High Resolution 2.5D PIV Measurements of the Flow Fields Generated by Small Fans

The free jets of an axial and a centrifugal fan have been scanned by a specialized particle image velocimetry (PIV) set-up, which allows for volumetric scans of the time-averaged velocity field. Both of these fans have similar dimensions of approximately 70 mm x 70 mm x 25 mm. A classic PIV set-up was combined with a precise linear stage to move the fans through the laser fan beam in small steps, creating a dense array of measurement planes. Two components of the time-averaged velocity field are captured by the first 2.5D scan. Another scan, with the fan rotated by 90° about its outlet surface normal, captures the missing third velocity component. This article describes the details of the measurement set-up, and mentions measures concerning seeding, reflections, and calibration. In the signal processing stage, two independent sets of gathered image data have to be processed, producing two sets of velocity image frames. These are subsequently combined using gridded interpolation in order to obtain a 3D velocity field. Specifically devised software tools allow for a CFD-like analysis and visualization of the flow field. Typical parameters of the generated jets, like the spreading and rotation rates, are calculated from the measurement data and details of the outlet flow fields are investigated. The interpolated data are also used to analyze the influence of an assumed coarser measurement grid resolution on the results for the obtained outlet flow fields.

Utilizing distributed acoustic sensing and ocean bottom fiber optic cables for submarine structural characterization

The sparsity of permanent seismic instrumentation in marine environments often limits the availability of subsea information on geohazards, including active fault systems, in both time and space. One sensing resource that provides observational access to the seafloor environment are existing networks of ocean bottom fiber optic cables; these cables, coupled to modern distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) systems, can provide dense arrays of broadband seismic observations capable of recording both seismic events and the ambient noise wavefield. Here, we report a marine DAS application which demonstrates the strength and limitation of this new technique on submarine structural characterization. Based on ambient noise DAS records on a 20 km section of a fiber optic cable offshore of Moss Landing, CA, in Monterey Bay, we extract Scholte waves from DAS ambient noise records using interferometry techniques and invert the resulting multimodal dispersion curves to recover a high resolution 2D shear-wave velocity image of the near seafloor sediments. We show for the first time that the migration of coherently scattered Scholte waves observed on DAS records can provide an approach for resolving sharp lateral contrasts in subsurface properties, particularly shallow faults and depositional features near the seafloor. Our results provide improved constraints on shallow submarine features in Monterey Bay, including fault zones and paleo-channel deposits, thus highlighting one of many possible geophysical uses of the marine cable network.

Ultrasonic velocity tomography for inspecting the condition of a bridge pylon

A two-phase ultrasonic velocity tomography technique was introduced to inspect the concrete quality of bridge pylons in Taiwan. In phase I, the modified cross-hole sonic logging method was applied to rapidly identify the aberrant sections of pylon shafts and horizontal beams. Most of the concrete quality was classified as good (G), ie the apparent P-wave velocity ranged from 3600 m/s to 4300 m/s. In phase II, the cross-sectional velocity image method examined the sections with possible anomalies and, in contrast, the uniform sections of the pylon shafts. The cross-sectional velocity image approach effectively demonstrated the spatial position and range of anomalies in the pylon shaft cross-sections. It was suggested that the relatively low-velocity zones, confirmed with surface concrete spalling, be listed as future repair targets for the bridge agency.

Flying Spiders: Effects of the Dragline Length and the Spider Mass in Free-Fall

Many species of spiders move from one location to another using a remarkable aerial dispersal “ballooning”. By ballooning, spiders can reach distances as far as 3200 km and heights of up to 5 km. Though a large number of observations of spider ballooning have been reported, it remains a mysterious phenomenon due to the limited scientific observation of spider ballooning in the field, high uncertainties of the meteorological conditions and insufficient controlled laboratory experiments. Most of the ballooning spiders are spiderlings and spiders under 3 mm in length and 0.2 to 2 mg in mass with a few exceptions of large spiders (over 3 mm in length, over 5 mg in mass). What physical mechanism dominates the three stages of spider ballooning — take-off, flight, and settling? Many factors have been identified to influence the physical mechanism, including a spider’s mass, morphology, posture, the silken dragline properties, and local meteorological conditions (e.g., turbulence level, temperature and humidity). A thorough understanding of the roles of key parameters is not only of ecological significance but also critical to advanced bio-inspired technologies of airborne robotic devices. This work aims to determine how the dragline length and spider mass affect the interaction of the spider-dragline system in the free-fall scenario. Experiments using a thread of different lengths and a sphere of different masses to mimic the spider-dragline were carried out. The first sets of tests focused on the spider-dragline system, rather than the fluid flow. High-speed images of a spider-dragline falling in a closed container of air were recorded with 1500 frames per second at Reynolds numbers of several thousand, based on the spider dragline and the local relative velocity. Image data allow for tracking the vertical velocities and acceleration of the spider-dragline, as well as the drag force acting on the spider-dragline. Terminal velocities in the settling stage are compared with estimates using various fluid dynamics models in previous work. Such results under controlled laboratory conditions are expected to shed lights on the intriguing flow physics of spider ballooning at the settling stage and to inform future experiments and numerical models.