One of the principal challenges of primary blast injury research is imitation of shock waves accurately and consistently in a safe and tunable platform. Existing simulators have been effective in these goals but have not been conducive for in vitro models due to their large size and air-mediated wave propagation. In this thesis, a redesigned benchtop shock wave generator (SWG) has provided a platform for in vitro models. A pulsed power generator charges a capacitor and discharges the capacitor through a bridge wire. The discharge causes the bridge wire to experience phase changes, momentarily becoming a gas or plasma. In this moment, the bridge wire expands radially and creates a pressure wave in the surrounding water. As the wave propagates, it forms a shock wave and strikes the cell platform at the far end of the conical tank. Current design efforts are focused on the tunability of the SWG, by varying the bridge wire material and diameter. Five materials at three bridge wire diameters have been tested. Each bridge wire was inserted into the SWG via a pinching mechanism. Either side of the pinching mechanism was connected to either terminal of the capacitor. When the pulsed power generator was cycled, the bridge wire was vaporized and generated a shock wave. A piezoelectric sensor near the wide end of the tank recorded the passing of the shock wave, which was used to derive various pressure metrics that correlate to injury. The sample size for each combination of diameter and material was five, with a grand total of seventy-five samples run. Two-way ANOVAs measuring the impacts of bridge wire material and diameter on a variety of shock wave metrics found that the diameter played a significant role in determining the peak overpressure and positive impulse generated while the main effect of material played a much smaller role. The interaction between material and diameter was also found to be significant. The tunable benchtop SWG provides a platform for exploration of primary blast injury using in vitro models. By adjusting the bridge wire diameter, the SWG can generate waves with a variety of shock wave metrics, providing an opportunity for researchers to address various degrees of injury. With the addition of this technology to the efforts to understand primary blast injury, development of treatments and protective equipment can be expedited. / Master of Science / Primary blast injury, the injury caused by the blast wave moving through the body, has been affecting those exposed to blast for nearly a century, since the regular use of conventional explosives in World War I. As equipment and war has changed in the past two decades, there has been heightened interest in understanding the effects of blast waves on the body. To assist in this research, blast wave simulators have been developed to recreate the blast wave in a controlled environment. However, current designs are not conducive to experiments on cultured cells. A new blast wave simulator, called the shock wave generator (SWG), has been designed as a platform for cultured cell-based experiments. The simulator generates a shock wave by exploding a thin bridge wire using high electrical current. The explosion occurs underwater, generating a shock wave capable of injuring cells at the opposite end of the tank. A platform such as this provides multiple opportunities to tune the pressure metrics related to the shock waves. Bridge wire material and volume play critical roles in the resulting shock wave, working together to define the amount of energy required to vaporize the bridge wire. Five materials and three diameters, a derivative of the wire volume, were investigated to determine their impacts on the resulting peak pressure, positive duration, and positive impulse. While wire material was not found to have a significant impact on peak pressure, wire diameter had a significant effect on the resulting overpressures. The thickest wire generated the lowest peak pressure while the thinner wires generated higher peak pressures. The thinner wires were not significantly different from one another. A similar result was found for positive duration and impulse. Overall, the use of an exploding wire to generate shock waves is applicable as an injury mechanism for cell cultures in primary blast injury research. This work along with future work will provide a tunable and controlled platform that has opened a new frontier for investigating the primary blast injury.

No description available.

No description available.

A high-speed rotary device was designed to generate shock waves in a transonic blowdown wind tunnel cascade. The rotary device (Rotating Bar Mechanism) will be used in research conducted at Virginia Tech to study the effects of unsteady aerodynamic flow and heat transfer (resulting from upstream shock wave / wake passing) on turbine blades. The rotating bar mechanism (RBM) consists of: a rotor with flexible cable “bars” attached to the rim of the disk, a disk housing, a bearing housing, a driving air turbine, and a turbine mounting housing. The RBM is mounted to the side of the wind tunnel so that only the bars enter and exit the tunnel test section through a small slot. As the bars translate through the test section, the bars create shocks / wakes similar to those shed from the trailing edges of nozzle guide vanes of a transonic turbine. Considerable design effort was required for the RBM due to its relatively high operating speed. As the result of a finite element stress analysis, a unique method of securing the disk to the shaft was developed. This unique method reduced the stress concentration factor at the disk hub from 2.9 to 1.7. In addition to the stress analysis, a rotordynamic study was also performed. The study revealed that the RBM could not be designed to operate below the first natural frequency. A critical speed of 14,000 RPM was predicted for the rotary device. This prediction was later verified by testing. An integral component of the overall design was the development of a computer code to predict the RBM’s speed under various loading conditions. The loading on the device is due primarily to the aerodynamic drag on the flexible cable bars. Since the mechanism was designed to facilitate bars of different diameters, the prediction code was an essential design tool. The speed prediction code was also verified by testing. The RBM was tested to wind tunnel operating speeds in a spin pit filled with argon to verify the mechanical design. Based on test performance, it was concluded that the RBM is suitable to generate shock waves in a transonic wind tunnel. / Master of Science

The study of shock-waves in supersonic plasma jets is essential to understanding the complex dynamics involved in many physical systems. Specifically, ion-species separation caused by a shock wave propagating through a plasma is an important but not yet well understood phenomenon. In inertial confinement fusion implosions, a shock wave precedes the rapid compression of a fuel pellet to ignition conditions that theory and computational studies suggest may be separating the fuel and reducing the neutron yield. In astrophysics, the shock wave produced when a supernovae explodes has been shown to have an effect on nucleosynthesis as a result of shock heating. In both these cases the time and length scales make them difficult to study experimentally, but experiments on more reasonable scales can shed light on these phenomena. This body of work provides the basis for doing just that. The work begins by describing the development of a small, linear, plasma-armature railgun designed to accelerate plasma jets in vacuum to high-Mach-number. This is followed by discussion of an experimental campaign to establish a plasma parameter space for the jets, in order to predict how effectively the accelerator can be used to study centimeter-scale shock structures in jet collisions. The final section presents an experimental campaign in which jet collisions are induced, and the resultant structures that appear during the collision are diagnosed to assess how conducive the experiment is to the future study of shock-wave induced species separation in laboratory plasmas. This work is a foundation for future experimental studies of ion-separation mechanisms in a multi-ion-species plasma. This research was supported in part by the National Science Foundation under grant number PHY-1903442. / Doctor of Philosophy / Plasma, the so-called fourth state of matter, is an ionized gas that often behaves like a fluid but can also become magnetized and carry an electric current. This combination leads to a lot of interesting yet often un-intuitive physics, the study of which is very important for understanding a wide array of topics. One subset of this field is the study of shock-wave induced species separation. Just like the shock-wave a jet aircraft produces when it moves through the air at a speed greater than the speed of sound, a plasma shock is characterized by a large change in parameters like density, temperature, and pressure across a very small region. A shock-wave propagating through a plasma can cause different ion species present to separate out, a phenomenon that is driven by the gradients that are present across a shock front. Understanding how these mechanisms work is important to a number of applications, including fusion energy research and astrophysical events. The first section of this work discusses the design and development of a plasma-armature railgun, a device that can produce and accelerate jets of plasma to high-Mach-number within a vacuum chamber. The next and most substantive section of the work presents results from experimental campaigns to characterize the accelerated plasma jets and then to induce plasma-jet collisions with the hope of producing shock-waves that exist on time and spatial scales that can be readily measured in a laboratory setting. This work is a foundation for future experimental attempts to measure separation induced by a shock-wave in order to better understand these complex phenomena.

The mean flowfield and time-dependent characteristics of a Mach 5 cylinder-induced transitional shock-wave/boundary-layer interaction have been studied experimentally. The objectives of the study were to: (i) provide a detailed description of the mean flow structure of the interaction, and (ii) characterize the unsteadiness of the interaction based on fluctuating pressure measurements. / text

Pulsed plasma jets (also called "SparkJets'") were investigated for use in controlling the mean separation location induced by shock wave-boundary layer interaction. These synthetic jet actuators are driven by electro-thermal heating from an electrical discharge in a small cavity, which forces the gas in the cavity to exit through a small hole as a high-speed jet. With this method of actuation, pulsed plasma jets can achieve pulsing frequencies on the order of kilohertz, which is on the order of the instability frequency of many lab-scale shock wave-boundary layer interactions (SWBLI). The interaction under investigation was generated by a 20° compression ramp in a Mach 3 flow. The undisturbed boundary layer is transitional with Re[subscript theta] of 5400. Surface oil streak visualization is used in a parametric study to determine the optimum pulsing frequency of the jet, the optimum distance of the jet from the compression corner, and the optimum injection angle of the jets. Three spanwise-oriented arrays of three plasma jets are tested, each with a different pitch and skew angle on the jet exit port. The three injection angles tested were 22° pitch and 45° skew, 20° pitch and 0° skew, and 45° pitch and 0° skew. Jet pulsing frequency is varied between 2 kHz and 4 kHz, corresponding to a Strouhal number based on separation length of 0.012 and 0.023. Particle image velocimetry is used to characterize the effect that the actuators have on the reattached boundary layer profile on the ramp surface. Results show that plasma jets pitched at 20° from the wall, and pulsed at a Strouhal number of 0.018, can reduce the size of an approximate measure of the separation region by up to 40% and increase the integrated momentum in the downstream reattached boundary layer, albeit with a concomitant increase in the shape factor. / text

La généralisation du procédé d’assemblage par collage au sein des structures aérospatiales, aéronautiques et automobiles est confrontée au besoin d’évaluation non destructive quantitative des assemblages. Le procédé de test d’adhérence par choc laser (LASAT) répond à cette problématique par la sollicitation calibrée des joints collés et l’utilisation de diagnostics non-destructifs pour déterminer l’état résiduel des joints suite à cette sollicitation qui doit décoller les joints faibles et préserver l’intégrité structurelle des assemblages corrects. La détermination des paramètres laser optimaux pour mettre en œuvre ce test d’épreuve non-destructif (ND-LASAT) est réalisée par l’application d’une méthodologie bien définie. Cette dernière implique la caractérisation par une approche expérimentale et numérique de l’assemblage considéré, suivie d’une phase d’optimisation. La diversification des configurations d’interaction-laser matière impliquées dans ces configurations optimisées nécessite de disposer d’outils numériques pour prédire les chargements appliqués aux joints collés. Dans cette étude, le développement et la validation de modèles intégrés dans un code multi-physique répond à ce besoin. Un effort particulier a été porté sur l’évaluation de la précision des chargements simulés. Enfin, la démonstration du procédé ND-LASAT sur trois différents assemblages collés a été réalisée, validant ainsi la méthodologie et la chaine numérique développées dans cette étude. / Bonding process generalization within aerospace, aeronautical and automotive structures faces the need of quantitative non-destructive evaluation of assemblies. Laser shock adhesion test (LASAT) meets this requirement by applying a calibrated stress to bonded joints and using non-destructive diagnostics to determine the post-shock state of the joint. The calibrated stress must disbond weak joints and keep correct assemblies intact. Optimal laser parameters determination aims at implementing this non-destructive proof test (ND-LASAT). It is achieved through application of a well-defined methodology, which implies the concerned assembly characterization by an experimental and numerical approach, followed by an optimization step. Optimization implies diversification of laser-matter configurations. Use of numerical tools for predicting loadings applied to bonded joints is then required. Models development within a multi-physics code is proposed and validated here to respond to this need. A significant effort has been made for evaluating models’ precision. Experimental demonstration of ND-LASAT process is achieved on three different bonded assemblies, and thus validating both methodology and numerical chain developed in this study.

Este trabalho experimental tem por objetivo apresentar os estudos experimentais realizados com jatos de líquidos evaporativos (\"flash boiling\") de iso-octano. Nos estudos, o jato emergia de um diminuto bocal que descarrega em uma grande câmara de baixa pressão. O líquido ao passar pelo bocal sofria uma expansão interna alcançando elevados graus de superaquecimento ou de metaestabilidade, já que se mantinha na fase líquida. Nos experimentos, eram controladas as condições de pressão e temperatura de injeção durante um período de alguns poucos segundos suficientes para que as condições de regime permanente fossem estabelecidas. Um dos métodos para a visualização do escoamento do jato evaporativo foi o \"Schlieren\", o qual permitia visualizar elevados gradientes de densidade como normalmente ocorrem com ondas de choque, presentes nesta investigação. Também foi empregada a técnica de visualização de \"iluminação por detrás\" para que fossem comparadas as imagens obtidas por este método com o do \"Schlieren\", bem como mostrar detalhes do fenômeno em estudo. Com isso, foi possível estudar a estrutura do processo evaporativo do jato e, com o auxílio de ferramentas de filtragem matemática e manipulação das imagens obtidas, os fenômenos compressíveis envolvidos. Os perfis dos jatos observados foram: (1) filete contínuo de líquido sem evaporação, (2) jato com fragmentações ou atomizado e (3) abrupta evaporação seguida por expansão com formação de ondas de choque. Neste último caso, a inspeção das fotografias indicou que a evaporação do líquido se dava externamente ao bocal, a partir de um núcleo metaestável de líquido, o qual apresentava o formato aproximado de um cone. Também foi aplicada a teoria de ondas oblíquas de evaporação para estudar o comportamento deste cone líquido. Os ensaios foram conduzidos com três bocais cônico-convergentes de dimensões e materiais diferentes, quais sejam: bocal de aço com diâmetro de saída de 0,3 mm, bocal de aço com 0,8 mm e bocal de vidro com 0,35 mm. / The main goal of this thesis is to present results of experiments with flashing liquid jets of iso-octane. The experiments were carried out with a liquid jet issuing from a small nozzle into a low-pressure chamber. High degrees of metastability were obtained as the liquid jet expanded within the nozzle. Injection pressure and temperature were controlled to the desired testing values for a few seconds, which were found long enough to reach and keep the steady state regime. The photographic documentation of the phenomenon was obtained from a \"Schlieren\" set up using CCD camera. The \"back-lightening\" visualization technique was also used in order to compare both image techniques and to unveil some flashing phenomenon details. Analyses of these images with the help of mathematical filters as well as other image manipulating techniques enabled a qualitative visualization of the flashing liquid jet structure and geometry leaving the nozzle. Three liquid jet regimes were observed: (1) continuous liquid jet (2) partially atomized, and (3) evaporation with the presence of shock waves. In this latter case, we speculate that the evaporation took part on the liquid jet surface, which had the approximate shape of a cone. Also it was employed the oblique evaporation wave theory to explain some of the behavior of the overall evaporation process. The tests were carried out using three conical-converging nozzles made of different materials: a 0.3 mm exit diameter steel nozzle, a 0.8 mm exit diameter steel nozzle, and a 0.35 mm exit diameter glass nozzle.

In cell culture, the cellular responses on Day 6 and Day 18, and matrix mineralization (Day 35) of human periosteal cells after stimulated by ESW, LIPUS and ESW+LIPUS treatments were studied. Our results showed that LIPUS only exerted transiently beneficial effects on Day 6, but no effect was observed on Day 18. In contrast, ESW inhibited the differentiation on Day 6, and then exerted a time-delayed stimulation effect on cellular response and matrix mineralization. Data of the ESW+LIPUS showed that it was mainly under ESW effects, but LIPUS might impact the beneficial effect of ESW on Day 18, leading to reduced ALP and matrix mineralization. The potentials of the osteocytes to function as mechanosensors and signal relay were also investigated with untreated periosteal cells that separately received conditioned medium from MLO-Y4 osteocyte-like cells, which received the ESW LIPUS and ESW+LIPUS treatments. The periosteal cells showed stimulated proliferation in the ESW+LIPUS and ESW groups, indicating that the stimulus of ESW was transferred in the conditioned medium. / In conclusion, although our in vivo and in vitro findings did not support our hypothesis of the beneficial effects of combined treatment, but ESW had been shown to improve BMD and bone microarchitecture in osteoporotic bone, by stimulation of osteogenic activities in osseous cells. ESW might potentially be developed as treatment for osteoporosis. Our study also indicated that stimulation of osteogenic activities may be the direct interaction of ESW on osteoblast/periosteal cells, or indirectly through biochemical signals relayed by the osteocytes which acted as mechanosensors. / Osteoporosis is a bone disorder with decreased bone mass and deteriorated microarchitecture, leading to increased fracture risk. By using non-invasive biophysical interventions that stimulate osteogenesis, i.e. extracorporeal shockwave (ESW) and low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS), may reduce bone loss effectively. We hypothesized that the combined treatment of ESW and LIPUS might produce synergistic effects on osteoporotic bone. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of using ESW treatment alone and combined treatment of ESW and LIPUS to increase bone mineral acquisition on intact osteoporotic bone in vivo, and to investigate their underlying mechanisms in vitro. / Ten osteoporotic goats were used and divided into ESW and ESW+LIPUS groups (n=5). The ESW group received shockwave at calcaneus, distal radius, and femoral condyle on the left limbs once per month. The ESW+LIPUS group also received ESW treatment monthly and LIPUS for 6 day/week. The opposite limbs served as contralateral control. After nine months, percentage BMD changes, mineral apposition rate, trabecular thickness in treatment sites were found higher than that of controls in both groups. Cumulatively increase of serum bone-specific alkaline phosphatase indicated that the improvements were due to the increased osteogenic activities in bone. Of all parameter, no significant difference was found between the ESW+LIPUS and ESW groups. / by Tam Kam Fai. / "August 2006." / Adviser: Kwok Sui Leung. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-03, Section: B, page: 1550. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 156-184). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / School code: 1307.