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Microchannels with curved geometries have been employed for many applications in microfluidic devices in the past decades. The Dean vortices generated in such geometries have been manipulated using different methods to enhance the performance of devices in applications such as mixing, droplet sorting, and particle/cell separation. Understanding the effect of the manipulation method on the Dean vortices in different geometries can provide crucial information to be employed in designing high-efficiency microfluidic devices. In this review, the physics of Dean vortices and the affecting parameters are summarized. Various Dean number calculation methods are collected and represented to minimize the misinterpretation of published information due to the lack of a unified defining formula for the Dean dimensionless number. Consequently, all Dean number values reported in the references are recalculated to the most common method to facilitate comprehension of the phenomena. Based on the converted information gathered from previous numerical and experimental studies, it is concluded that the length of the channel and the channel pathline, e.g., spiral, serpentine, or helix, also affect the flow state. This review also provides a detailed summery on the effect of other geometric parameters, such as cross-section shape, aspect ratio, and radius of curvature, on the Dean vortices’ number and arrangement. Finally, considering the importance of droplet microfluidics, the effect of curved geometry on the shape, trajectory, and internal flow organization of the droplets passing through a curved channel has been reviewed.

An in-situ measurement technique to determine the rheology of a fluid based on the experimentally measured velocity profile of a flow in a mini-channel is introduced. The velocity profiles of a Newtonian and different shear-thinning fluids along a rectangular channel were measured using shadowgraph particle image velocimetry (PIV). Deionized water and different concentrations of a polyacrylamide solution were used as Newtonian and shear-thinning fluids, respectively and were studied at different Reynolds numbers. The flow indices of the fluids were determined by comparing the experimental velocity profile measurements with developed theory that takes into account the non-Newtonian nature of the fluids rheology. The results indicated that the non-Newtonian behavior of the shear-thinning fluid intensified at lower Reynolds numbers and it behaved more as a Newtonian fluid as the Reynolds number increased. A comparison between the power law index determined from experimental monitoring of the velocity profile at different Reynolds numbers and measurements from a rheometer reflected good agreement. The results from the study validate the new approach of the rheology measurement of Newtonian and non-Newtonian flows through straight, rectangular cross-section channels. The proposed approach can be further utilized using other methods such as X-ray PIV to characterize the rheology of non-transparent fluids and in general, for all non-Newtonian fluids.

Demand for heart transplants far exceeds supply of donated organs. This is attributed to the high percentage of donor hearts that are discarded and to the narrow six-hour time window currently available for transplantation. Ex-vivo heart perfusion (EVHP) provides the opportunity for resuscitation of damaged organs and extended transplantation time window by enabling functional assessment of the hearts in a near-physiologic state. Present work investigates the fluid mechanics of the ex-vivo flow loop and corresponding impact on cardiac performance. A mechanical flow loop is developed that is analogous to the region of the EVHP system that mimics in-vivo systemic circulation, including the body's largest and most compliant artery, the aorta. This investigation is focused on determining the effect of mock aortic tubing compliance on pump performance. A custom-made silicone mock aorta was developed to simulate a range of in-vivo conditions and a physiological flow was generated using a commercial ventricular assist device (VAD). Monitored parameters, including pressure, tube distension and downstream velocity, acquired using time-resolved particle imaging velocimetry (PIV), were applied to an unsteady Bernoulli analysis of the flow in a novel way to evaluate pump performance as a proxy for cardiac workload. When compared to the rigid case, the compliant mock aorta case demonstrated healthier physiologic pressure waveforms, steadier downstream flow and reduced energetic demands on the pump. These results provide experimental verification of Windkessel theory and support the need for a compliant mock aorta in the EVHP system.

The passage of a bubble and the required energy for its motion through a confining pore can potentially be affected by the surface roughness and geometry of the pore. The motion of an isolated bubble passing through four different pore geometries (three circular pores, a smooth pore and 2 with different roughness, and a sharp triangular pore) is investigated. The shape of the deformed bubble passing these geometries was evaluated to determine the pressure drop across the bubble and hence the driving force to cause motion. The results of investigating the motion of the bubbles and the change in the pressure and velocity of the bubbles showed that the pore shape and surface roughness have a significant effect on the passage of the isolated phase. The motion of the bubble entering the entrance of the circular pores was similar for all circular cases. On exiting, however, a clear difference between the cases due to the presence of the peaks of the roughness was observed. These results indicate that, in addition to the critical pressure at the entrance of the pore, extra resistance will be introduced due to bubble phase pinning at the exit caused by roughness of the pore.

A circular jet impinging perpendicularly onto a rotating disk is studied in order to understand the influence of centrifugal forces on the radial wall jet. Time-resolved Particle Image Velocimetry (TR-PIV) measurements are conducted in different jet regions in order to investigate the flow physics of the large-scale vortical structures and the boundary layer development on the impinging wall for both stationary and rotating impinging disks. The Reynolds number is ReD = 2480, the orifice-to-plate distance H = 4D (D is the jet-orifice diameter) and the rotation rate is 200 RPM. It is found that the rotation of the impinging wall results in strong centrifugal effects, which affect different regions of the jet. Both radial velocity profiles and turbulence intensity distributions show different behavior when comparing the stationary and rotating cases. Finite Time Lyapunov Exponent (FTLE) analysis is implemented to describe the time-resolved behavior of the large-scale vortical structures and flow separation.

To investigate the vortical wake pattern generated by water flow past an oscillating symmetric airfoil, using experimental velocity fields from particle image velocimetry (PIV), a novel combinatorial vortex detection (CVD) algorithm is developed. The primary goal is to identify and characterize vortices within the wake. Experimental flows introduce complexities not present in numerical simulations, posing challenges for vortex detection. The proposed CVD approach offers a more robust alternative, excelling in both vortex detection and quantification of essential parameters, unlike widely-used methods such as Q-criterion, λ2-criterion, and Δ-criterion, which rely on subjective and arbitrary thresholds resulting in uncertainty. The CVD algorithm effectively characterizes the airfoil wake, identifying and analyzing vortices aligning with the Burgers model. This research enhances understanding of wake phenomena and showcases the algorithm’s potential as a valuable tool for vortex detection and characterization, particularly for experimental fluid dynamics. It provides a comprehensive, robust, and non-arbitrary approach, overcoming limitations of traditional methods and opening new avenues for studying complex flows.

PurposeThe effects of particle size and particle surface roughness on the colloidal stability of pressurized pharmaceutical suspensions were investigated using monodisperse spray-dried particles.MethodsThe colloidal stability of multiple suspensions in the propellant HFA227ea was characterized using a shadowgraphic imaging technique and quantitatively compared using an instability index. Model suspensions of monodisperse spray-dried trehalose particles of narrow distributions (GSD < 1.2) and different sizes (MMAD = 5.98 μm, 10.1 μm, 15.5 μm) were measured first to study the dependence of colloidal stability on particle size. Particles with different surface rugosity were then designed by adding different fractions of trileucine, a shell former, and their suspension stability measured to further study the effects of surface roughness on the colloidal stability of pressurized suspensions.ResultsThe colloidal stability significantly improved (p < 0.001) from the suspension with 15.5 μm-particles to the suspension with 5.98 μm-particles as quantified by the decreased instability index from 0.63 ± 0.04 to 0.07 ± 0.01, demonstrating a strongly size-dependent colloidal stability. No significant improvement of suspension stability (p > 0.1) was observed at low trileucine fraction at 0.4 % where particles remained relatively smooth until the surface rugosity of the particles was improved by the higher trileucine fractions at 1.0 % and 5.0 %, which was indicated by the substantially decreased instability index from 0.27 ± 0.02 for the suspensions with trehalose model particles to 0.18 ± 0.01 (p < 0.01) and 0.03 ± 0.01 (p < 0.002) respectively.ConclusionsSurface modification of particles by adding shell formers like trileucine to the feed solutions of spray drying was demonstrated to be a promising method of improving the colloidal stability of pharmaceutical suspensions in pressurized metered dose inhalers.

The hydrodynamic cavitation in semidilute solution flows of a flexible polymer additive in water was experimentally explored in a mesoscale converging–diverging nozzle to elucidate the cavitation reduction effects of polymer additives. Rheological measurements demonstrated that polymer solutions were shear-thinning, with infinite viscosities larger than pure water. The polymer additives significantly mitigated the intensity of cloud cavitation and the growth of violent cavity structures in the tested solution concentrations. Under conditions of supercavitation, the tested polymer solutions could not suppress the growth of large structures but showed a reduction in the population of cavitation bubbles. The temporal evolution and spatial variation of cavitation structures in different concentrations were captured using high-speed imaging. Statistical analysis of the images showed that polymers reduce cavitation via three main mechanisms. (1) The longitudinal expansion of cavities downstream is attenuated relative to the pure water. The streamwise distribution of vapour-ratio fluctuations was flattened, and its peak was shifted upstream in the solutions. (2) Mean collapse and growth rate of cavitating bubble pockets and their fluctuations were noticeably relaxed by polymer additives. For a 400 p.p.m. solution (parts per million (p.p.m.)), a reduction of 65 % was measured relative to pure water flow at the highest tested flow rate. (3) Spectral analysis of the downstream pressure indicated that the shedding frequency at the cavitation inception was reduced as the solution's concentration increased. This reduction was as high as 70 % for a 400 p.p.m. solution. These results highlight the strong interplay between polymer additives and the generation of cavitation-related structures.

Additive manufacturing (AM) enables the production of complex structured parts with tailored properties. Instead of manufacturing parts as fully solid, they can be infilled with lattice structures to optimize mechanical, thermal, and other functional properties. A lattice structure is formed by the repetition of a particular unit cell based on a defined pattern. The unit cell’s geometry, relative density, and size dictate the lattice structure’s properties. Where certain domains of the part require denser infill compared to other domains, the functionally graded lattice structure allows for further part optimization. This manuscript consists of two main sections. In the first section, we discussed the dual graded lattice structure (DGLS) generation framework. This framework can grade both the size and the relative density or porosity of standard and custom unit cells simultaneously as a function of the structure spatial coordinates. Popular benchmark parts from different fields were used to test the framework’s efficiency against different unit cell types and grading equations. In the second part, we investigated the effect of lattice structure dual grading on mechanical properties. It was found that combining both relative density and size grading fine-tunes the compressive strength, modulus of elasticity, absorbed energy, and fracture behavior of the lattice structure.

Projection microstereolithography additive manufacturing (PµSLA-AM) systems utilize free radical photopolymerization to selectively transform liquid resins into accurate and complex, shaped, solid parts upon UV light exposure. The material properties are coupled with geometrical accuracy, implying that optimizing one response will affect the other. Material properties can be enhanced by the post-curing process, while geometry is controlled during manufacturing. This paper uses designed experiments and analytical curing models concurrently to investigate the effects of process parameters on the green material properties (after manufacturing and before applying post curing), and the geometrical accuracy of the manufactured parts. It also presents a novel accumulated energy model that considers the light absorbance of the liquid resin and solid polymer. An essential definition, named the irradiance affected zone (IAZ), is introduced to estimate the accumulated energy for each layer and to assess the feasibility of the geometries. Innovative methodologies are used to minimize the effect of irradiance irregularities on the responses and to characterize the light absorbance of liquid and cured resin. Analogous to the working curve, an empirical model is proposed to define the critical energies required to start developing the different material properties. The results of this study can be used to develop an appropriate curing scheme, to approximate an initial solution and to define constraints for projection microstereolithography geometry optimization algorithms.