Vol 59, No 1 (2018)

It is shown that in a hybrid coaxial magnetoplasma accelerator with a channel length of 350 mm and a diameter of 23 mm, the acceleration velocity and the energy conversion efficiency increase as the length of the plasma structure formation channel filled with a gas-generating material decreases from 17 to 9 mm. It is found that it is reasonable to use paraffin as the gas-generating material as it has a less significant deionizing effect on the high-current arc discharge and hence causes a less significant decrease in the discharge current intensity and an increase in conductive and inductive electrodynamic forces.

Steady flow generated by oscillations of an inner solid core in a fluid-filled rotating spherical cavity is experimentally studied. The core with density less than the fluid density is located near the center of the cavity and is acted upon by a centrifugal force. The gravity field directed perpendicular to the rotation axis leads to a stationary displacement of the core from the rotation axis. As a result, in the frame of reference attached to the cavity, the core performs circular oscillation with frequency equal to the rotation frequency, and its center moves along a circular trajectory in the equatorial plane around the center of the cavity. For the differential rotation of the core to be absent, one of the poles of the core is connected to the nearest pole of the cavity with a torsionally elastic, flexible fishing line. It is found that the oscillation of the core generates axisymmetric azimuthal fluid flow in the cavity which has the form of nested liquid columns rotating with different angular velocities. Comparison with the case of a free oscillating core which performs mean differential rotation suggests the existence of two mechanisms of flow generation (due to the differential rotation of the core in the Ekman layer and due to the oscillation of the core in the oscillating boundary layers).

A model of ionic solutions is proposed which can be used to calculate aqueous salt solutions in different nanostructures. The interaction potential of the model includes the Lennard-Jones potential and angularly averaged dipole–dipole and ion–dipole interactions. Lennard-Jones potential parameters for different ions are obtained. Characteristics of aqueous solutions at different salt concentrations are calculated using the molecular dynamics method. It is shown that the calculated values of the hydration shells of ions parameters are in good agreement with the theoretical and experimental data at a salt concentration of 1 mol/kg. The computational scheme used in the calculations is described. It is shown that calculations using the proposed model require less computing resources compared with the standard models of ionic solutions.

This paper describes the problem of determining the temperature of laminar gas flow, in which the equation of convective heat transfer contains two variable coefficients, is reduced to nonclassical problems for zeroth and first asymptotic expansion coefficient with respect to a formal parameter. The Laplace–Carson transform are used to obtain analytical expressions for the temperature field of ascending laminar gas flow in a well with account for the relationships of density and velocity with spatial coordinates in zeroth and first asymptotic approximations. Expressions for the temperature asymptotically averaged along the cross section of the well and temperature distributions over the cross-sectional radius are obtained.

The nonlinear dynamics of the free surface of an ideal incompressible non-conducting fluid with a high dielectric constant subjected to a strong horizontal electric field is simulated using the method of conformal transformations. It is shown that in the initial stage of interaction of counter-propagating periodic waves of significant amplitude, there is a direct energy cascade leading to energy transfer to small scales. This results in the formation of regions with a steep wave front at the fluid surface, in which the dynamic pressure and the pressure exerted by the electric field undergo a discontinuity. It has been demonstrated that the formation of regions with high gradients of the electric field and fluid velocity is accompanied by breaking of surface waves; the boundary inclination angle tends to 90◦, and the surface curvature increases without bound.

Three-dimensional thermosolutal natural convection and entropy generation within an inclined enclosure is investigated in the current study. A numerical method based on the finite volume method and a full multigrid technique is implemented to solve the governing equations. Effects of various parameters, namely, the aspect ratio, buoyancy ratio, and tilt angle on the flow patterns and entropy generation are predicted and discussed.

This paper proposes a model for determining the characteristics of the evolution of the microcrack field in a loaded rock sample from electromagnetic radiation signals. Calculations were made, whose results were summarized in the form of spatial-temporal tables. Factors determining changes in the hierarchy of microcracks were established. The adequacy of the model was verified using the Zhurkov concentration criterion. Regions of scale invariance were revealed in graphs of the concentration of microcracks versus their size in logarithmic coordinates.

This paper presents the results of experimental studies of the crack propagation velocity and the dynamic fracture toughness of St. 45 steel and D16T Duralumin using a modified Kolsky method with a split Hopkinson bar. The results of microfractographic analysis of samples are given, and the fractal dimension is determined. The critical stress intensity factors are calculated using the obtained fractal dimension values.

An analytical study of delamination in the crack lap shear beam is performed. It is assumed that the material is functionally graded along the width and height of the beam. Delamination is studied in terms of the total strain energy release rate by applying methods of linear-elastic fracture mechanics. An additional analysis of the total strain energy release rate is performed by considering the strain energies in the beam cross sections ahead of and behind the crack front for verification. The effects of the crack location and material gradient on delamination are evaluated.

This paper describes the study of scattered fracture of a thick-walled pipe filled with an aggressive medium, which creates uniform pressure on the inner surface of the pipe. It is assumed that the aggressive medium affects only the value of instantaneous strength. Damageability is described by an integral operator of the hereditary type. The problem is solved with allowance for residual strength of the pipe material behind the fracture front. Numerical calculation is carried out, and relationships between the fracture front coordinate and time for various concentrations of the aggressive medium and residual strength behind the fracture front are constructed.

The problem of the post-buckling response of a simply supported thin-walled beam subjected to an axial compressive load and supported by the Winkler–Pasternak foundation is studied in this paper. The strains are assumed to be small and elastic. The shear deformations and the in-plane cross-sectional deformations are assumed to be negligible. The post-buckling paths of the simply supported beam are determined for different values of the Winkler and Pasternak stiffness parameters. Bifurcation points are found.