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At least 253 records · Page 14

Semiclassical Study of the Wave Vector Dependence of the Interband Impact Ionization Rate in Bulk Silicon

We present calculations of the interband impact ionization rate calculated using a wave vector dependent (k-dependent) semiclassical formulation of the transition rate. The transition rate is determined using Fermi's golden rule from a two-body screened Coulomb interaction assuming energy and momentum conservation. The transition rate is calculated for the first two conduction bands of silicon by numerically integrating over the full Brillouin zone. The overlap integrals in the expression for the transition rate are determined numerically using a 15 band k-p calculation. It is found that the transition rate depends strongly on the initiating electron wave vector (k vector) and that the transition rate is greatest for electrons originating within the second conduction band than the first conduction band. An ensemble Monte Carlo simulation, which includes the numerically determined ionization transition rate as well as the full details of the first two conduction bands, is used to calculate the total impact ionization rate in bulk silicon. Good agreement with the experimentally determined electron ionization rate data is obtained.

Wang, Yang↗

The trajectory of a photon : general relativity light time delay

In this paper, a formula is developed for the total one-way transit time of a photon in the coordinate time of General Relativity. A bending term is identified that contributes about 10 ns to the transit time of a photon that grazes the Sun and is not generally included in other formula in the literature. The results are verified by performing numerical integration of the equations of motion for a photon. A numerical photon ephemeris is computed and compared with the analytic formula.

Tury, Slam G.↗

Convergent-tapered annular seals - Analysis and testing for rotordynamic coefficients

A combined analytical-computational method has been developed to calculate the pressure field and dynamic coefficients for tapered high-pressure annular seals. Completely developed turbulent flow is assumed in both the circumferential and axial directions, according to Hirs' (1973) bulk-flow turbulent-lubrication equations. In a numerical experiment with the method, a short bearing approximation is used to derive an analytical expression for the first-order (dynamic) pressure gradient. This expression is integrated numerically to define dynamic coefficients of the seal. Numerical results of the integration are compared with previous results for straight and tapered seals. It is found that direct stiffness and leakage coefficients increase in the present seal, while the remaining coefficients decrease. An optimal taper angle is shown to exist with respect to: (1) the direct stiffness and (2) the ratio of direct stiffness to leakage. On the basis of the optimal taper angle calculations, stiffness increases on the order of 40 to 50 percent are predicted. Experimental results for three taper angles are presented, and are found to be in good agreement with the theoretical predictions.

Childs, D. W.↗

Dynamic Beam Solutions for Real-Time Simulation and Control Development of Flexible Rockets

In this study, flexible rockets are structurally represented by linear beams. Both direct and indirect solutions of beam dynamic equations are sought to facilitate real-time simulation and control development for flexible rockets. The direct solution is completed by numerically integrate the beam structural dynamic equation using an explicit Newmark-based scheme, which allows for stable and fast transient solutions to the dynamics of flexile rockets. Furthermore, in the real-time operation, the bending strain of the beam is measured by fiber optical sensors (FOS) at intermittent locations along the span, while both angular velocity and translational acceleration are measured at a single point by the inertial measurement unit (IMU). Another study in this paper is to find the analytical and numerical solutions of the beam dynamics based on the limited measurement data to facilitate the real-time control development. Numerical studies demonstrate the accuracy of these real-time solutions to the beam dynamics. Such analytical and numerical solutions, when integrated with data processing and control algorithms and mechanisms, have the potential to increase launch availability by processing flight data into the flexible launch vehicle's control system.

flexible body dyanmics fiber optic strain sensor p↗

Numerical simulation of small-scale thermal convection in the atmosphere

A Boussinesq system is integrated numerically in three dimensions and time in a study of nonhydrostatic convection in the atmosphere. Simulation of cloud convection is achieved by the inclusion of parametrized effects of latent heat and small-scale turbulence. The results are compared with the cell structure observed in Rayleigh-Benard laboratory conversion experiments in air. At a Rayleigh number of 4000, the numerical model adequately simulates the experimentally observed evolution, including some prominent transients of a flow from a randomly perturbed initial conductive state into the final state of steady large-amplitude two-dimensional rolls. At Rayleigh number 9000, the model reproduces the experimentally observed unsteady equilibrium of vertically coherent oscillatory waves superimposed on rolls.

Somerville, R. C. J.↗

Large eddy simulation of incompressible turbulent channel flow

The three-dimensional, time-dependent primitive equations of motion were numerically integrated for the case of turbulent channel flow. A partially implicit numerical method was developed. An important feature of this scheme is that the equation of continuity is solved directly. The residual field motions were simulated through an eddy viscosity model, while the large-scale field was obtained directly from the solution of the governing equations. An important portion of the initial velocity field was obtained from the solution of the linearized Navier-Stokes equations. The pseudospectral method was used for numerical differentiation in the horizontal directions, and second-order finite-difference schemes were used in the direction normal to the walls. The large eddy simulation technique is capable of reproducing some of the important features of wall-bounded turbulent flows. The resolvable portions of the root-mean square wall pressure fluctuations, pressure velocity-gradient correlations, and velocity pressure-gradient correlations are documented.

Moin, P.↗

A test of a vortex method for the computation of flap side edge noise

Upon approach to landing, a major source location of airframe noise occurs at the side edges of the part span, trailing edge flaps. In the vicinity of these flaps, a complex arrangement of spanwise flow with primary and secondary tip vortices may form. Each of these vortices is observed to become fully three-dimensional. In the present study, a numerical model is developed to investigate the noise radiated from the side edge of a flap. The inherent three-dimensionality of this flow forces us to carefully consider a numerical scheme which will be both accurate in its prediction of the flow acoustics and also computationally efficient. Vortex methods have offered a fast and efficient means of simulating many two and three-dimensional, vortex dominated flows. In vortex methods, the time development of the flow is tracked by following exclusively the vorticity containing regions. Through the Biot-Savart law, knowledge of the vorticity field enables one to obtain flow quantities at any desired location during the flow evolution. In the present study, a numerical procedure has been developed which incorporates the Lagrangian approach of vortex methods into a calculation for the noise radiated by a flow-surface interaction. In particular, the noise generated by a vortex in the presence of a flat half plane is considered. This problem serves as a basic model of flap edge flow. It also permits the direct comparison between our computed results and previous acoustic analyses performed for this problem. In our numerical simulations, the mean flow is represented by the complex potential W(z) = Aiz(exp l/2), which is obtained through conformal mapping techniques. The magnitude of the mean flow is controlled by the parameter A. This mean flow has been used in the acoustic analysis by Hardin and is considered a reasonable model of the flow field in the vicinity of the edge and away from the leading and trailing edges of the flap. To represent the primary vortex which occurs near the flap, a point vortex is introduced just below the flat half plane. Using a technique from panel methods, boundary conditions on the flap surface are satisfied by the introduction of a row of stationary point vortices along the extent of the flap. At each time step in the calculation, the strength of these vortices is chosen to eliminate the normal velocity at intermediary collocation points. The time development of the overall flow field is then tracked using standard techniques from vortex methods. Vortex trajectories obtained through this computation are in good agreement with those predicted by the analytical solution given by Hardin, thus verifying the viability of this procedure for more complex flow arrangements. For the flow acoustics, the Ffowcs Williams-Hawkings equation is numerically integrated. This equation supplies the far field acoustic pressure based upon pressures occurring along the flap surface. With our vortex method solution, surface pressures may be obtained with exceptional resolution. The Ffowcs Williams-Hawkings equation is integrated using a spatially fourth order accurate Simpson's rule. Rational function interpolation is used to obtain the surface pressures at the appropriate retarded times. Comparisons between our numerical results for the acoustic pressure and those predicted by the Hardin analysis have been made. Preliminary results indicate the need for an improved integration technique. In the future, the numerical procedure developed in this study will be applied to the case of a rectangular flap of finite thickness and ultimately modified for application to the fully three-dimensional problem.

Martin, James E.↗

A method for integrating the boundary-layer equations through a region of reverse flow.

Development of a procedure for numerically integrating the boundary-layer equations through a region of reverse flow which takes downstream influence into account. This method is applied to the problem of uniform flow past a parallel flat plate of finite length whose surface has a constant velocity directed opposite to that of the main stream. Although singularities occur at both the point of detachment (x sub s) and reattachment (x sub r) of the psi = 0 streamline, this integration technique provides a solution which ceases to apply only in the close proximity of these singular points. From this solution it is evident that, throughout a large portion of the separated region, the flow is strongly affected by conditions near x sub r, thereby demonstrating the importance of allowing information to be transmitted upstream in a region of backflow. Near x sub s, however, it is found that, in spite of the presence of reverse flow, the solution has a self-similar form in this particular example.

Klemp, J. B.↗

Error propagation in the numerical solutions of the differential equations of orbital mechanics

The relationship between the eigenvalues of the linearized differential equations of orbital mechanics and the stability characteristics of numerical methods is presented. It is shown that the Cowell, Encke, and Encke formulation with an independent variable related to the eccentric anomaly all have a real positive eigenvalue when linearized about the initial conditions. The real positive eigenvalue causes an amplification of the error of the solution when used in conjunction with a numerical integration method. In contrast an element formulation has zero eigenvalues and is numerically stable.

Bond, V. R.↗

Nonstandard Finite Difference Schemes: Relations Between Time and Space Step-Sizes in Numerical Schemes for PDE's That Follow from Positivity Condition

A large class of physical phenomena can be modeled by evolution and wave type Partial Differential Equations (PDE). Few of these equations have known explicit exact solutions. Finite-difference techniques are a popular method for constructing discrete representations of these equations for the purpose of numerical integration. However, the solutions to the difference equations often contain so called numerical instabilities; these are solutions to the difference equations that do not correspond to any solution of the PDE's. For explicit schemes, the elimination of this behavior requires functional relations to exist between the time and space steps-sizes. We show that such functional relations can be obtained for certain PDE's by use of a positivity condition. The PDE's studied are the Burgers, Fisher, and linearized Euler equations.

Mickens, Ronald E.↗

Hybrid methods for rotordynamic analysis

Effective procedures are presented for the response analysis of the Space Shuttle Main Engine turbopumps under transient loading conditions. Of particular concern is the determination of the nonlinear response of the systems to rotor imbalance in presence of bearing clearances. The proposed procedures take advantage of the nonlinearities involved being localized at only a few rotor/housing coupling joints. The methods include those based on integral formulations for the incremental solutions involving the transition matrices of the rotor and housing. Alternatively, a convolutional representation of the housing displacements at the coupling points is proposed which would allow performing the transient analysis on a reduced model of the housing. The integral approach is applied to small dynamical models to demonstrate the efficiency of the approach. For purposes of assessing the numerical integration results for the nonlinear rotor/housing systems, a numerical harmonic balance procedure is developed to enable determining all possible harmonic, subharmonic, and nonperiodic solutions of the systems. A brief account of the Fourier approach is presented as applied to a two degree of freedon rotor-support system.

Noah, Sherif T.↗

A new second-order integration algorithm for simulating mechanical dynamic systems

A new integration algorithm which has the simplicity of Euler integration but exhibits second-order accuracy is described. In fixed-step numerical integration of differential equations for mechanical dynamic systems the method represents displacement and acceleration variables at integer step times and velocity variables at half-integer step times. Asymptotic accuracy of the algorithm is twice that of trapezoidal integration and ten times that of second-order Adams-Bashforth integration. The algorithm is also compatible with real-time inputs when used for a real-time simulation. It can be used to produce simulation outputs at double the integration frame rate, i.e., at both half-integer and integer frame times, even though it requires only one evaluation of state-variable derivatives per integration step. The new algorithm is shown to be especially effective in the simulation of lightly-damped structural modes. Both time-domain and frequency-domain accuracy comparisons with traditional integration methods are presented. Stability of the new algorithm is also examined.

Howe, R. M.↗

Exponential-fitted methods for integrating stiff systems of ordinary differential equations: Applications to homogeneous gas-phase chemical kinetics

Conventional algorithms for the numerical integration of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) are based on the use of polynomial functions as interpolants. However, the exact solutions of stiff ODEs behave like decaying exponential functions, which are poorly approximated by polynomials. An obvious choice of interpolant are the exponential functions themselves, or their low-order diagonal Pade (rational function) approximants. A number of explicit, A-stable, integration algorithms were derived from the use of a three-parameter exponential function as interpolant, and their relationship to low-order, polynomial-based and rational-function-based implicit and explicit methods were shown by examining their low-order diagonal Pade approximants. A robust implicit formula was derived by exponential fitting the trapezoidal rule. Application of these algorithms to integration of the ODEs governing homogenous, gas-phase chemical kinetics was demonstrated in a developmental code CREK1D, which compares favorably with the Gear-Hindmarsh code LSODE in spite of the use of a primitive stepsize control strategy.

Pratt, D. T.↗

Development of MLPG and LBIE Methods for Nonlinear Problems of Fracture

The truly meshless local Petrov-Galerkin (MLPG) method holds a great promise in solving boundary value problems, using a local symmetric weak form as a natural approach. In the present paper, in the context of MLPG and the meshless interpolation of a moving least squares (MLS) type, a method which uses primary and secondary nodes in the domain and on the global boundary is introduced, in order to improve the accuracy of solution. The secondary nodes can be placed at any location where one needs to obtain a better resolution. The sub-domains for the shape functions in the MLS approximation are defined only from the primary nodes, and the secondary nodes use the same sub-domains. The shape functions based on the MLS approximation, in an integration domain, have a single type of a rational function, which reduces the difficulty of numerical integration to evaluate the weak form. The present method is very useful in an adaptive calculation, because the secondary nodes can be easily added and/or moved without an additional mesh. The essential boundary conditions can be imposed exactly, and non-convex boundaries can be treated without special techniques. Several numerical examples are presented to illustrate the performance of the present method.

Atluri, Satya N.↗

Boundary element method for 3-D cracks in a plate

Fundamental solutions which automatically satisfy boundary conditions at the interfaces of an elastic plate perfectly bonded to two elastic halfspaces are implemented in a three-dimensional BEM for crack problems. The BEM features a new integration scheme for highly singular kernels. The capability is achieved through a part analytic and part numerical integration procedure, such that the analytic part of the integration is similar for all slip/opening variations. Part-through elliptic cracks in an elastic plate with traction-free surfaces are analyzed and the SIF values along the crack front are found to compare favorably with the numerical SIF results of Raju and Newman (1979).

Fares, N.↗

Central Compact Finite‐Difference Scheme With High Spectral Resolution for KdV Equation

This work presents a combination of cell‐node and cell‐centered compact finite difference scheme for the approximation of third derivatives involved in Korteweg–de Vries (KdV) equations. This approach employs a half‐shifted derivative construction at cell centers, avoiding the need for compact interpolation, thereby removing transfer errors; hence, it improves spectral resolution and maintains high‐order accuracy. Fourier analysis is performed to show the spectral properties of the proposed formulation, which provides higher spectral resolutions as compared to node‐based compact schemes. A filtering strategy is incorporated to suppress high‐frequency oscillations without compromising the accuracy of the numerical scheme, and the total variation diminishing Runge Kutta (TVDRK3) method is applied for time integration. Numerical experiments on linear, nonlinear, and coupled KdV systems are conducted, and a comparative analysis with cell‐node compact schemes confirms that the proposed scheme consistently reduces errors by up to an order of magnitude and achieves high spectral resolution properties.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

A note on relative motion in the general three-body problem.

It is shown that the equations of the general three-body problem take on a very symmetric form when one considers only their relative positions, rather than position vectors relative to some given coordinate system. From these equations one quickly surmises some well known classical properties of the three-body problem, such as the first integrals and the equilateral triangle solutions. Some new Lagrangians with relative coordinates are also obtained. Numerical integration of the new equations of motion is about 10% faster than with barycentric or heliocentric coordinates.

Broucke, R.↗