The Effect of Inertia in Lubrication Flow Including Entrance and Initial Conditions

1985 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 759-765 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. Tichy ◽  
P. Bourgin

This study is concerned with the influence of fluid inertia in thin film steady or transient laminar flows, emphasizing the role of initial conditions and inlet boundary conditions. Most existing studies implicitly omit these effects due to the method of formulation or the type of problem studied. In the present study, linearization for the convective inertia terms is used to transform the problem to a coordinate system which results in a simple diffusion equation. Closed-form solutions are obtained, considering initial or entrance conditions in the classical manner. Predictions are tested against cases for which solutions exist in the literature and against a numerical solution and excellent agreement is found. For simple squeeze films, large discrepancies from lubrication theory are found at short times following the start-up, or at moderate Reynolds numbers. In the steady flow case, fluid is assumed to enter the bearing with a slug flow profile. The inlet pressure is determined by coupling the bearing flow with the upstream inviscid flow. Large discrepancies from lubrication theory are found at Reynolds numbers where the lubrication theory was previously thought to be satisfactory. The load may increase or decrease, depending on the upstream conditions.

Author(s):  
John A. Tichy

Squeeze film dampers are commonly applied to high speed rotating machinery, such as aircraft engines, to reduce vibration problems. The theory of hydrodynamic lubrication has been used for the design and modeling of dampers in rotor dynamic systems despite typical modified Reynolds numbers in applications between ten and fifty. Lubrication theory is strictly valid for Reynolds numbers much less than one, which means that fluid viscous forces are much greater than inertia forces. Theoretical papers which account for fluid inertia in squeeze films have predicted large discrepancies from lubrication theory, but these results have not found wide acceptance by workers in the gas turbine industry. Recently, experimental results on the behavior of rotor dynamic systems have been reported which strongly support the existence of large fluid inertia forces. In the present paper direct measurements of damper forces are presented for the first time. Reynolds numbers up to ten are obtained at eccentricity ratios 0.2 and 0.5. Lubrication theory underpredicts the measured forces by up to a factor of two (100% error). Qualitative agreement is found with predictions of earlier improved theories which include fluid inertia forces.


2017 ◽  
Vol 813 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anita A. Dey ◽  
Yahya Modarres-Sadeghi ◽  
Jonathan P. Rothstein

It is well known that when a flexible or flexibly mounted structure is placed perpendicular to the flow of a Newtonian fluid, it can oscillate due to the shedding of separated vortices. Here, we show for the first time that fluid–structure interactions can also be observed when the fluid is viscoelastic. For viscoelastic fluids, a flexible structure can become unstable in the absence of fluid inertia, at infinitesimal Reynolds numbers, due to the onset of a purely elastic flow instability. Nonlinear periodic oscillations of the flexible structure are observed and found to be coupled to the time-dependent growth and decay of viscoelastic stresses in the wake of the structure.


1991 ◽  
Vol 113 (4) ◽  
pp. 608-616 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. M. Jang ◽  
J. A. Ekaterinaris ◽  
M. F. Platzer ◽  
T. Cebeci

Two methods are described for calculating pressure distributions and boundary layers on blades subjected to low Reynolds numbers and ramp-type motion. The first is based on an interactive scheme in which the inviscid flow is computed by a panel method and the boundary layer flow by an inverse method that makes use of the Hilbert integral to couple the solutions of the inviscid and viscous flow equations. The second method is based on the solution of the compressible Navier–Stokes equations with an embedded grid technique that permits accurate calculation of boundary layer flows. Studies for the Eppler-387 and NACA-0012 airfoils indicate that both methods can be used to calculate the behavior of unsteady blade boundary layers at low Reynolds numbers provided that the location of transition is computed with the en method and the transitional region is modeled properly.


2015 ◽  
Vol 81 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amit Seta ◽  
Pallavi Bhat ◽  
Kandaswamy Subramanian

Zeldovich’s stretch–twist–fold (STF) dynamo provided a breakthrough in conceptual understanding of fast dynamos, including the small-scale fluctuation dynamos. We study the evolution and saturation behaviour of two types of generalized Baker’s map dynamos, which have been used to model Zeldovich’s STF dynamo process. Using such maps allows one to analyse dynamos at much higher magnetic Reynolds numbers $\mathit{Re}_{M}$ as compared to direct numerical simulations. In the two-strip map dynamo there is constant constructive folding, while the four-strip map dynamo also allows the possibility of a destructive reversal of the field. Incorporating a diffusive step parametrized by $\mathit{Re}_{M}$ into the map, we find that the magnetic field $B(x)$ is amplified only above a critical $\mathit{Re}_{M}=R_{\mathit{crit}}\sim 4$ for both types of dynamos. The growing $B(x)$ approaches a shape-invariant eigenfunction independent of initial conditions, whose fine structure increases with increasing $\mathit{Re}_{M}$. Its power spectrum $M(k)$ displays sharp peaks reflecting the fractal nature of $B(x)$ above the diffusive scale. We explore the saturation of these dynamos in three ways: via a renormalized reduced effective $\mathit{Re}_{M}$ (case I) or due to a decrease in the efficiency of the field amplification by stretching, without changing the map (case IIa), or changing the map (case IIb), and a combination of both effects (case III). For case I, we show that $B(x)$ in the saturated state, for both types of maps, approaches the marginal eigenfunction, which is obtained for $\mathit{Re}_{M}=R_{\mathit{crit}}$ independent of the initial $\mathit{Re}_{M}=R_{M0}$. On the other hand, in case II, for the two-strip map, we show that $B(x)$ saturates, preserving the structure of the kinematic eigenfunction. Thus the energy is transferred to larger scales in case I but remains at the smallest resistive scales in case II, as can be seen from both $B(x)$ and $M(k)$. For the four-strip map, $B(x)$ oscillates with time, although with a structure similar to the kinematic eigenfunction. Interestingly, the saturated state in case III shows an intermediate behaviour, with $B(x)$ similar to the kinematic eigenfunction at an intermediate $\mathit{Re}_{M}=R_{\mathit{sat}}$, with $R_{M0}>R_{\mathit{sat}}>R_{\mathit{crit}}$. The $R_{\mathit{sat}}$ value is determined by the relative importance of the increased diffusion versus the reduced stretching. These saturation properties are akin to the range of possibilities that have been discussed in the context of fluctuation dynamos.


2013 ◽  
Vol 726 ◽  
pp. 404-438 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Camassa ◽  
S. Chen ◽  
G. Falqui ◽  
G. Ortenzi ◽  
M. Pedroni

AbstractConsequences of density stratification are studied for an ideal (Euler) incompressible fluid, confined to move under gravity between rigid lids but otherwise free to move along horizontal directions. Initial conditions that generate horizontal pressure imbalances in a laterally unbounded domain are examined. The aim is to show analytically the existence of classes of initial data for which total horizontal momentum evolves in time, even though only vertical forces act on the fluid in this set-up. A simple class of such initial conditions, leading to momentum evolution, is identified by systematic asymptotic expansions of the governing inhomogeneous Euler equations in the small-density-variation limit. These results for Euler equations are compared and confirmed with long-wave asymptotic models, which can handle arbitrary density variations and provide closed-form mathematical expressions for limiting cases. In particular, the role of wave dispersion arising from the fluid inertia is captured by the long-wave models, even for short-time dynamics emanating from initial conditions outside the models’ asymptotic range of validity. These results are compared with direct numerical simulations for variable-density Euler fluids, which further validate the numerical algorithms and the analysis.


2021 ◽  
Vol 927 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Ricco ◽  
Claudia Alvarenga

The entrainment of free-stream unsteady three-dimensional vortical disturbances in the entry region of a channel is studied via matched asymptotic expansions and by numerical means. The interest is in flows at Reynolds numbers where experimental studies have documented the occurrence of intense transient growth, despite the flow being stable according to classical stability analysis. The analytical description of the vortical perturbations at the channel mouth reveals how the oncoming disturbances penetrate into the wall-attached shear layers and amplify downstream. The effects of the channel confinement, the streamwise pressure gradient and the viscous/inviscid interplay between the oncoming disturbances and the boundary-layer perturbations are discussed. The composite perturbation velocity profiles are employed as initial conditions for the unsteady boundary-region perturbation equations. At a short distance from the channel mouth, the disturbance flow is mostly confined within the shear layers and assumes the form of streamwise-elongated streaks, while farther downstream the viscous disturbances permeate the whole channel although the base flow is still mostly inviscid in the core. Symmetrical disturbances exhibit a more significant growth than anti-symmetrical disturbances, the latter maintaining a nearly constant amplitude for several channel heights downstream before growing transiently, a unique feature not reported in open boundary layers. The disturbances are more intense as the frequency decreases or the bulk Reynolds number increases. We compute the spanwise wavelengths that cause the most intense downstream growth and the threshold wall-normal wavelengths below which the perturbations are damped through viscous dissipation.


2019 ◽  
Vol 863 ◽  
pp. 850-875 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Marensi ◽  
Ashley P. Willis ◽  
Rich R. Kerswell

Recent experimental observations (Kühnen et al., Nat. Phys., vol. 14, 2018b, pp. 386–390) have shown that flattening a turbulent streamwise velocity profile in pipe flow destabilises the turbulence so that the flow relaminarises. We show that a similar phenomenon exists for laminar pipe flow profiles in the sense that the nonlinear stability of the laminar state is enhanced as the profile becomes more flattened. The flattening of the laminar base profile is produced by an artificial localised body force designed to mimic an obstacle used in the experiments of Kühnen et al. (Flow Turbul. Combust., vol. 100, 2018a, pp. 919–943) and the nonlinear stability measured by the size of the energy of the initial perturbations needed to trigger transition. Significant drag reduction is also observed for the turbulent flow when triggered by sufficiently large disturbances. In order to make the nonlinear stability computations more efficient, we examine how indicative the minimal seed – the disturbance of smallest energy for transition – is in measuring transition thresholds. We first show that the minimal seed is relatively robust to base profile changes and spectral filtering. We then compare the (unforced) transition behaviour of the minimal seed with several forms of randomised initial conditions in the range of Reynolds numbers $Re=2400$–$10\,000$ and find that the energy of the minimal seed after the Orr and oblique phases of its evolution is close to that of a critical localised random disturbance. In this sense, the minimal seed at the end of the oblique phase can be regarded as a good proxy for typical disturbances (here taken to be the localised random ones) and is thus used as initial condition in the simulations with the body force. The enhanced nonlinear stability and drag reduction predicted in the present study are an encouraging first step in modelling the experiments of Kühnen et al. and should motivate future developments to fully exploit the benefits of this promising direction for flow control.


2007 ◽  
Vol 4 (15) ◽  
pp. 659-668 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Rosén ◽  
G.R Spedding ◽  
A Hedenström

The wingbeat kinematics and wake structure of a trained house martin in free, steady flight in a wind tunnel have been studied over a range of flight speeds, and compared and contrasted with similar measurements for a thrush nightingale and a pair of robins. The house martin has a higher aspect ratio (more slender) wing, and is a more obviously agile and aerobatic flyer, catching insects on the wing. The wingbeat is notable for the presence at higher flight speeds of a characteristic pause in the upstroke. The essential characteristics of the wing motions can be reconstructed with a simple two-frequency model derived from Fourier analysis. At slow speeds, the distribution of wake vorticity is more simple than for the other previously measured birds, and the upstroke does not contribute to weight support. The upstroke becomes gradually more significant as the flight speed increases, and although the vortex wake shows a signature of the pause phase, the global circulation measurements are otherwise in good agreement with surprisingly simple aerodynamic models, and with predictions across the different species, implying quite similar aerodynamic performance of the wing sections. The local Reynolds numbers of the wing sections are sufficiently low that the well-known instabilities of attached laminar flows over lifting surfaces, which are known to occur at two to three times this value, may not develop.


1978 ◽  
Vol 88 (4) ◽  
pp. 685-709 ◽  
Author(s):  
U. Schumann ◽  
G. S. Patterson

The spectral method of Orszag & Patterson has been extended to calculate the static pressure fluctuations in incompressible homogeneous decaying turbulence at Reynolds numbers Reλ [lsim ] 35. In real space 323 points are treated. Several cases starting from different isotropic initial conditions have been studied. Some departure from isotropy exists owing to the small number of modes at small wavenumbers. Root-mean-square pressure fluctuations, pressure gradients and integral length scales have been evaluated. The results agree rather well with predictions based on velocity statistics and on the assumption of normality. The normality assumption has been tested extensively for the simulated fields and found to be approximately valid as far as fourth-order velocity correlations are concerned. In addition, a model for the dissipation tensor has been proposed. The application of the present method to the study of the return of axisymmetric turbulence to isotropy is described in the companion paper.


2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott A. Miles ◽  
G. Egan Wheeler ◽  
John W. Hall

Experiments were conducted on the flow field start up behavior of a gelled waxy oil in a pipeline. A simulant fluid was used to mimic the low temperature rheology of crude oil. The break down of the gelled simulant fluid was studied during different startup conditions. It is shown that the “failure mode,” or manner and location in which the gelled simulant fluid breaks down, is closely related to both the temperature of the gel and the cooling time prior to pressurization. Flow visualizations indicate that for higher temperatures, and long cooling times, exists a weaker gel strength and failure occurs near the centerline of the pipe. Lower temperatures and long cooling times result in the breakdown of the gel at the pipe wall. Shorter cooling times result in a weak centerline gel strength, and results in gel failure near the centerline of the pipe. Pressure and temperature data were acquired at seven locations along the length of the test section, and these data were correlated to the velocity field, measured using Particle Image Velocimetry. Combined with rheology measurements, these data, allowed for shear stress estimates to be made. For the parameter ranges explored, the results exhibit three different failure modes, each associated with a different set of initial conditions. A critical temperature existed above which one failure mode was encountered and below which another failure mode was found. A third failure mode was associated with a cross-section that did not have a uniform radial temperature profile.


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