The numerical simulation of the free fall of a solid body in a viscous fluid is a challenging task since it requires computational domains which usually need to be several order of magnitude larger than the solid body in order to avoid the influence of artificial boundaries. Toward an optimal mesh design in that context, we propose a method based on the weighted a posteriori error estimation of...

The proposed Laser Interferometer Space Antenna is expected to detect gravitational waves from neutron stars and stellar-mass black holes spiraling into supermassive black holes in distant galactic nuclei. Analysis of the inspiral events will require careful comparison of the observed signals with theoretical waveform templates. The comparison could be seriously compromised if non-gravitational...

We advance a quantitative description of the critical shear rate γ̇c needed to dislodge a spherical particle resting on a surface with a model asperity in laminar and turbulent fluid flows. We have built a cone-plane experimental apparatus which enables measurement of γ̇c over a wide range of particle Reynolds number Rep from 10−3 to 1.5 × 103. The condition to dislodge the particle is found to b...

The configuration of a marine propulsion system is selected with regard to the maximum power resulting from its maximum design speed and displacement. The propulsion systems of high speed vessels use three or even four propellers, and each propulsion unit may be multi-engine. High speed vessels are designed for maximum speeds, but their factual exploitation speed parameters are usually consider...

Dense suspensions of magnetotactic bacteria form long, thin, stable bands perpen­ dicutar to the common, net direction of motion of the cells in a magnetic field. A mechanism for this phenomenon is proposed in which the hydrodynamic coupling between two swimming cells is described in terms of an approximate, far-field solution for the flow around one swimming cell. The calculated hydrodynamic i...

We study synchronization of an array of rotors on a substrate that are coupled by hydrodynamic interaction. Each rotor, which is modeled by an effective rigid body, is driven by an internal torque and exerts an active force on the surrounding fluid. The long-ranged nature of the hydrodynamic interaction between the rotors causes a rich pattern of dynamical behaviors including phase ordering and...

It is demonstrated using conventional uid theory that angular momentum can be injected into a single component plasma con ned in a Penning-Malmberg trap via an externally generated, oscillating, non-axisymmetric, electric eld. The torque exerted on the plasma by the electric eld is a highly non-monotonic function of the plasma angular rotation velocity. The torque vs. angular velocity curve is ...

Optical tweezers are often applied to control the dynamics of objects by scanning light. However, there is a limitation that objects fail to track the scan when the drag exceeds the trapping force. In contrast, Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) beams can directly control the torque on objects and provide a typical model for nonequilibrium systems such as Brownian motion under external fields. Although sta...

This paper numerically discusses how the performance of a NACA marine propeller is affected by the number of blades, which is one of the most crucial geometrical parameters determining the performance of a propeller. Results are presented in terms of the hydrodynamic and structural parameters. The results show that changing the number of blades changes the hydrodynamic efficiency, torque, thrus...

A torque converter, which is a hydrodynamic clutch in automatic transmissions, transmits power from the engine shaft to the transmission shaft either by dynamically multiplying the engine torque or by rigidly coupling the engine and transmission shafts. The torque converter is a critical element in the automatic driveline, and it affects the vehicle’s fuel consumption and longitudinal dynamics....