1,720,960 research outputs found

    Numerical analysis of advection-diffusion problems on 2D general-shaped domains by means of a RBF Collocation Meshless Method

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    A Collocation Meshless Method based on local Radial Basis Function (RBF) interpolation is employed to solve two-dimensional advection-diffusion problems with particular reference to the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations in their transient form, i.e., unsteady flows, using primitive variables (U,p). A projection scheme is employed to decouple the continuity and momentum equations; particular attention is given to the choice of the required solvers. This approach is applied to the simulation of unsteady flows for two typical test cases, i.e., the lid-driven cavity problem and the flow past a circular cylinder between parallel walls. Numerical results compare very favorably with literature ones, confirming that this approach can be effectively employed in the numerical simulation of unsteady flows on practical geometries where complex node distributions and large number of nodes are required

    Geometric uncertainty propagation in laminar flows solved by RBF-FD meshless technique

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    The Non-Intrusive Polynomial Chaos method is employed to analyze incompressible and laminar fluid flows in presence of geometric uncertainties on the boundaries, which are described by stochastic variables with known probability distribution. Non-Intrusive methods allow the use of existing deterministic solvers, which are treated as black boxes. Therefore the quantification of the fluid flow uncertainties is based on a set of deterministic response evaluations. The required thermo-fluid dynamics solutions over the deterministic geometries are obtained through a Radial Basis Function-generated Finite Differences (RBF-FD) meshless method. The validation of the presented approach is carried out through analytical test cases (isothermal flow between non-parallel walls) with one geometric uncertainty. The applicability of the presented approach to practical problems is then presented through the prediction of geometric uncertainty effects on the non-isothermal flow over a heated backward-facing step

    Numerical analysis of thermo-fluid problems in 3D domains by means of the RBF-FD meshless method

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    The use of CAE (Computer Aided Engineering) software, commonly applied to the design and verification of a great variety of manufactured products, is totally reliant on accurate numerical simulations. Classic mesh-based methods, e.g., Finite Element (FEM) and Finite Volume (FVM), are usually employed for such simulations, where the role of the mesh is crucial for both accuracy and time consumption issues. This is especially true for complex 3D domains which are typically encountered in most practical problems. Meshless, or meshfree, methods have been recently introduced in order to replace the usual mesh with much simpler node distributions, thus purifying the data structures of any additional geometric information. Radial Basis Function-Finite Difference (RBF-FD) meshless methods have been shown to be able to easily solve problems of engineering relevance over complex-shaped domains with great accuracy, with particular reference to fluid flow and heat transfer problems. In this paper the RBF-FD method is employed to solve heat transfer problems with incompressible, steady-state laminar flow over 3D complex-shaped domains. The required node distributions are automatically generated by using a meshless node generation algorithm, which has been specifically developed to produce high quality node arrangements over arbitrary 3D geometries. The presented strategy represents therefore a fully-meshless approach for the accurate and automatic simulation of thermo-fluid problems over 3D domains of practical interest

    Accurate RBF-FD meshless numerical simulation of thermo-fluid problems for generic 3D geometries

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    In contrast to traditional mesh-based methods for the numerical solution of boundary value problems, e.g., Finite Element (FEM) and Finite Volume (FVM), in the recent period many meshfree approaches have been proposed in order to avoid those typical issues due to the mesh. For example, the quality of the mesh greatly affects the reliability of the final solution in the case of CFD problems and the human intervention of a professional is often still needed when dealing with complex-shaped domains. This in turn increases both cost and time required for the reliable simulation of problems of engineering relevance. Meshless methods, on the other side, usually rely on a simpler distribution of nodes and do not require the storage of connectivity information. Among others, one of the most promising meshless methods in terms of accuracy and flexibility is the one based on the Radial Basis Function – Finite Difference (RBF-FD) scheme. RBF-FD methods, however, are usually affected by severe ill conditioning issues when Neumann boundary conditions are employed. This fact is the main responsible for the appearance of large discretization errors near the boundary and for the lack of stability of traditional time integration schemes. In order to address this issue, some new algorithms for the robust treatment of boundary conditions have been developed and successfully employed to solve fluid flow problems with heat transfer. Furthermore, it is well acknowledged that the efficient resolution of boundary layers arising in this class of problems requires an adequate spatial discretization in the neighbourhood of the boundary, i.e., increased node/mesh density along the direction of large gradients only. In the context of the RBF-FD method, this result is achieved through an anisotropic node generation algorithm, thus enabling the efficient simulation of a greater variety of CFD problems. The method described above is successfully employed for the accurate solution of a representative 3D heat transfer problem with incompressible fluid flow

    Propagation of geometric uncertainties in heat transfer problems solved by RBF-FD meshless method

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    The design of engineering components must take into account the manufacturing tolerances of production processes since they lead to uncertainties in the behaviour of the products. It is therefore of valuable practical interest to quantify such uncertainties, with particular reference to problems involving geometrical uncertainties of the boundaries. This task is carried out in the present work by coupling the Non-Intrusive Polynomial Chaos (PC) method, employed for the quantification of uncertainties, with a Radial Basis Function Finite Differences (RBF-FD) meshless method, employed for the numerical simulations. The PC method with the Non-Intrusive formulation allows the use of existing deterministic solvers for the accurate prediction of the sought random response, i.e., the statistic moments of the involved variables. The RBF-FD method is therefore employed as a black box solver for the required set of problems defined over deterministic domains. The main advantage of the RBF-FD meshless method over traditional mesh-based methods is its capability of easily deal with practical problems defined over complex-shaped domains since no traditional mesh is required. The geometrical flexibility of the RBF-FD is even more advantageous in the context of geometric uncertainty quantification with the Non-Intrusive PC method since different solutions over different geometries are required. The applicability of the proposed approach to practical problems is then presented through the prediction of geometric uncertainty effects for a tube heat exchanger under natural convection where a 2D steady incompressible flow is considered

    Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis

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    The present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed

    Variations on the Author

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    “Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship

    Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis

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    We provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
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