Yes / This study examines experimentally and for the first time the effect of reduced air pressure on dynamic wetting. The purpose is to assess the role of air viscosity on dynamic wetting failure which hitherto has been speculated on but not measured. In this paper we used dip coating as the model experimental flow and report data on air entrainment velocity Vae we measured with a series of silicone oils in a range of viscosities in a vacuum chamber where the pressure can be reduced from atmospheric down to a few mbar when the mean molecular free path of air is large and air ceases to have a viscosity. To complement earlier work, we carried out the experiments with a range of substrates of varying roughness. The substrates were chosen so that for each one, their two sides differ in roughness. This enables simultaneous comparative observation of their wetting performance and reduces the experimental error in assessing the role of roughness. The data presented here capture the effects of viscosity, roughness and air pressure but the important result of this study is that Vae can be increased considerably (exponentially) when the pressure is reduced with the suggestion that Vae approaches infinity as pressure approaches zero. In other words, the role of the surrounding air viscosity is important in dynamic wetting. The data from this study have significant implication to the fundamental understanding of dynamic wetting. Indeed they form the missing data link to fully understand this phenomenon. The data presented in this work also confirm the complex role of roughness, in that it can increase or decrease the air entrainment speed depending on the value on the viscosity of the coating solution. The results presented in this paper are very useful in practice as they imply that if one chooses carefully roughness one can coat viscous formulation at unexpectedly very high speeds with a moderate vacuum (50 mbar typically).

Yes / The coating flow examined here, labelled angled dip coating, is that where a substrate enters a pool of liquid forming an angle ß with the vertical so that it intersects the liquid along a wetting line which is not perpendicular to the direction of its motion. This flow situation is distinctly different from that where the substrate, inclined in the other dimension by the so-called angle of entry ¿, intersects the liquid surface perpendicularly to its motion. Experiments were carried out with various liquids to determine the effect of ß on the substrate velocity at which air is entrained into the liquid. It was observed that as this angle departs from zero, air entrainment is delayed to higher speeds. The data show that the speed which is relevant to air entrainment is not the velocity of the substrate itself but its component normal to the wetting line. This result has important practical implications and suggests that this fundamental principle is also applicable to other coating flows.

Yes / This study assesses experimentally the role of gas viscosity in controlling the minimum film thickness in slot coating in both the slot over roll and tensioned web modes. The minimum film thickness here is defined with respect to the onset of air entrainment rather than rivulets, the reason being that rivulets are an extreme form of instabilities occurring at much higher speeds. The gas viscosity effects are simulated experimentally by encasing the coaters in a sealed gas chamber in which various gases can be admitted. An appropriate choice of two gases was used to compare performances: air at atmospheric pressure and helium at sub-ambient pressure (25mbar), which we establish has a significantly lower “thin film” viscosity than atmospheric air. A capacitance sensor was used to continuously measure the film thickness on the web, which was ramped up in speed at a fixed acceleration whilst visualizations of the film stability were recorded through a viewing port in the chamber. The data collected show clearly that by coating in rarefied helium rather that atmospheric air we can reduce the minimum film thickness or air/gas entrainment low-flow limit. We attribute this widening of the stable coating window to the enhancement of dynamic wetting that results when the thin film gas viscosity is reduced. These results have evident practical significance for slot coating, the coating method of choice in many new technological applications, but it is their fundamental merit which is new and one that should be followed with further data and theoretical underpinning.

No / This study assesses experimentally the role of gas dissolution in gas entrainment which hitherto has been speculated on but not measured. In this paper, we used dip coating as the model experimental flow and performed the experiments with a dip coater encased in a vacuum chamber in which we admitted various gases. An appropriate choice of gases (air, carbon dioxide and helium) coupled with low pressure conditions from atmospheric down to 75 mbar enables us to test whether gas solubility is a key determinant in gas entrainment. The data presented here track the evolution in time of the size of bubbles of gas entrained in the liquid (silicone oil) which we observed to always occur at a critical speed, immediately after the dynamic wetting line breaks from a straight line into a serrated line with tiny vees the downstream apices of which are the locations from which the bubbles stream out. The results suggest that permeability combining solubility and diffusivity as a single parameter dictates the rate of dissolution when at atmospheric pressure. Helium, despite its comparatively sluggish rate of dissolution/growth into silicone oil was observed to have a more enhanced gas entrainment speed than air and carbon dioxide. Thus, the hypothetical contention from previous work (Miyamoto and Scriven, 1982) that gas can be entrained as a thin film which breaks into bubbles before dynamic wetting failure occurs is not realised, at least not in dip coating. The data presented here reinforce recent work by Benkreira and Ikin (2010) that thin film gas viscosity is the critical factor, over-riding dissolution during gas entrainment. This finding is fundamentally important and new and provides the experimental basis needed to develop and underpin new models for gas entrainment in coating flows.

A pneumatic particulate collection system harnesses the energy associated with the release of a compressed gas to transport particulate to a collection chamber. In an effort to improve the efficiency of a previously designed collection system, high speed imaging in conjunction with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was utilized to highlight design deficiencies. Areas of recirculation within the collection device as well as impingement of the sampling surface were observed through the testing and CFD analysis. The basis of the improved collection system was conceived through research of pneumatic transport and the deficiencies found through testing and simulation. An improved rectangular-duct-styled system was designed in three main stages. A variety of filters used to contain the desired particulate were characterized through testing for use in simulations as well as fluids calculations. The improved system was then analyzed utilizing compressible and incompressible flow calculations and design iterations were conducted with CFD to determine the final parameters. The final design was simulated with a multiphase flow model to examine the particulate entrainment performance. The improved collection system efficiently expanded and developed the gas flow prior to the collection area to employ the particulate entrainment process. The final design was constructed with an additive manufacturing process and experimentally tested to validate the simulations and flow calculations. The testing proved that the final design operated purely on particulate entrainment and collected only the top layer of particles as simulated. The improved collection system eliminated all areas of flow recirculation and impingement of the particle bed to provide a more efficient sampling device. / Master of Science

Purpose: We investigated motor-respiratory coordination (MRC) in visually guided forearm tracking movements focusing on two main questions: (1) Does attentional demand, training or complexity of the tracking task have an effect on the degree of MRC? (2) Does MRC impair the precision of those movements? We hypothesized that (1) enhanced attention to the tracking task and training increase the degree of MRC while higher task complexity would reduce it, and (2) MRC impairs tracking precision. Methods: Thirty-five volunteers performed eight tracking trials with several conditions: positive (direct) signal–response relation (SRR), negative (inverse) SRR to increase task complexity, specific instruction for enhanced attention to maximize tracking precision (“strict” instruction), and specific instruction that tracking precision would not be evaluated (“relaxed” instruction). The trials with positive and negative SRR were performed three times each to study training effects. Results: While the degree of MRC remained in the same range throughout all experimental conditions, a switch in phase-coupling pattern was observed. In conditions with positive SRR or with relaxed instruction, we found one preferred phase-relationship per period. With higher task complexity (negative SRR) or increased attentional demand (strict instruction), a tighter coupling pattern with two preferred phase-relationships per period was adopted. Our main result was that MRC improved tracking precision in all conditions except for that with relaxed instruction. Reduction of amplitude errors mainly contributed to this precision improvement. Conclusion: These results suggest that attention devoted to a precision movement intensifies its phase-coupling with breathing and enhances MRC-related improvement of tracking precision.

Nosso grupo de pesquisa estuda ritmos circadianos em um roedor subterrâneo do gênero Ctenomys, o tuco-tuco. Nesta tese, apresentarei dados sobre sincronização fótica e não-fótica dos ritmos circadianos em tuco-tucos, e sobre sincronização não-fótica em camundongos. Investigamos a sincronização fótica em tuco-tucos por meio de uma abordagem conjunta de campo e laboratório. Inicialmente medimos o ciclo claro/escuro natural percebido por animais mantidos em áreas cercadas em campo, utilizando aparelhos light loggers que registraram continuamente o padrão temporal diário da exposição à luz. Em seguida, foi aplicado um modelo desse padrão de exposição à luz em laboratório, para testar o seu potencial como um sincronizador fótico dos ritmos circadianos dos tuco-tucos. O modelo consistiu em pulsos de luz aplicados uma vez por dia em diferentes momentos aleatórios. Apesar de carregar o mínimo de informação temporal, esse regime luminoso foi um sincronizador eficiente em muitos casos, tal como previsto anteriormente a partir de simulações computacionais de um oscilador matemático. Os resultados revelam que a sincronização de osciladores circadianos é ainda mais robusta do que se imaginava. Nosso segundo conjunto de experimentos avaliou a sincronização não-fótica em tuco-tucos, os quais são herbívoros, expostos a ciclos diários de disponibilidade de alimentos. Semelhante a outras espécies de roedores, tuco-tucos desenvolveram uma atividade antecipatória ao alimento, expressa diariamente antes da alimentação. Houve, no entanto, grande variabilidade inter-individual na expressão da atividade antecipatória, provavelmente relacionada com diferenças nas respostas metabólicas à restrição temporal do alimento. O trabalho final foi uma colaboração com o Dr. Shin Yamazaki, sobre sincronização não-fótica em camundongos do tipo selvagem e camundongos mutantes com ablação genética do relógio circadiano. Ciclos diários de alimentos palatáveis e de corrida em roda induziram ritmicidade autossustentada em camundongos mutantes arrítmicos, que não expressavam os genes Period, componentes importantes da maquinaria molecular que gera os ritmos circadianos nas células. Estes resultados sugerem a existência de novos osciladores circadianos que respondem a sinais diários de recompensa. Enquanto espécies modelo de laboratório, tais como o camundongo, podem trazer informações valiosas sobre os mecanismos fisiológicos, as espécies selvagens como o tuco-tuco podem nos dar pistas sobre o significado ecológico dos fenômenos circadianos / Our research group studies circadian rhythms in a subterranean rodent from the genus Ctenomys, the tuco-tuco. In this thesis, I will present data on photic and non-photic synchronization of circadian rhythms in tuco-tucos, as well as a study on non-photic synchronization in the laboratory mouse. Natural photic synchronization in tuco-tucos was verified with field and laboratory approaches. We initially measured the natural light/dark cycle experienced by tuco-tucos in semi natural field enclosures, by means of automatic light logger devices that continuously recorded the daily temporal pattern of light exposure. Next, a model of this light exposure pattern was applied to tuco-tucos in the laboratory, to test its potential as a photic synchronizer of the circadian rhythms. The model consisted of single light pulses applied once a day at varying random times. Despite the minimal timing information, this light regimen was a successful synchronizer in many instances, as predicted from previous computer simulations of a mathematical oscillator. These results revealed that the synchronization of circadian oscillators is even more robust than previously thought. Our second set of experiments evaluated the non-photic synchronization in the herbivorous tuco-tucos, by exposing animals to daily cycles of food availability. Similar to other rodent species, tuco-tucos in this protocol developed a circadian food anticipatory activity (FAA) right before the daily feeding time. However, there was great interindividual variability in FAA expression, likely related to differences in the metabolic responses to time-restricted feeding. The final work was a collaboration with Dr. Shin Yamazaki from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, regarding non-photic synchronization in wildtype and mutant mice with genetic disruption of the circadian clock. Daily cycles of palatable food and wheel running induced self-sustaining rhythmicity in arrhythmic mutant mice, which do not express the Period genes, key components of the molecular machinery responsible for circadian rhythm generation within the cells. These results suggest the existence of novel circadian oscillators responsive to daily rewarding signals. While model laboratory species such as the mouse can bring valuable information on physiological mechanisms, wild species like the tuco-tuco can give us insights into the ecological meaning of circadian phenomena

Em inúmeras aplicações práticas da engenharia a camada interfacial entre dois fluidos é de extrema importância para a correta caracterização do escoamento. Especificamente na Engenharia Ambiental e Hidráulica na interface entre o ar e a água existem propriedades capazes de relacionar a aeração e oxigenação. Focado na dinâmica dos processos turbulentos, o estudo proposto se aplica a problemas de sub-pressão em vertedores e visa analisar a troca de gases da interface ar-água em situações de fases dispersas e avaliar a qualidade da água a jusante dos mesmos. O objetivo maior é descrever a relação entre o comportamento da superfície da água, o desenvolvimento da camada limite e os regimes de escoamento de acordo com a vazão volumétrica. Para representar a distribuição da fração de vazios da fase dispersa, foram usados os princípios da formulação dos escoamentos em vertedores escalonados e da formulação para enlaçamento de ar. As argumentações e justificativas das formulações propostas para os perfis de concentrações foram baseadas na distribuição da fração de vazios prevista numericamente. A abordagem numérica do problema fluidodinâmico diferencia da maioria dos estudos concentrados na literatura, por estar baseada na quebra da superfície livre. / In many pratical aplications of engineering the interfacial layer between two fluids has a strong relevance in the process of right measurements of the flow. Espeficically in the enviromental and hydraulics engineering the interface between air and water is the property related with oxigen and areation of the flow. With focus on the dynamics of the turbulent processes, the proposed study is applied to sub-pressure problems in spillways. It investigates the gases exchange in the air- water interface in the dispersed phase and evaluate the water quality downstream. The major goal is to describe a relation between the boundary layer development and the flow regimes with discharge. To represent the distribution of void fractions of the dispersed phase, the physical formulation concepts of stepped spillways and entrapped air were used. The arguments and reasons to justify the proposed concentration profile formulation are based on the numerical provided void fraction distribution. The results as well as the physical model are in good agrement with described literature data. The Numerical approach of the fluid dynamics problem differs from major of described literature studies because it is based on the surface breakup.

Em inúmeras aplicações práticas da engenharia a camada interfacial entre dois fluidos é de extrema importância para a correta caracterização do escoamento. Especificamente na Engenharia Ambiental e Hidráulica na interface entre o ar e a água existem propriedades capazes de relacionar a aeração e oxigenação. Focado na dinâmica dos processos turbulentos, o estudo proposto se aplica a problemas de sub-pressão em vertedores e visa analisar a troca de gases da interface ar-água em situações de fases dispersas e avaliar a qualidade da água a jusante dos mesmos. O objetivo maior é descrever a relação entre o comportamento da superfície da água, o desenvolvimento da camada limite e os regimes de escoamento de acordo com a vazão volumétrica. Para representar a distribuição da fração de vazios da fase dispersa, foram usados os princípios da formulação dos escoamentos em vertedores escalonados e da formulação para enlaçamento de ar. As argumentações e justificativas das formulações propostas para os perfis de concentrações foram baseadas na distribuição da fração de vazios prevista numericamente. A abordagem numérica do problema fluidodinâmico diferencia da maioria dos estudos concentrados na literatura, por estar baseada na quebra da superfície livre. / In many pratical aplications of engineering the interfacial layer between two fluids has a strong relevance in the process of right measurements of the flow. Espeficically in the enviromental and hydraulics engineering the interface between air and water is the property related with oxigen and areation of the flow. With focus on the dynamics of the turbulent processes, the proposed study is applied to sub-pressure problems in spillways. It investigates the gases exchange in the air- water interface in the dispersed phase and evaluate the water quality downstream. The major goal is to describe a relation between the boundary layer development and the flow regimes with discharge. To represent the distribution of void fractions of the dispersed phase, the physical formulation concepts of stepped spillways and entrapped air were used. The arguments and reasons to justify the proposed concentration profile formulation are based on the numerical provided void fraction distribution. The results as well as the physical model are in good agrement with described literature data. The Numerical approach of the fluid dynamics problem differs from major of described literature studies because it is based on the surface breakup.

Environmental pollution is an important problem of our world. Governments are aware of this problem and emission regulations are continuously improved. One of the strictest regulations is about unburned and burned hydrocarbon emissions. In internal combustion engines the origin of the burned and unburned hydrocarbons is fuel and engine oil. As a result of the sanctions and the necessity of improved combustion performance of the engine, manufacturers work on manufacturing technology and engine tribology. With the improvement of these areas oil loss from internal combustion engine is reduced. Engine oil consumption mechanisms are specific research areas in the internal combustion engine development. Oil consumption occurs via to two main routes: &ldquo / Valve train&rdquo / and &ldquo / in cylinder components&rdquo / . In cylinder components have three sub mechanisms: evaporation, ring scraping and blowback. In this thesis, blowback oil loss mechanism is studied. 2D flow model of piston-cylinder mechanism is developed in Fluent. Land pressures and ring end gap flow data are taken from this model. An iterative computer program is developed to calculate backflow oil consumption. In this program, an empirical entrainment correlation compiled from literature is used. The calculated oil consumption values match with the range of the values in the literature.