Combined Effects Of Gravity Research Articles

Finite Element Modeling and Analysis of Perforated Steel Members under Blast Loading

Perforated steel members (PSMs) are now frequently used in building construction due to their beneficial features, including their proven blast-resistance abilities. To safeguard against structural failures from explosions and terrorist threats, perforated steel beams (PSBs) and perforated steel columns (PSCs) offer a viable alternative to traditional steel members. This is attributed to their impressive energy absorption potential, a result of their combined high strength and ductile behavior. In this study, numerical examinations of damage assessment under the combined effects of gravity and blast loads are carried out to mimic real-world scenarios of external explosions close to steel structures. The damage assessment for PSBs and PSCs considers not just the initial deformation from the blast, but also takes into account the residual capacities to formulate dependable damage metrics post-explosion. Comprehensive explicit finite element (FE) analyses are performed with the LSDYNA software. The FE model, when compared against test results, aligns well across all resistance phases, from bending and softening to tension membrane regions. This validated numerical model offers a viable alternative to laboratory experiments for predicting the dynamic resistance of PSBs and PSCs. Moreover, it is advisable to use fully integrated solid elements, featuring eight integration points on the element surface, in the FE models for accurate predictions of PSBs’ and PSCs’ behavior under blast loading. A parametric study is presented to investigate the effect of web-opening shapes, retrofitting, and different blast scenarios. The results obtained from the analytical FE approaches are used to obtain the ductile responses of PSMs, and are considered an important key in comparisons among the studied cases.

Ram Pressure Stripping in the EAGLE Simulation

Ram pressure stripping of satellite galaxies is thought to be a ubiquitous process in galaxy clusters, and a growing number of observations reveal satellites at different stages of stripping. However, in order to determine the fate of any individual galaxy, we turn to predictions from either simulations or analytic models. It is not well determined whether simulations and analytic models agree in their predictions, nor the causes of disagreement. Here we investigate ram pressure stripping in the reference EAGLE hydrodynamical cosmological simulation, and compare the results to predictions from analytic models. We track the evolution of galaxies with stellar mass M * > 109 M ⊙ and initial bound gas mass M gas > 109 M ⊙ that fall into galaxy clusters (M 200c > 1014 M ⊙) between z = 0.27 and z = 0. We divide each galaxy into its neutral gas disk and hot ionized gas halo and compare the evolution of the stripped gas fraction in the simulation to that predicted by analytic formulations for the two gas phases, as well as to a toy model that computes the motions of gas particles under the combined effects of gravity and a spatially uniform ram pressure. We find that the analytic models generally underpredict the stripping rate of neutral gas and overpredict that of ionized gas, with significant scatter between the model and simulation stripping timescales. This is due to opposing physical effects: the enhancement of ram pressure stripping by stellar feedback, and the suppression of stripping by the compaction of galactic gas.

Particle dispersion over side-by-side square cylinders: Proximity interference effects

This paper investigates the dispersion of tiny inertial particles in the two-dimensional laminar wake from a pair of square cylinders placed side-by-side to each other. The flow Reynolds number (defined based on the cylinder size h and uniform inflow velocity Uc) in our study is fixed at 75. The wake pattern resulting from the interaction between vortices shed from individual cylinders depends on the cross-stream spacing between the cylinders, i.e. spacing ratio s/h. We examine the effect of varying the cross-stream spacing between the cylinders on the body impaction and dispersion of particles in the wake flow over a range of their responses. Three different spacing ratios, s/h = 0.3, 2, and 4 are considered. We find that the impaction efficiency of Stokes number St = 0.1 particles is not sensitive to the spacing ratio. However, the impaction efficiency of St = 1 and 10 particles is dependent on the spacing ratio and increases with the latter. We illustrate how the distribution and clustering of representative inertial particles (i.e., with Stokes number unity) evolve over a vortex shedding cycle uniquely due to the wake flow in each spacing ratio configuration and explain the physical mechanism of particle clustering using backward tracking. The non-uniform clustering of particles with different responses to the wake flow in each spacing ratio configuration is analyzed using the Voronoï diagrams. The spacing ratio effects on the dispersion of particles are quantified in terms of mean statistical quantities such as mean local concentration, clustering intensity, and velocity statistics. The local concentration of St = 1 and 10 particles at streamwise positions away from cylinders is significantly influenced by the wake flow behavior governed by the choice of the spacing ratio. Further, the combined effect of gravity and hydrodynamic drag forces on the impaction and clustering behavior of particles is reported, where the Froude number Fr=0.32. In all the cases, particles exhibit ballistic behavior, showing a significantly reduced tendency to form clusters and a drastic increase in the impaction efficiency.

Heat and mass transfer in electron beam additive manufacturing

The electron beam wire-feed additive manufacturing (EBAM) technology utilizes a high-energy electron beam as a heat source to bombard a metal wire in the vacuum environment to form a molten pool. The stability and quality of the deposition mainly depend on the transition behavior of the droplet. To conduct this research, a high-fidelity thermo-fluid dynamic simulation model based on the local reconstruction of the 3D model was developed and verified. The model used the Monte-Carlo algorithm to update the scattering trajectories and residual energies of high-energy electrons on the irradiated surface of the wire and molten pool at each time step in the numerical calculation. Quantitatively analyzed the “electron-wire” instantaneous energy coupling mechanism in the droplet transition mode, insertion transition mode, and liquid bridge transition mode, and finally established an energy-matching criterion for maintaining a stable deposited track morphology. The results show that during the initial stage of wire melting, the droplet will climb along the wire feeding direction, grow under gravity, and eventually drop under the combined effects of gravity and recoil pressure. Different forms of molten droplets will form various solidification morphology, with the liquid bridge transition mode being the most desirable. To maintain a stable liquid bridge transition, it is necessary to control the droplet generation height within the range of 0–2.7 mm. The collapse of the deposited track, caused by heat accumulation during the multilayer deposition, would also alter the droplet generation height. Therefore, to maintain the liquid bridge transition mode in the multilayer multi-channel forming process, it is also necessary to ensure that the energy density of the deposited track is slightly greater than 1.16×1010 J/m3 and the energy density of the wire is slightly greater than 2.63×1010 J/m3.

Coupled matter-wave solitons on oscillating reflectors under the effects of gravity.

We consider coupled matter-waves solitons in Bose-Einstein condensates and study the dynamics under the combined effects of gravity and reflecting potential. The dynamics of matter-wave near a reflector oscillating periodically with time generates the dynamics of a special kind of localized structure called oscillon. We derive a mechanical model for the coupled oscillon dynamics. We pay special attention to the inter-component interaction and see that effective potential depends on the type (repulsive/attractive) and strength of interaction. We find that the inter-component interaction affects the frequency of oscillation and introduces an initial phase-shift between the reflector and the oscillon. This phase-shift, in addition to instantaneous phase change due to the oscillation of the reflector, results in interesting dynamics. The coupled oscillon is found to execute quasi-periodic and chaotic dynamics for both attractive and repulsive inter-component interactions. We analyze the maximum value of Lyapunov exponents and show that the dynamical response of the coupled oscillon depends on the ratio of the center of mass position and their separation.

Modeling the influence of gravity and the mechanical properties of elastin and collagen fibers on alveolar and lung pressure–volume curves

The relationship between pressure (P) and volume (V) in the human lung has been extensively studied. However, the combined effects of gravity and the mechanical properties of elastin and collagen on alveolar and lung P–V curves during breathing are not well understood. Here, we extended a previously established thick-walled spherical model of a single alveolus with wavy collagen fibers during positive pressure inflation. First, we updated the model for negative pressure-driven inflation that allowed incorporation of a gravity-induced pleural pressure gradient to predict how the static alveolar P–V relations vary spatially throughout an upright human lung. Second, by introducing dynamic surface tension and collagen viscoelasticity, we computed the hysteresis loop of the lung P–V curve. The model was tested by comparing its predicted regional ventilation to literature data, which offered insight into the effects of microgravity on ventilation. The model has also produced novel testable predictions for future experiments about the variation of mechanical stresses in the septal walls and the contribution of collagen and elastin fibers to the P–V curve and throughout the lung. The model may help us better understand how mechanical stresses arising from breathing and pleural pressure variations affect regional cellular mechanotransduction in the lung.

A glacier\u2013ocean interaction model for tsunami genesis due to iceberg calving

Glaciers calving icebergs into the ocean significantly contribute to sea-level rise and can trigger tsunamis, posing severe hazards for coastal regions. Computational modeling of such multiphase processes is a great challenge involving complex solid–fluid interactions. Here, a new continuum damage Material Point Method has been developed to model dynamic glacier fracture under the combined effects of gravity and buoyancy, as well as the subsequent propagation of tsunami-like waves induced by released icebergs. We reproduce the main features of tsunamis obtained in laboratory experiments as well as calving characteristics, the iceberg size, tsunami amplitude and wave speed measured at Eqip Sermia, an ocean-terminating outlet glacier of the Greenland ice sheet. Our hybrid approach constitutes important progress towards the modeling of solid–fluid interactions, and has the potential to contribute to refining empirical calving laws used in large-scale earth-system models as well as to improve hazard assessments and mitigation measures in coastal regions, which is essential in the context of climate change.

Bifurcation mechanism of interfacial electrohydrodynamic gravity-capillary waves near the minimum phase speed under a horizontal electric field

We investigate the evolution of interfacial gravity-capillary waves propagating along the interface between two dielectric fluids under the action of a horizontal electric field. There is a uniform background flow in each layer, and the relative motion tends to induce Kelvin–Helmholtz (KH) instability. The combined effects of gravity, surface tension and electrically induced forces are all taken into account. Under the short-wave assumption, the expansion and truncation method of Dirichlet-Neumann (DN) operators is applied to derive a reduced dynamical model. When KH instability is suppressed linearly by a considerably large electric field, our numerical results reveal that in certain regions of parameter space, nonlinear symmetric traveling wave solutions can be found near the minimum phase speed. Additionally, the detailed bifurcation structures are presented together with typical wave profiles.

COMBINED EFFECT OF GRAVITY AND MAGNETIC FIELD VARIATIONS ON THE ONSET OF CONVECTION IN A COUPLE STRESS FLUID DRENCHED POROUS MODULE

COMBINED EFFECT OF GRAVITY AND MAGNETIC FIELD VARIATIONS ON THE ONSET OF CONVECTION IN A COUPLE STRESS FLUID DRENCHED POROUS MODULE

Dynamical Evolution of Simulated Particles Ejected From Asteroid Bennu

AbstractIn early 2019, the OSIRIS‐REx spacecraft discovered small particles being ejected from the surface of the near‐Earth asteroid Bennu.sww Although they were seen to be ejected at slow speeds, on the order of tens of cm/s, a number of particles were surprisingly seen to orbit for multiple revolutions and days, which requires a dynamical mechanism to quickly and substantially modify the orbit to prevent re‐impact upon their first periapse passage. This paper demonstrates that, based on simulations constrained by the conditions of the observed events, the combined effects of gravity, solar radiation pressure, and thermal radiation pressure from Bennu can produce many sustained orbits for ejected particles. Furthermore, the simulated populations exhibit two interesting phenomena that could play an important role in the geophysical evolution of bodies such as Bennu. First, small particles (<1 cm radius) are preferentially removed from the system, which could lead to a deficit of such particles on the surface. Second, re‐impacting particles preferentially land near or on the equatorial bulge of Bennu. Over time, this can lead to crater in‐filling and growth of the equatorial radius without requiring landslides.

Simultaneous Occurrence of Miscible and Immiscible Displacement Processes During Solvent Displacement of Heavy Oil: A Parametric Analysis Using Visual Capillary-Tube Experiments

Summary Oil/solvent mixing is essential during solvent-injection applications to reduce the viscosity of oil, but mass transfer by diffusion becomes slower because the oil becomes heavier. Thus, an interface exists between the oil and solvent at certain times, being stronger in the beginning of the process. This results in an immiscible displacement controlled by the capillary forces while mixing is in progress. It is of practical and fundamental importance to determine the mechanisms responsible for the displacement of heavy oil and the behavior of solvents (acting as both immiscible and miscible displacement agents) because it could be advantageous to accelerate the dilution of heavy oil in many circumstances, including heterogeneous (fractured, layered, wormholed) systems. This is a complex process consisting of multiple pore phases (oil, solvent, their mixtures, and aqueous and vapor phases) at the same time, while different mechanisms such as capillary imbibition, miscible interaction (diffusion and convection), and gravity also act simultaneously. To investigate this complex phenomenon for different oil/solvent systems, a novel experimental method was used. The underlying mechanisms that dominate the solvent displacement process were comprehensively identified. The movement and evolution of interfaces among different fluid phases in glass capillary tubes were observed and recorded. Oil samples with different viscosities were used to examine the effects of oil viscosity on the mass transfer accelerated by imbibition transfer. The effects of temperature, wettability, and boundary conditions on the interaction of miscible fluid pairs were also studied. Pentane, heptane, and decane were used as the solvent phases. Advanced photographic techniques using ultraviolet (UV) light and dyed fluids were applied to better track the flow of different phases in the mixing zone. The experiments demonstrated a slowly smearing interface between the solvent and viscous oil. A unique natural convection was induced, with the combined effect of gravity, diffusion (mixing), and capillarity all contributing to the recovery of heavy oil. On the basis of the saturation method, boundary condition, and the Bond number, four different motion modes of mixing zone and interfaces of miscible fluids in the capillary tube were revealed and categorized to identify the degree of interface development (immiscible flooding). Also, the mixing zone, mass flux, and flow behavior were quantified using dimensionless parameters. The results indicate that priority may be given to a solvent with a high interfacial tension (IFT) for the solvent-based oil-recovery technique because of a strong imbibition and further enhancement of the dilution and displacement processes under conditions of a similar viscosity ratio. The data provided will be useful for the accuracy of modeling studies, especially for complex geologies where oil/solvent interaction is critically difficult to develop in order for mixing to occur.

Comparison of planetary bearing load-sharing characteristics in wind turbine gearboxes

Abstract. In this paper, the planetary load-sharing behavior and fatigue life of different wind turbine gearboxes when subjected to rotor moments are examined. Two planetary bearing designs are compared – one design using cylindrical roller bearings with clearance and the other design using preloaded tapered roller bearings to support both the carrier and planet gears. Each design was developed and integrated into a 750 kW dynamometer tests, the loads on each planet bearing row were measured and compared to finite-element models. Bearing loads were not equally shared between the set of cylindrical roller bearings supporting the planets even in pure torque conditions, with one bearing supporting up to 46 % more load than expected. A significant improvement in planetary bearing load sharing was demonstrated in the gearbox with preloaded tapered roller bearings with maximum loads 20 % lower than the gearbox with cylindrical roller bearings. Bearing life was calculated with a representative duty cycle measured from field tests. The predicted fatigue life of the eight combined planet and carrier bearings for the gearbox with preloaded tapered roller bearings is 3.5 times greater than for the gearbox with cylindrical roller bearings. The influence of other factors, such as carrier and planet bearing clearance, gravity, and tangential pin position error, is also investigated. The combined effect of gravity and carrier bearing clearance was primarily responsible for unequal load sharing. Reducing carrier bearing clearance significantly improved load sharing, while reducing planet clearance did not. Normal tangential pin position error did not impact load sharing due to the floating sun design of this three-planet gearbox.

The self-aligning behaviour of graphene nanosheets in the styrene butadiene rubber by controlling curing temperature

ABSTRACTThis paper presents a simple strategy that utilizes the regulation of curing temperature to control the orientation of the aligned graphene nanosheets (GNSs) in styrene butadiene rubber (SBR). GNSs would settle from the well-dispersed GNSs suspensions with the styrene butadiene latex (SBL) mixture under the field of gravity to form parallel-aligned GNSs composites with enough standing time at a lower curing temperature. The vertical-aligned GNSs composites were formed by the combined effect of gravity and steam inductive force within a higher curing temperature. The detail forming mechanisms were discussed in the investigation. The parallel-aligned GNSs/SBR composites demonstrated anisotropic conductivity between the parallel and the perpendicular directions. Along with parallel direction, a percolation threshold value of the GNSs was 0.13 wt%, and 0.58 S/cm and of electric conductivity was attained when the GNSs content was 3 wt%. Along with vertical direction, it the GNSs showed insulating property.

Unified equivalent frame method for post-tensioned flat plate slab structures

The post-tensioned (PT) flat plate slab system is commonly used in practice, and this simple and fast construction method is also considered to be a very efficient method because it can provide excellent deflection and crack control performance under a service load condition and consequently can be advantageous when applying to long-span structures. However, a detailed design guideline for evaluating the lateral behavior of the PT flat plate slab system is not available in current design codes. Thus, typical design methods used for conventional reinforced concrete (RC) flat plate slab structures have inevitably been adopted in practice for the lateral load design of PT flat plate structures. In the authors\' previous studies, the unified equivalent frame method (UEFM) was proposed, which considers the combined effect of gravity and lateral loads for the lateral behavior analysis of RC flat plate slab structures. The aim of this study is to extend the concept of the UEFM to the lateral analysis of PT flat plate slab structures. In addition, the stiffness reduction factors of torsional members on interior and exterior equivalent frames were newly introduced considering the effect of post-tensioning. Test results of various PT flat plate slab-column connection specimens were collected from literature, and compared to the analysis results estimated by the extended UEFM.

Dynamic modeling and response of a spur planetary gear system with journal bearings under gravity effects

This paper focuses on the modeling method and the gravity-induced dynamic response of a spur planetary gear system with journal bearings. The lumped-parameter model of a planetary gear system with journal bearings is established. Both contact on drive-side and back-side of the tooth are considered simultaneously. Linear and nonlinear bearing force models are introduced into the system model separately to take the planet bearing oil-film forces into account. A demonstration is given to show the adopted nonlinear oil-film force model is still valid for the lubrication of support for planet gears. Equilibrium positions of the planet gear are depicted under different input rotational speeds and input torques. Under gravity effect, system responses at different rotational speeds are calculated by employing Newmark integration; tooth wedging at ring-planet meshes is examined with different backlashes. The system responses are presented as vibration spectra, planet bearing forces, orbits of members, tooth forces, and the percentage of tooth wedging in one carrier cycle. The results show that the gravity effect dominates the response at low rotational speeds. The linear bearing force model is not valid in some cases. The fluctuation of the bearing force and the enlargement of the planet orbits are induced by gravity effect. Tooth wedging is the combined effect of gravity, centrifugal force, and planet bearing clearance.

Bi-convex aspheric optical lenses

Aspheric optical lenses are important for a variety of optical applications but are difficult to fabricate in conventional top-down processes. Here, we have presented a bottom-up approach involving controlled spreading of a thermally crosslinkable polymeric liquid dispensed on specially prepared substrates for making aspheric bi-convex lenses. In particular, the substrate is a solid film with a tiny hole drilled on it through which the liquid can flow in and out from the top to the bottom side of the substrate. In addition, the two surfaces of the substrate are made to have similar or different wettabilities so that the combined effect of gravity and surface wettability determines the distribution of the liquid between its two sides. The substrate is maintained at an elevated temperature, so that the liquid spreads on its surfaces but only to a limited extent because of rapid crosslinking at the vicinity of the moving front. This process leads to bi-convex, hyperboloids and prolate spheroids, which yield aberration free images with optical resolution that far exceeds that generated by conventional microscope objectives.

The effect of gravity on R410A condensing flow in horizontal circular tubes

ABSTRACTHeat transfer characteristics of R410A condensation in horizontal tubes with the inner diameter of 3.78 mm under normal and reduced gravity are investigated numerically. The results indicate that the heat transfer coefficients increase with increasing gravitational accelerations at a lower mass flux, whereas their differences under varying gravity are insignificant at a higher mass flux. The liquid film thickness decreases with increasing gravity at the top part of the tube, whereas the average liquid film thickness is nearly the same under different gravity accelerations at the same vapor quality and mass flux. The local heat transfer coefficients increase with increasing gravity at the top of the tube and decrease with increasing gravity at the bottom. The proportion of the thin liquid film region is important for the overall heat transfer coefficients for the condensing flow. A vortex with its core lying at the bottom of the tube is observed under normal gravity because of the combined effect of gravity and the mass sink at the liquid–vapor interface, whereas the stream traces point to the liquid–vapor interfaces under zero gravity. The mass transfer rate under zero gravity is much lower than that of normal gravity.

Simulation of size segregation in granular flow with material point method

Segregation is common in granular flows consisting of mixtures of particles differing in size or density. In gravity-driven flows, both gradients in total pressure (induced by gravity) and gradients in velocity fluctuation fields (often associated with shear rate gradients) work together to govern the evolution of segregation. Since the local shear rate and velocity fluctuations are dependent on the local concentration of the components, understanding the co-evolution of segregation and flow is critical for understanding and predicting flows where there can be a variety of particle sizes and densities, such as in nature and industry. Kinetic theory has proven to be a robust framework for predicting this simultaneous evolution but has a limit in its applicability to dense systems where collisions are highly correlated. In this paper, we introduce a model that captures the coevolution of these evolving dynamics for high density gravity driven granular mixtures. For the segregation dynamics we use a recently developed mixture theory (Fan & Hill 2011, New J. Phys; Hill & Tan 2014, J. Fluid Mech.) which captures the combined effects of gravity and fluctuation fields on segregation evolution in high density granular flows. For the mixture flow dynamics, we use a recently proposed viscous-elastic-plastic constitutive model, which can describe the multi-state behaviors of granular materials, i.e. the granular solid, granular liquid and granular gas mechanical states (Fei et al. 2016, Powder Technol.). The platform we use for implementing this model is a modified Material Point Method (MPM), and we use discrete element method simulations of gravity-driven flow in an inclined channel to demonstrate that this new MPM model can predict the final segregation distribution as well as flow velocity profile well. We then discuss ongoing work where we are using this platform to test the effectiveness of particular segregation models under different boundary conditions.

Hydrodynamic controls on muddy sedimentary-fabric development on the Southwest Louisiana subaqueous delta

This study examines the sedimentary products of current-wave-enhanced sediment gravity flows (CWESGFs) on the muddy Southwest Louisiana (SWLA) subaqueous delta where the combined effects of gravity, currents, and wave orbital velocity exert a strong control on sedimentary-fabric development, and contribute to development of a muddy inner-shelf clinothem. CWESGF microstratigraphy from the SWLA subaqueous delta displays an overall structure similar that is similar to the tripartite layering of WESGFs previously documented on the Eel Shelf, where wave-enhanced sediment gravity flow deposits were first described (basal crossbeds, intermediate planar interlaminations of clay and silt; topmost clay-rich drape). However, on the SWLA subaqueous delta, a shorter wave period appears to impart more rapid alternations in turbulent and laminar conditions than for the Eel shelf, reducing the prominence of the intermediate planar laminations that are thought to develop during laminar flow conditions only. A novel framework for relating the sedimentary products of CWESGFs to interacting unidirectional, wave-driven, and gravity-driven flow is used to place our results in a global context, with respect to other modern examples. This is an important contribution as it may provide insights into paleo-depositional conditions represented by sedimentary structures in ancient strata, and provide the basis for developing additional recognition criteria for CWESGFs, an important and diverse class of sediment gravity flows.

Motion of non-wetting drop in constricted geometry

This work is a contribution to the study of deformation of a non-wetting drop transported under the combined effect of gravity and permanent fluid motion in a vertical channel. The deformation being caused during passage of the drop through a constriction formed by two spherical obstacles placed opposite in a vertical channel. For this purpose a three-dimensional computation is conducted in order to illustrate the behavior of the drop in the condition of non-wettability. The flow based on Navier–Stokes equation is solved numerically with volume of fluid (VOF) method. The corresponding simulations are carried out in view to analyse the behavior of the drop when it is forced to move between the obstacles for different values gap size until the breakup is obtained.