Machine Vision Based Measurement of Dynamic Contact Angles in Microchannel Flows

When characterizing flows in miniaturized channels, the determination of the dynamic contact angle is important. By measuring the dynamic contact angle, the flow properties of the flowing liquid and the effect of material properties on the flow can be characterized. A machine vision based system to measure the contact angle of front or rear menisci of a moving liquid plug is described in this article. In this research, transparent flow channels fabricated on thermoplastic polymer and sealed with an adhesive tape are used. The transparency of the channels enables image based monitoring and measurement of flow variables, including the dynamic contact angle. It is shown that the dynamic angle can be measured from a liquid flow in a channel using the image based measurement system. An image processing algorithm has been developed in a MATLAB environment. Images are taken using a CCD camera and the channels are illuminated using a custom made ring light. Two fitting methods, a circle and two parabolas, are experimented and the results are compared in the measurement of the dynamic contact angles.

DYNAMIC CONTACT STIFFNESS OF VIBRATING RIGID SPHERE CONTACTING SEMI-INFINITE TRANSVERSELY ISOTROPIC VISCOELASTIC SOLID

Dynamic contact stiffness at the interface between a vibrating rigid sphere and a semi-infinite transversely isotropic viscoelastic solid is investigated. An oscillating force superimposed onto a static compressive force in the vertical direction excites the vibration of a rigid sphere, which causes variable contact radius and contact pressure distribution in the contact region. The assumption of a sufficiently small oscillating force yields a dynamic contact-pressure distribution of a constant contact radius, which gives dynamic contact stiffness at the interface between the rigid sphere and the semi-infinite solid. Numerical calculations show the influence of vibration frequency of the sphere, and elastic constants of the transversely isotropic solid on dynamic contact stiffness, which benefits quantitative evaluation of elastic constants and orientation of single hexagonal grains by resonance-frequency shifts of the oscillator in resonance ultrasound microscopy.

Prediction of curved oil–water interface in horizontal pipes using modified model with dynamic contact angle

In this study,interface shapes of horizontal oil–water two-phase flow are predicted by using Young-Laplace equation model and minimum energy model.Meanwhile,the interface shapes of horizontal oil–water twophase flow in a 20 mm inner diameter pipe are measured by a novel conductance parallel-wire array probe(CPAP).It is found that,for flow conditions with low water holdup,there is a large deviation between the model-predicted interface shape and the experimentally measured one.Since the variation of pipe wetting characteristics in the process of fluid flow can lead to the changes of the contact angle between the fluid and the pipe wall,the models mentioned above are modified by considering dynamic contact angle.The results indicate that the interface shapes predicted by the modified models present a good consistence with the ones measured by CPAP.

Contact dynamics of elasto-plastic thin beams simulated via absolute nodal coordinate formulation

Under the frame of multibody dynamics, the contact dynamics of elasto-plastic spatial thin beams is numerically studied by using the spatial thin beam elements of absolute nodal coordinate formulation（ANCF）. The internal force of the elasto-plastic spatial thin beam element is derived under the assumption that the plastic strain of the beam element depends only on its longitudinal deformation.A new body-fixed local coordinate system is introduced into the spatial thin beam element of ANCF for efficient contact detection in the contact dynamics simulation. The linear isotropic hardening constitutive law is used to describe the elasto-plastic deformation of beam material, and the classical return mapping algorithm is adopted to evaluate the plastic strains. A multi-zone contact approach of thin beams previously proposed by the authors is also introduced to detect the multiple contact zones of beams accurately, and the penalty method is used to compute the normal contact force of thin beams in contact. Four numerical examples are given to demonstrate the applicability and effectiveness of the proposed elasto-plastic spatial thin beam element of ANCF for flexible multibody system dynamics.

Universal dynamic scaling and Contact dynamics in quenched quantum gases

Recently universal dynamic scaling is observed in several systems,which exhibit a spatiotemporal self-similar scaling behavior,analogous to the spatial scaling near phase transition.The latter one arises from the emergent continuous scaling symmetry.Motivated by this,we investigate the possible relation between the scaling dynamics and the continuous scaling symmetry in this paper.We derive a theorem that the scaling invariance of the quenched Hamiltonian and the initial density matrix can lead to the universal dynamic scaling.It is further demonstrated both in a two-body system analytically and in a many-body system numerically.For the latter one,we calculate the dynamics of quantum gases quenched from the zero interaction to a finite interaction via the non-equilibrium high-temperature virial expansion.A dynamic scaling of the momentum distribution appears in certain momentum-time windows at unitarity as well as in the weak interacting limit.Remarkably,this universal scaling dynamics persists approximately with smaller scaling exponents even if the scaling symmetry is fairly broken.Our findings may offer a new perspective to interpret the related experiments.We also study the Contact dynamics in the BEC−BCS crossover.Surprisingly,the half-way time displays a maximum near unitarity while some damping oscillations occur on the BEC side due to the dimer state,which can be used to detect possible two-body bound states in experiments.

An efficient formulation based on the Lagrangian method for contact–impact analysis of flexible multi-body system

In this paper,an efficien formulation based on the Lagrangian method is presented to investigate the contact–impact problems of f exible multi-body systems.Generally,the penalty method and the Hertz contact law are the most commonly used methods in engineering applications.However,these methods are highly dependent on various non-physical parameters,which have great effects on the simulation results.Moreover,a tremendous number of degrees of freedom in the contact–impact problems will influenc thenumericalefficien ysignificantl.Withtheconsideration of these two problems,a formulation combining the component mode synthesis method and the Lagrangian method is presented to investigate the contact–impact problems in fl xible multi-body system numerically.Meanwhile,the finit element meshing laws of the contact bodies will be studied preliminarily.A numerical example with experimental verificatio will certify the reliability of the presented formulationincontact–impactanalysis.Furthermore,aseries of numerical investigations explain how great the influenc of the finit element meshing has on the simulation results.Finally the limitations of the element size in different regions are summarized to satisfy both the accuracy and efficien y.

Measurement of the friction coefficient of a fluctuating contact line using an AFM-based dual-mode mechanical resonator

A dual-mode mechanical resonator using an atomic force microscope （AFM） as a force sensor is developed. The resonator consists of a long vertical glass fiber with one end glued onto a rectangular cantilever beam and the other end immersed through a liquid-air interface. By measuring the resonant spectrum of the modified AFM cantilever, one is able to accurately determine the longitudinal friction coefficient ξv along the fiber axis associated with the vertical oscillation of the hanging fiber and the traversal friction coefficient ξh perpendicular to the fiber axis associated with the horizontal swing of the fiber around its joint with the cantilever. The technique is tested by measurement of the friction coefficient of a fluctuating （and slipping） contact line between the glass fiber and the liquid interface. The experiment verifies the theory and demonstrates its applications. The dual-mode mechanical resonator provides a powerful tool for the study of the contact line dynamics and the rheological property of anisotropic fluids.

Visualizing experimental investigation on gas-liquid replacements in a microcleat model using the reconstruction method

Cleats are the main channels for fluid transport in coal reservoirs.However,the microscale flow characteristics of both gas and water phases in primary cleats have not been fully studied as yet.Accordingly,the local morphological features of the cleat were determined using image processing technology and a transparent cleat structure model was constructed by microfluidic lithography using the multiphase fluid visualization test system.Besides,the effect of microchannel tortuosity characteristics on two‐phase flow was analyzed in this study.The results are as follows:(1)The local width of the original cleat structure of coal was strongly nonhomogeneous.The cleats showed contraction and expansion in the horizontal direction and undulating characteristics in the vertical direction.(2)The transient flow velocity fluctuated due to the structural characteristics of the primary cleat.The water‐driven gas interface showed concave and convex instability during flow,whereas the gas‐driven water interface presented a relatively stable concave surface.(3)The meniscus advanced in a symmetrical pattern in the flat channel,and the flow stagnated due to the influence of undulation points in a partially curved channel.The flow would continue only when the meniscus surface bypassed the stagnation point and reached a new equilibrium position.(4)Enhanced shearing at the gas-liquid interface increased the gas‐injection pressure,which in turn increased residual liquids in wall grooves and liquid films on the wall surface.

Transient study of droplet oscillation characteristics driven by an electric field

Electrowetting technology,a microfluidic technology,has attracted more and more attention in recent years and has broad prospects in terms of microdroplet drive.In this paper,the dynamic contact angle theory is used to develop a numerical model to predict the droplet dynamic contact behavior and internal flow field under electrowetting.In particular,based on the established computational model of droplet force balance,the dynamic process of a droplet under electrowetting is analyzed,including the perspective of pressure variation and force balance inside the droplet.The results show that when the alternating current frequency increases from 50 Hz to 500 Hz,the amplitude of the oscillation waveform after droplet stabilization is 0.036 mm,0.016 mm,0.013 mm and 0.002 mm,while the relevant droplet oscillation period T is 11 ms,4 ms,2 ms and 1 ms,respectively.It is also found that the initial phase angle does not affect the droplet oscillation amplitude.In addition,the pressure on the droplet surface under alternating current electrowetting increases rapidly to the maximum value with resonant waveform oscillation,and the droplet will present different resonance modes under voltage stimulation.The higher the resonance mode is,the smaller the droplet oscillation amplitude is and the streamline at the interface will present an eddy current,in which the number of vortices matches the resonance mode.A high resonance mode corresponds to a small droplet amplitude,while there are more vortices with a smaller size.

Mimicking a Superhydrophobic Insect Wing by Argon and Oxygen Ion Beam Treatment on Polytetrafluoroethylene Film

Biological tiny structures have been observed on many kinds of surfaces such as lotus leaves and insect wings,which enhance the hydrophobicity of the natural surfaces and play a role of self-cleaning.We presented the fabrication technology of a superhydrophobic surface using high energy ion beam.Artificial insect wings that mimic the morphology and the superhydrophobocity of cicada's wings were successfully fabricated using argon and oxygen ion beam treatment on a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)film.The wing structures were supported by carbon/epoxy fibers as artificial flexible veins that were bonded through an autoclave process.The morphology of the fabricated surface bears a strong resemblance to the wing surface of a cicada,with contact angles greater than 160°,which could be sustained for more than two months.

Simulation solution for micro droplet impingement on a flat dry surface

This paper presents a computational fluid dynamics approach for micro droplet impacting on a flat dry surface. A two-phase flow approach is employed using FLUENT VOF multiphase model to calculate the flow distributions upon impact. The contact line velocity is tracked to calculate the dynamic contact angle through user defined function program. The study showed that the treatment of contact line velocity is crucial for the accurate prediction of droplet impacting on poor wettability surfaces. On the other hand, it has much less influence on the simulation of droplet impacting on good wettability surfaces. Good fit between simulation results and experimental data is obtained using this model.

Experimental and modeling study of wettability alteration through seawater injection in limestone:a case study

Water flooding is widely applied for pressure maintenance or increasing the oil recovery of reservoirs.The heterogeneity and wettability of formation rocks strongly affect the oil recovery efficiency in carbonate reservoirs.During seawater injection in carbonate formations,the interactions between potential seawater ions and the carbonate rock at a high temperature can alter the wettability to a more water-wet condition.This paper studies the wettability of one of the Iranian carbonate reservoirs which has been under Persian Gulf seawater injection for more than 10 years.The wettability of the rock is determined by indirect contact angle measurement using Rise in Core technique.Further,the characterization of the rock surface is evaluated by molecular kinetic theory(MKT)modeling.The data obtained from experiments show that rocks are undergoing neutral wetting after the aging process.While the wettability of low permeable samples changes to be slightly water-wet,the wettability of the samples with higher permeability remains unchanged after soaking in seawater.Experimental data and MKT analysis indicate that wettability alteration of these carbonate rocks through prolonged seawater injection might be insignificant.

Pantograph-catenary are test apparatus for high-speed railway

With the continuous increase of train speed,undulations of catenary and vibrations of the pantograph head result in generating pantograph- catenary arc frequently,intensifying the abrasion between pantograph strip and catenary wire,which has seriously influenced the current collection and safety of electric multi units(EMU). It is necessary to study the pantographcatenary arc in immediately. Some researchers develop a few pantograph- catenary arc testing equipment,which couldn’t really reflect the operating condition of pantograph-catenary system. In this paper,the pantograph-catenary arc test apparatus was developed,which simulated the flexible and straight contact of pantograph strip and catenary wire,based on the coupling relationship between pantograph and catenary. The equipment was used to research the electrical parameters of the pantograph-catenary arc and the dynamic contact resistance.

ANALYSIS OF AN ELASTO-PIEZOELECTRIC SYSTEM OF HEMIVARIATIONAL INEQUALITIES WITH THERMAL EFFECTS

In this paper we prove the existence and uniqueness of a weak solution for a dynamic electo-viscoetastic problem that describes a contact between a body and a foundation. We assume the body is made from thermoviscoelastic material and consider nonmonotone boundary conditions for the contact. We use recent results from the theory of hemivariational inequalities and the fixed point theory.

Analysis on effect of surface fault to site ground motion using finite element method

Dynamic contact theory is applied to simulate the sliding of surface fault. Finite element method is used to analyze the effect of surface fault to site ground motions. Calculated results indicate that amplification effect is obvious in the area near surface fault, especially on the site that is in the downside fault. The results show that the effect of surface fault should be considered when important structure is constructed in the site with surface fault.

Relation between viscoplastic flow, periodic feature and Joule heat validity for electrically assisted friction stir welding

Electrically assisted friction stir welding is a promising way to improve liquidity of viscoplastic metal. However, this local heat source only can take into effect in a certain contact interface status. Semi-analytical model and FEM are adopted to analyze materials flow in electrically assisted FSW. Semi-analysis results show that Joule heating is validity with rotation speed 1 400 r/min and travel speed 400 mm/min. The maximum flow velocity is 0.033 m/s when travel speed is 400 mm/min, and it increases to 0.043 m/s with current assistant. Visco-plasticizing efficiency is a key factor to decide whether Joule heat is significant, and viscoplastic flow can periodically make circuit short. Periodic torque, axial force and onion rings surface show dynamic flow process, which can be used to illustrate the dynamic contact resistance feature and correct the calculation equation of Joule heat. This paper is aim to point out the potential relation between viscoplastic flow, periodic torque and Joule heating validity.

Mechanical model for double side self-propelled rolling machine based on rigid and flexible contact dynamics

The objective of the present research was to establish a mechanical model to study the performance of double side self-propelled rolling machine.There are two key models in the modeling process.The first model is the soft cover dynamics model,which is an important innovation in this study.And the insulation quilt was established based on the Macro-modeling technology.The second model is the double side self-propelled rolling machine virtual prototype model.By specifying multiple contact constraints and loadings between the soft cover dynamics model and the rigid component,the virtual prototype model was built successfully and the double side self-propelled rolling process was completely simulated.Moreover,the interaction mechanisms of the rigid and flexible coupling mechanics were investigated.The virtual rolling processes of different insulation quilt lengths were analyzed under different thickness treatments.The simulated results showed a good agreement with the experimental measurements,which suggested that the established model is an effective approach to evaluating and optimizing the rolling machine.The successful establishment of the mechanical model can facilitate the study of the performance of the product and further optimization,and also is of great significance to shorten the development cycle and reduce costs.

A Level Set Method for the Simulation of Moving Contact Lines in Three Dimensions

We propose an efficient numerical method for the simulation of the twophase flows with moving contact lines in three dimensions.The mathematical model consists of the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations for the two immiscible fluids with the standard interface conditions,the Navier slip condition along the solid wall,and a contact angle condition(Ren et al.(2010)[28]).In the numerical method,the governing equations for the fluid dynamics are coupledwith an advection equation for a level-set function.The latter models the dynamics of the fluid interface.Following the standard practice,the interface conditions are taken into account by introducing a singular force on the interface in themomentum equation.This results in a single set of governing equations in the whole fluid domain.Similarly,the contact angle condition is imposed by introducing a singular force,which acts in the normal direction of the contact line,into theNavier slip condition.The newboundary condition,which unifies the Navier slip condition and the contact angle condition,is imposed along the solid wall.The model is solved using the finite difference method.Numerical results are presented for the spreading of a droplet on both homogeneous and inhomogeneous solid walls,as well as the dynamics of a droplet on an inclined plate under gravity.

Dynamical behavior of flexible net spacecraft for landing on asteroid

A new era of up-close asteroid exploration has been entered in the 21st century.However,the widely rugged terrain and microgravity field of asteroids still pose significant challenges to the stable landing of spacecraft and may even directly lead to the escape of the explorer.Owing to the substantial energy dissipation arising from the interaction among multiple bodies,the flexible net,which is a typical multibody system,may be capable of overcoming the above problems.In this study,a dynamical model was established to analyze the movement of the flexible net spacecraft(FNS)near and on the asteroid comprehensively.First,we investigated the dynamical environment of the target asteroid by combining the polyhedron method and spherical harmonics parametric surface modeling approach.Thereafter,we constructed the multibody dynamics model of the explorer using the linear Kelvin–Voigt method.Subsequently,we studied the collision process between the FNS and asteroid based on the spring–damper contact dynamics model.The trajectory and speed of the FNS could be derived by solving the system dynamic equations in parallel.Finally,we analyzed the deformation,descent,jumping motion,and surface movement process of the FNS during the movement.Consequently,a promising scheme is provided for asteroid exploration missions in the future.

Method of reduction of dimensionality in contact and friction mechanics:A linkage between micro and macro scales

Computer simulations have been an integral part of the technical development process for a long time now.Industrial tribology is one of the last fields in which computer simulations have,until now,played no significant role.This is primarily due to the fact that investigating tribological phenomena requires considering all spatial scales from the macroscopic shape of the contact system down to the micro-scales.In the present paper,we give an overview of the previous work on the so-called method of reduction of dimensionality(MRD),which in our opinion,gives a key for the linking of the micro-and macro-scales in tribological simulations.MRD in contact mechanics is based on the mapping of some classes of three-dimensional contact problems onto one-dimensional contacts with elastic foundations.The equivalence of three-dimensional systems to those of one-dimension is valid for relations of the indentation depth and the contact force and in some cases for the contact area.For arbitrary bodies of revolution,MRD is exact and provides a sort of“pocket edition”of contact mechanics,giving the possibility of deriving any result of classical contact mechanics with or without adhesion in a very simple way.A tangential contact problem with and without creep can also be mapped exactly to a one-dimensional system.It can be shown that the reduction method is applicable to contacts of linear visco-elastic bodies as well as to thermal effects in contacts.The method was further validated for randomly rough self-affine surfaces through comparison with direct 3D simulations.MRD means a huge reduction of computational time for the simulation of contact and friction between rough surfaces accounting for complicated rheology and adhesion.In MRD,not only is the dimension of the space reduced from three to one,but the resulting degrees of freedom are independent(like normal modes in the theory of oscillations).Because of this independence,the method is predestinated for parallel calculation on graphic cards,which brings further acceleration.The method opens completely new possibilities in combining microscopic contact mechanics with the simulation of macroscopic system dynamics without determining the“law of friction”as an intermediate step.