Physics

The quasi-accumulation solutions of acoustic wave in a moving fluid are obtained by using the Lagrange parameter variation method to solve the differential equation that describes the interaction between the acoustic waves and the flow. The results show that the nonlinear interaction causes the period-doubling followed by the odd multiple half-period bifurcation and all order subharmonics are generated subsequently, of which the amplitudes depend not only on the acoustic Mach number but also on the Mach number of the flow. The latter result indicates that the acoustic wave has been amplified by the momentum of the flow. The result also shows that the amplitudes of the generated subharmonics are proportional to the (the order number of the approximation) powers of the acoustic Reynolds number (and hence the Reynolds number of the flow). If the kinetic energy gained from momentum amplification is greater than the energy loss due to the acoustic attenuation, which means, the Reynolds number exceeds its critical value, a chain-reaction of the period-doubling followed by the odd multiple half-period bifurcation can continue to proceed so that the number of degrees of freedom in the flow increases infinitely resulting a chaos.

We propose a new approach to the generation of acoustic frequency combs (AFC) -- signals with spectra containing equidistant coherent peaks. AFCs are essential for a number of sensing and measurement applications, where the established technology of optical frequency combs suffers from fundamental physical limitations. Our proof-of-principle experiments demonstrate that nonlinear oscillations of a gas bubble cluster in water insonated by a low-pressure single-frequency ultrasound wave produce signals with spectra consisting of equally spaced peaks originating from the interaction of the driving ultrasound wave with the response of the bubble cluster at its natural frequency. The so-generated AFC posses essential characteristics of optical frequency combs and thus, similar to their optical counterparts, can be used to measure various physical, chemical and biological quantities.

We theoretically investigate how the acoustic radiation force and torque arise on a small spheroidal particle immersed in a nonviscous fluid inside an ideal cylindrical chamber. The ideal chamber comprises a hard top and bottom (rigid boundary condition), and a soft or hard lateral wall. By assuming the particle is much smaller than the acoustic wavelength, we present analytical expressions of the radiation force and torque caused by an acoustic wave of arbitrary shape. Unlike previous results, these expressions are given relative to a fixed laboratory frame. Our model is showcased for analyzing the behavior of an elongated metallic microspheroid (with a 10 : 1 aspect ratio) in a half-wavelength acoustofluidic chamber with a few millimeters diameter. The results show the radiation torque aligns the microspheroid along the nodal plane, and the radiation force causes a translational motion with a speed of up to one body length per second. At last, we discuss the implications of this study to propelled nanorods by ultrasound.

The decomposition of hydrodynamic and acoustic components of cavity flows can aid the understanding of the flow-acoustic interaction, which produces a variety of adverse effects in applications. We apply the approach of combining the resolvent analysis and Doak's momentum potential theory to examine the input-output flow-acoustic characteristics of compressible flow over an open cavity at Re=10,000. The methodology can decompose hydrodynamic and acoustic components from an input-output framework. We further localize the forcing at the leading-edge and front wall of the cavity and filter with a single component of velocity, density, and temperature forcing. For the subsonic flow at M=0.6, The strong acoustic component appears at the trailing edge of the cavity at a lower frequency. while as the frequency increases, the intense acoustic structure moves close to upstream and overlap with the hydrodynamic component. This tendency is also observed in the supersonic flow condition M=1.4. Compared to different types of forcing, the streamwise velocity forcing achieves the largest energy amplification. However, it substantially reduces by moving the forcing location from the leading-edge to the front wall of the cavity. This work provides an alternative approach to examine input-output flow-acoustic characteristics where resonance is dominant and provides guidance for the development of flow control strategies.

We consider a numerical approach for a covariant generalised Navier-Stokes equation on general surfaces and study the influence of varying Gaussian curvature on anomalous vortex-network active turbulence. This regime is characterised by self-assembly of finite-size vortices into linked chains of anti-ferromagnet order, which percolate through the entire surface. The simulation results reveal an alignment of these chains with minimal curvature lines of the surface and indicate a dependency of this turbulence regime on the sign and the gradient in local Gaussian curvature. While these results remain qualitative and their explanations are still incomplete, several of the observed phenomena are in qualitative agreement with experiments on active nematic liquid crystals on toroidal surfaces and contribute to an understanding of the delicate interplay between geometrical properties of the surface and characteristics of the flow field, which has the potential to control active flows on surfaces via gradients in the spatial curvature of the surface.

Townsend (1961) introduced the concept of active and inactive motions for wall-bounded turbulent flows, where the active motions are solely responsible for producing the Reynolds shear stress, the key momentum transport term in these flows. While the wall-normal component of velocity is associated exclusively with the active motions, the wall-parallel components of velocity are associated with both active and inactive motions. In this paper, we propose a method to segregate the active and inactive components of the 2-D energy spectrum of the streamwise velocity, thereby allowing us to test the self-similarity characteristics of the former which are central to theoretical models for wall-turbulence. The approach is based on analyzing datasets comprising two-point streamwise velocity signals coupled with a spectral linear stochastic estimation (SLSE) based procedure. The data considered span a friction Reynolds number range R e τ ∼ O ( 10 3 ) -- O ( 10 4 ). The procedure linearly decomposes the full 2-D spectrum ( Φ ) into two components, Φ ia and Φ a , comprising contributions predominantly from the inactive and active motions, respectively. This is confirmed by Φ a exhibiting wall-scaling, for both streamwise and spanwise wavelengths, corresponding well with the Reynolds shear stress cospectra reported in the literature. Both Φ a and Φ ia are found to depict prominent self-similar characteristics in the inertially dominated region close to the wall, suggestive of contributions from Townsend's attached eddies. Inactive contributions from the attached eddies reveal pure k −1 -scaling for the associated 1-D spectra (where k is the streamwise/spanwise wavenumber), lending empirical support to the attached eddy model of Perry & Chong (1982).

The ability to robustly and efficiently control the dynamics of nonlinear systems lies at the heart of many current technological challenges, ranging from drug delivery systems to ensuring flight safety. Most such scenarios are too complex to tackle directly and reduced-order modelling is used in order to create viable representations of the target systems. The simplified setting allows for the development of rigorous control theoretical approaches, but the propagation of their effects back up the hierarchy and into real-world systems remains a significant challenge. Using the canonical setup of a liquid film falling down an inclined plane under the action of active feedback controls in the form of blowing and suction, we develop a multi-level modelling framework containing both analytical models and direct numerical simulations acting as an in silico experimental platform. Constructing strategies at the inexpensive lower levels in the hierarchy, we find that offline control transfer is not viable, however analytically-informed feedback strategies show excellent potential, even far beyond the anticipated range of applicability of the models. The detailed effects of the controls in terms of stability and treatment of nonlinearity are examined in detail in order to gain understanding of the information transfer inside the flows, which can aid transition towards other control-rich frameworks and applications.

We derive a general formula for the inertialess dynamics of active particles in linear viscoelastic fluids by means of a modified reciprocal theorem. We then demonstrate that force-free active particles in Maxwell-like linear viscoelastic fluids with no retardation have exactly the same dynamics as in Newtonian fluids. In contrast, active particles in Jeffreys-like fluids with retardation can display markedly different dynamics, including net motion under reciprocal actuation thereby breaking the scallop theorem.

This paper reports on the derivation and implementation of a shape optimization procedure for the minimization of hemolysis induction in biomedical devices. Hemolysis is a blood damaging phenomenon that may occur in mechanical blood-processing applications where large velocity gradients are found. An increased level of damaged blood can lead to deterioration of the immune system and quality of life. It is, thus, important to minimize flow-induced hemolysis by improving the design of next-generation biomedical machinery. Emphasis is given to the formulation of a continuous adjoint complement to a power-law hemolysis prediction model dedicated to efficiently identifying the shape sensitivity to hemolysis. The computational approach is verified against the analytical solutions of a benchmark problem and computed sensitivity derivatives are validated by a finite differences study on a generic 2D stenosed geometry. The application included addresses a 3D ducted geometry which features typical characteristics of biomedical devices. An optimized shape, leading to a potential improvement in hemolysis induction up to 22%, is identified. It is shown, that the improvement persists for different, literature-reported hemolysis-evaluation parameters.

The Covid-19 pandemic has focused attention on airborne transmission of viruses. Using realistic air flow simulation, we model droplet dispersion from coughing and study the transmission risk related to SARS-CoV-2. Although most airborne droplets are 8-16 μ m in diameter, the droplets with the highest transmission potential are, in fact, 32-40 μ m. Use of face masks is therefore recommended for both personal and social protection. We found social distancing effective at reducing transmission potential across all droplet sizes. However, the presence of a human body 1 m away modifies the aerodynamics so that downstream droplet dispersion is enhanced, which has implications on safe distancing in queues. Based on median viral load, we found that an average of 0.55 viral copies is inhaled at 1 m distance per cough. Droplet evaporation results in significant reduction in droplet counts, but airborne transmission remains possible even under low humidity conditions.