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At least 1,747 records · Page 97

Multi-airfoil Navier-Stokes simulations of turbine rotor-stator interaction

An accurate numerical analysis of the flows associated with rotor-stator configurations in turbomachinery can be extremely helpful in optimizing the performance of turbomachinery. In this study the unsteady, thin-layer, Navier-Stokes equations in two spatial dimensions are solved on a system of patched and overlaid grids for a rotor-stator configuration from an axial turbine. The governing equations are solved using a finite-difference, upwind algorithm that is set in an iterative, implicit framework. Results in the form of pressure contours, time-averaged pressures, unsteady pressure amplitudes and phase are presented. The numerical results are compared with experimental data and the agreement is found to be good. The results are also compared with those of an earlier study which used only one rotor and one stator. The current study uses multiple rotors and stators and a pitch ratio that is much closer to the experimental ratio. Consequently the results of this study are found to be closer to the experimental data.

Rai, Man Mohan↗

Topographically induced internal solitary waves in a pycnocline: Ultrasonic probes and stereo-correlation measurements

Internal solitary waves (ISWs) are large amplitude stable waves propagating in regions of high density gradients such as the ocean pycnocline. Their dynamics has often been investigated in two-dimensional approaches, however, their three-dimensional evolution is still poorly known. Experiments have been conducted in the large stratified water tank of CNRM-GAME to study the generation of ISWs in two academic configurations inspired by oceanic regimes. First, ultrasonic probes are used to measure the interfacial displacement in the two configurations. In the primary generation case for which the two layers are of constant density, the generation of ISWs is investigated in two series of experiments with varying amplitude and forcing frequency. In the secondary generation case for which the lower layer is stratified, the generation of ISWs from the impact of an internal wave beam on the pycnocline and their subsequent dynamics is studied. The dynamics of ISWs in these two regimes accords well with analytical approaches and numerical simulations performed in analogous configurations. Then, recent developments of a stereo correlation technique are used to describe the three-dimensional structure of propagating ISWs. In the primary generation configuration, small transverse effects are observed in the course of the ISW propagation. In the secondary generation configuration, larger transverse structures are observed in the interfacial waves dynamics. The interaction between interfacial troughs and internal waves propagating in the lower stratified layer are a possible cause for the generation of these structures. The magnitude of these transverse structures is quantified with a nondimensional parameter in the two configurations. They are twice as large in the secondary generation case as in the primary generation case.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Gibbs states on random configurations

Gibbs states of a spin system with the single-spin space S=R{sup m} and unbounded pair interactions are studied. The spins are attached to the points of a realization γ of a random point process in R{sup n}. Under certain conditions on the model parameters we prove that, for almost all γ, the set G(S{sup γ}) of all Gibbs states is nonempty and its elements have support properties, explicitly described in the paper. We also show the existence of measurable selections γ→ν{sub γ}ϵG(S{sup γ}) (random Gibbs measures) and derive the corresponding averaged moment estimates.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Optimum design of geodesically stiffened composite plates

With the goal of tailorability in mind, the in-plane stiffness characteristics of a particular grid stiffened plate configuration under axial and shear loads have been studied. The contribution of the skin to the stiffener network and the resultant skin/rib interaction is analyzed. For the given plate geometry and loads, it is shown that an optimum configuration does exist. To achieve optimally designed practical plate configurations, buckling constraints need to be included in the design. Due to the complex geometry and loading of the plates, a simplified local buckling analysis of isolated stiffeners and triangular skin elements between the stiffeners is considered. Development of a stiffener buckling analysis represent stiffeners as shear deformable plate elements is presented.

Guerdal, Zafer↗

Mode interaction in stiffened composite shells under combined mechanical and thermal loadings

Stiffened shells of various configurations fabricated out of composite materials find extensive applications in aircraft structures. Two distinctive modes of buckling dominate structural response of stiffened panels, viz. the short-wave local mode in which the shell skin buckles essentially between the stiffeners and the long-wave overall mode in which the shell skin buckles carrying the stiffeners with it. In optimized designs, the critical stresses corresponding to these modes of buckling would be close to each other. This leads to a nonlinear mode interaction which is recognized to be the principal cause of the failure of stiffened structures. If the structure is subjected to through-the-thickness thermal gradients, then large-wave bending effects would begin to occur well below the overall critical load and these would play the role of overall imperfections. The load carrying capacity would be significantly diminished as a result of interaction of local buckling with overall thermal distortions. The analysis of this problem using standard finite element techniques can be shown to be prohibitively expensive for design iterations. A concept which would greatly facilitate the analysis of mode interaction is advanced. We note that the local buckling occurs in a more or less periodic pattern in a structure having regular spacings of stiffeners. Thus it is a relatively simple matter to analyze the local buckling and the second order effects (which are essential for modeling postbuckling phenomena) using a unit cell of the structure. Once analyzed, these dormations are embedded in a shell element. Thus, a shell element could span several half-waves of local buckling and still be able to depict local buckling effects with requisite accuracy. A major consequence of the interaction of overall buckling/bending is the slow variation of the local buckling amplitude across the structure - the phenomenon of 'amplitude modulation' - and this is accounted for in the present model by letting the scaling parameter of the local mode vary according to a 'slowly varying' function. The construction of the analytical model involves essentially two stages and these are described briefly.

Sridharan, Srinivasan↗

Tidal dissipation and obliquity evolution in hot Jupiter systems

Two formation scenarios have been proposed to explain the tight orbits of hot Jupiters. They could be formed in orbits with a small inclination (with respect to the stellar spin) via disk migration, or in more highly inclined orbits via high-eccentricity migration, where gravitational interactions with a companion and tidal dissipation are at play. Here we target hot Jupiter systems where the misalignment λ has been inferred observationally and we investigate whether their properties are consistent with high-eccentricity migration. Specifically, we study whether stellar tides can be responsible for the observed distribution of λ and orbital separations. Improving on previous studies, we use detailed models for each star, thus accounting for how convection (and tidal dissipation) depends on stellar properties. In line with observations suggesting that hotter stars have higher λ, we find that λ increases as the amount of stellar surface convection decreases. This trend supports the hypothesis that tides are the mechanism shaping the observed distribution of λ. Furthermore, we study the past orbital evolution of five representative systems, chosen to cover a variety of temperatures and misalignments. We consider various initial orbital configurations and integrate the equations describing the coupled evolution of the orbital separation, stellar spin, and misalignment. We account for stellar tides and wind mass loss, stellar evolution, and magnetic braking. We show that the current properties of these five representative systems can be explained naturally, given our current understanding of tidal dissipation and with physically motivated assumptions for the effects driving the orbital evolution.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Monolithic active pixel radiation detector with shielding techniques

A monolithic active pixel radiation detector including a method of fabricating thereof. The disclosed radiation detector can include a substrate comprising a silicon layer upon which electronics are configured. A plurality of channels can be formed on the silicon layer, wherein the plurality of channels are connected to sources of signals located in a bulk part of the substrate, and wherein the signals flow through electrically conducting vias established in an isolation oxide on the substrate. One or more nested wells can be configured from the substrate, wherein the nested wells assist in collecting charge carriers released in interaction with radiation and wherein the nested wells further separate the electronics from the sensing portion of the detector substrate. The detector can also be configured according to a thick SOA method of fabrication.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Monolithic active pixel radiation detector with shielding techniques

A monolithic active pixel radiation detector including a method of fabricating thereof. The disclosed radiation detector can include a substrate comprising a silicon layer upon which electronics are configured. A plurality of channels can be formed on the silicon layer, wherein the plurality of channels are connected to sources of signals located in a bulk part of the substrate, and wherein the signals flow through electrically conducting vias established in an isolation oxide on the substrate. One or more nested wells can be configured from the substrate, wherein the nested wells assist in collecting charge carriers released in interaction with radiation and wherein the nested wells further separate the electronics from the sensing portion of the detector substrate. The detector can also be configured according to a thick SOA method of fabrication.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Magnetic field studies at Jupiter by Voyager 1 - Preliminary results

Results obtained by the Goddard Space Flight Center magnetometers on Voyager 1 are described. These results concern the large-scale configuration of the Jovian bow shock and magnetopause, and the magnetic field in both the inner and outer magnetosphere. There is evidence that a magnetic tail extending away from the planet on the nightside is formed by the solar wind-Jovian field interaction. This is much like earth's magnetosphere but is a new configuration for Jupiter's magnetosphere not previously considered from earlier Pioneer data. The analysis and interpretation of magnetic field perturbations associated with intense electrical currents (approximately 5 million amperes) flowing near or in the magnetic flux tube linking Jupiter with the satellite Io and induced by the relative motion between Io and the corotating Jovian magnetosphere are reported. These currents may be an important source of heating the ionosphere and interior of Io through Joule dissipation.

Ness, N. F.↗

Visible signatures of the multi-step transition to a beam-plasma-dicharge

Observations are presented of the beam-plasma-discharge (BPD) at pressures below 4 x 10 to the -6th Torr, which show that there are three abrupt transitions in the beam-plasma interactions. The low-current A1 state (the basic beam with its noded configuration), is dominated by direct collisional ionization of the background gas. In the A2 state (the noded beam surounded by a weak halo), the ionization is supplemented by another mechanism which perhaps involves cyclotron interactions. The B and C states are distinctly separate forms of the BPD which involve a convective redistribution of beam energy as indicated by the changes in the beam nodes. The B and C states are also found to involve enhancements of between 20-100 in the power dissipation by ionization. Thus, in a 20 m pathlength, it is found that approximately 1-4 percent of the beam power is dissipated by the ionization associated with the BPD.

Hallinan, T. J.↗

A van der Waals Inclusive Density Functional Theory Study of the Nature of Bonding for Thiophene Adsorption on Ni(100) and Cu(100) Surfaces

We report the results of the first-principles density functional theory calculations for the adsorption of thiophene (C 4 H 4 S) on Cu(100) and Ni(100) surfaces. The adsorption properties on these surfaces are evaluated for several adsorption configurations, and the calculations are performed with the inclusion of van der Waals (vdW) interactions invoking the optimized vdW (optB86b-vdW, optB88-vdW, and optPBE-vdW) as well as revPBE-vdW and rPW86-vdW2 functionals. In agreement with the earlier reports, on both surfaces, the most stable adsorption configurations correspond to the hollow-45 at which the thiophene adsorbs parallel to the surface. For the adsorption on Ni(100), in agreement with the experimental observations, we confirm that thiophene spontaneously ruptures via breaking of a C–S bond when the center of the molecule is placed over a bridge site. On the basis of both the bond distribution and charge transfer analysis, we conclude that the rupturing of thiophene observed at the bridge-45 configuration on Ni(100) may result from large charge transfer from the surface. The analyses of the electronic and geometric structures and charge transfer reveal that the interaction of the thiophene molecule with Ni(100) is much stronger than that of the Cu(100) surface. Upon adsorption of the molecule, for the former surface, we observed much larger charge transfer, non-negligible changes in the positions of the surface atoms, and appreciable electronic structure changes (i.e., in the center and width of the d-band). The adsorption of thiophene on Ni(100) also leads to the decrease in the magnetic moment of the surface Ni atoms particularly those in the vicinity of the adsorbed molecule. All these observations considered, we conclude that the nature of bonding on Ni(100) can be classified as strong chemisorption, while on Cu(100) it can be classified between weak and strong physisorption depending on the vdW functional used.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Side readout of long scintillation crystal elements with digital SiPM for TOF-DOI PET

Purpose: Side readout of scintillation light from crystal elements in positron emission tomography (PET) is an alternative to conventional end-readout configurations, with the benefit of being able to provide accurate depth-of-interaction (DOI) information and good energy resolution while achieving excellent timing resolution required for time-of-flight PET. This paper explores different readout geometries of scintillation crystal elements with the goal of achieving a detector that simultaneously achieves excellent timing resolution, energy resolution, spatial resolution, and photon sensitivity. Methods: The performance of discrete LYSO scintillation elements of different lengths read out from the end/side with digital silicon photomultipliers (dSiPMs) has been assessed. Results: Compared to 3 × 3 × 20 mm{sup 3} LYSO crystals read out from their ends with a coincidence resolving time (CRT) of 162 ± 6 ps FWHM and saturated energy spectra, a side-readout configuration achieved an excellent CRT of 144 ± 2 ps FWHM after correcting for timing skews within the dSiPM and an energy resolution of 11.8% ± 0.2% without requiring energy saturation correction. Using a maximum likelihood estimation method on individual dSiPM pixel response that corresponds to different 511 keV photon interaction positions, the DOI resolution of this 3 × 3 × 20 mm{sup 3} crystal side-readout configuration was computed to be 0.8 mm FWHM with negligible artifacts at the crystal ends. On the other hand, with smaller 3 × 3 × 5 mm{sup 3} LYSO crystals that can also be tiled/stacked to provide DOI information, a timing resolution of 134 ± 6 ps was attained but produced highly saturated energy spectra. Conclusions: The energy, timing, and DOI resolution information extracted from the side of long scintillation crystal elements coupled to dSiPM have been acquired for the first time. The authors conclude in this proof of concept study that such detector configuration has the potential to enable outstanding detector performance in terms of timing, energy, and DOI resolution.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Study of noise on a small-scale hovering tilt rotor

A study of the noise from a small-scale, semi-span test of a hovering tilt rotor is presented. The effect on noise of the tilt rotor fountain and of several tilt rotor configuration changes is examined. Measurments were made of an isolated rotor; rotor and wing; rotor and image plane; and rotor, wing and image plane. This last configuration models a tilt rotor. With a tilt rotor, the wing turns some of the rotor downwash inboard. When the flows meet, some of the flow is forced upward creating a fountain. Some of the fountain is ingested into the rotor disc. Rotor fountain interactions produce very unsteady impulsive noise to the rear of the aircraft. Configuration changes to investigate download reduction included increasing the rotor/wing separation, deflecting the flap, adding the nacelle, adding vortex trapping plates and blowing on the upper surface. These configuration changes produced little or no effect on the noise, although they changed the net download. Increasing the wing span, however, reduced the annoying content of this impulse noise about 2dB.

Mosher, Marianne↗

INGRID: An interactive grid generator for 2D edge plasma modeling

A fusion boundary-plasma domain is defined by axisymmetric magnetic surfaces where the geometry is often complicated by the presence of one or more X-points; and modeling boundary plasmas usually relies on computational grids that account for the magnetic field geometry. The new grid generator INGRID (Interactive Grid Generator) presented here is a Python-based code for calculating grids for fusion boundary plasma modeling, for a variety of configurations with one or two X-points in the domain. INGRID first performs partitioning over the domain consisting of a small number of patches conforming to the magnetic field and wall geometry; then it generates a subgrid on each of the patches and joins them into a global grid. This domain partitioning strategy makes possible a uniform treatment of various configurations with one or two X-points in the domain. This includes single-null, double-null, and other configurations with two X-points in the domain. The INGRID design allows generating grids either interactively, via a parameterfile driven GUI, or using a non-interactive script-controlled workflow. Results of testing demonstrate that INGRID is a flexible, robust, and user-friendly grid-generation tool for fusion boundary-plasma modeling.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Structured ground states of randomly interacting bosons

Bosonic degrees of freedom and their emergence as part of complex quantum many-body dynamics, symmetries, collective behavior, clustering, and phase transitions play an important role in modern studies of quantum systems. In this paper, we present a systematic study of many-boson systems governed by random interactions. Our findings show that ground states of randomly interacting bosons are not random, being dominated by a few collective configurations containing condensates of clusters.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Magnetic field studies at Jupiter by Voyager 1: Preliminary results

Results obtained by the Goddard Space Flight Center magnetometers on Voyager 1 concerning the large scale configuration of the Jovian bow shock and magnetopause, and the magnetic field in both the inner and outer magnetosphere are highlighted. There is evidence that a magnetic tail extending away from the planet on the nightside is formed by the solar wind-Jovian field interaction. This is much like Earth's magnetosphere but is a new configuration for Jupiter's magnetosphere not previously considered from earlier Pioneer data. Magnetic field perturbations associated with intense electrical currents (approximately 5 x 10 to the 6th power amps) flowing near or in the magnetic flux tube linking Jupiter with the satellite Io and induced by the relative motion between Io and the co-rotating Jovian magnetosphere are analyzed and interpreted. These currents may be an important source of heating the ionosphere and interior of Io through Joule dissipation.

Ness, N. F.↗

A kinematical/numerical analysis of rotor-stator interaction noise

In this study, the unsteady, thin-layer Navier-Stokes equations are solved using a system of patched grids for a rotor-stator configuration of an axial turbine. The study examines the plurality of spinning modes that are present in such an interaction. The propagation of these modes is analyzed and appropriate grid spacing chosen in the far upstream and downstream regions to attenuate reflections from the computational boundaries. In addition, radiating boundary conditions are implemented based on the farfield acoustical behavior of the flow field. Results in the form of pressure amplitudes and the spectra of turbine tones are presented. Numerical results and experimental data are compared wherever possible. The numerical results are also shown to conform with the predictions of a kinematical analysis of the flowfield.

Rangwalla, Akil A.↗

Designing strong and tunable magnetoelectric coupling in 2D trilayer heterostructures

Abstract The quest for electric-field control of nanoscale magnetic states such as skyrmions, which would impact the field of spintronics, has led to a challenging search for multiferroic materials or structures with strong magnetoelectric coupling and efficient electric-field control. Here we report a theoretical prediction that such phenomena can be realized in two-dimensional (2D) bilayer FE/PMM and trilayer FE/PMM/FE heterostructures (two-terminal and three-terminal devices), where FE is a 2D ferroelectric and PMM is a polar magnetic metal with strong spin–orbit coupling. Such a PMM has strong Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions (DMI) that can generate skyrmions, while the FE can generate strong magnetoelectric coupling through polarization-polarization interactions. In trilayer heterostructures, contact to the metallic PMM layer enables multiple polarization configurations for electric-field control of skyrmions. We report density-functional-theory calculations for particular material choices that demonstrate the effectiveness of these arrangements, with the key driver being the polarization-polarization interactions between the PMM and FE layers. The present findings provide a method to achieve strong magnetoelectric coupling in the 2D limit and a new perspective for the design of related spintronics.

Materials Science↗