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Considering that marine structures are frequently subjected to the combined effects of waves and currents, the wave–current coupling environment largely determines the structural load and the surrounding water–air mixed flow, which is a typical feature of offshore structures, such as ships and offshore platforms. This study focuses on the interaction between a horizontal cylinder and a free surface in a wave–current nonlinear coupled environment using numerical simulations. The numerical method is based on the incompressible Navier–Stokes equation, with the volume-of-fluid method used to capture the free surface. Based on the second-order Stokes wave theory, we studied the impact of wave height and steepness on the cylinder force, vorticity field, free-surface deformation, and spatial–temporal distribution characteristics of entrainment bubbles. The results showed that the wave height and wave steepness have opposite effects on the root mean square (RMS) value of the force and influence the amplitude and period of the force curve. The stretching of the negative vortex led to varying degrees of double-frequency oscillation modes in the force curves. The main sources of bubbles in the wake are the breaking of the free surface and the entrainment caused by the cylinder vortex, and the bubbles caused by the former account for the majority. Compared with the wave height, an increase in wave steepness can cause a more severe interface breaking, resulting in more entrainment bubbles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the process of movement, the submarine inevitably involves free surface navigation, such as floating observation, suction power generation, and rescue. Under various circumstances, the interaction between the submarine and the free surface leads to complex flow fields and wakes, which affects its hydrodynamic performance. In this study, a three-dimensional numerical model of a submarine considering the influence of free surface is established. The volume-of-fluid model with an artificial compression term is used to capture the gas–liquid interface, and the unsteady flow field and hydrodynamics are predicted using the shear stress transport k–ω turbulence model. Based on the analysis of mesh convergence and numerical reliability, the hydrodynamic performance and wake flow field characteristics of submarines under different submergence depths were studied. The results show that the free surface has a significant influence on the resistance, wave wake, wake field, and vortex structure of the submarine, which is closely related to the submergence depth. Compared with the infinite submergence depth, the total resistance of the submarine near the free surface increases by 159.2%, mainly due to the pressure resistance. The surface wave system generated by the interaction between the free surface and the hull will directly affect the distribution of the wave surface wake, the wake flow field, and the vortex structure. As the submergence depth increases, the free surface effect gradually weakens, and it can be ignored when the submergence depth is more than 4 times the diameter of the hull. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of data-driven technology, deep learning has been widely used to study unsteady flow phenomena, owing to its high-dimensional, nonlinear, and excellent big-data processing capabilities. Rapidly and accurately predicting unsteady flow fields has been a major challenge in fluid mechanics. Therefore, we designed a new U-shaped hybrid deep neural network (UDNN) framework using a multilayer convolution. Through the multilayer learning interaction of high-dimensional flow-field data, the temporal and spatial characteristics of the flow-field flow are captured, and the flow-field characteristics are predicted in an end-to-end form. The UDNN comprises a convolutional neural layer, deconvolutional layer, convolutional long-term and short-term layers, and attention-mechanism layer. First, based on computational fluid dynamics, we generated unsteady flow-field datasets of the flow around fixed and rotating cylinders at different Reynolds numbers, which were used as training samples for the network framework. Second, we designed a U-shaped convolutional layer, added horizontal time-series feature processing and attention-mechanism units, and fused the deep feature information predicted by the model with shallow semantic information to predict the flow-field features. In addition, we compared the UDNN, proper orthogonal decomposition – long short-term memory, and traditional convolutional autoencoder – long short-term memory models in terms of the flow-field prediction error, model training time, and inference speed. The final results showed that the proposed UDNN framework achieved high accuracy and strong robustness in predicting unsteady flow fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the process of friction stir welding, the behavior of interfacial friction holds a pivotal role in shaping both the heat generation and material flow within the workpiece. However, a quantifiable comprehension of how the friction between the tool and the workpiece (T/W) precisely influences the interface contact state and the heat generation, and the material flow remains elusive. This paper strives to address this gap by introducing a mathematical model that couples interface friction and material flow through the utilization of a shear stress boundary condition at the T/W interface, which is able to present sliding and sticking condition, in our computational fluid dynamics simulation. Notably, the simulation underscore a non-uniform distribution characterizing the friction interface contact state. It is found that augmenting the coefficient of friction (CoF) induces a transition from sliding to sticking both locally and averagely at the T/W interface. When the friction interface becomes predominantly characterized by a sticking state, the CoF exerts a nominal influence over the overall heat generation, yet maintains a discernible impact on material flow patterns. This foundation enables the elucidation of the mechanism through which the friction interface contact state impacts material flow behavior. The simulated material flow trajectory also highlight that under a sliding-dominated friction interface, materials simply flow around the tool. The material flow trajectories on the advancing side (AS) and the retreating side (RS) are approximately symmetrical. The materials driven by the shoulder and the pin are converged at the center of the weld behind the tool. Simulation and experimental results demonstrate that under a sticking-dominated friction interface, materials tend to undertake multiple circulations around the tool and migrate downward to the AS. Other materials are observed to migrate upward to the RS. The entrance point for this circular behavior resides in the AS situated beneath the shoulder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The flow around a cylinder near a free surface contains many physical phenomena and mechanisms, especially when the cylinder is moving. In this paper, the two-dimensional flow of a rotating cylinder near the free surface is simulated. The dynamic behavior of the rotating cylinder and the flow characteristics such as force coefficient, vortex structure, and air entrainment under different depth ratios, Fr numbers, and rotation ratios are discussed. In such problems, the rotational motion is rarely mentioned. The two-phase model is the sharp volume of the fluid method based on the two-dimensional incompressible Navier–Stokes equation. Combined with the spatially adaptive four-octree grid, the gas–liquid interface is reconstructed with the high-density ratio (ρwater/ρair = 816). The results show that, at α ≤ 2.0, the combined effect of the free surface and the rotation causes the wake vortex to produce a positive upper and negative lower distribution, which is contrary to the single condition. For the rotating cylinder, the existence of a free surface leads to the stable vortex layer at a low rotation ratio (α = 1.0), which only occurs at the high rotation ratio (2 < α < 4.2) without free surface. For the force coefficients, the simultaneous existence of the free surface and the rotation obviously changes the value and periodicity of the coefficients, which is different from the single condition. As for the air entrainment, it can be divided into two categories within the selected parameters: vortex entrainment caused by the parallel free surface and wake jet entrainment. In the latter model, the entailed bubbles have a wider distribution in space due to the influence of shedding vortices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The water-entry problem is a complex multiphase hydrodynamic problem that is directly related to many engineering applications and natural phenomena, such as torpedo airdrops, seaplane landings, and ship slamming. Therefore, studying the influence of the microscopic properties of the object surface on the macroscopic phenomenon during water entry is necessary. In this study, the volume of fluid model and continuum surface force models are coupled to establish a multiphase flow numerical method for the water entry of objects considering surface wettability. The effect of surface wettability on the evolution of the cavity, multiphase flow-field structure, and hydrodynamic force characteristics are analyzed in detail. The results show that the movement of liquid film formed on the surface of the sphere at the early stage is the key to the formation of the cavity. For hydrophobic spheres, the liquid film separates near the equator of the sphere, and air enters it to form a cavity. At the moment of pinch-off, the pressure in the lower cavity increases, which generates a force that pushes the sphere to accelerate the fall, and this force is higher for spheres with a smaller density ratio. The flow-field structure shows that both rotational and shear effects play a dominant role in the evolution of the flow field in the cavity. For hydrophilic spheres, the liquid film follows the contact line along the surface of the sphere and converges at the top to form an upward jet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ship anti-rolling devices are an essential component of modern vessels. The core component of the Magnus effect-based ship anti-rolling device is a rotating cylinder, hereinafter referred to as the Magnus cylinders. In this paper, fully parametric three-dimensional modeling of Magnus cylinders was performed, and the design space dimension was reduced using the Sobol design optimization method while still providing accurate and reliable results. The Sobol method generates quasi-random sequences that are more uniformly spaced in the search space and can more efficiently cover the entire solution space. The shape optimization study of the Magnus cylinder was carried out in conjunction with the computational fluid dynamics method to find the geometry of the Magnus cylinder with excellent hydrodynamic performance. Critical design parameters include the diameters of the cylinder ends and the length of the cylinder. The hydrodynamic and flow field characteristics of Magnus cylinders before and after the optimization were compared. The results show that there can be multiple local optimal values for lift and drag of Magnus cylinders within the design space to increase the lift and decrease the drag. The Magnus effect primarily influences the position of the vortex-shedding separation point at the surface of Magnus cylinders and deflects the wake to one side. For the optimized Magnus cylinder, the distribution of pressure and velocity in the flow field is significantly different. This research forms the basis for improving the practical application of Magnus anti-rolling devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although traditional underwater thrusters are technologically advanced and widely used, they have limitations in propulsion efficiency, flexibility, and noise. Studying the swimming mechanisms of aquatic organisms can provide new insight into submarine propulsion. The kinematics and hydrodynamic mechanisms of Misgurnus anguillicaudatus in the turning process were explored experimentally through particle image velocimetry. Morphological characteristics of Misgurnus anguillicaudatus locomotion were analyzed using the swimming posture and extracted a body trunk curve. The kinematic characteristics of Misgurnus anguillicaudatus during turning maneuvers were further explored through quantified kinematic parameters. The hydrodynamic mechanism of the turning process was analyzed from the perspective of transient kinetic energy, vortex evolution, and pressure characteristics. The body trunk of Misgurnus anguillicaudatus maintained a fluctuating pattern from the beginning of the movement. Relying on periodic body undulations and periodic tail wagging enables the fish to maintain a continuous maneuvering state. The tail wagging in different directions generates a pair of positive and negative vortices and local high-kinetic-energy regions. The combination of pressure and viscous mechanisms creates vorticity. Jets are generated at the interface between converging vortices and opposite spins. The thrust jets provide thrust, and the side jets provide angular momentum to the fish body and the surrounding additional mass. The pull of the negative pressure area on the body along the trough is the main thrust mechanism that enables Misgurnus anguillicaudatus to swim. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]