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At least 739 records · Page 41

Aerodynamic-whistles-based ultrasonic tone generators for bat deterrence

Novel ultrasonic bat deterrents based on aerodynamic whistles are proposed and investigated experimentally and numerically for their ability to generate ultrasound. The baseline deterrent, a single-whistle design inspired by Beeken [“Fluid ultrasonic generator,” U.S. patent 3,432,804 (1969)], is examined first. It consists of two resonating cavities/chambers. The whistle is “powered” by a regulated high-pressure air supply, and the performance of the whistle is examined for a range of supply pressures. Far-field acoustic measurements in the 20 Hz–50 kHz frequency range are made in an anechoic chamber. The noise measurements are supplemented with two- and three-dimensional unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (uRANS) simulations to investigate the mechanisms of ultrasound generation. The Ffowcs Williams–Hawkings acoustic analogy is used with the three-dimensional uRANS results to predict the far-field radiation. The far-field acoustic predictions are in good agreement with the measurements in the anechoic chamber. The peak frequency (fundamental) of the radiated ultrasound of the baseline deterrent is approximately 23 kHz. Harmonics and a sub-harmonic of the fundamental tone are also observed. The numerical simulations show that the two resonating chambers of the baseline deterrent operate out-of-phase and Helmholtz resonance determines the whistling frequency over the range of supply air pressure considered. A six-whistle deterrent targeting a broad spectral coverage in the 20–50 kHz frequency range is designed, fabricated, and tested in the anechoic chamber. Each whistle in the deterrent is obtained by geometrically scaling the baseline whistle. Measurements show that the six-whistle ultrasound deterrent generates ultrasound with six dominant peaks in the designed frequency range when the supply air pressure exceeds 5 psig. The proposed ultrasound devices can be used for a variety of purposes including bat deterrence at wind turbines.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Exciton Level Structure and Dynamics in Tubular Porphyrin Aggregates

We present an account of the optical properties of the Frenkel excitons in self-assembled porphyrin tubular aggregates that represent an analog to natural photosynthetic antennae. Using a combination of ultrafast optical spectroscopy and stochastic exciton modeling, we address both linear and nonlinear exciton absorption, relaxation pathways, and the role of disorder. The static disorder-dominated absorption and fluorescence line widths show little temperature dependence for the lowest excitons (Q band), which we successfully simulate using a model of exciton scattering on acoustic phonons in the host matrix. Temperature-dependent transient absorption of and fluorescence from the excitons in the tubular aggregates are marked by nonexponential decays with time scales ranging from a few picoseconds to a few nanoseconds, reflecting complex relaxation mechanisms. Combined experimental and theoretical investigations indicate that nonradiative pathways induced by traps and defects dominate the relaxation of excitons in the tubular aggregates. We model the pumpprobe spectra and ascribe the excited-state absorption to transitions from one-exciton states to a manifold of mixed one- and two-exciton states. Our results demonstrate that while the delocalized Frenkel excitons (over 208 (1036) molecules for the optically dominant excitons in the Q (B) band) resulting from strong intermolecular coupling in these aggregates could potentially facilitate efficient energy transfer, fast relaxation due to defects and disorder probably present a major limitation for exciton transport over large distances.

biomimetic photosynthetic antennae↗

Dust-acoustic solitary modes in plasmas with isothermal and nonthermal ions: Polarity switches and coexistence domains

Large dust-acoustic waves are investigated in a multispecies plasma model consisting of cold negative dust in the presence of cooler Boltzmann and hotter nonthermal Cairns positive ions, in a Sagdeev pseudopotential formalism. Use of the pseudopotential at the acoustic speed itself yields in a systematic way compositional parameter values where negative/positive solitons interchange polarities and also where both polarities coexist. The latter requires that solitons at the acoustic speed exist, with finite amplitudes, compared to superacoustic solitons of the opposite polarity. The coexistence region starts when the pseudopotential at the acoustic speed has a negative root at the limit of infinite dust compression and ends when a positive double root is encountered. Outside the coexistence domain, only negative or positive superacoustic solitons can exist. Thus, the discussion and numerical evaluations are guided by precise physical and analytic arguments rather than mere numerical experimentation. Graphs of relevant Sagdeev pseudopotentials illustrate the link with the analytical constraints.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Acoustic radiation force on a double-layer microsphere by a Gaussian focused beam

A new model for calculating the radiation force on double-layer microsphere is proposed based on the ray acoustics approach. The axial acoustic radiation force resulting from a focused Gaussian beam incident on spherical shells immersed in water is examined theoretically in relation to its thickness and the contents of its double-layer. The attenuation both in the water and inside the sphere is considered in this method, which cannot be ignored while the high frequency ultrasonic is used. Results of numerical calculations are presented for fat and low density polyethylene materials, with the hollow region filled with animal oil, water, or air. These results show how the acoustic impedance and the sound velocity of both layers, together with the thickness of the shell, affect the acoustic radiation force.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Ultrasonic power transfer from a spherical acoustic wave source to a free-free piezoelectric receiver: Modeling and experiment

Contactless powering of small electronic components has lately received growing attention for wireless applications in which battery replacement or tethered charging is undesired or simply impossible, and ambient energy harvesting is not a viable solution. As an alternative to well-studied methods of contactless energy transfer, such as the inductive coupling method, the use of ultrasonic waves transmitted and received by piezoelectric devices enables larger power transmission distances, which is critical especially for deep-implanted electronic devices. Moreover, energy transfer by means of acoustic waves is well suited in situations where no electromagnetic fields are allowed. The limited literature of ultrasonic acoustic energy transfer is mainly centered on proof-of-concept experiments demonstrating the feasibility of this method, lacking experimentally validated modeling efforts for the resulting multiphysics problem that couples the source and receiver dynamics with domain acoustics. In this work, we present fully coupled analytical, numerical, and experimental multiphysics investigations for ultrasonic acoustic energy transfer from a spherical wave source to a piezoelectric receiver bar that operates in the 33-mode of piezoelectricity. The fluid-loaded piezoelectric receiver under free-free mechanical boundary conditions is shunted to an electrical load for quantifying the electrical power output for a given acoustic source strength of the transmitter. The analytical acoustic-piezoelectric structure interaction modeling framework is validated experimentally, and the effects of system parameters are reported along with optimal electrical loading and frequency conditions of the receiver.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

The influence of packing structure and interparticle forces on ultrasound transmission in granular media

Ultrasound propagation through externally stressed, disordered granular materials was experimentally and numerically investigated. Experiments employed piezoelectric transducers to excite and detect longitudinal ultrasound waves of various frequencies traveling through randomly packed sapphire spheres subjected to uniaxial compression. The experiments featured in situ X-ray tomography and diffraction measurements of contact fabric, particle kinematics, average per-particle stress tensors, and interparticle forces. The experimentally measured packing configuration and inferred interparticle forces at different sample stresses were used to construct spring networks characterized by Hessian and damping matrices. The ultrasound responses of these network were simulated to investigate the origins of wave velocity, acoustic paths, dispersion, and attenuation. Results revealed that both packing structure and interparticle force heterogeneity played an important role in controlling wave velocity and dispersion, while packing structure alone quantitatively explained most of the observed wave attenuation. This research provides insight into time- and frequency-domain features of wave propagation in randomly packed granular materials, shedding light on the fundamental mechanisms controlling wave velocities, dispersion, and attenuation in such systems.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Short-range order and dynamics of atoms in liquid gallium

The features of the microscopic structure, as well as one-particle and collective dynamics of liquid gallium in the temperature range from T = 313 to 1273 K, are studied on the p = 1.0 atm isobar. Detailed analysis of the data on diffraction of neutrons and X-rays, as well as the results of atomic dynamics simulation, lead to some conclusions about the structure. In particular, for preset conditions, gallium is in the equilibrium liquid phase showing no features of any stable local crystalline clusters. The pronounced asymmetry of the principle peak of the static structure factor and the characteristic “shoulder” in its right-hand part appearing at temperatures close to the melting point, which are clearly observed in the diffraction data, are due to the fact that the arrangement of the nearest neighbors of an arbitrary atom in the system is estimated statistically from the range of correlation length values and not by a single value as in the case of simple liquids. Compactly located dimers with a very short bond make a significant contribution to the statistics of nearest neighbors. The temperature dependence of the self-diffusion coefficient calculated from atomic dynamics simulation agrees well with the results obtained from experimental spectra of the incoherent scattering function. Interpolation of the temperature dependence of the self-diffusion coefficient on a logarithmic scale reveals two linear regions with a transition temperature of about 600 K. The spectra of the dynamic structure factor and spectral densities of the local current calculated by simulating the atomic dynamics indicate the existence of acoustic vibrations with longitudinal and transverse polarizations in liquid gallium, which is confirmed by experimental data on inelastic scattering of neutrons and X-rays. It is found that the vibrational density of states is completely reproduced by the generalized Debye model, which makes it possible to decompose the total vibrational motion into individual contributions associated with the formation of acoustic waves with longitudinal and transverse polarizations. Comparison of the heights of the low-frequency component and of the high-frequency peak in the spectral density of vibrational states also indicates a temperature of T ≈ 600 K, at which the diffusion type of one-particle dynamics changes to the vibrational type upon a decrease in temperature. It is demonstrated that the modified Einstein–Stokes relation can be derived using the generalized Debye model.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

ATom (Acoustic Tomography Processing Suite) [SWR-24-120]

Acoustic tomography seeks the best-fit fluctuating velocity and temperature fields that explain a collection of signal travel times in a region of interest. This codebase defines an end-to-end framework for executing turbulent field retrievals from acoustic signals, acoustic signal design and processing tools for the physical array, and analysis tool that leverage virtual acoustic tomography arrays based on large-eddy simulations of the atmospheric boundary layer.

Hamilton, Nicholas↗

SmoQyDQMC.jl: A flexible implementation of determinant quantum Monte Carlo for Hubbard and electron-phonon interactions

We introduce the SmoQyDQMC.jl package, a Julia implementation of the determinant quantum Monte Carlo algorithm. SmoQyDQMC.jl supports generalized tight-binding Hamiltonians with on-site Hubbard and generalized electron-phonon ( e e -ph) interactions, including non-linear e e -ph coupling and anharmonic lattice potentials. Our implementation uses hybrid Monte Carlo methods with exact forces for sampling the phonon fields, enabling efficient simulation of low-energy phonon branches, including acoustic phonons. The SmoQyDQMC.jl package also uses a flexible scripting interface, allowing users to adapt it to different workflows and interface with other software packages in the Julia ecosystem. The code for this package can be downloaded from our GitHub repository at https://github.com/SmoQySuite/SmoQyDQMC.jl or installed using the Julia package manager. The online documentation, including examples, can be obtained from our document page at https://smoqysuite.github.io/SmoQyDQMC.jl/stable/.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Codebase release r0.3 for SmoQyDQMC.jl

We introduce the SmoQyDQMC.jl package, a Julia implementation of the determinant quantum Monte Carlo algorithm. SmoQyDQMC.jl supports generalized tight-binding Hamiltonians with on-site Hubbard and generalized electron-phonon ( e e -ph) interactions, including non-linear e e -ph coupling and anharmonic lattice potentials. Our implementation uses hybrid Monte Carlo methods with exact forces for sampling the phonon fields, enabling efficient simulation of low-energy phonon branches, including acoustic phonons. The SmoQyDQMC.jl package also uses a flexible scripting interface, allowing users to adapt it to different workflows and interface with other software packages in the Julia ecosystem. The code for this package can be downloaded from our GitHub repository at https://github.com/SmoQySuite/SmoQyDQMC.jl or installed using the Julia package manager. The online documentation, including examples, can be obtained from our document page at https://smoqysuite.github.io/SmoQyDQMC.jl/stable/.

Cohen-Stead, Benjamin (ORCID:0000000279156280)↗

Measuring Turbulence from Moored Acoustic Doppler Velocimeters. A Manual to Quantifying Inflow at Tidal Energy Sites

This work details a methodology for measuring hub height inflow turbulence using moored acoustic Doppler velocimiters (ADVs). This approach is motivated by the shortcomings of alternatives. For example, remote velocity measurements (i.e., from acoustic Doppler profilers) lack sufficient precision for device simulation, and rigid tower-mounted measurements are very expensive and technically challenging in the tidal environment. Moorings offer a low-cost, site-adaptable and robust deployment platform, and ADVs provide the necessary precision to accurately quantify turbulence.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗

Collaborative Research: Multi-scale Dynamics of Kinetic Turbulence in Weakly Collisional, High-Beta Plasmas

The transport of energy and momentum and the heating of plasma particles by waves and turbulence are key ingredients in many problems at the frontiers of heliospheric and astrophysics research. This includes the heating and acceleration of the solar wind; the observational appearance of black-hole accretion flows on event-horizon scales; and the properties of the hot, diffuse plasmas that fill dark-matter halos. This work addressed the physics of plasma waves and turbulence in weakly collisional, weakly magnetized (high-beta) plasmas. In this regime, deviations from local thermodynamic equilibrium (i.e., pressure anisotropies) and the instabilities they excite can dramatically change the properties of waves and turbulence from those predicted by fluid (i.e., magnetohydrodynamic) and linear kinetic theories. Through a combination of analytic theory and first-principles kinetic simulations, we have shown that: (1) ion-acoustic waves of sufficient amplitude drive pressure anisotropies large enough to trigger kinetic Larmor-scale instabilities, which in turn interrupt the otherwise strong collisionless damping such waves suffer; (2) pressure anisotropies generated by fluctuating magnetic fields in strong Alfvénic turbulence produce a viscous scale comparable to the driving scale and a cascade with significant non-local interactions; (3) strong Alfvénic turbulence in an expanding high-beta plasma self-organizes to maintain critical balance, even as kinetic Larmor-scale instabilities regulate the plasma viscosity and reduce the elasticity of magnetic-field lines; (4) imbalanced Alfvénic turbulence leads to a "helicity barrier" that ultimately triggers the cyclotron heating of ions, in a manner consistent with spacecraft measurements taken in the solar wind; and (5) relativistic synchrotron-radiating plasmas develop kinetically unstable pressure anisotropy, which changes the nature of their cooling in a way that can couple the thermodynamics of ions and electrons.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Electronic dummy for acoustical testing

Electronic Dummy /ED/ used for acoustical testing represents the average male torso from the Xiphoid process upward and includes an acoustic replica of the human head. This head simulates natural flesh, and has an artificial voice and artificial ears that measure sound pressures at the eardrum or the entrance to the ear canal.

Bauer, B. B.↗

Analytical study of lightweight acoustic shrouds for shuttle experiments and payloads

Results are presented of acoustic tests performed on an STS payload shroud simulator to determine the effects of a helium filled liner on the noise reduction characteristics. The basic test program included the following configurations: (1) bare shroud (baseline configuration); (2) shroud with empty liner; (3) shroud with liner filled with air; and (4) shroud with liner filled with helium. The results indicate negligible effects from the helium. Configurations for liner filled with air, and liner filled with helium were also tested. The data from these configurations indicate increased noise reduction from the use of helium.

Baratono, J.↗

Line spread instrumentation for propagation measurements

A line spread device capable of yielding direct measure of a laser beam's line spread function (LSF) was developed and employed in propagation tests conducted in a wind tunnel to examine optimal acoustical suppression techniques for laser cavities exposed to simulated aircraft aerodynamic environments. Measurements were made on various aerodynamic fences and cavity air injection techniques that effect the LSF of a propagating laser. Using the quiescent tunnel as a control, the relative effect of each technique on laser beam quality was determined. The optical instrument employed enabled the comparison of relative beam intensity for each fence or mass injection. It was found that fence height had little effect on beam quality but fence porosity had a marked effect, i.e., 58% porosity alleviated cavity resonance and degraded the beam the least. Mass injection had little effect on the beam LSF. The use of a direct LSF measuring device proved to be a viable means of determining aerodynamic seeing qualities of flow fields.

Bailey, W. H., Jr.↗

Computational analysis of high resolution unsteady airloads for rotor aeroacoustics

The study of helicopter aerodynamic loading for acoustics applications requires the application of efficient yet accurate simulations of the velocity field induced by the rotor's vortex wake. This report summarizes work to date on the development of such an analysis, which builds on the Constant Vorticity Contour (CVC) free wake model, previously implemented for the study of vibratory loading in the RotorCRAFT computer code. The present effort has focused on implementation of an airload reconstruction approach that computes high resolution airload solutions of rotor/rotor-wake interactions required for acoustics computations. Supplementary efforts on the development of improved vortex core modeling, unsteady aerodynamic effects, higher spatial resolution of rotor loading, and fast vortex wake implementations have substantially enhanced the capabilities of the resulting software, denoted RotorCRAFT/AA (AeroAcoustics). Results of validation calculations using recently acquired model rotor data show that by employing airload reconstruction it is possible to apply the CVC wake analysis with temporal and spatial resolution suitable for acoustics applications while reducing the computation time required by one to two orders of magnitude relative to that required by direct calculations. Promising correlation with this body of airload and noise data has been obtained for a variety of rotor configurations and operating conditions.

Quackenbush, Todd R.↗

Numerical and Physical Modeling of the Response of Resonator Liners to Intense Sound and Grazing Flow

Two significant advances have been made in the application of computational aeroacoustics methodology to acoustic liner technology. The first is that temperature effects for discrete sound are not the same as for broadband noise. For discrete sound, the normalized resistance appears to be insensitive to temperature except at high SPL. However, reactance is lower, significantly lower in absolute value, at high temperature. The second is the numerical investigation the acoustic performance of a liner by direct numerical simulation. Liner impedance is affected by the non-uniformity of the incident sound waves. This identifies the importance of pressure gradient. Preliminary design one and two-dimensional impedance models were developed to design sound absorbing liners in the presence of intense sound and grazing flow. The two-dimensional model offers the potential to empirically determine incident sound pressure face-plate distance from resonator orifices. This represents an important initial step in improving our understanding of how to effectively use the Dean Two-Microphone impedance measurement method.

Hersh, Alan S.↗

Advanced Model for Extreme Lift and Improved Aeroacoustics (AMELIA)

With the very recent advent of NASA's Environmentally Responsible Aviation Project (ERA), which is dedicated to designing aircraft that will reduce the impact of aviation on the environment, there is a need for research and development of methodologies to minimize fuel burn, emissions, and reduce community noise produced by regional airliners. ERA tackles airframe technology, propulsion technology, and vehicle systems integration to meet performance objectives in the time frame for the aircraft to be at a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 4-6 by the year of 2020 (deemed N+2). The proceeding project that investigated similar goals to ERA was NASA's Subsonic Fixed Wing (SFW). SFW focused on conducting research to improve prediction methods and technologies that will produce lower noise, lower emissions, and higher performing subsonic aircraft for the Next Generation Air Transportation System. The work provided in this investigation was a NASA Research Announcement (NRA) contract #NNL07AA55C funded by Subsonic Fixed Wing. The project started in 2007 with a specific goal of conducting a large-scale wind tunnel test along with the development of new and improved predictive codes for the advanced powered-lift concepts. Many of the predictive codes were incorporated to refine the wind tunnel model outer mold line design. The large scale wind tunnel test goal was to investigate powered lift technologies and provide an experimental database to validate current and future modeling techniques. Powered-lift concepts investigated were Circulation Control (CC) wing in conjunction with over-the-wing mounted engines to entrain the exhaust to further increase the lift generated by CC technologies alone. The NRA was a five-year effort; during the first year the objective was to select and refine CESTOL concepts and then to complete a preliminary design of a large-scale wind tunnel model for the large scale test. During the second, third, and fourth years the large-scale wind tunnel model design would be completed, manufactured, and calibrated. During the fifth year the large scale wind tunnel test was conducted. This technical memo will describe all phases of the Advanced Model for Extreme Lift and Improved Aeroacoustics (AMELIA) project and provide a brief summary of the background and modeling efforts involved in the NRA. The conceptual designs considered for this project and the decision process for the selected configuration adapted for a wind tunnel model will be briefly discussed. The internal configuration of AMELIA, and the internal measurements chosen in order to satisfy the requirements of obtaining a database of experimental data to be used for future computational model validations. The external experimental techniques that were employed during the test, along with the large-scale wind tunnel test facility are covered in great detail. Experimental measurements in the database include forces and moments, and surface pressure distributions, local skin friction measurements, boundary and shear layer velocity profiles, far-field acoustic data and noise signatures from turbofan propulsion simulators. Results and discussion of the circulation control performance, over-the-wing mounted engines, and the combined performance are also discussed in great detail.

Subsonic Fixed Wing↗