Numerical Study of Finite Element Method Based Solutions for Propagation of Wetting Fronts in Unsaturated Soil

The accurate prediction of the propagation of a wetting front in an unsaturated soil subjected to surficial infiltration is of practical importance to many geotechnical and geoenvironmental problems. The finite element method is the most common solution technique as the hydraulic soil properties are highly nonlinear. Two important issues are often found to create difficulties in such analyses. First, numerical oscillations are usually observed in the calculated pore pressures at the wetting front. Second, when a reasonable mesh size and time step are used, the elevation of the wetting front may be seriously overpredicted. This paper is focused on the second issue. The under-relaxation (UR) technique used in the iterative process within each time step is found to have a serious impact on rate of convergence with refinement in mesh size and time step. Two different techniques are typically used; the first evaluates the hydraulic conductivity using an average of heads calculated from the preceding time node and the most recent iteration of the current time node (UR1), and the second evaluates the hydraulic conductivity using the average of heads calculated from the two most recent iterations of the current time nodes (UR2). The study shows that UR1, which is adopted in programs such as SEEP/W, ensures that the solution converges rapidly to a stable solution within a time step, but may converge to the wrong wetting front at a given elapsed time unless a sufficiently refined mesh is used. UR2 converges much more slowly within a time step, but the error in the wetting front is smaller than that generated by UR1.     

AutoCAD 下非结构网格自动生成

在AutoCAD环境下，从背景网格生成和数据结构两方面对推进阵面法进行修正。采用修理后的方法，使得在流场、泥沙输移和床面冲淤数值计算的前处理过程中无须精心预设内部控制点而只需给边界一个尺度，就能自动生成适应任意复杂边界的非结构网格，从而提高网格生成、优化的效率和通用性。     

Response level crossing rate of a linear system excited by a partially specified Gaussian load process

The problem of determining the maximum mean response level crossing rate of a linear system driven by a partially specified Gaussian load process has been considered. The partial specification of the load is given only in terms of its total average energy. The critical input power spectral (PSD) function, which maximizes the mean response level crossing rate, is obtained. The critical input PSD turns out to be highly narrow-banded which fails to capture the erratic nature of the excitation. Consequently, the trade-off curve between the maximum mean response level crossing rate and the maximum disorder in the input process, quantified in terms of its entropy rate, has been generated. The method of Pareto optimization is used to tackle the conflicting objectives of the simultaneous maximization of the mean response level crossing rate and the input entropy rate. The non-linear multi-objective optimization has been carried out using a recently developed multi-criteria genetic algorithm scheme. Illustrative example of determining the critical input of an axially vibrating rod, excited by a partially specified stationary Gaussian load process, has been considered.     

Geometric features of the flame propagation process for an SI engine having dual‐ignition system

Flame front surface area and enflamed volume (the volume enclosed with flame front) is theoretically analysed for a spark‐ignition engine, having cylindrical disc‐shaped combustion chamber with two spark plugs located axisymmetrically on cylinder head, between cylinder axis and cylinder wall. Spherical flame front assumption is used. A computer code is developed based on purely geometric consideration of the flame development process in combustion chamber, and is used to investigate the effects of variations of spark plugs' locations on geometric features of the flame front. A comparison has also been made with a spark‐ignition engine having one spark plug at the same location. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Finite Element Analysis of a Moving Boundary Value Problem

A finite element formulation and the solution of a set of nonlinear coupled heat and mass transfer equations for a two-phase system with a moving evaporation interface is presented. The interface condition takes into account the moisture transfer balance at the moving boundary. The finite element results were compared with existing results for a single phase system for model validation. In the two-phase system, the movement of evaporation front has an appreciable effect on the temperature and moisture distribution inside the porous medium during drying. The effect of the nondimensional heat of vapourization parameter γ on the evaporation front, temperature and moisture distribution in porous medium was studied. The higher the value of γ, the slower is the movement of the evaporation front. The temperature decreased and the moisture content increased as the nondimensional vapourization parameter γ increased. This model has potential applications in studying the heat and mass transfer characteristics in food and biomaterials.     

Evaluation of Textile Bobbins Drying Processes: Experimental and Modelling Studies

Drying of textile bobbins was carried out on two kinds of laboratory-scale dryers: in a cross circulation drying rig, atmospheric pressure heating air is used, while in the through circulation drying apparatus, the heating air is pressurized before the drying process takes place. In both cases, a bobbin was fitted with seven thermocouples, placed in a plane normal to the bobbin axis but at different radial distances, in order to provide temperature data during the drying process. In cross circulation drying, plots of temperature against time indicated the presence of two moving fronts, one starting from inside the bobbin, another from the outside, while in through circulation drying, similar plots showed the presence of an evaporation front, moving from inside the bobbin to the outside. In both canes, numerical models were developed to simulate the drying processes.     

律师统战工作初探

律师的思想政治特征状态及发展趋势，关系到律师行业的健康发展，影响着改革开放和社会经济发展的大局，左右着建设社会主义法治国家的进程。对此进行认真分析是做好律师统战工作的基础和前提。通过从思想观念、政治态度、道德认识、价值取向等层面分析了律师的现状和特征，揭示了团结、帮助、教育、引导律师对做好律师的统战工作的重要意义。     

Determination of gas dispersion in vapor extraction of heavy oil and bitumen

In this work, a mathematical model is developed and simulated to determine gas dispersion along with solubility during the vapor extraction (Vapex) of live oil from a laboratory scale physical model. The physical model is a rectangular block of homogenous porous medium saturated with heavy oil and bitumen. At a given temperature and pressure, the block is initially exposed on its side to a solvent gas, which diffuses into the medium and gets absorbed. The absorption of gas reduces the viscosity of heavy oil and bitumen causing it to drain under gravity. The low-viscosity “live oil” is produced at the bottom of the porous block. The production of live oil with time is accompanied by the shrinkage of oil in the block as well as its increased exposure to gas from top. These phenomena of Vapex are described by the mathematical model, which is used to calculate live oil production with various values of gas solubility and dispersion. Their optimal values are determined for the vapor extraction of Cold Lake bitumen with butane by matching calculated live oil production with its experimental values published earlier.     

Computations of Explosive Boiling in Microgravity

Dynamics of the explosive growth of a vapor bubble in microgravity is investigated by direct numerical simulation. A front tracking/finite difference technique is used to solve for the velocity and the temperature field in both phases and to account for inertia, viscosity, and surface deformation. The method is validated by comparison of the numerical results with the available analytical formulations such as the evaporation of a one-dimensional liquid/vapor interface, frequency of oscillations of capillary waves, and other numerical results. Evolution of a three-dimensional vapor nucleus during explosive boiling is followed and a fine scale structure similar to experimental results is observed. Two-dimensional simulations yield a similar qualitative instability growth.     

提高拉刀耐用度的挤压工艺

拉刀在刃磨过程中存在不易获得定值前角且会降低刀具硬度等问题，为此设计了拉刀前刀面挤压工艺．该工艺简便易行，一把拉刀可挤压5—8次，效益好。使用证明，经挤压加工后的拉刀加工的零件精度高，且拉刀的使用寿命可提高30%以上。