arXiv subjects

Michael Berhanu

Publications and source records attributed to Michael Berhanu.

24 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2013

Space-Time Resolved Capillary Wave Turbulence

We report experiments on the full space and time resolved statistics of capillary wave turbulence at the air-water interface. The three-dimensional shape of the free interface is measured as a function of time by using the optical method of Diffusing Light Photography associated with a fast camera. Linear and nonlinear dispersion relations are extracted from the spatio-temporal power spectrum of wave amplitude. When wave turbulence regime is reached, we observe power-law spectra both in frequency and in wave number, whose exponents are found in agreement with the predictions of capillary wave turbulence theory. Finally, the temporal dynamics of the spatial energy spectrum highlight the occurrence of stochastic bursts transferring wave energy through the spatial scales.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2012

Shape and dynamics of seepage erosion in a horizontal granular bed

We investigate erosion patterns observed in a horizontal granular bed resulting from seepage of water motivated by observation of beach rills and channel growth in larger scale landforms. Our experimental apparatus consists of a wide rectangular box filled with glass beads with a narrow opening in one of the side walls from which eroded grains can exit. Quantitative data on the shape of the pattern and erosion dynamics are obtained with a laser-aided topography technique. We show that the spatial distribution of the source of groundwater can significantly impact the shape of observed patterns. An elongated channel is observed to grow upstream when groundwater is injected at a boundary adjacent to a reservoir held at constant height. An amphitheater (semi-circular) shape is observed when uniform rainfall infiltrates the granular bed to maintain a water table. Bifurcations are observed as the channels grow in response to the ground water. We further find that the channels grow by discrete avalanches as the height of the granular bed is increased above the capillary rise, causing the deeper channels to have rougher fronts. The spatio-temporal distribution of avalanches increase with bed height when partial saturation of the bed leads to cohesion between grains. However, the overall shape of the channels is observed to remain unaffected indicating that seepage erosion is robust to perturbation of the erosion front.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2011

Aggregation of frictional particles due to capillary attraction

Capillary attraction between identical millimeter sized spheres floating at a liquid-air interface and the resulting aggregation is investigated at low Reynolds number. We show that the measured capillary forces between two spheres as a function of distance can be described by expressions obtained using the Nicolson approximation at low Bond numbers for far greater particle sizes than previously assumed. We find that viscous hydrodynamics interactions between the spheres needs to be included to describe the dynamics close to contact. We then consider the aggregates formed when a third sphere is added after the initial two spheres are already in contact. In this case, we find that linear superposition of capillary forces describes the observed approach qualitatively but not quantitatively. Further, we observe an angular dependence of the structure due to a rapid decrease of capillary force with distance of separation which has a tendency to align the particles before contact. When the three particles come in contact, they may preserve their shape or rearrange to form an equilateral triangle cluster - the lowest energy state - depending on the competition between attraction between particles and friction. Using these observations, we demonstrate that a linear particle chain can be built from frictional particles with capillary attraction.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2010

Heterogeneous structure of granular aggregates with capillary interactions

We investigate the spatial structure of cohesive granular matter with spheres floating at an air-liquid interface that form disordered close packings with pores in between. The interface is slowly lowered in a conical container to uniformly compress and study the system as a function of area fraction $ϕ$. We find that the free area distributions associated with Voronoi cells show significant exponential tails indicating greater heterogeneity compared with random distributions at low $ϕ$ with a crossover towards a $Γ$-distribution as $ϕ$ is increased. Further, we find significant short range order as measured by the radial correlation function and the orientational order parameter even at low and intermediate $ϕ$, which is absent when particles interact only sterically.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2009

Influence of an external magnetic field on forced turbulence in a swirling flow of liquid metal

We report an experimental investigation on the influence of an external magnetic field on forced 3D turbulence of liquid gallium in a closed vessel. We observe an exponential damping of the turbulent velocity fluctuations as a function of the interaction parameter N (ratio of Lorentz force over inertial terms of the Navier-Stokes equation). The flow structures develop some anisotropy but do not become bidimensional. From a dynamical viewpoint, the damping first occurs homogeneously over the whole spectrum of frequencies. For larger values of N, a very strong additional damping occurs at the highest frequencies. However, the injected mechanical power remains independent of the applied magnetic field. The simultaneous measurement of induced magnetic field and electrical potential differences shows a very weak correlation between magnetic field and velocity fluctuations. The observed reduction of the fluctuations is in agreement with a previously proposed mechanism for the saturation of turbulent dynamos and with the order of magnitude of the Von Karman Sodium dynamo magnetic field.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2008

Reduction of velocity fluctuations in a turbulent flow of gallium by an external magnetic field

The magnetic field of planets or stars is generated by the motion of a conducting fluid through a dynamo instability. The saturation of the magnetic field occurs through the reaction of the Lorentz force on the flow. In relation to this phenomenon, we study the effect of a magnetic field on a turbulent flow of liquid Gallium. The measurement of electric potential differences provides a signal related to the local velocity fluctuations. We observe a reduction of velocity fluctuations at all frequencies in the spectrum when the magnetic field is increased.

physics.flu-dyn↗