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A numerical study has been performed to investigate the mechanics of the turbulent wake of a circular cylinder that is controlled by a plasma actuator. The numerical investigation implements a straightforward moving wall boundary condition to model the actuator's effects on the flow. Validations of the moving wall for this simulation are set forth with the understanding that the moving wall can model the plasma actuator bulk flow effects at a distance downstream and not in a region near or on the plasma actuator. The moving wall boundary condition is then applied to a circular cylinder at a Reynolds number of 8,000. At this unsteady transitional flow regime, a large eddy simulation solver is utilized to resolve flow features. The moving walls are placed at the top and bottom ninety degree points of the cylinder and alternately activated at a frequency to produce lock-in behavior. Investigation into the flowfield mechanics reveals that a harmonic frequency of the forced frequency occurs from the creation of sub-vortices from the instantaneous starting and stopping of the moving-wall actuators. With the forcing frequency close to the natural shedding frequency it is found that the aerodynamic drag increases due to the moving wall creating an average low pressure region on to the downstream side of the cylinder. It is also found that drag can be reduced when the forcing frequency is closer to half the natural shedding frequency. This happens because of a decrease in the average pressure on the downstream side of the cylinder.

Cavitation is a phenomenon that occurs in liquids when the pressure drops below the vapor pressure of the liquid. Previous research has verified that cavitation bubble collapse is a dynamic and destructive process. An understanding of the behavior of cavitation is necessary to implement this destructive mechanism from an axisymmetric jet for underwater material removal. This work investigates the influence of jet pressure and nozzle diameter on the behavior of a cloud of cavitation bubbles generated by a submerged high-pressure water jet. First, this investigation is put into context with a condensed historical background of cavitation research. Second, a description of the cavitation-generating apparatus is given. Next, the experimental methods used to explore the behavior of the cavitation clouds are explained. Finally, the results of the investigation, including propagation distance, cloud width and area, pulsation frequency, and cloud front velocity are presented. Among the results is a discussion of the significant experimental factors affecting the behavior of the cavitation clouds. It is shown that the Reynolds number, specifically the diameter of the nozzle, has a significant effect on the measurements. In some cases the jet pressure, and subsequent jet velocity, had a less significant effect than was expected. Overall, this research describes the cavitation cloud formed when a submerged high-speed water jet discharges.

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Turbulent boundary layers flowing over a smooth surface were studied to understand the influence of varying pressure gradients and flow Reynolds number on the boundary layer growth and mean turbulent properties. The test was conducted in the Virginia Tech Stability Wind Tunnel with a 0.914 m chord length, NACA 0012 Airfoil in the test section. This airfoil was rotated to different angles of attack to induce varying pressure gradients on the boundary layer developing on the test section walls. Mean pressure measurements, boundary layer pressure measurements, and time-resolved, wall-normal, stereoscopic particle image velocimetry (TR-PIV) measurements were made. The TR-PIV data was acquired at a chord-based Reynolds number of 1.2 million, 2 million, and 3.5 million, at a sampling rate of 1 kHz, in two different camera configurations. The boundary layer pressure measurements were acquired at different flow Reynolds numbers ranging between 0.76 million and 3.5 million. Both adverse and favorable pressure gradients of varying intensities were imposed on the boundary layer by rotating a 0.914 m chord NACA 0012 airfoil to angles of attacks between -{10}^o and {12}^o. Measurements at varying streamwise locations enabled the study of boundary layer flow development under changing pressure gradients. The pressure gradient influences were observed in the boundary layer characteristic properties, on the mean velocities, and on the Reynolds stresses present in the flow. The pressure gradient influences were found to be consistent at varying Reynolds numbers, but the intensity of their effects was influenced by the flow Reynolds number. Moreover, the influence of pressure gradients and flow Reynolds numbers was evident in both outer and inner scales. The test data acquired was also validated with previous works. / M.S. / The interaction of turbulent boundary layers and smooth surfaces is prevalent in our world. It plays a vital role in various phenomena, such as, aircraft stall, cabin noise, and structural vibrations. Varying flow conditions influence the behavior of boundary layers and the extent of their implications. The effects of pressure gradients and the level of turbulence, described by the Reynolds numbers, on turbulent boundary layer flow was studied. This was done through an experiment conducted at the Virginia Tech Stability Wind Tunnel facility. The test data was acquired through boundary layer pressure measurements and Time-Resolved, Stereoscopic Particle Image Velocimetry (TR-PIV) at varying streamwise locations in the test section. A 0.914 m chord, NACA 0012 airfoil was placed in the test section and its angle of attack was varied to -{10}^o,0^o,\ \ and\ {12}^o to induce a favorable, minimum, and an adverse pressure gradient, respectively. The TR-PIV measurements were acquired at a sampling rate of 1 kHz and in two different camera configurations. The flow Reynolds number was based on the airfoil chord length (Re_c) and was varied to 1.2 million, 2 million, and 3.5 million for the TR-PIV tests. The boundary layer pressure measurements were acquired using an array of 30 Pitot probes placed in the boundary layer of the flow. The flow Reynolds number for these test runs ranged between 0.76 million and 3.5 million. The acquired data was used to analyze the mean statistical properties of turbulent boundary layers primarily focusing on the mean velocities, boundary characteristic parameters, Reynolds normal stresses, and Reynolds shear stresses. The results showed that the nature of pressure gradient influences on the mean properties of turbulent boundary layers remained consistent regardless of the flow Reynolds number. However, the intensity of the pressure gradient effects was influenced by the flow Reynolds number. These observations were made at various streamwise data acquisition locations through which the evolution of the flow was also studied. Lastly, the results obtained in this experiment were validated with previous works.

Une étude expérimentale et numérique traitant de l'influence de structures tourbillonnaires sur la sédimentation de nuage de particules sphériques sous l'effet de la gravité est présentée dans une première partie de ce manuscrit. L'écoulement est créé par électro-convection, ce qui permet de générer un réseau de vortex contrôlés en vitesse et de taille constante qui imite un écoulement tourbillonnaire. Des techniques de PIV (Particle image-velocimetry) et de suivi de particules sont utilisés pour étudier la sédimentation du nuage.Le nuage est modélisé comme un ensemble de particules ponctuelles pour lesquelles les forces d'interaction hydrodynamiques entre particules sont prépondérantes. Le comportement du nuage est comparé aux prédictions obtenues avec des modèles numériques. Dans une seconde partie est présentée une étude expérimentale et numérique concernant la sédimentation à faible nombre de Reynolds de fibres flexibles dans un fluide visqueux au repos. L'état d'équilibre atteint par la fibre flexible est étudié. Nous identifions trois régimes ayant des signatures différentes sur l'état stationnaire de la fibre flexible: un régime de faibles déformations dans lequel la force de traînée est proportionnelle à celle d'une fibre sédimentant horizontalement par rapport à la gravité; un régime de grandes déformations dans lequel la force de traînée est aussi proportionnelle à la vitesse de la fibre, mais avec un coefficient de traînée qui est celui d'une fibre chutant parallèlement à la gravité; et un régime de reconfiguration élastique où le filament se déforme avec une traînée plus faible qui n'est plus proportionnelle à sa vitesse, mais à la racine carrée de celle-ci / In the first part, a jointed experimental and numerical study examining the influence of vortical structures on the settling of a cloud of solid spherical particles under the action of gravity at low Stokes numbers is presented. We use electro-convection to generate a two-dimensional array of controlled vortices which mimics a simplified vortical flow. Particle image-velocimetry and tracking are used to examine the motion of the cloud within this vortical flow. The cloud is modeled as a set of point-particles for which the hydrodynamic interaction is preponderant. The cloud behavior (trajectory, velocity, aspect ratio, break-up time …) is compared to the predictions of a two-way-coupling numerical simulation. In the second part, a jointed experimentally and numerical study on the dynamics of slender flexible filaments settling in a viscous fluid at low Reynolds number is presented. The equilibrium state of a flexible fiber settling in a viscous fluid is examined using a combination of macroscopic experiments, numerical simulations and scaling arguments. We identify three regimes having different signatures on this equilibrium configuration of the elastic filament: a weak deformation regime wherein the drag is proportional to the fiber velocity settling perpendicular to the gravity; a large deformation regime wherein the drag is proportional to the fiber velocity settling parallel to the gravity and an intermediate elastic reconfiguration regime where the filament deforms to adopt a shape with a smaller drag which is no longer linearly proportional to the velocity but to the square root of the velocity

O estudo do comportamento de um perfil de uma seção aerolástica típica, com Reynolds na faixa de microaeronaves, constitui o principal foco deste trabalho, tomando como objetivo a estimativa de parâmetros do fenômeno de flutter. A pesquisa analisa o escoamento de um fluido sobre um corpo (cilindro e perfil de aerofólio) em estado estacionário e oscilante, em escoamento de velocidade constante, e, especificamente, o fenômeno de flutter. As equações de Navier-Stokes, com termo de força, são resolvidas pelo método da fronteira virtual para modelagem da interface escoamento/estrutura, representada pela geometria de um corpo de geometria complexa. Na discretização das equações governantes foi utilizado o método de diferenças finitas, sobre malhas deslocadas, com avanço temporal das velocidades do escoamento por meio de um esquema de Runge-Kutta de ordem 4. Os códigos computacionais, para as simulações das diretrizes e a lógica de cálculo, foram criados no contexto deste trabalho. A verificação foi feita através do método da solução manufaturada por meio de um problema fictício, que tem uma solução analítica conhecida, e que preenche as condições de contorno implementadas no código. O modelo da fronteira virtual é testado para os casos de escoamento sobre cilindro de base quadrada, cilindro de base circular e perfil de aerofólio tipo NACA0012, com malhas regular e não regular, e para condições estacionária e sob oscilação forçada. Foi estudado o comportamento de formação de vórtices, provocados por escoamento uniforme sobre o perfil de aerofólio, através dos coeficientes de arrasto, sustentação e pressão com visualização por meio da vorticidade e linhas de corrente, para vários ângulos de ataque e oscilação forçada com elevação e rotação em torno de um pivô posicionado no centro geométrico do perfil (50% da corda). Finalmente, é apresentada uma determinação numérica das características aeroelásticas para o perfil de aerofólio NACA0012, em escoamento de número de Reynolds ultra baixo (Re = 1.000), e parâmetros de flutter para um caso de baixa frequência de oscilação. / The behavior study of a profile of a typical aerolastic section, with Reynolds in range of micro aerial vehicle, is the main focus of this work, taking as objective the estimation of parameters of flutter phenomenon. The research analyzes of the flow of a incompressible fluid on a body (cylinder and airfoil profile) at steady state and oscillating with constant speed and, specifically, the flutter phenomenon. The Navier-Stokes equations, with force term, are solved by virtual boundary method for modeling interface flow/structure, represented by the geometry of a body of complex geometry. In discretization of the governing equations, the method of finite differences on staggered grid, with temporal advancement of discharge velocity through a Runge-Kutta of order 4. The computer codes, for simulations guidelines and logic calculation, were created in the context of this work. The verification was done by method ofmanufactured solution through a fictional problem, which has a known analytical solution, and satisfies the boundary conditions implemented in code. The model of the virtual boundary is tested for cases of flow over a square cylinder, circular cylinder and profile of a NACA0012 airfoil type, with regular and non-regular meshes, over stationary and forced oscillation conditions. We studied the behavior of vortex formation, caused by uniform flow over the airfoil profile, by the drag, lift and pressure coefficients with view through the vorticity and streamlines for various attack angles and forced oscillation with plunge and pich around a pivot witch was positioned at the geometric airfoil profile (half chord). Finally, it is presented a numerical determination of aeroelastic characteristics for the NACA0012 airfoil profile, flow under ultra low Reynolds number, and flutter parameters for a case of low oscillation frequency.

O escoamento em torno de corpos tem sido objeto de estudo de muitos pesquisadores e é muito explorado experimental e computacionalmente, devido a sua grande aplicabilidade na engenharia. No entanto, simular computacionalmente este tipo de escoamento requer uma atenção especial ao escolher o tipo malha a ser utilizado. Em muitos casos faz-se necessário o uso de uma malha que se adapte ao contorno do obstáculo, o que pode ocasionar um aumento no esforço computacional. Um maneira de contornar este problema é a utilização do Método das Fronteiras Imersas, que possibilita o uso de malha cartesiana na simulação computacional do escoamento em torno de obstáculos. Isso é possível através da adição de um termo forçante nas equações que modelam o escoamento, e assim as forças que agem sobre o contorno do corpo são transferidas diretamente para a malha. O objetivo deste trabalho de mestrado foi implementar o método das Fronteiras Imersas e simular o escoamento em torno de um cilindro circular em repouso, movimentando-se na mesma direção do escoamento, na direção perpendicular ao escoamento, ou rotacionando em torno do próprio eixo. As simulações computacionais possibilitaram a captura do fenômeno de Atrelagem Síncrona, caracterizado pela sincronia entre a frequência de desprendimento natural de vórtices e a frequência de oscilação do mesmo. O Método das Fronteiras Imersas mostrou um ótimo desempenho quando comparado a resultados experimentais e numéricos encontrados na literatura / The flow around bodies have been studied by many researchers. Both experimental and computational approaches have been extensively explored in researches on flow around bodies and have been applied in many engeneering problems. However, to choose an appropriate type of mesh to perform computational simulations of this type of problem requires special attention. In many cases, it is necessary to use a mesh that is able to conform to the boundary if a given obstacle. The need to perform this adaptation may increase the computational effort. The Immersed Boundary Method enables the use of cartesian meshes to perform computational simulations of flows around obstacles. The idea of this method is to add a forcing term in the equations that model the flow. Thus, the forces applied on the body boundaries are directly transfered to the mesh. The aim of this work was to perform a computational implementation of the Immersed Boundary Method to simulate the flow over a oscilating circular cylinder. This oscilation may be inline with the flow, cross-flow, or rotating. The computational simulations enabled the capture of the lock-in phenomena, which consists of the syncronization between the vortex shedding frequency and the cylinder oscilation frequency. The results obtained from the computational simulations using the Immersed Boundary Method were in good agreement with the numerical and experimental results found in the literature

"The present work is a study of the low inertia spreading dynamics of initially spherical viscous droplets on a planar interface. The droplets are affected by gravity, surface tension and viscous forces and are modeled as two-dimensional axisymmetric bodies. The main focus of this study is the examination of the dependence of droplet stability, equilibrium shape and fluid motion within the drop on the relative magnitude of these forces. The dynamics are modeled using the unsteady, non-linear Navier-Stokes equations for an incompressible fluid. The spreading of a droplet on a solid surface is modeled with both a no-slip and a partial-slip boundary condition. In addition, the spreading of a droplet on another identical drop (two-drop problem) is modeled to study the problem without the contact point singularity. The governing equations are solved numerically using the Mixed Galerkin Finite Element formulation, augmented by the use of the Newton-Raphson iteration scheme to effectively treat the non-linearities of the problem. The Generalized Eulerian Lagrangian formulation is adopted for the treatment of the moving free surface of the droplet. Computations are performed for capillary numbers ranging from 0.01 to 100 and for Reynolds numbers from 0.005 to 50, where the velocity scale is based on the droplet radius and the gravitational acceleration. For the droplet spreading on a solid surface, three distinct behaviors are observed~: for low Reynolds numbers and sufficiently high capillary numbers, droplets deform to a stable, equilibrium shape; for higher Reynolds numbers, an oscillatory droplet behavior occurs; at still higher Reynolds numbers, the droplets shatter. Very often, a recirculation is induced near the contact point just before the droplet shatters, which is also observed for the case of stable oscillating droplets. When a partial-slip boundary condition is applied, it is observed that the stability of the droplet and the rate at which the droplet attains the static contact angle depend strongly on the velocity of slip of the droplet with respect to the solid surface at the contact point. For the two-drop problem, only two distinct behaviors are observed: for low Reynolds numbers and high capillary numbers, the droplet retains a near-spherical shape and remains stable; while for higher Reynolds numbers, the droplet deforms to a high extent and becomes unstable."