aerodynamic equations and structural dynamics equations were developed for describing parachute opening process, and an iterative coupling solving strategy incorporating the above equations was proposed for a small-scale, flexible and flat-circular parachute. Then, analyses were carried out for canopy geometry, time-dependent pressure difference between the inside and outside of the canopy, transient vortex around the canopy and the flow field in the radial plane as a sequence in opening process. The mechanism of the canopy shape development was explained from perspective of transient flow fields during the inflation process. Experiments of the parachute opening process were conducted in a wind tunnel, in which instantaneous shape of the canopy was measured by high velocity camera and the opening loading was measured by dynamometer balance. The theoretical predictions were found in good agreement with the experimental results, validating the proposed approach. This numerical method can improve the situation of strong dependence of parachute research on wind tunnel tests, and is of significance to the understanding of the mechanics of parachute inflation process.

Validity ranges of interfacial wave theories in a two-layer fluid system

Abstract: In the present paper, we endeavor to accomplish a diagram, which demarcates the validity ranges for interfacial wave theories in a two-layer system, to meet the needs of design in ocean engineering. On the basis of the available solutions of periodic and solitary waves, we propose a guideline as principle to identify the validity regions of the interfacial wave theories in terms of wave period T, wave height H, upper layer thickness d(1), and lower layer thickness d(2), instead of only one parameter-water depth d as in the water surface wave circumstance. The diagram proposed here happens to be Le Mehautes plot for free surface waves if water depth ratio r = d(1)/d(2) approaches to infinity and the upper layer water density rho(1) to zero. On the contrary, the diagram for water surface waves can be used for two-layer interfacial waves if gravity acceleration g in it is replaced by the reduced gravity defined in this study under the condition of sigma = (rho(2) - rho(1))/rho(2) -> 1.0 and r > 1.0. In the end, several figures of the validity ranges for various interfacial wave theories in the two-layer fluid are given and compared with the results for surface waves.

An exact nonlinear hybrid-coordinate formulation for flexible multibody systems

Abstract: The previous low-order approximate nonlinear formulations succeeded in capturing the stiffening terms, but failed in simulation of mechanical systems with large deformation due to the neglect of the high-order deformation terms. In this paper, a new hybrid-coordinate formulation is proposed, which is suitable for flexible multibody systems with large deformation. On the basis of exact strain–displacement relation, equations of motion for flexible multibody system are derived by using virtual work principle. A matrix separation method is put forward to improve the efficiency of the calculation. Agreement of the present results with those obtained by absolute nodal coordinate formulation (ANCF) verifies the correctness of the proposed formulation. Furthermore, the present results are compared with those obtained by use of the linear model and the low-order approximate nonlinear model to show the suitability of the proposed models.

Level set method for numerical simulation of a cavitation bubble, its growth, collapse and rebound near a rigid wall

Abstract: A level set method of non-uniform grids is used to simulate the whole evolution of a cavitation bubble, including its growth, collapse and rebound near a rigid wall. Single-phase Navier–Stokes equation in the liquid region is solved by MAC projection algorithm combined with second-order ENO scheme for the advection terms. The moving interface is captured by the level set function, and the interface velocity is resolved by “one-side” velocity extension from the liquid region to the bubble region, complementing the second-order weighted least squares method across the interface and projection inside bubble. The use of non-uniform grid overcomes the difficulty caused by the large computational domain and very small bubble size. The computation is very stable without suffering from large flow-field gradients, and the results are in good agreements with other studies. The bubble interface kinematics, dynamics and its effect on the wall are highlighted, which shows that the code can effectively capture the “shock wave”-like pressure and velocity at jet impact, toroidal bubble, and complicated pressure structure with peak, plateau and valley in the later stage of bubble oscillating.