Electrohydrodynamic (EHD) phenomena involve the interaction between electrical and flow fields in a dielectric fluid medium. In EHD conduction, the electric field causes an imbalance in the dissociation-recombination reaction of neutral electrolytic species, generating free space charges which are redistributed to the vicinity of the electrodes. Proper asymmetric design of the electrodes generates net axial flow motion, pumping the fluid. EHD conduction pumps can be used as the sole driving mechanism for small-scale heat transport systems because they have a simple electrode design, which allows them to be fabricated in exceedingly compact form (down to micro-scale). EHD conduction is also an effective technique to pump a thin liquid film. However, before specific applications in terrestrial and micro-gravity thermal management can be developed, a better understanding of the interaction between electrical and flow fields with and without phase-change and in the presence and absence of gravity is needed. With the above motivation in mind, detailed experimental work in EHD conduction-driven single- and two-phase flow is carried out. Two major experiments are conducted both terrestrially and on board a variable gravity parabolic flight. Fundamental behavior and performance evaluation of these electrically driven heat transport systems in the respective environments are studied. The first major experiment involves a meso-scale, single-phase liquid EHD conduction pump which is used to drive a heat transport system in the presence and absence of gravity. The terrestrial results include fundamental observations of the interaction between two-phase flow pressure drop and EHD pump net pressure generation in meso-scale and short-term/long-term, single- and two-phase flow performance evaluation. The parabolic flight results show operation of a meso-scale EHD conduction-driven heat transport system for the first time in microgravity. The second major experiment involves liquid film flow boiling driven by EHD conduction in the presence and absence of gravity. The terrestrial experiments investigate electro-wetting of the boiling surface by EHD conduction pumping of liquid film, resulting in enhanced heat transfer. Further research to analyze the effects on the entire liquid film flow boiling regime is conducted through experiments involving nanofiber-enhanced heater surfaces and dielectrophoretic force. In the absence of gravity, the EHD-driven liquid film flow boiling process is studied for the first time and valuable new insights are gained. It is shown that the process can be sustained in micro-gravity by EHD conduction and this lays the foundation for future experimental research in electrically driven liquid film flow boiling. The understanding gained from these experiments also provides the framework for unique and novel heat transport systems for a wide range of applications in different scales in terrestrial and microgravity conditions.

Zugl.: Karlsruhe, Universiẗat, Diss., 2007.

Universiẗat, Diss., 2000--München.

Climate is one of the most important factors influencing where wine grapes can be grown and the quality of wine produced from those grapes. A plants habitat has a profound influence on its growth and development. The surrounding climatic conditions at both the macro- and meso-scales influence the plant-climate miro-scale interactions. The main study site is the McKenzie Vineyard that is owned by Torlesse Wines. The climatic conditions of the surrounding Waipara region was also studied using climate data from the following vineyards; Canterbury House, River Terrace and Waipara West. The overall aim of this research is to improve understanding of the influence of the climatic environment on grapevine development at the meso- to micro-scale. The main findings of the research were firstly, that the most important climatic factor influencing grapevine development and growth is temperature and secondly that there is variability in the temperature across the Waipara Basin. Future research should be conducted for the entire growth season to gain a better understanding of how temperature influences the development of grapevine over the growing season as a whole.

Based on continuum damage mechanics (CDM), an isotropic and anisotropic damage model coupled with a novel plasticity model for plain concrete is proposed in this research. Two different damage evolution laws for both tension and compression are formulated for a more accurate prediction of the plain concrete behavior. In order to derive the constitutive equations, the strain equivalence hypothesis is adopted. The proposed constitutive model has been shown to satisfy the thermodynamics requirements, and detailed numerical algorithms are developed for the Finite Element implementation of the proposed model. Moreover, the numerical algorithm is coded using the user subroutine UMAT and then implemented in the commercial finite element analysis program Abaqus, and the overall performance of the proposed model is verified by comparing the model predictions to various experimental data on macroscopic level. Using the proposed coupled plasticity-damage constitutive model, the effect of the micromechanical properties of concrete, such as aggregate shape, distribution, and volume fraction, the ITZ thickness, and the strength of the ITZ and mortar matrix on the tensile behavior of concrete is investigated on 2-D and 3-D meso-scale. As a result of simulation, the tensile strength and thickness of the ITZ is the most important factor that control the global strength and behavior of concrete, and the aggregate shape and volume fraction has somewhat effect on the tensile behavior of concrete while the effect of the aggregate distribution is negligible. Furthermore, using the proposed constitutive model, the pull-out analysis of the single straight and curved CNT embedded in cement matrix is carried out. In consequence of the analysis, the interfacial fracture energy is the key parameter governing the CNT pull-out strength and ductility at bonding stage, and the Young's modulus of the CNT has also great effect on the pull-out behavior of the straight CNT. In case of the single curved CNT, while the ultimate pull-out force of the curved CNT at sliding stage is governed by the initial sliding force when preexisting normal force is relatively high, the ultimate pull-out force, when the preexisting normal force is not significant, is increased linearly proportional to the curvature and the Young's modulus of the CNT due to the additionally induced normal force by the bending stiffness of the curved CNT.

The objective of this research project is to investigate novel concepts of determining fibre assembly mechanical properties at woven fabric at meso-scale, viz. yarns and unit-cell. In order to carry out this investigation three instruments were developed and these are presented in subsequent chapters of this thesis. Initially, an instrument was built in order to explore the buckling technique on yarns and fabrics. The data obtained was converted into pure bending output through a proposed non-linear planar elastica model. It was found that the data obtained were in agreement with data obtained from other measuring technique already available in the industry, viz. Pure Bending tester (KES FB2) from the Kawabata Evaluation System. This investigation also found that the buckling technique offers some advantages when compared with the bending tester. Furthermore, the yarn compression method was also explored. A Yarn Compression tester (YCT) was developed in order to carry out this study. This instrument induces transverse compression upon the yarn by means of a probe, which results in a compression versus thickness curve. An, additional feature was introduce on the YCT, such as the use of a digital camera that allows the yarn lateral spreading to be determined as the yarn is compressed. This feature may be used to calculate the Poisson’s ratio, which can be used as an input value for future compression models. Good agreement was found between the proposed yarn compression technique and data obtained from the Kawabata compression tester.Finally, yarn torsional technique was explored by means of developing a Yarn Torsion tester (YTT). It was found that data obtained for this instrumentation were in agreement with a linear model proposed by Postle et al. This investigation may allow future research to continue by means of proposing a torsion mathematical model.

Climate is one of the most important factors influencing where wine grapes can be grown and the quality of wine produced from those grapes. A plants habitat has a profound influence on its growth and development. The surrounding climatic conditions at both the macro- and meso-scales influence the plant-climate miro-scale interactions. The main study site is the McKenzie Vineyard that is owned by Torlesse Wines. The climatic conditions of the surrounding Waipara region was also studied using climate data from the following vineyards; Canterbury House, River Terrace and Waipara West. The overall aim of this research is to improve understanding of the influence of the climatic environment on grapevine development at the meso- to micro-scale. The main findings of the research were firstly, that the most important climatic factor influencing grapevine development and growth is temperature and secondly that there is variability in the temperature across the Waipara Basin. Future research should be conducted for the entire growth season to gain a better understanding of how temperature influences the development of grapevine over the growing season as a whole.

Tsunamis and storms are the most devastating coastal hazards that can cause great loss of life and infrastructure damage. To assess tsunami and storm hazard, the magnitude and frequency of each type of event are needed. However, major tsunamis and storms are very infrequent, especially tsunamis, and the only reliable record is the deposits they leave behind. Tsunami and storm deposits can be used to calculate the magnitudes of the respective event, and to contribute to the hazard frequency where there is no historical records. Therefore, for locations where both events could occur, it is crucial to differentiate between the two types of events. Existing studies on the similarities and differences between the two types of deposits all suffer from paucity of the number of events and field data, and a wide range of initial conditions, and thus an unequivocal set of distinguishing deposit characteristics has not been identified yet. In this study, we aim to tackle the problem with the MEso-SCAle Particle Transport model (MESCAPT) that combines the advantages of concentration-based Eulerian methods and particle-based method. The advantage of the former is efficiency and the latter is detailed sediment transport and deposit information. Instead of modeling individual particles, we assume that a group of sediment grains travel and deposit together, which is called a meso-scale particle. This allows simulation domains that are large enough for tsunami and storm wave propagation and inundation. The sediment transport model is coupled with a hydrodynamic model based on the shallow water equations. Simulation results of a case study show good agreements with field measurements of deposits left behind by the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. Idealized tsunami and storm case studies demonstrate the model's capabilities of reproducing morphological changes, as well as microscopic grain-size trends. / Ph. D.

No description available.

Numerical simulations of supercritical coastal flows have been performed. The meso-γ-scale model which has been used in this study is non-linear, hydrostatic and has a higher-order turbulence closure. Previous studies of supercritical coastal flows with this model have given rise to some questions and hypotheses, e. g. is the gradual curvature of the main coastal mountains north of Cape Mendocino sufficient to excite an expansion fan? Is the local terrain of Cape Mendocino responsible for the collapse of the marine atmospheric layer (MABL) in Shelter Cove? This study was designed to answer these questions. The terrain used in the simulations was generated by a simple analytical function and fitted to the real terrain north of Cape Mendocino in a sense that it would reflect it as good as possible, neglecting ”small” changes in the orientation of the coast and height of the terrain. This made it possible to test hypotheses related to the coastline shape one by one. Simulations that were performed are: Piecewise linear coasts with constant terrain height where the change in coastline orientation, the height of the inversion and strength of the background wind speed was varied; Piecewise linear coasts where the height of the terrain was varying along the coast; Curved coastlines with different curvatures; Piecewise linear coasts with simplified capes perpendicular to the coast where the height of the cape was varied. It was found that the angle with which the coast turns away from the flow regulates the amount of acceleration in the following expansion fan. A decreasing height of the terrain along the coast lead to an increased acceleration of the flow, the largest acceleration was found when the slope of the terrain was confined to the change in coastline orientation. It was concluded that this is comparable to an increased change in coastline orientation. The simulations with curved coastlines confirmed the hypothesis that the gradual curvature of the main coastal mountains north of Cape Mendocino is sufficient to excite an expansion fan. In fact, a curved coastline leads to a stronger acceleration of the flow than a piecewise linear coastline. One of the most striking features in this study was that the acceleration of the flow started far upstream of the change in coastline orientation, even though the flows were supercritical. This phenomenon was mainly found in the cases with the highest wind speeds. It is suggested that the upstream acceleration of the flow is due to either high amplitude gravity waves propagating within the MABL or internal gravity waves propagating above the inversion. When a cape was inserted perpendicular to the main coastline, this showed that even with a cape as low as approximately half the depth of the MABL, the flow was significantly blocked. Indications of wave-breaking on the lee side of the cape was also found, which confirmed the hypothesis that the local terrain of Cape Mendocino is responsible for the collapse of the MABL in Shelter Cove.