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The purpose of this paper is to examine the initial mixing of wastewater discharged from submerged outfall diffusers and the influence of port configurations on wastewater distribution based on computational results.

Marine wastewater discharges from multiport diffusers are investigated by numerically solving three-dimensional and uncompressible two-phase flow fields. A mixture model simulates this flow and the standard k-e model to resolve flow turbulence; inter-phase interactions were described in terms of relative slip velocity between phases. Computations were performed for two values of the port spacings s/H with different current Froude numbers F.

Computational results compared well with previous laboratory measurements. Numerical results reveal that for both the closely spaced (s/H=0.21) and widely spaced (s/H=3.0) ports, the normalized dilution Sn becomes independent of F; further, the length of the near field xn and the spreading layer thickness hn are functions of F. For the closely spaced ports, the wastewater discharge behaves like a line plume, the Coanda effect is obvious, quasi-bifurcation is present, horseshoe structures of the jets in the planes are rapidly produced and then squashed and elongated, and the jet trajectories based on maximum velocity precede those based on maximum concentration. For the widely spaced ports, the wastewater discharge behaves like a point plume, the Coanda effect is not obvious, bifurcation is present, horseshoe structures of the jets in the planes are gradually produced and become ellipses, and the jet trajectories based on maximum velocity are similar to those based on maximum concentration.

Semi-empirical equations are presented to predict major near field characteristics. These provide guidance for designing multiport diffusers and assessing environmental impact.

FLUIDICS is a term coined recently defining a rapidly emerging technology which involves the use of gaseous or liquid fluids in motion to perform functions such as amplification, sensing, switching, logic or computation. The accelerating interest in fluidics is no doubt due to the increasing awareness that fluid energy can be manipulated in much the same way as electricity and without moving parts. Also, since fluidic control components are highly reliable under extreme environmental conditions and are impervious to radiation — magnetic or nuclear—they offer many advantages for use in aerospace or nuclear engineering. These particular advantages and others, coupled with the probable low ultimate economic costs of fluidic components, are further stimulating active interest in many commercial and industrial applications.

The purpose of this paper is to reformulate the governing equations incorporating major variables and parameters for the design a Micro Air Vehicle (MAV), to meet the desired mission and design requirements.

Mathematical models for various spherical and cylindrical Coandă MAV configurations were rederived from first principles, and the performance measures were defined. To verify the theoretical prediction to a certain extent, a computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulation for a Coandă MAV generic models was performed.

The major variables and parameters of Coandă MAV have been formulated into practical guidelines, which relate the lift (or thrust) produced for certain input variables, particularly the Coandă MAV jet momentum coefficient. The influences of the geometrical parameters are elaborated.

The present analysis on Coandă jet-configured MAV is focused on the lift generation due to the Coandă jet effect through a meticulous analysis. The effects of viscosity, the Coandă jet thickness, the radius of curvature of the surface and the stability of Coandă jet are not considered and will be the subject of the following work.

The results obtained can be used for sizing in the preliminary design of Coandă MAVs.

Physical and mathematical models were developed which can describe the physical phenomena of the flow field near the Coandă MAV surfaces influenced by Coandă jet sheets and for obtaining a relationship between relevant variables and parameters to the lift of practical interest.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the equivalent control authority of the conventional and circulation control (CC) wing of the aircraft and assess the energy expenditure and aerodynamic efficiency of the CC wing.

Four target cases with different flap deflection angles θ are set in advance for the conventional wing, and then a series of cases with different jet momentum coefficients Cμ are set for the CC wing. The lift, drag and momentum coefficient curves of the CC wing are compared to those of the four conventional wing cases. The curves with the best agreement are selected to establish the corresponding relation between θ and Cμ. The energy expenditure of the CC system is analyzed. The concept of equivalent lift-to-drag ratio for the CC wing is introduced to compare the aerodynamic efficiency with the conventional wing

The control authority of the conventional wing at θ = 0º, 10º, 20º, 30º are equivalent to the control authority of the CC wing with Cµ = 0.0, 0.005, 0.009 and 0.012. The CC system is more efficient at small Cµ than large Cµ.

This study could contribute to the application of the CC system on flapless aircrafts.

The corresponding relation between θ and Cµ is established by matching the equivalent control authority between the conventional wing and CC wing.

The purpose of this paper is to gain an in-depth understanding into the research progress, hot spots and future trends in smart gripping technology in the field of apparel smart manufacturing.

This work scrutinised the current research status of the five automatic grasping methods for garment fabrics including the pneumatic suction grasping, the electrostatic grasping, the intrusive grasping and the dexterous grasping. Specifically, the principles, characteristics, main devices and the impact on garment production were discussed.

In particular, soft finger of the dexterous grasping method has good flexibility and adaptability in the process of fabric grasping, which provides a new solution for garment production automation. Up to now, the reviewed method in general exhibit good grasping speed, high grasping stability and flat grasping process. However, in the face of complex fabric materials which are thin and flexible and do not return their original shapes when deformed in practical applications, the gripper for automatic fabric grasping need new technological breakthroughs in the positioning accuracy, grab efficiency and flexible grasping.

The outcomes offered an overview of the research status and future trends of the automatic grasping methods for garment fabrics in the field of apparel intelligent manufacturing. It could not only provide scholars with convenience in identifying research hot spots and building potential cooperation in the follow-up research but also assist beginners in searching core scholars and literature of great significance.

The literature on jets is extensive but scattered. A concise guide is needed, and this paper attempts (at the risk of over‐simplification) to summarise some of the available information, both theoretical and experimental (some of it obtained in the Department of Mechanical Engineering) on those jet properties which are important in engineering — velocity profile and decay, spread, entrainment and static pressure.

The data on round jets in still air and in a general stream are analysed to determine the spread of the jet and the decay of the axial velocity distribution. The temperature distributions for heated jets are treated in the same way. Methods of model test technique for jets and jet aircraft are discussed; it is shown that the jet momentum is the most important quality in the representation of hot jets. Illustrations of the effect of jets on neighbouring surfaces, including the Coanda effect, are given, and finally an examination of the effect of jets on aircraft stability is made.

As far as we know, all work on externally blown flaps has been aimed at providing a basis for studies of the flight performance and handling qualities in respect of certain aircraft projects, one of which is the Dornier STOL transport aircraft. Theoretical work so far has only been possible in as much as the jet flap theory was extended to include any possible momentum distribution and finite jet thickness at the flap trailing edge. We know virtually nothing about the phenomenon of the jet flow spreading between the engine nozzle and the flap trailing edge. This question was studied on a simple wind tunnel model of an externally blown flap.

The purpose of this study is to compare two unsteady actuators: an oscillator and a sweeping jet. Both actuators can produce an oscillating jet of different amplitudes and frequencies without any moving parts, making them an attractive actuator concept. The Coanda effect phenomenon can explain the operating principles of these two unsteady actuators.

A numerical study was conducted to compare the amplitudes and frequencies of fluidic and sweeping jet (SJ) oscillators to obtain an efficient actuator to control separated flows at high Reynolds numbers. For this goal, two-dimensional unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes simulations were carried out using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) fluent code to evaluate the actuator performances. The discrete fast Fourier transform method determined the oscillation frequencies.

The oscillation frequencies gradually increase as the inlet pressure increases. The characteristics and dimensions of the vortices produced in the mixing chamber and feedback loops vary overtime when the injected fluid is swept sideways. The frequencies supplied by the SJ are stronger than those obtained by the fluidic oscillator, which may contribute to improving the aerodynamic performance at a lower power supply cost.

The existence of the splitter in the fluidic oscillator led to the production of separate pulses, which would be useful in various industrial applications, including active control of combustion and mixing processes while other applications such as flow separation control require SJs. With the latter actuator higher and interesting frequencies can be obtained, leading to efficient flow control.

Under this heading are published regularly abstracts of all Reports and Memoranda of the Aeronautical Research Council, Reports and Technical Notes of the United States National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics and publications of other similar Research Bodies as issued