In this study, the associated dynamic of water droplets at low impact velocity on the Superhydrophobic surface have been investigated. The experiment is conducted on superhydrophobic surface (SH), (Contact Angel > 1500) while varying the impact velocity (V0). When the drop hits the surface, large oscillation starts, and the capillary waves travel up to the upper of the drop where a cylindrical cavity can be formed inside the drop. The cavity closes up in a self-similar way until collapse, followed by a violent singular jet which can reach up to 35 m/s. The study showed that during drop receding, the cavity can collapse in different scenarios based on the impact velocity and the surface wettability. More importantly, the collapse is observed for the first time at very high-speed video, up to 5 million fps. Furthermore, we correct the optical distortion of the cavity due to the curvature of the drop surface. This study classifies all of the 5 encountered behaviors of the cavity collapse. The jet formation and speed are strongly dependent on the specific cavity configuration. Very fast jetting behavior is observed when the collapse is pinch-off singularity which reaches zero value in the middle of the drop. Other behaviors of the collapse such the unsymmetrical closing of the cavity or bubble entrapment is discussed. The optical distortion factor is calculated through 3 different approaches. The first one is an experimental calibration technique where a small cylinder is inserted into the drop. While the other two approaches are indirect implantations of theoretical models presented in the literature to fit the instantaneous geometrical shape of the cavity inside the drop. The distortion factor (DF) gives in all cases a similar value. Therefore, the averaged distortion value is calculated, and it is a magnification of 33% increase of the actual size. The experiment results of the cavity radius are compared with power-laws and the modified Rayleigh-Plesset equation for free cylindrical flow and good agreement is shown.

<p>The glazing is today a part of the car design. The customer is more or less taking for granted that his or her view from inside the car is a direct mirror of the outside world. With more complex shapes, lower installation angles and thinner glass it is a great challenge to produce even better quality at a lower price. While the windscreen is regulated by law, the lack of well specified requirements for the optics in the backlight (rear window), together with the absence of direct customer complaints, is causing the optical quality of the backlight to decrease. The requirements and measuring methods used today are described in technical terms and do not correspond to the human perception of optical distortion.</p><p>This report is a first step towards new technical requirements, for the optics of backlights, based on the driver’s perception of optical distortion. The knowledge of how optical transmission distortion occurs, how it should be measured and how it affects the driver, is essential in order to control it.</p><p>Several databases were searched and contacts with experts were established, in order to gain knowledge. The connection between the technical requirements and the human perception of optical distortion in backlights was investigated by using psychophysical methods. A within factorial design was employed with two independent variables; viewing distance from backlight to tailing object and fixation time (viewing time). The result showed a significant difference in perception of optical distortion between 25 and 75 metres. Moreover, optical distortion is, according to the test, more disturbing during free fixation time than for fixation times of about one second.</p><p>The requirements often used for backlights today (12 ± 5 millimetres) allow distortions that 68 percent of the test subjects perceived as disturbing. In order to please the test driver from Volvo the requirements need to be as high as 12 ± 2 millimetres, which correspond to the 96th percentile. Furthermore, the result confirms that dynamic measurements are needed to find a connection to human perception of optical distortion. The principles of a new measuring method that measures the deformation and the dynamic distortion were developed to show the possibilities of measuring what the driver perceives.</p><p>Even if a good measuring method can help controlling the produced glazing it is not enough to optimize the quality of the production. More important is the choice of thickness and curvature of the glass, the installation angle and the manufacturing method. It is important to set about the origin of the problem and develop a good routine of how to work with optical distortions. Optical distortions in backlights, similar to the tested backlight, have a low probability to disturb the driver in such extent that it has an effect on the driving. Nevertheless, it is a source of irritation and discomfort, which do not belong in a premium car.</p> / The video files are also clickable from the pdf file pages 29 and 56.

The glazing is today a part of the car design. The customer is more or less taking for granted that his or her view from inside the car is a direct mirror of the outside world. With more complex shapes, lower installation angles and thinner glass it is a great challenge to produce even better quality at a lower price. While the windscreen is regulated by law, the lack of well specified requirements for the optics in the backlight (rear window), together with the absence of direct customer complaints, is causing the optical quality of the backlight to decrease. The requirements and measuring methods used today are described in technical terms and do not correspond to the human perception of optical distortion. This report is a first step towards new technical requirements, for the optics of backlights, based on the driver’s perception of optical distortion. The knowledge of how optical transmission distortion occurs, how it should be measured and how it affects the driver, is essential in order to control it. Several databases were searched and contacts with experts were established, in order to gain knowledge. The connection between the technical requirements and the human perception of optical distortion in backlights was investigated by using psychophysical methods. A within factorial design was employed with two independent variables; viewing distance from backlight to tailing object and fixation time (viewing time). The result showed a significant difference in perception of optical distortion between 25 and 75 metres. Moreover, optical distortion is, according to the test, more disturbing during free fixation time than for fixation times of about one second. The requirements often used for backlights today (12 ± 5 millimetres) allow distortions that 68 percent of the test subjects perceived as disturbing. In order to please the test driver from Volvo the requirements need to be as high as 12 ± 2 millimetres, which correspond to the 96th percentile. Furthermore, the result confirms that dynamic measurements are needed to find a connection to human perception of optical distortion. The principles of a new measuring method that measures the deformation and the dynamic distortion were developed to show the possibilities of measuring what the driver perceives. Even if a good measuring method can help controlling the produced glazing it is not enough to optimize the quality of the production. More important is the choice of thickness and curvature of the glass, the installation angle and the manufacturing method. It is important to set about the origin of the problem and develop a good routine of how to work with optical distortions. Optical distortions in backlights, similar to the tested backlight, have a low probability to disturb the driver in such extent that it has an effect on the driving. Nevertheless, it is a source of irritation and discomfort, which do not belong in a premium car. / The video files are also clickable from the pdf file pages 29 and 56.

Liquid water formation and flooding in PEM fuel cell gas distribution channels can significantly degrade fuel cell performance by causing substantial pressure drop in the channels and by inhibiting the transport of reactants to the reaction sites at the catalyst layer. A better understanding of the mechanisms of discrete water droplet transport by air flow in such small channels may be developed through the application of quantitative flow visualization techniques. This improved knowledge could contribute to improved gas channel design and higher fuel cell efficiencies. An experimental investigation was undertaken to gain better understanding of the relationships between air velocity in the channel, secondary rotational flows inside a droplet, droplet deformation, and threshold shear, drag, and pressure forces required for droplet removal. Micro-digital-particle-image-velocimetry (micro-DPIV) techniques were used to provide quantitative visualizations of the flow inside the liquid phase for the case of air flow around a droplet adhered to the wall of a 1 mm x 3 mm rectangular gas channel model. The sidewall against which the droplet was adhered was composed of PTFE treated carbon paper to simulate the porous GDL surface of a fuel cell gas channel. Visualization of droplet shape, internal flow patterns and Velocity measurements at the central cross-sectional plane of symmetry in the droplet were obtained for different air flow rates. A variety of rotational secondary flow patterns within the droplet were observed. The nature of these flows depended primarily on the air flow rate. The peak velocities of these secondary flow fields were observed to be around two orders of magnitude below the calculated channel-averaged driving air velocities. The resulting flow fields show in particular that the velocity at the air-droplet interface is finite. The experimental data collected from this study may be used for validation of numerical simulations of such droplet flows. Further study of such flow scenarios using the techniques developed in this experiment, including the general optical distortion correction algorithm developed as part of this work, may provide insight into an improved force balance model for a droplet exposed to an air flow in a gas channel.

Liquid water formation and flooding in PEM fuel cell gas distribution channels can significantly degrade fuel cell performance by causing substantial pressure drop in the channels and by inhibiting the transport of reactants to the reaction sites at the catalyst layer. A better understanding of the mechanisms of discrete water droplet transport by air flow in such small channels may be developed through the application of quantitative flow visualization techniques. This improved knowledge could contribute to improved gas channel design and higher fuel cell efficiencies. An experimental investigation was undertaken to gain better understanding of the relationships between air velocity in the channel, secondary rotational flows inside a droplet, droplet deformation, and threshold shear, drag, and pressure forces required for droplet removal. Micro-digital-particle-image-velocimetry (micro-DPIV) techniques were used to provide quantitative visualizations of the flow inside the liquid phase for the case of air flow around a droplet adhered to the wall of a 1 mm x 3 mm rectangular gas channel model. The sidewall against which the droplet was adhered was composed of PTFE treated carbon paper to simulate the porous GDL surface of a fuel cell gas channel. Visualization of droplet shape, internal flow patterns and Velocity measurements at the central cross-sectional plane of symmetry in the droplet were obtained for different air flow rates. A variety of rotational secondary flow patterns within the droplet were observed. The nature of these flows depended primarily on the air flow rate. The peak velocities of these secondary flow fields were observed to be around two orders of magnitude below the calculated channel-averaged driving air velocities. The resulting flow fields show in particular that the velocity at the air-droplet interface is finite. The experimental data collected from this study may be used for validation of numerical simulations of such droplet flows. Further study of such flow scenarios using the techniques developed in this experiment, including the general optical distortion correction algorithm developed as part of this work, may provide insight into an improved force balance model for a droplet exposed to an air flow in a gas channel.