The behavior of fibers suspended in a flow between two counter-rotating discs has been studied experimentally. This is inspired by the refining process in the papermaking process where cellulose fibers are ground between discs in order to change performance in the papermaking process and/or qualities of the final paper product. To study the fiber behavior in a counter-rotating flow, an experimental set-up with two glass discs was built. A CCD-camera was used to capture images of the fibers in the flow. Image analysis based on the concept of steerable filters extracted the position and orientation of the fibers in the plane of the discs. Experiments were performed for gaps of 0.1-0.9 fiber lengths, and for equal absolute values of the angular velocities for the upper and lower disc. The aspect ratios of the fibers were 7, 14 and 28. Depending on the angular velocity of the discs and the gap between them, the fibers were found to organize themselves in fiber trains. A fiber train is a set of fibers positioned one after another in the tangential direction with a close to constant fiber-to-fiber distance. In the fiber trains, each individual fiber is aligned in the radial direction (i.e. normal to the main direction of the train). The experiments show that the number of fibers in a train increases as the gap between the discs decreases. Also, the distance between the fibers in a train decreases as the length of the train increases, and the results for short trains are in accordance with previous numerical results in two dimensions.Furthermore, the results of different aspect ratios imply that there are three-dimensional fiber end-effects that are important for the forming of fiber trains.

We consider the amplitudes of coastally trapped Rossby waves in a high-latitude shear flow on a modified ß-plane, where also the effect of the sphericity of the earth (c5-effect) is taken into account. We present a particular analytical solution and also asymptotic and numerical solutions. We find that the asymptotic WKB solutions are accurate compared to the numerical results. We show that the o-effect is most important for shorter waves and leads to an enhanced selection of trapped Rossby wave modes. / Wir betrachten die Amplituden von küstennah gefangenen Rossby-Wellen in einer Scherströmung hoher Breiten. Die Rechnungen werden auf einer modifizierten ß-Ebene durchgeführt, die auch die Spherizität der Erde berücksichtigt (o-Effekt). Wir zeigen eine spezielle analytische Lösung und auch asymptotische und numerische Lösungen. Die asymptotischen WKB-Lösungen erweisen sich als genau, verglichen mit den numerischen Resultaten. Der o-Effekt wirkt sich a stärksten bei den sehr langen und den kurzen Wellen aus und führt zu einer stärkeren Selektion von Moden gefangener Rossby-Wellen.

Cette thèse étudie, théoriquement et numériquement, la décorrélation verticale d’un tourbillon initialement vertical par un écoulement externe cisaillé sinusoïdalement dans un fluide stratifié. Il a été proposé qu’un tel mécanisme devrait déclencher des instabilités de cisaillement et ainsi contribuer à la production de petites échelles en turbulence fortement stratifiée, que l’on rencontre dans l’atmosphère et les océans dans une gamme d’échelles où la force de Coriolis est négligeable.La première partie de la thèse étudie les évolutions des énergies et enstrophie totales du tourbillon calculées au moyen de Simulations Numériques Directes (DNS), en fonction des paramètres de contrôle. Cette analyse montre que la dynamique est différente de celle des écoulements libres en déclin : du fait de la présence du cisaillement ambiant, la condition de saturation entre les termes d’étirement et de dissipation dans le bilan d’enstrophie globale implique que l’enstrophie maximale du tourbillon sature proportionnellement à $Re^{2/3}$, où $Re$ est le nombre de Reynolds, au lieu de $Re$. Néanmoins, cette condition de saturation ne rend pas compte de l’effet observé de la stratification.Afin de l’expliquer, la dynamique locale du tourbillon a été étudiée au travers de deux analyses asymptotiques présentées dans une deuxième partie. Une étude pour temps courts prouve que la réponse initiale du tourbillon est non-hydrostatique quelle que soit la stratification. Une autre analyse pour grande longueur d’onde fournit les équations qui décrivent l’évolution de la vitesse angulaire du tourbillon et des déformations de son axe. L’excitation d’ondes internes au début de l’évolution est à l’origine du régime non-hydrostatique initial. Le tourbillon est principalement advecté dans la direction du cisaillement ambiant mais aussi perpendiculairement du fait de son auto-induction. Sa vitesse angulaire décroît à cause d’effets dynamique et visqueux. La décroissance dynamique est dûe à un resserrement des lignes isopycnes dans le cœur du tourbillon, qui implique une atténuation de la vorticité verticale afin que la vorticité potentielle se conserve.Dans une troisième partie, des DNS révèlent que l’instabilité de cisaillement se développe seulement lorsque la stratification est modérée et la longueur d’onde du cisaillement ambiant suffisamment petite. Les résultats numériques sont comparés aux prédictions asymptotiques. En particulier, les évolutions du cisaillement vertical de vitesse horizontale et du gradient vertical de flottabilité sont prédites de manière fine et exhaustive par l’analyse asymptotique pour grande longueur d’onde lorsque le nombre de Froude est petit. Le nombre de Richardson asymptotique admet un minimum qui n’est pratiquement jamais inférieur au seuil critique $1/4$ nécessaire au déclenchement de l’instabilité de cisaillement. La saturation du cisaillement vertical est dûe au déclin du tourbillon dans les régions où le cisaillement ambiant est maximal. Ces résultats suggèrent que l’instabilité de cisaillement est difficilement déclenchée par des processus de décorrélation dans les écoulements fortement stratifiés, contredisant ainsi les conjectures précédemment formulées dans la littérature. / This thesis investigates, theoretically and numerically, the vertical decorrelation of an initially vertical vortex by an ambient sinusoidal shear flow in a stratified fluid. It has been conjectured that such process should trigger the shear instability and, as such, contribute to the generation of small scales in strongly stratified turbulence. This type of turbulence is encountered in the atmosphere and the oceans in an intermediate range of scaleswhere Coriolis effects are negligible.The first part analyses the evolutions of the total energy and enstrophy of the vortex in Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS) as functions of the control parameters. This study reveals that the dynamics differs from freely decaying flows: because of the presence of the ambient shear flow, the balance between stretching and dissipation terms in the global enstrophy budget implies that the maximum enstrophy of the vortex scales as $Re^{2/3}$, where $Re$ is the Reynolds number, instead of simply $Re$. However, such simplified balance does not account for the observed effect of the stratification.In order to overcome this difficulty, the local dynamics of the vortex has been investigated by means of two asymptotic analyses, presented in the second part. A short-time analysis first proves that the initial response of the vortex is non-hydrostatic regardless of the stratification. A long-wavelength analysis provides governing equations for the evolution of the angular velocity of the vortex and the deformations of its axis. Internal waves are excited at the start-up of the motion, explaining the initial non-hydrostatic regime. The vortex is mostly advected in the direction of the shear flow but also perpendicularly owing to the self-induced motion. Its angular velocity decays because of dynamic and viscous effects. The former effect is due to the squeezing of the isopycnals in the vortex core which implies a decrease of the vertical vorticity to conserve potential vorticity.In a third part, the DNS show that the shear instability is only triggered if the Froude number is moderate and the wavelength of the shear small enough. The numerical results are compared to the asymptotic predictions. In particular, the evolutions of the vertical shear of horizontal velocity and of the vertical buoyancy gradient for small Froude number are comprehensively and finely captured by the long-wavelength asymptotic predictions. The minimum value of the asymptotic Richardson number almost never goes below the critical threshold $1/4$ necessary for the development of the shear instability. The saturation of the vertical shear is due to the decay of the vortex in the regions of high ambient shear. These results suggest that the shear instability is not easilytriggered by decorrelation processes in strongly stratified flows in contradiction with previous conjectures.

Thesis (B.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 1981. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ENGINEERING. / Includes bibliographical references. / by William Ivan Ogilvie. / B.S.

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The orientation of fibres suspended in a viscous fluid, flowing over a solid surface, has been studied experimentally. A shear layer was generated, by letting the suspension flow down an inclined plate. Far upstream from the measuring section the suspension was accelerated to obtain an initial orientation of the fibres aligned with the flow direction. A CCD-camera was used to visualise the fibres. The velocity profile of the fibres coincided with the theoretical expression for fully developed flow of Newtonian liquid down an inclined wall. The orientation of the fibres was analysed in planes parallel to the solid surface. At distances from the wall larger than one fibre length the fibres performed a tumbling motion in the flow-gradient plane in what appeared to be Jeffery-like orbits. Closer to the wall a difference was found between fibres of aspect ratio rp = 10 and 40. The longer fibres of rp = 40 kept their orientation, aligned with the flow, also in the near wall region. For the shorter fibres the orientation shifted gradually, to orientations closer to the vorticity axis, when the distance from the wall was decreased. In the very proximity to the wall the fibres were aligned with the vorticity, perpendicular to the direction of the flow. Another distinction, most likely related to the fibre orientation, was seen in the wall normal concentration profile. Due to sedimentation effects fibres accumulated in the near wall region. For fibres of rp = 10 a peak in concentration was found at the wall, while for r=40 the maximum concentration was found approximately half a fibre length from the wall. It is previously known that a fibre can interact with the wall in what is referred to as a "pole vaulting" motion away from the wall. It is suggested, as a likely explanation to the location of the maximum concentration, that fibres of rp = 40 perform this motion, while fibres of rp=10 do not. In another experiment the surface of the wall was modified with ridges. For fibres of rp = 10 there were no longer any fibres oriented perpendicular to the flow direction in the near wall region. The main application in mind throughout this work is papermaking. The study is considered to be of fundamental character and is not applicable in a direct sense. The difference between the flow situation in the experiments and the paper machine is discussed further. / QC 20101103

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No description available.

In this dissertation large-eddy simulation(LES) is used to study the transitional and turbulent structures of vortices and free shear layers. The recently developed dynamic model and the basic Smagorinsky model are utilized to model the subgrid-scale(SGS) stress tensor. The dynamic model has many advantages over the existing SGS models. This model has the ability to vary in time and space depending on the local turbulence conditions. This eliminates the need to tune the model constants a priori to suit the flow field being simulated. Three different flow fields are considered. First, the evolution of large-scale turbulent structures in centrifugally unstable vortices is studied. It is found that these structures appear as counter rotating vortex rings encircling the vortex core. The interaction of these structures with the core results in the transfer of angular momentum between the core and the surroundings. The mean tangential velocity decays due to this exchange of angular momentum. Second, the generation and decay of turbulent structures in a vortex with an axial velocity deficit are studied. The presence of a destabilizing wake-like axial velocity field in an otherwise centrifugally stable vortex results in a very complex flow field. The inflectional instability mechanism of the axial velocity deficit amplifies the initial disturbances and results in the generation of large-scale turbulent structures. These structures appear as branches sprouting out of the vortex core. The breakdown of these structures leads to small-scale motions. But the stabilizing effects of the rotational flow field tend to quench the small-scale motions and the vortex returns to its initial laminar state. The mean axial velocity deficit is weakened, but the mean tangential velocity shows no significant decay. Third, a transitional mixing layer calculation is performed.The growth and breakdown to small scales of vortical structures are studied. Emphasis is given to the identification of late transition structures and their subsequent break down. Formation of streamwise vortices in place of the original Kelvin-Helmholtz vortices and the subsequent appearance of hair-pin vortices at the edges of the mixing layer mark the completion of transition. The basic Smagorinsky model is also used in the mixing layer simulations. The performance of the dynamic model is compared with the previous results obtained using the basic Smagorinsky model. As expected, the basic Smagorinsky model is found to be more dissipative. / Ph. D.

A half-equation model of turbulence has been developed to described the eddy viscosity distribution of two and three-dimensional turbulent free shear flows. The model is derived by integrating the parabolized transport equation for the turbulence kinetic energy over the cross section of the flow. The Prandtl-Kolmogrov hypothesis is used to obtain an ordinary differential equation for the eddy viscosity. The model is used in a general purpose finite element procedure using primitive variables. The penalty function method is used, in a generalized Galerkin weak formulation of the Navier-Stokes equations, to enforce the conservation of mass. In this procedure the pressure does not explicitly appear, this significantly reducing the computation time when compared to the velocity-pressure approach. Numerical solution are obtained for four problems: a round jet issuing from a wall into still surroundings, a three-dimensional square jet issuing from a wall into still surroundings, a uniform flow past a free running propeller, and a shear flow past a free running propeller. An actuator disk with variable radial distribution of thrust and torque is used to model the propeller. The numerical solution in the far field of the round jet agrees very well with the analytical similar solution. Very good agreement between prediction and experiments is observed for the square jet problem. A simplified analysis of the flow past a propeller is used to provide the initial value of the eddy viscosity. Numerical experiments on the uniform flow past a thrusting disk confirmed the validity of the analysis and illustrated the effect of the initial value of the initial value of the eddy viscosity. For both propeller flows, agreement between predictions and experiments is excellent for both the axial and swirl velocity components at two stations located at x/D = 0.025 and 0.23. The quality of the swirl prediction is a major improvement over previous analyses. Pressure predictions are obtained for the first time, and are in reasonable agreement with the experiments. The radial velocity prediction is in fair agreement with the experiments at the station x/D = 0.025 .The discrepancy between the finite element solutions and the experiments at the station x/D = 0.23, for the pressure an the radial velocity are attributed to the presence of the body housing the propeller drive train. The body is not included in the present study. The complex three-dimensional nature of the shear flow past the propeller is very well captured in the simulation. / Doctor of Philosophy