arXiv subjects

Paolo Gualtieri

Publications and source records attributed to Paolo Gualtieri.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Universal mean velocity profile in polymeric flows at maximum drag reduction

Provided a sufficient concentration of long-chain polymers in a Newtonian solvent, turbulent wall-bounded flows exhibit a universal state known as Maximum Drag Reduction (MDR). Through direct numerical simulations, we show that the wall-normal kinetic energy flux characterising Newtonian wall-bounded turbulence is suppressed at MDR, and that the polymers mainly sustain velocity fluctuations. In agreement with the experimental data, we derive a universal expression for the mean velocity profile no longer dependent on characteristic quantities of wall-bounded turbulence.

physics.flu-dyn↗

arXiv2022

The aerodynamic response of a pre-stressed elastically nonlinear aileron

We study the aerodynamic response of a pre-stressed curved aileron. Whilst the fluid flow is standard (high Reynolds air flow undisturbed at infinity), the structure is designed to have a peculiar nonlinear behavior. Specifically, the aileron has only one stable equilibrium when the external forces are vanishing, but it is bistable when relevant aerodynamic loads are applied. Hence, for sufficiently high fluid velocities, another equilibrium branch is possible. We test a prototype of such an aileron in a wind tunnel; a sudden change (snap) of the shell configuration is observed when the fluid velocity exceeds a critical threshold: the snapped configuration is characterized by sensibly lower drag. However, when the velocity is reduced to zero, the structure recovers its initial shape. A similar nonlinear behavior can have important applications for drag reduction strategies.

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arXiv2019

Exact regularized point particle (ERPP) method for particle-laden wall-bounded flows in the two-way coupling regime

The Exact Regularized Point Particle (ERPP) method is extended to treat the interphase momentum coupling between particles and fluid in the presence of walls by accounting for the vorticity generation due to the particles close to solid boundaries. The ERPP method overcomes the limitations of other methods by allowing the simulation of an extensive parameter space (Stokes number, mass loading, particle-to-fluid density ratio and Reynolds number) and of particle spatial distributions that are uneven (few particles per computational cell). The enhanced ERPP method is explained in detail and validated by considering the global impulse balance. In conditions when particles are located close to the wall, a common scenario in wall-bounded turbulent flows, the main contribution to the total impulse arises from the particle-induced vorticity at the solid boundary. The method is applied to direct numerical simulations of particle-laden turbulent pipe flow in the two-way coupling regime to address the turbulence modulation. The effects of the mass loading, the Stokes number and the particle-to-fluid density ratio are investigated. The drag is either unaltered or increased by the particles with respect to the uncoupled case. No drag reduction is found in the parameter space considered. The momentum stress budget, which includes an extra stress contribution by the particles, provides the rationale behind the drag behaviour. The extra stress produces a momentum flux towards the wall that strongly modifies the viscous stress, the culprit of drag at solid boundaries.

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arXiv2019

Particles in turbulent separated flow over a bump: effect of the Stokes number and lift force

Particle-laden turbulent flow that separates due to a bump inside a channel is simulated to analyse the effects of the Stokes number and the lift force on the particle spatial distribution. The fluid friction Reynolds number is approximately 900 over the bump, the highest achieved for similar computational domains. A range of particle Stokes numbers are considered, each simulated with and without the lift force in the particle dynamic equation. When the lift force is included a significant difference in the particle concentration, in the order of thousands, is observed in comparison with cases where the lift force is omitted. The greatest deviation is in regions of high vorticity, particularly at the walls and in the shear layer but results show that the concentration also changes in the bulk of the flow away from the walls. The particle behaviour changes drastically when the Stokes number is varied. As the Stokes number increases, particles bypass the recirculating region that is formed after the bump and their redistribution is mostly affected by the strong shear layer. Particles segregate at the walls and particularly accumulate in secondary recirculating regions behind the bump. At higher Stokes numbers, the particles create reflection layers of high concentration due to their inertia as they are diverted by the bump. The fluid flow is less influential and this enables the particles to enter the recirculating region by rebounding off walls and create a focus of high particle concentration.

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arXiv2017

Effect of geometry and Reynolds number on the turbulent separated flow behind a bulge in a channel

Turbulent flow separation induced by a protuberance on one of the walls of an otherwise planar channel is investigated using Direct Numerical Simulations. Different bulge geometries and Reynolds numbers - with the highest friction Reynolds number simulation reaching a peak of Reτ = 900 - are addressed to understand the effect of the wall curvature and of the Reynolds number on the dynamics of the recirculating bubble behind the bump. Most of the drag is due to the form contribution, whilst the friction contribution does not change appreciably with respect to an equivalent planar channel flow. The most bluff geometry has a larger recirculation region, whilst the Reynolds number increase results in a smaller recirculation bubble and a shear layer more attached to the bump. The energy introduced by the pressure drop follows two routes: part of it is transferred towards the walls to be dissipated and part feeds the turbulent production hence the velocity fluctuations in the separating shear layer. Spatial energy fluxes transfer the kinetic energy into the recirculation bubble and downstream near the wall where it is ultimately dissipated. Consistently, anisotropy concentrates at small scales near the walls irrespective of the value of the Reynolds number. In the bulk flow and in the recirculation bubble, isotropy is restored at small scales and the isotropy recovery rate is controlled by the Reynolds number. Anisotropy invariant maps are presented, showing the difficulty in developing suitable turbulence models to predict separated turbulent flow dynamics. Results shed light on the processes of production, transfer and dissipation of energy in this relatively complex turbulent flow where non-homogeneous effects overwhelm the classical picture of wall bounded turbulent flows which typically exploits streamwise homogeneity.

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arXiv2017

Hydrodynamics of flagellated microswimmers near free-slip interfaces

The hydrodynamics of a flagellated microorganism is investigated when swimming close to a planar free-slip surface by means of numerical solu- tions of the Stokes equations obtained via a Boundary Element Method. Depending on the initial condition, the swimmer can either escape from the free-slip surface or collide with the boundary. Interestingly, the mi- croorganism does not exhibit a stable orbit. Independently of escape or attraction to the interface, close to a free-slip surface, the swimmer fol- lows a counter-clockwise trajectory, in agreement with experimental find- ings, [15]. The hydrodynamics is indeed modified by the free-surface. In fact, when the same swimmer moves close to a no-slip wall, a set of initial conditions exists which result in stable orbits. Moreover when moving close to a free-slip or a no-slip boundary the swimmer assumes a different orientation with respect to its trajectory. Taken together, these results contribute to shed light on the hydrodynamical behaviour of microorgan- isms close to liquid-air interfaces which are relevant for the formation of interfacial biofilms of aerobic bacteria.

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arXiv2017

Mobility tensor of a sphere moving on a super-hydrophobic wall: application to particle separation

The paper addresses the hydrodynamic behavior of a sphere close to a micro-patterned superhydrophobic surface described in terms of alternated no-slip and perfect-slip stripes. Physically, the perfect-slip stripes model the parallel grooves where a large gas cushion forms between fluid and solid wall, giving rise to slippage at the gas-liquid interface. The potential of the boundary element method (BEM) in dealing with mixed no-slip/perfect-slip boundary conditions is exploited to systematically calculate the mobility tensor for different particle-to-wall relative positions and for different particle radii. The particle hydrodynamics is characterized by a non trivial mobility field which presents a distinct near wall behavior where the wall patterning directly affects the particle motion. In the far field, the effects of the wall pattern can be accurately represented via an effective description in terms of a homogeneous wall with a suitably defined apparent slippage. The trajectory of the sphere under the action of an external force is also described in some detail. A resonant regime is found when the frequency of the transversal component of the force matches a characteristic crossing frequency imposed by the wall pattern. It is found that, under resonance, the particle undergoes a mean transversal drift. Since the resonance condition depends on the particle radius the effect can in principle be used to conceive devices for particle sorting based on superhydrophobic surfaces.

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