Showing papers on "Inertia published in 2010"

A method to model realistic particle shape and inertia in DEM

Abstract: A simple and fast original method to create irregular particle shapes for the discrete element method using overlapping spheres is described. The effects of its parameters on the resolution of the particle shape are discussed. Overlapping spheres induce a non-uniform density inside the particle leading to incorrect moments of inertia and therefore rotational behaviour. A simple method to reduce the error in the principal moments of inertia which acts on the individual densities of the spheres is also described. The pertinence of the density correction is illustrated by the case of free falling ballast particles forming a heap on a flat surface. In addition to improve behaviour, the correction reduces also computational time. The model is then used to analyse the interaction between ballast and geogrid by simulating pull-out tests. The pulling force results show that the model apprehends better the ballast geogrid interlocking than models with simple representation of the shape of the particles. It points out the importance of modelling accurately the shape of particles in discrete element simulations.

Dynamic self-assembly and control of microfluidic particle crystals.

Abstract: Engineered two-phase microfluidic systems have recently shown promise for computation, encryption, and biological processing. For many of these systems, complex control of dispersed-phase frequency and switching is enabled by nonlinearities associated with interfacial stresses. Introducing nonlinearity associated with fluid inertia has recently been identified as an easy to implement strategy to control two-phase (solid-liquid) microscale flows. By taking advantage of inertial effects we demonstrate controllable self-assembling particle systems, uncover dynamics suggesting a unique mechanism of dynamic self-assembly, and establish a framework for engineering microfluidic structures with the possibility of spatial frequency filtering. Focusing on the dynamics of the particle–particle interactions reveals a mechanism for the dynamic self-assembly process; inertial lift forces and a parabolic flow field act together to stabilize interparticle spacings that otherwise would diverge to infinity due to viscous disturbance flows. The interplay of the repulsive viscous interaction and inertial lift also allow us to design and implement microfluidic structures that irreversibly change interparticle spacing, similar to a low-pass filter. Although often not considered at the microscale, nonlinearity due to inertia can provide a platform for high-throughput passive control of particle positions in all directions, which will be useful for applications in flow cytometry, tissue engineering, and metamaterial synthesis.

Orientation, distribution, and deposition of elongated, inertial fibers in turbulent channel flow

Abstract: In this paper, the dispersion of rigid, highly elongated fibers in a turbulent channel flow is investigated. Fibers are treated as prolate ellipsoidal particles which move according to their inertia and to hydrodynamic drag and rotate according to hydrodynamic torques. The orientational behavior of fibers is examined together with their preferential distribution, near-wall accumulation, and wall deposition: all these phenomena are interpreted in connection with turbulence dynamics near the wall. In this work a wide range of fiber classes, characterized by different elongation (quantified by the fiber aspect ratio, λ) and different inertia (quantified by a suitably defined fiber response time, τp) is considered. A parametric study in the (λ,τp)-space confirms that, in the vicinity of the wall, fibers tend to align with the mean streamwise flow direction. However, this aligned configuration is unstable, particularly for higher inertia of the fiber, and can be maintained for rather short times before fibers ...

Dynamics of magnetic domain walls under their own inertia.

Abstract: The motion of magnetic domain walls induced by spin-polarized current has considerable potential for use in magnetic memory and logic devices. Key to the success of these devices is the precise positioning of individual domain walls along magnetic nanowires, using current pulses. We show that domain walls move surprisingly long distances of several micrometers and relax over several tens of nanoseconds, under their own inertia, when the current stimulus is removed. We also show that the net distance traveled by the domain wall is exactly proportional to the current pulse length because of the lag derived from its acceleration at the onset of the pulse. Thus, independent of its inertia, a domain wall can be accurately positioned using properly timed current pulses.

A Biomechanical Evaluation of Resistance: Fundamental Concepts for Training and Sports Performance

Abstract: Newton's second law of motion describes the acceleration of an object as being directly proportional to the magnitude of the net force, in the same direction as the net force and inversely proportional to its mass (a = F/m). With respect to linear motion, mass is also a numerical representation of an object's inertia, or its resistance to change in its state of motion and directly proportional to the magnitude of an object's momentum at any given velocity. To change an object's momentum, thereby increasing or decreasing its velocity, a proportional impulse must be generated. All motion is governed by these relationships, independent of the exercise being performed or the movement type being used; however, the degree to which this governance affects the associated kinematics, kinetics and muscle activity is dependent on the resistance type. Researchers have suggested that to facilitate the greatest improvements to athletic performance, the resistance-training programme employed by an athlete must be adapted to meet the specific demands of their sport. Therefore, it is conceivable that one mechanical stimulus, or resistance type, may not be appropriate for all applications. Although an excellent means of increasing maximal strength and the rate of force development, free-weight or mass-based training may not be the most conducive means to elicit velocity-specific adaptations. Attempts have been made to combat the inherent flaws of free weights, via accommodating and variable resistance-training devices; however, such approaches are not without problems that are specific to their mechanics. More recently, pneumatic-resistance devices (variable) have been introduced as a mechanical stimulus whereby the body mass of the athlete represents the only inertia that must be overcome to initiate movement, thus potentially affording the opportunity to develop velocity-specific power. However, there is no empirical evidence to support such a contention. Future research should place further emphasis on understanding the mechanical advantages/disadvantages inherent to the resistance types being used during training, so as to elicit the greatest improvements in athletic performance.

Design of Concentric Circular Antenna Array with Central Element Feeding Using Particle Swarm Optimization with Constriction Factor and Inertia Weight Approach and Evolutionary Programing Technique

Abstract: In this paper the maximum sidelobe level (SLL) reductions without and with central element feeding in various designs of three-ring concentric circular antenna arrays (CCAA) are examined using a real-coded Evolutionary Programming (EP) to finally determine the global optimal three-ring CCAA design. Standard real-coded Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and real-coded Particle Swarm Optimization with Constriction Factor and Inertia Weight Approach (PSOCFIWA) are also employed for comparative optimization but both prove to be suboptimal. This paper assumes non-uniform excitation weights and uniform spacing of excitation elements in each three-ring CCAA design. Among the various CCAA designs, the design containing central element and 4, 6 and 8 elements in three successive concentric rings proves to be such global optimal design set with global minimum SLL (−39.66 dB) as determined by Evolutionary Programming.

Modeling of Ship Roll Dynamics and Its Coupling with Heave and Pitch

Abstract: In order to study the dynamic behavior of ships navigating in severe environmental conditions it is imperative to develop their governing equations of motion taking into account the inherent nonlinearity of large-amplitude ship motion The purpose of this paper is to present the coupled nonlinear equations of motion in heave, roll, and pitch based on physical grounds The ingredients of the formulation are comprised of three main components These are the inertia forces and moments, restoring forces and moments, and damping forces and moments with an emphasis to the roll damping moment In the formulation of the restoring forces and moments, the influence of large-amplitude ship motions will be considered together with ocean wave loads The special cases of coupled roll-pitch and purely roll equations of motion are obtained from the general formulation The paper includes an assessment of roll stochastic stability and probabilistic approaches used to estimate the probability of capsizing and parameter identification

Particle Swarm Optimization with Various Inertia Weight Variants for Optimal Power Flow Solution

Abstract: This paper proposes an efficient method to solve the optimal power flow problem in power systems using Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). The objective of the proposed method is to find the steady-state operating point which minimizes the fuel cost, while maintaining an acceptable system performance in terms of limits on generator power, line flow, and voltage. Three different inertia weights, a constant inertia weight (CIW), a time-varying inertia weight (TVIW), and global-local best inertia weight (GLbestIW), are considered with the particle swarm optimization algorithm to analyze the impact of inertia weight on the performance of PSO algorithm. The PSO algorithm is simulated for each of the method individually. It is observed that the PSO algorithm with the proposed inertia weight yields better results, both in terms of optimal solution and faster convergence. The proposed method has been tested on the standard IEEE 30 bus test system to prove its efficacy. The algorithm is computationally faster, in terms of the number of load flows executed, and provides better results than other heuristic techniques.

Acquisition of inertia by a moving crack.

Abstract: We experimentally investigate the dynamics of "simple" tensile cracks. Within an effectively infinite medium, a crack's dynamics perfectly correspond to inertialess behavior predicted by linear elastic fracture mechanics. Once a crack interacts with waves that it generated at earlier times, this description breaks down. Cracks then acquire inertia and sluggishly accelerate. Crack inertia increases with crack speed v and diverges as v approaches its limiting value. We show that these dynamics are in excellent accord with an equation of motion derived in the limit of an infinite strip [M. Marder, Phys. Rev. Lett. 66, 2484 (1991)].

Comments on the Effect of Radial Inertia in the Kolsky Bar Test for an Incompressible Material

Abstract: We present equations that show the effect of radial inertia for incompressible samples that are in dynamic force equilibrium during the split Hopkinson pressure bar test or Kolsky bar test. For steel samples the radial inertia effect can be neglected; however, radial inertia can be important for very soft materials.

Decoupled second-order transient schemes for the flow of viscoelastic fluids without a viscous solvent contribution

Abstract: The simulation of transient flows is relevant in several applications involving viscoelastic fluids. In the last decades, much effort has been spent on deriving time-marching schemes able to efficiently solve the governing equations at low computational cost. In this direction, decoupling schemes, where the global system is split into smaller subsystems, have been particularly successful. However, most of these techniques only work if inertia and/or a large Newtonian solvent contribution is included in the modeling. This is not the case for polymer melts or concentrated polymer solutions. In this work, we propose two second-order time-integration schemes for discretizing the momentum balance as well as the constitutive equation, based on a Gear and a Crank–Nicolson scheme. The solution of the momentum and continuity equations is decoupled from the constitutive one. The stress tensor term in the momentum balance is replaced by its space-continuous but time-discretized form of the constitutive equation through an Euler scheme implicit in the velocity. This adds velocity unknowns in the momentum equation thus an updating of the velocity field is possible even if inertia and solvent viscosity are not included in the model. To further reduce computational costs, the non-linear relaxation term in the constitutive equation is taken explicitly leading to a linear system of equations for each stress component. Four benchmark problems are considered to test the numerical schemes. The results show that a Crank–Nicolson based discretization for the momentum equation produces oscillations when combined with a Crank–Nicolson based scheme for the constitutive equation whereas, if a Gear based scheme is implemented for the constitutive equation, the stability is found to be dependent on the specific problem. However, the Gear based scheme applied to the momentum balance combined with both second-order methods used for the constitutive equation is stable and accurate and performs much better than a first-order Euler scheme. Finally, a numerical proof of the second-order convergence is also carried out.

Dynamic stability of axially accelerating Timoshenko beam: Averaging method

Abstract: This study investigates dynamic stability in transverse parametric vibrations of an axially accelerating tensioned beam of Timoshenko model on simple supports. The axial speed is assumed as a harmonic fluctuation about the constant mean speed. The Galerkin method is applied to discretize the governing equation into a finite set of ordinary differential equations. The method of averaging is applied to analyze the instability phenomena caused by subharmonic and combination resonance. Numerical examples demonstrate the effects of the mean axial speed, bending stiffness, rotary inertia and shear modulus on the instability boundaries.

Pumping by flapping in a viscoelastic fluid.

Abstract: In a world without inertia, Purcell's scallop theorem states that in a Newtonian fluid a time-reversible motion cannot produce any net force or net flow. Here we consider the extent to which the nonlinear rheological behavior of viscoelastic fluids can be exploited to break the constraints of the scallop theorem in the context of fluid pumping. By building on previous work focusing on force generation, we consider a simple, biologically inspired geometrical example of a flapper in a polymeric (Oldroyd-B) fluid, and calculate asymptotically the time-average net fluid flow produced by the reciprocal flapping motion. The net flow occurs at fourth order in the flapping amplitude, and suggests the possibility of transporting polymeric fluids using reciprocal motion in simple geometries even in the absence of inertia. The induced flow field and pumping performance are characterized and optimized analytically. Our results may be useful in the design of micropumps handling complex fluids.

Three dimensional nonlinear dynamics of submerged, extensible catenary pipes conveying fluid and subjected to end-imposed excitations

Abstract: The complete 3D nonlinear dynamic problem of an extensible, submerged catenary pipe conveying fluid is considered. For describing the dynamics of the system, the Newtonian derivation procedure is followed. The flow inside the pipe is considered inviscid, irrotational and incompressible with constant velocity along the complete length of the pipe. The hydrodynamic effects are taken into account through the nonlinear drag forces and the added inertia due to the hydrodynamic mass. Following the Newtonian derivation, the dynamics of the pipe element and the fluid element are considered separately and the final governing set is derived combining the equations of inertia equilibrium. The system is solved using an efficient, second-order accurate, finite differences numerical scheme. The effect of the steady flow inside the pipe on both the in-plane and the out-of-plane vibrations is assessed with the aid of numerical simulations using as a model a relatively small-sag submerged catenary. The output signals of the time varying components that govern the dynamics of the pipe, have been properly processed to assess the effect of the internal flow on both the in-plane and the out-of-plane vibrations.

Stability of General Coupled Inertial Agents

Abstract: We investigate the stability of a system of multiple inertial agents, using the decomposition approach, in which the velocity/position coupling can be generally non-balanced. The stability of the system is determined by two sorts of factors: the velocity/position coupling and the damping/stiffness gains. We indicate all possibly invariant quantities of the system and give sufficient conditions for stability. Also, our result gives a less conservative estimate to design the damping/stiffness gains of the system for stability than some other recent results.

Self-gravitational instability of rotating viscous Hall plasma with arbitrary radiative heat-loss functions and electron inertia

Abstract: The effects of arbitrary radiative heat-loss functions and Hall current on the self-gravitational instability of a homogeneous, viscous, rotating plasma has been investigated incorporating the effects of finite electrical resistivity, finite electron inertia and thermal conductivity. A general dispersion relation is obtained using the normal mode analysis with the help of relevant linearized perturbation equations of the problem, and a modified Jeans criterion of instability is obtained. The conditions of modified Jeans instabilities and stabilities are discussed in the different cases of our interest. We find that the presence of arbitrary radiative heat-loss functions and thermal conductivity modifies the fundamental Jeans criterion of gravitational instability into a radiative instability criterion. The Hall parameter affects only the longitudinal mode of propagation and it has no effect on the transverse mode of propagation. For longitudinal propagation, it is found that the condition of radiative instability is independent of the magnetic field, Hall parameter, finite electron inertia, finite electrical resistivity, viscosity and rotation; but for the transverse mode of propagation it depends on the finite electrical resistivity, the strength of the magnetic field, and it is independent of rotation, electron inertia and viscosity. From the curves we find that the presence of thermal conductivity, finite electrical resistivity and density-dependent heat-loss function has a destabilizing influence, while viscosity and magnetic field have a stabilizing effect on the growth rate of an instability. The effect of arbitrary heat-loss functions is also studied on the growth rate of a radiative instability.

Roll and Pitch Motion Analysis of a Biologically Inspired Quadruped Water Runner Robot

Abstract: In this paper, the roll and pitch dynamics of a biologically inspired quadruped water runner robot are analyzed, and a stable robot design is proposed and tested. The robot’s foot—water interaction force is derived using drag equations. Roll direction instability is attributed to a small roll moment of inertia and large instantaneous roll moments generated by the foot—water interaction forces. Roll dynamics are modeled by approximating the water as a linear spring. Using this model, estimates on the roll moment of inertia that can endure moments generated by water interactions are derived. Instability in the pitch direction is caused by the thrust force the four feet exert on the water. To correct this, a circular tail which can negate the pitch moment around the center of mass is proposed. Both passive and active tail designs which can cope with disturbances are introduced. Based on these analyses, a stable water runner is designed, and built. Experimental high-speed video footage demonstrates the stable roll and pitch motion of the robot. Simulations are used to estimate robustness against disturbances, waves, and leg running frequency variations. It is found that roll motion is more sensitive to disturbances when compared with the pitch direction.

Jet propulsion without inertia

Abstract: A body immersed in a highly viscous fluid can locomote by drawing in and expelling fluid through pores at its surface. We consider this mechanism of jet propulsion without inertia in the case of spheroidal bodies and derive both the swimming velocity and the hydrodynamic efficiency. Elementary examples are presented and exact axisymmetric solutions for spherical, prolate spheroidal, and oblate spheroidal body shapes are provided. In each case, entirely and partially porous (i.e., jetting) surfaces are considered and the optimal jetting flow profiles at the surface for maximizing the hydrodynamic efficiency are determined computationally. The maximal efficiency which may be achieved by a sphere using such jet propulsion is 12.5%, a significant improvement upon traditional flagella-based means of locomotion at zero Reynolds number, which corresponds to the potential flow created by a source dipole at the sphere center. Unlike other swimming mechanisms which rely on the presentation of a small cross section ...