skip to main content


Title: Extracting signature responses from respiratory flows: Low‐dimensional analyses on Direct Numerical Simulation‐predicted wakes of a flapping uvula
Abstract

Uvula‐induced snoring and associated obstructive sleep apnea is a complex phenomenon characterized by vibrating structures and highly transient vortex dynamics. This study aimed to extract signature features of uvula wake flows of different pathological origins and develop a linear reduced‐order surrogate model for flow control. Six airway models were developed with two uvula kinematics and three pharynx constriction levels. A direct numerical simulation (DNS) flow solver based on the immersed boundary method was utilized to resolve the wake flows induced by the flapping uvula. Key spatial and temporal responses of the flow to uvula kinematics and pharynx constriction were investigated using continuous wavelet transform (CWT), proper orthogonal decomposition (POD), and dynamic mode decomposition (DMD). Results showed highly complex patterns in flow topologies. CWT analysis revealed multiscale correlations in both time and space between the flapping uvular and wake flows. POD analysis successfully separated the flows among the six models by projecting the datasets in the vector space spanned by the first three eigenmodes. Perceivable differences were also captured in the time evolution of the DMD modes among the six models. A linear reduced‐order surrogate model was constructed from the predominant eigenmodes obtained from the DMD analysis and predicted vortex patterns from this surrogate model agreed well with the corresponding DNS simulations. The computational and analytical platform presented in this study could bring a variety of applications in breathing‐related disorders and beyond. The computational efficiency of surrogate modeling makes it well suited for flow control, forecasting, and uncertainty analyses.

 
more » « less
NSF-PAR ID:
10381535
Author(s) / Creator(s):
 ;  ;  ;  ;  ;  
Publisher / Repository:
Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
Date Published:
Journal Name:
International Journal for Numerical Methods in Biomedical Engineering
Volume:
36
Issue:
12
ISSN:
2040-7939
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. The turbulent wake flow past a sphere at ReD= 3700 is investigated via Direct Numerical Simulation (DNS). The characteristic motions in the wake flow, such as vortex shedding and bubble pumping are identified by the probes placed in the near wake with a dominating frequency of St= fu∞/D= 0.22 and 0.004, respectively. The modal analysis is conducted in the wake area using Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) and Dynamic Mode Decomposition (DMD). The vortex shedding and bubble pumping motions are also captured by the modal analysis. The results from POD and DMD show comparable patterns of both characteristic motions. For the bubble pumping motion, the dominating frequency of the corresponding POD mode is St= 0.004, while the DMD mode that is directly related to the separation bubble has the frequency of St= 0.009. 
    more » « less
  2. Abstract

    To understand the governing mechanisms of bio-inspired swimming has always been challenging due to intense interactions between flexible bodies of natural aquatic species and water around them. Advanced modal decomposition techniques provide us with tools to develop more in-depth understating about these complex dynamical systems. In this paper, we employ proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) and dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) techniques to extract energetically strongest spatio-temporal orthonormal components of complex kinematics of a Crevalle jack (Caranx hippos) fish. Then, we present a computational framework for handling fluid–structure interaction related problems in order to investigate their contributions towards the overall dynamics of highly nonlinear systems. We find that the undulating motion of this fish can be described by only two standing-wave like spatially orthonormal modes. Constructing the data set from our numerical simulations for flows over the membranous caudal fin of the jack fish, our modal analyses reveal that only the first few modes receive energy from both the fluid and structure, but the contribution of the structure in the remaining modes is minimal. For the viscous and transitional flow conditions considered here, both spatially and temporally orthonormal modes show strikingly similar coherent flow structures. Our investigations are expected to assist in developing data-driven reduced-order mathematical models to examine the dynamics of bio-inspired swimming robots and develop new and effective control strategies to bring their performance closer to real fish species.

     
    more » « less
  3. null (Ed.)
    Koopman decomposition is a nonlinear generalization of eigen-decomposition, and is being increasingly utilized in the analysis of spatio-temporal dynamics. Well-known techniques such as the dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) and its linear variants provide approximations to the Koopman operator, and have been applied extensively in many fluid dynamic problems. Despite being endowed with a richer dictionary of nonlinear observables, nonlinear variants of the DMD, such as extended/kernel dynamic mode decomposition (EDMD/KDMD) are seldom applied to large-scale problems primarily due to the difficulty of discerning the Koopman-invariant subspace from thousands of resulting Koopman eigenmodes. To address this issue, we propose a framework based on a multi-task feature learning to extract the most informative Koopman-invariant subspace by removing redundant and spurious Koopman triplets. In particular, we develop a pruning procedure that penalizes departure from linear evolution. These algorithms can be viewed as sparsity-promoting extensions of EDMD/KDMD. Furthermore, we extend KDMD to a continuous-time setting and show a relationship between the present algorithm, sparsity-promoting DMD and an empirical criterion from the viewpoint of non-convex optimization. The effectiveness of our algorithm is demonstrated on examples ranging from simple dynamical systems to two-dimensional cylinder wake flows at different Reynolds numbers and a three-dimensional turbulent ship-airwake flow. The latter two problems are designed such that very strong nonlinear transients are present, thus requiring an accurate approximation of the Koopman operator. Underlying physical mechanisms are analysed, with an emphasis on characterizing transient dynamics. The results are compared with existing theoretical expositions and numerical approximations. 
    more » « less
  4. null (Ed.)
    Abstract

    Flapping insect wings experience appreciable deformation due to aerodynamic and inertial forces. This deformation is believed to benefit the insect’s aerodynamic force production as well as energetic efficiency. However, the fluid-structure interaction (FSI) models used to estimate wing deformations are often computationally demanding and are therefore challenged by parametric studies. Here, we develop a simple FSI model of a flapping wing idealized as a two-dimensional pitching-plunging airfoil. Using the Lagrangian formulation, we derive the reduced-order structural framework governing wing’s elastic deformation. We consider two fluid models: quasi-steady Deformable Blade Element Theory (DBET) and Unsteady Vortex Lattice Method (UVLM). DBET is computationally economical but does not provide insight into the flow structure surrounding the wing, whereas UVLM approximates flows but requires more time to solve. For simple flapping kinematics, DBET and UVLM produce similar estimates of the aerodynamic force normal to the surface of a rigid wing. More importantly, when the wing is permitted to deform, DBET and UVLM agree well in predicting wingtip deflection and aerodynamic normal force. The most notable difference between the model predictions is a roughly 20° phase difference in normal force. DBET estimates wing deformation and force production approximately 15 times faster than UVLM for the parameters considered, and both models solve in under a minute when considering 15 flapping periods. Moving forward, we will benchmark both low-order models with respect to high fidelity computational fluid dynamics coupled to finite element analysis, and assess the agreement between DBET and UVLM over a broader range of flapping kinematics.

     
    more » « less
  5. Finlets are a series of small non-retractable fins common to scombrid fishes (mackerels, bonitos and tunas), which are known for their high swimming speed. It is hypothesized that these small fins could potentially affect propulsive performance. Here, we combine experimental and computational approaches to investigate the hydrodynamics of finlets in yellowfin tuna ( Thunnus albacares ) during steady swimming. High-speed videos were obtained to provide kinematic data on the in vivo motion of finlets. High-fidelity simulations were then carried out to examine the hydrodynamic performance and vortex dynamics of a biologically realistic multiple-finlet model with reconstructed kinematics. It was found that finlets undergo both heaving and pitching motion and are delayed in phase from anterior to posterior along the body. Simulation results show that finlets were drag producing and did not produce thrust. The interactions among finlets helped reduce total finlet drag by 21.5%. Pitching motions of finlets helped reduce the power consumed by finlets during swimming by 20.8% compared with non-pitching finlets. Moreover, the pitching finlets created constructive forces to facilitate posterior body flapping. Wake dynamics analysis revealed a unique vortex tube matrix structure and cross-flow streams redirected by the pitching finlets, which supports their hydrodynamic function in scombrid fishes. Limitations on modelling and the generality of results are also discussed. 
    more » « less