Preliminary results on acoustic modelling of cavitating propellers

The numerical prediction of the acoustic pressure field induced by cavitating marine propellers is addressed. A hydrodynamic model for transient sheet cavitation on propellers in non–uniform inviscid flow is coupled with a hydroacoustic model based on the Ffowcs Williams–Hawkings equation. The proposed hydroacoustic approach, novel to marine applications, allows to split the noise signature into thickness and loading term contributions. Both hydrodynamic and hydroacoustic model equations are solved via boundary integral formulations. Numerical predictions of the propeller noise by using the Ffowcs Williams–Hawkings equation are compared to those obtained by a classical Bernoulli equation approach. The influence of cavitation on the noise waveforms is discussed by comparing non–cavitating and cavitating propeller flow results. The authors wish to thank Prof. S.A. Kinnas for providing a detailed documentation of the experiment used as the test case in the present analysis. The present work was supported by the Ministero dei Trasporti e della Navigazione in the frame of INSEAN Research Program 2000–02.     

Selective water sorbent for solid sorption chiller: experimental results and modelling

In this paper the experimental results of a lab-scale chilling module working with the composite sorbent SWS-1L (mesoporous silica gel impregnated with CaCl₂) are presented. The interesting sorption properties of this material yield a high COP=0.6 that gives a promising alternative to the common zeolite or silica gel for application in solid sorption units driven by low temperature heat (T 100 °C). The measured low specific power of the device is a result of not optimised geometry of the adsorber and of the pelletised shape of the adsorbent. Heat transfer optimisation is currently under progress to increase the specific power. The experimental results are compared with those of a mathematic model able to describe the dynamic behaviour of the system. The model is used to study the influence of the main operating parameters on the system performance.     

Projectile penetration and perforation of high performance concrete: experimental results and macroscopic modelling

Experiments and simulations of penetration and perforation of high performance concrete targets by steel projectiles have been carried out. A Doppler radar monitored the projectile pre-impact velocity history and a high-speed camera captured the projectile residual velocity. A continuum mechanical approach and the finite-element method were used for the simulations. The targets were modelled with the K&C concrete model. For perforation the computational results show acceptable agreement with the experimental results, but not for penetration. The article is concluded with suggestions on how to better model concrete material for the current application.     

Compression of homogeneous and graded SiC/EP rings: experimental results and FE modelling

Functionally graded rings based on an epoxy matrix and SiC fillers were prepared and subjected to a compression test. For comparison, rings with homogeneous filler concentration and neat epoxy were also tested. The homogeneous and the graded rings showed the tendency to break at different locations. In order to have accurate information about the material properties, tension and compression tests were performed on isotropic specimens having various SiC volume fractions. The FE simulations of the compressed rings verified the experimental data, as the stress/strain components in the representing locations were able to predict the failure.     

Adaptive response: modelling and experimental studies

Adaptive response (AR) is a term that has been generally accepted to describe the ability of a low 'priming' radiation dose to decrease the cell response to a subsequent higher 'challenging' dose. The main proposed mechanisms to explain AR are: increased efficiency of DNA repair and induction of antioxidant enzymes. A model that considers a modulation of the efficiency of DNA repair activity and of the level of antioxidant enzymes, starting from the framework of a lethal-potentially lethal (LPL) model is proposed. The LPL model has been extended with the inclusion of the dynamic variables representing the efficiency of repair, the levels of radiation induced radicals and of antioxidant enzymes. The model used here is able to describe the protective effect of a priming dose. Moreover, in agreement with the data in the literature, the simulations show that the AR happens in given priming dose and priming dose-rate ranges only, and requires at least 4 h to develop. In order to get more insights into the role of cell-cell communication as factors affecting the AR, experimental studies were planned using sparse or confluent AG1522 cell monolayer. The results obtained after gamma irradiation suggest that cell density is a crucial factor for observing an AR.     

Flow regime analyses during the filling stage in powder metallurgy processes: experimental study and numerical modelling

Experimental and numerical studies of powder flow during the die filling stage in powder metallurgy cold compaction processes are presented. An experimental setting consisting of a horizontal pneumatically activated shoe, a vertical die and high-speed video system has been designed. The experiments show the existence of three flow regimes: continuous, transitory and discrete, which are identified in terms of the particle size, the morphology and the speed of the shoe. In the continuous regime the powder flows in a progressive manner but in the discrete one some perturbations appear as a consequence of a shear band formation that forms discrete avalanches. A numerical model, based on a rate-dependent constitutive model, via a flow formulation, and in the framework of the particle finite element method (PFEM) is also proposed. For the purpose of this study, the use of the PFEM assumes that the powder can be modelled as a continuous medium. The model, provided with the corresponding characterisation of the parameters, is able to capture the two fundamental phenomena observed during the filling process: (1) the irreversibility of most of the deformation experienced by the material and (2) the quick dissipation of the potential gravitatory energy of the granular system through the inter-particle friction processes, modelled by the plastic dissipation associated with the material model. Experimental and numerical results have been compared in order to study the viability of the proposed model.     

Flow visualization studies of vortices

An actual vortex in the Kármán vortex street downstream of a circular cylinder has a core of finite dimension which increases downstream. The circulation of the vortex is nearly constant. The ratiob/a which is 0.281 according to the theory of Kármán, grows from 0.2 to 0.4 in the near wake. In the flow about a circular cylinder rotating in a uniform flow, a Kármán vortex street, Görtler-type vortices and Taylor vortices are generated at the same time. In the flow about a circular cylinder impulsively started with a constant velocity, the primary twin vortices behind the cylinder induce secondary twin vortices near the separation point. At the beginning of the motion, the separation does not occur even though a reverse flow is observed in the boundary layer. Mutual slip-through of a pair of vortex rings was achieved by increasing the Reynolds number. A vortex ring rebounds from a plane surface due to the separation of the flow on the surface induced by the vortex ring, and the secondary vortex ring is formed from the separated shear layer.     

Flow control in kanban based multicell manufacturing: II. Design of control systems and experimental results

This paper extends our study of general blocking kanban control mechanisms in multicell manufacturing. The structural results developed in part I of this twopaper sequence are used to develop an efficient design framework for the optimal configuration of kanban control systems. The structural properties of the design problems and their relationships are established. The framework consists of optimization algorithms for the design problems over neighbourhood lattice design spaces. Extensive computational analyses show that the proposed algorithms determine the optimal configuration in a neighbourhood by exploring about 3% of the neighbourhood set. The quality of the neighbourhood solutions has been demonstrated by comparing them with benchmark strategies and an upper bound on throughput. The computational efficiency and the quality of solutions show that the proposed approach is efficient and practically viable.     

Cylinder tests: experimental technique and results

In the present report the research work carried out and the experimental results obtained at ENEL-CRIS* and ISMES^† laboratories are reported in order to illustrate the apparatus and techniques involved in multiaxial tests on cylindrical specimens. All specimens were cylindrical, diameter 160 mm, height 320 mm. Tests were carried out in two triaxial chambers: (i) a compression-compression triaxial chamber (C−C), suitable for the independent application of a lateral confining pressure, as well as of an axial compression load; and (ii) a compression-tension triaxial chamber (C-T), suitable for the independent application of a lateral confining pressure, as well as a direct axial tension load. ENEL-CRIS: Italian National Electricity Board, Hydraulic and Structural Research Center, Via Ornato, 90/14 Milan, Italy. ISMES: Experimental Institute for Models and Structures, Viale G. Cesare, 29 Bergamo, Italy.     

Hysteretic effects of dry friction: modelling and experimental studies

In this paper, the phenomena of hysteretic behaviour of friction force observed during experiments are discussed. On the basis of experimental and theoretical analyses, we argue that such behaviour can be considered as a representation of the system dynamics. According to this approach, a classification of friction models, with respect to their sensitivity on the system motion characteristic, is introduced. General friction modelling of the phenomena accompanying dry friction and a simple yet effective approach to capture the hysteretic effect are proposed. Finally, the experimental results are compared with the numerical simulations for the proposed friction model.     

Antisymmetric grating coupler: experimental results

The principle of an antisymmetric grating coupler was recently proposed theoretically as a planar waveguide add-drop multiplexer. It has the potential to enhance significantly the functionality of an add-drop multiplexer based on grating-assisted coupling. Here we realize the concept experimentally in an all-fiber geometry. We show that conventional devices exhibit two high-reflection bands. In contrast, the antisymmetric grating coupler has only a single reflection band, thereby dramatically improving its filtering characteristics.     

Phase-only joint-transform correlator: analysis and experimental results

An analysis of the popular joint-transform optical correlator is presented for architectures employing spatial light modulators that operate only on the phase of the coherent light. Experimental results are also presented, for simple scenes that produce analytic solutions, which support the analysis.     

Fractional Fourier transform: simulations and experimental results

Recently two optical interpretations of the fractional Fourier transform operator were introduced. We address implementation issues of the fractional-Fourier-transform operation. We show that the original bulk-optics configuration for performing the fractional-Fourier-transform operation [J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 10, 2181 (1993)] provides a scaled output using a fixed lens. For obtaining a non-scaled output, an asymmetrical setup is suggested and tested. For comparison, computer simulations were performed. A good agreement between computer simulations and experimental results was obtained.     

Compensated speckle imaging: theory and experimental results

Previous analyses have predicted that improved power-spectrum estimation results from application of speckle-imaging postprocessing to compensated astronomical images. We report the first results, to our knowledge, of compensated-speckle-imaging experiments, conducted at a compensated telescope operated by the U.S. Air Force, that confirm these predictions. The power-spectrum signal-to-noise ratio is used as the metric for evaluating the performance. We report the results of power-spectrum estimation for a single star and three binary stars, and we reconstruct images of the binary stars using the bispectrum method to obtain the Fourier phase of the object. Compensated and uncompensated results are compared. A previously derived expression that expresses the power-spectrum signal-to-noise ratio in terms of the compensated optical transfer function statistics and object parameters is verified by experimental data.     

Flow visualization applied to a small refrigeration compressor

This paper describes a flow visualization technique that was used to evaluate qualitatively the gas flow pattern inside a small, hermetically sealed, reciprocating refrigeration compressor. The applicable compressor designs are those in which the suction gas from the evaporator is dumped into the compressor shell, and is then drawn through a muffler into the suction plenum of the compressor. The physical separation of the muffler inlet from the suction gas inlet serves to reduce compressor noise and also provides an easy and convenient means of separating any liquid (compressor oil or liquid refrigerant) from the refrigerant gas. For the flow visualization studies the compressor housing was replaced by a clear plastic shell. Atmospheric air seeded with white smoke was the working fluid. The suction inlet and muffler were parts from a commercial compressor. The flow pulsations were modelled by connecting the muffler outlet to the input plenum of an auxiliary compressor. The flow patterns near the muffler inlet were recorded with a video camera. The mixing of the inlet gas with the gas circulating inside the muffler was studied. The effect of alignment and offset of the muffler inlet relative to the suction inlet, the effect of muffler size, and the effect of a shroud around the muffler were studied. The results were used to guide a companion study of detailed temperature and pressure measurements inside a working compressor.     

Motionless-head parallel-readout optical-disk system: experimental results

The motionless-head parallel-readout optical-disk system is designed to read out two-dimensional bit planes that are stored as one-dimensional Fourier-transform computer-generated holograms distributed radially on the disk active surface. Such a system, when built at full scale, could offer several potential advantages: high data-transfer rates of 1 Gbyte/s and higher, low access times of less than 15 ms, low retrieval times (the time required to read the entire memory) of less than 25 ms, and simple optical implementation. The experimental results of a scaled-down implementation of the system are presented.     

Scroll compressors using gas and liquid injection: experimental analysis and modelling

The first part of this paper presents an experimental analysis of different hermetic scroll compressors using different methods of injection: the first one is without injection, the second one uses vapor injection and the third one liquid injection. The analysis reveals the influence of these methods on the compressor behavior. A simplified model of the scroll compressor is then proposed that takes into account not only the different internal processes but also the refrigerant injection. It assumes that the refrigerant mass flow rate is affected by a heating-up due to a uniform wall temperature. This fictitious wall is supposed to gain heat from the electromechanical losses and from the discharged gas and to loose heat to the suction and to the ambient. The compression step is considered isentropic up to the adapted pressure and then at constant volume until the discharge pressure. The model is able to compute variables of first importance like the mass flow rate, the electric power and the discharge temperature, as well as secondary variables as suction heating-up, discharge cooling-down, and ambient losses. The validation based on 45 experimental results shows excellent results.     

Wide-field Fizeau imaging telescope: experimental results

A nine-aperture, wide-field Fizeau imaging telescope has been built at the Lockheed-Martin Advanced Technology Center. The telescope consists of nine, 125 mm diameter collector telescopes coherently phased and combined to form a diffraction-limited image with a resolution that is consistent with the 610 mm diameter of the telescope. The phased field of view of the array is 1 murad. The measured rms wavefront error is 0.08 waves rms at 635 nm. The telescope is actively controlled to correct for tilt and phasing errors. The control sensing technique is the method known as phase diversity, which extracts wavefront information from a pair of focused and defocused images. The optical design of the telescope and typical performance results are described.