High Reynolds number turbulent flow past a rotating cylinder

High Reynolds-number flow over a rotating cylinder is investigated by two-dimensional numerical computations. The Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations are solved via the finite-volume method and they are closed by a modified k-ε turbulence model. The spin ratio a is defined as the ratio between the cylinder’s circumferential speed velocity to the free-stream varies from 2 to 8. The flow is examined at Reynolds numbers from 5 × 10⁵ to 5 × 10⁶, which is considered to be an interesting range for industrial flows. Available experimental and numerical data were used to verify the validity of the implemented procedure.The results revealed stabilization of the acting forces at high spin rates, thus indicating a flowfield with suppressed vortex-shedding activity, as it is expected, in accordance with theoretical considerations in previous studies. Load coefficients were found to be inversely proportional to the Reynolds number for most of the examined rotational rates.     

An adaptive Huber method for non-linear systems of weakly singular second kind Volterra integral equations

Numerical methods for systems of weakly singular Volterra integral equations are rarely considered in the literature, especially if the equations involve non-linear dependencies between unknowns and their integrals. In the present work an adaptive Huber method for such systems is proposed, by extending the method previously formulated for single weakly singular second kind Volterra equations. The method is tested on example systems of integral equations involving integrals with kernels K(t, τ) = (t − τ)^−1/2, K(t, τ) = exp[−λ(t − τ)](t − τ)^−1/2 (where λ > 0), and K(t, τ) = 1. The magnitude of the errors, and practical accuracy orders, observed for IE systems, are comparable to those for single IEs. In cases when the solution vector is not differentiable at t = 0, the estimation of errors at t = 0 is found somewhat less reliable for IE systems, than it was for single IEs. The stability of the IE systems solved appears to be sufficient, in practice, for the numerical stability of the method.     

Stability of Taylor–Couette and Dean flow: A semi-analytical study

An alternative method is presented for solving the eigenvalue problem that governs the stability of Taylor–Couette and Dean flow. The eigenvalue problems defined by the two-point boundary value problems are converted into initial value problems by applying unit disturbance method developed by Harris and Reid [27] in 1964. Thereafter, the initial value problems are solved by differential transform method in series and the eigenvalues are computed by shooting technique. Critical wave number and Taylor number for Taylor–Couette flow are computed for a wide range of rotation ratio (μ), −4 ? μ ? 1 (first mode) and −2 ? μ ? 1 (second mode). The radial eigenfunction and cell patterns are presented for μ = −1, 0, 1. Also, we have computed critical wave number and Dean number successfully.     

On two perturbation estimates of the extreme solutions to the equations X ± A*XA = Q

Two perturbation estimates for maximal positive definite solutions of equations X + A*X⁻¹A = Q and X − A*X⁻¹A = Q are considered. These estimates are proved in [Hasanov et al., Improved perturbation Estimates for the Matrix Equations X ± A*X⁻¹A = Q, Linear Algebra Appl. 379 (2004) 113-135]. We derive new perturbation estimates under weaker restrictions on coefficient matrices of the equations. The theoretical results are illustrated by numerical examples.     

Approximate methods for convex minimization problems with series–parallel structure

Consider a problem of minimizing a separable, strictly convex, monotone and differentiable function on a convex polyhedron generated by a system of m linear inequalities. The problem has a series–parallel structure, with the variables divided serially into n disjoint subsets, whose elements are considered in parallel. This special structure is exploited in two algorithms proposed here for the approximate solution of the problem. The first algorithm solves at most min{m, ν − n + 1} subproblems; each subproblem has exactly one equality constraint and at most n variables. The second algorithm solves a dynamically generated sequence of subproblems; each subproblem has at most ν − n + 1 equality constraints, where ν is the total number of variables. To solve these subproblems both algorithms use the authors’ Projected Newton Bracketing method for linearly constrained convex minimization, in conjunction with the steepest descent method. We report the results of numerical experiments for both algorithms.     

Numerical prediction of buoyancy driven micropolar fluid flow within uniformly heated eccentric annulus

In this paper, the problem of buoyancy driven micropolar fluid flow within an annulus formed between two circular concentric/eccentric tubes has been numerically investigated using Fourier spectral method. The annulus inner wall is uniformly heated and maintained at constant heat flux while the outer wall is cooled and kept at constant temperature. The full governing equations of linear momentum, angular momentum and energy have been solved to give the details of flow and thermal fields. The heat convection process in the annulus is mainly controlled by modified Rayleigh number Ra, Prandtl number Pr, radius ratio Rr, eccentricity, e and material parameters of Micropolar fluid. The material parameters are dimensionless spin gradient viscosity λ, dimensionless micro-inertia density B and dimensionless vortex viscosity D. The study considered a range of modified Ra up to 10⁵ and is carried out at three values of Pr, namely Pr = 0.1, 1.0 and 7.0, and at three values of parameter D, namely, D = 2, 4, 8 while the eccentricity is varied between −0.65 and +0.65. The radius ratio is fixed at 2.6 while the material parameters B and λ are assigned the value of 1. The effect of the controlling parameters on flow and thermal fields has been investigated with emphasis on the effect of these parameters on local and mean inner wall temperatures. The study has shown that for certain controlling parameters the steady mean temperature of inner wall of the annulus is maximum at a certain eccentricity. The study has also shown that as the parameter D increases the steady mean inner wall temperature increases. Moreover, the study has shown that as the Pr increases the mean inner wall temperature decreases.     

Effect of aligned magnetic field on the steady viscous flow past a circular cylinder

The steady viscous incompressible and slightly conducting fluid flow around a circular cylinder with an aligned magnetic field is simulated for the range of Reynolds numbers 100 ? Re ? 500 using the Hartmann number, M. The multigrid method with defect correction technique is used to achieve the second order accurate solution of complete non-linear Navier–Stokes equations. The magnetic Reynolds number is assumed to be small. It is observed that volume of the separation bubble decreases and drag coefficient increases as M is increased. We noticed that the upstream base pressure increases slightly with increase of M whereas downstream base pressure decreases with increase of M. The effect of the magnetic field on the flow is discussed with contours of streamlines, vorticity, plots of surface pressure and surface vorticity.     

Minimal ranks of some quaternion matrix expressions with applications

Suppose that p(X, Y) = A − BX − X^(∗)B^(∗) − CYC^(∗) and q(X, Y) = A − BX + X^(∗)B^(∗) − CYC^(∗) are quaternion matrix expressions, where A is persymmetric or perskew-symmetric. We in this paper derive the minimal rank formula of p(X, Y) with respect to pair of matrices X and Y = Y^(∗), and the minimal rank formula of q(X, Y) with respect to pair of matrices X and Y = −Y^(∗). As applications, we establish some necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of the general (persymmetric or perskew-symmetric) solutions to some well-known linear quaternion matrix equations. The expressions are also given for the corresponding general solutions of the matrix equations when the solvability conditions are satisfied. At the same time, some useful consequences are also developed.     

A Variational Approach to Discontinuous Problems with Critical Sobolev Exponents

We employ variational techniques to study the existence and multiplicity of positive solutions of semilinear equations of the form − Δu = λh(x)H(u − a)u^q + u^2* − 1 in R^N, where λ, a > 0 are parameters, h(x) is both nonnegative and integrable on R^N, H is the Heaviside function, 2* is the critical Sobolev exponent, and 0 ≤ q < 2* − 1. We obtain existence, multiplicity and regularity of solutions by distinguishing the cases 0 ≤ q ≤ 1 and 1 < q < 2* − 1.     

Critical Exponents of Quasilinear Parabolic Equations

In this paper we study the critical exponents of the Cauchy problem in Rⁿ of the quasilinear singular parabolic equations: u_t = div(|∇u|^m − 1∇u) + t^s|x|^σu^p, with non-negative initial data. Here s ≥ 0, (n − 1)/(n + 1) < m < 1, p > 1 and σ > n(1 − m) − (1 + m + 2s). We prove that p_c ≡ m + (1 + m + 2s + σ)/n > 1 is the critical exponent. That is, if 1 < p ≤ p_c then every non-trivial solution blows up in finite time, but for p > p_c, a small positive global solution exists.     

Falkner-Skan boundary layer flow of a power-law fluid past a stretching wedge

The steady two-dimensional laminar boundary layer flow of a power-law fluid past a permeable stretching wedge beneath a variable free stream is studied in this paper. Using appropriate similarity variables, the governing equations are reduced to a single third order highly nonlinear ordinary differential equation in the dimensionless stream function, which is solved numerically using the Runge-Kutta scheme coupled with a conventional shooting procedure. The flow is governed by the wedge velocity parameter λ, the transpiration parameter f₀, the fluid power-law index n, and the computed wall shear stress is f″(0). It is found that dual solutions exist for each value of f₀, m and n considered in λ − f″(0) parameter space. A stability analysis for this self-similar flow reveals that for each value of f₀, m and n, lower solution branches are unstable while upper solution branches are stable. Very good agreements are found between the results of the present paper and that of Weidman et al. [28] for n = 1 (Newtonian fluid) and m = 0 (Blasius problem [31]).     

Inverse minimum cost flow problems under the weighted Hamming distance

Given a network N(V, A, u, c) and a feasible flow x⁰, an inverse minimum cost flow problem is to modify the cost vector as little as possible to make x⁰ form a minimum cost flow of the network. The modification can be measured by different norms. In this paper, we consider the inverse minimum cost flow problems, where the modification of the arcs is measured by the weighted Hamming distance. Both the sum-type and the bottleneck-type cases are considered. For the former, it is shown to be APX-hard due to the weighted feedback arc set problem. For the latter, we present a strongly polynomial algorithm which can be done in O(n · m²).     

One-point pseudospectral collocation for the one-dimensional Bratu equation

The one-dimensional planar Bratu problem is u_xx + λ exp(u) = 0 subject to u(±1) = 0. Because there is an analytical solution, this problem has been widely used to test numerical and perturbative schemes. We show that over the entire lower branch, and most of the upper branch, the solution is well approximated by a parabola, u(x) ≈ u₀ (1 − x²) where u₀ is determined by collocation at a single point x = ξ. The collocation equation can be solved explicitly in terms of the Lambert W-function as u(0) ≈ −W(−λ(1 − ξ²)/2)/(1 − ξ²) where both real-valued branches of the W-function yield good approximations to the two branches of the Bratu function. We carefully analyze the consequences of the choice of ξ. We also analyze the rate of convergence of a series of even Chebyshev polynomials which extends the one-point approximation to arbitrary accuracy. The Bratu function is so smooth that it is actually poor for comparing methods because even a bad, inefficient algorithm is successful. It is, however, a solution so smooth that a numerical scheme (the collocation or pseudospectral method) yields an explicit, analytical approximation. We also fill some gaps in theory of the Bratu equation. We prove that the general solution can be written in terms of a single, parameter-free β(x) without knowledge of the explicit solution. The analytical solution can only be evaluated by solving a transcendental eigenrelation whose solution is not known explicitly. We give three overlapping perturbative approximations to the eigenrelation, allowing the analytical solution to be easily evaluated throughout the entire parameter space.     

New kinematic parameters of the finite rotation of a rigid body

A new family of kinematic parameters for the orientation of a rigid body (global and local) is presented and described. All the kinematic parameters are obtained by mapping the variables onto a corresponding orientated subspace (hyperplane). In particular, a method of stereographically projecting a point belonging to a five-dimensional sphere S⁵ ⊂ R⁶ onto an orientated hyperplane R⁵ is demonstrated in the case of the classical direction cosines of the angles specifying the orientation of two systems of coordinates. A family of global kinematic parameters is described, obtained by mapping the Hopf five-dimensional kinematic parameters defined in the space R⁵ onto a four-dimensional orientated subspace R⁴. A correspondence between the five-dimensional and four-dimensional kinematic parameters defined in the corresponding spaces is established on the basis of a theorem on the homeomorphism of two topological spaces (a four-dimensional sphere S⁴ ⊂ R⁵ with one deleted point and an orientated hyperplane in R⁴). It is also shown to which global four-dimensional orientation parameters–quaternions defined in the space R⁴ the classical local parameters, that is, the three-dimensional Rodrigues and Gibbs finite rotation vectors, correspond. The kinematic differential rotational equations corresponding to the five-dimensional and four-dimensional orientation parameters are obtained by the projection method. All the rigid body kinematic orientation parameters enable one, using the kinematic equations corresponding to them, to solve the classical Darboux problem, that is, to determine the actual angular position of a body in a three-dimensional space using the known (measured) angular velocity of rotation of the object and its specified initial position.     

Alexandrov’s inequality and conjectures on some Toeplitz matrices

We study determinant inequalities for certain Toeplitz-like matrices over C. For fixed n and N ? 1, let Q be the n × (n + N − 1) zero-one Toeplitz matrix with Q_ij = 1 for 0 ? j − i ? N − 1 and Q_ij = 0 otherwise. We prove that det(QQ^∗) is the minimum of det(RR^∗) over all complex matrices R with the same dimensions as Q satisfying ∣R_ij∣ ? 1 whenever Q_ij = 1 and R_ij = 0 otherwise. Although R has a Toeplitz-like band structure, it is not required to be actually Toeplitz. Our proof involves Alexandrov’s inequality for polarized determinants and its generalizations. This problem is motivated by Littlewood’s conjecture on the minimum 1-norm of N-term exponential sums on the unit circle. We also discuss polarized Bazin-Reiss-Picquet identities, some connections with k-tree enumeration, and analogous conjectured inequalities for the elementary symmetric functions of QQ^∗.     

Probability of unique integer solution to a system of linear equations

We consider a system of m linear equations in n variables Ax = d and give necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of a unique solution to the system that is integer: x ∈ {−1, 1}ⁿ. We achieve this by reformulating the problem as a linear program and deriving necessary and sufficient conditions for the integer solution to be the unique primal optimal solution. We show that as long as m is larger than n/2, then the linear programming reformulation succeeds for most instances, but if m is less than n/2, the reformulation fails on most instances. We also demonstrate that these predictions match the empirical performance of the linear programming formulation to very high accuracy.     

Existence, attractiveness and stability of solutions for quadratic Urysohn fractional integral equations

In this paper, existence and attractiveness of solutions for quadratic Urysohn fractional integral equations on an unbounded interval are obtained by virtue of Tichonov fixed point theorem and suitable conjunction of the well known measure ω₀(X) and the spaces C(R⁺). Further, three certain solutions sets X_L,γ, X_1,α and X_{1,(1−(α+v))}, which tending to zero at an appropriate rate t^−ν (ν > 0), ν = γ (or α or 1 − (α + v)) as t → ∞, are introduced and stability of solutions for quadratic Urysohn fractional integral equations are obtained based on these solutions sets respectively by applying Schauder fixed point theorem via some easy checked conditions. An example is given to illustrate the results.     

A note on order of convergence of numerical method for neutral stochastic functional differential equations

In this paper, we study the order of convergence of the Euler-Maruyama (EM) method for neutral stochastic functional differential equations (NSFDEs). Under the global Lipschitz condition, we show that the pth moment convergence of the EM numerical solutions for NSFDEs has order p/2 − 1/l for any p ? 2 and any integer l > 1. Moreover, we show the rate of the mean-square convergence of EM method under the local Lipschitz condition is 1 − ε/2 for any ε ∈  (0, 1), provided the local Lipschitz constants of the coefficients, valid on balls of radius j, are supposed not to grow faster than log j. This is significantly different from the case of stochastic differential equations where the order is 1/2.     

On p-quasi-hyponormal operators

A Hilbert space operator A ∈ B(H) is said to be p-quasi-hyponormal for some 0 < p ? 1, A ∈ p − QH, if A^∗(∣A∣^2p − ∣A^∗∣^2p)A ? 0. If H is infinite dimensional, then operators A ∈ p − QH are not supercyclic. Restricting ourselves to those A ∈ p − QH for which A⁻¹(0) ⊆ A^∗-1(0), A ∈ p_∗ − QH, a necessary and sufficient condition for the adjoint of a pure p_∗ − QH operator to be supercyclic is proved. Operators in p_∗ − QH satisfy Bishop’s property (β). Each A ∈ p_∗ − QH has the finite ascent property and the quasi-nilpotent part H₀(A − λI) of A equals (A − λI)^-1(0) for all complex numbers λ; hence f(A) satisfies Weyl’s theorem, and f(A^∗) satisfies a-Weyl’s theorem, for all non-constant functions f which are analytic on a neighborhood of σ(A). It is proved that a Putnam-Fuglede type commutativity theorem holds for operators in p_∗ − QH.