A Novel Mini Calibrator for Thermochromic Liquid Crystals

2000 ◽  
Vol 123 (3) ◽  
pp. 604-607 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher J. Elkins ◽  
John Fessler ◽  
John K. Eaton

A small calibrator has been constructed to facilitate wide-band liquid crystal temperature measurements on complex, curved surfaces. The calibrator’s size, 21.3 mm by 20.3 mm by 10.0 mm thick, makes it ideal for in-situ calibrations at multiple sites on curved surfaces. Its design utilizes the heating/cooling ability of a thermoelectric cooler, and its temperature is quickly and accurately controlled by computer. To test the calibrator’s accuracy, a liquid crystal sample was calibrated. Subsequent comparisons to thermistor measurements of a uniform temperature copper block painted with liquid crystals showed the calibration to be accurate to +/−0.1°C between the red start and the approximate blue start temperatures, and the maximum error was less than +/−0.3°C in the dark blue/violet region.

2000 ◽  
Vol 122 (4) ◽  
pp. 709-716 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. M. Guo ◽  
C. C. Lai ◽  
T. V. Jones ◽  
M. L. G. Oldfield ◽  
G. D. Lock ◽  
...  

The influence of surface roughness on heat transfer coefficient and cooling effectiveness for a fully film cooled three-dimensional nozzle guide vane (NGV) has been measured in a transonic annular cascade using wide band liquid crystal and direct heat flux gages (DHFGs). The liquid crystal methods were used for rough surface measurements and the DHFGs were used for the smooth surfaces. The measurements have been made at engine representative Mach and Reynolds numbers and inlet free-stream turbulence intensity. The aerodynamic and thermodynamic characteristics of the coolant flow have been modeled to represent engine conditions by using a heavy “foreign gas” (30.2 percent SF6 and 69.8 percent Ar by weight). Two cooling geometries (cylindrical and fan-shaped holes) have been tested. The strategies of obtaining accurate heat transfer data using a variety of transient heat transfer measurement techniques under the extreme conditions of transonic flow and high heat transfer coefficient are presented. The surfaces of interest are coated with wide-band thermochromic liquid crystals, which cover the range of NGV surface temperature variation encountered in the test. The liquid crystal has a natural peak-to-peak roughness height of 25 μm creating a transitionally rough surface on the NGV. The time variation of color is processed to give distributions of both heat transfer coefficient and film cooling effectiveness over the NGV surface. The NGV was first instrumented with the DHFGs and smooth surface tests preformed. Subsequently the surface was coated with liquid crystals for the rough surface tests. The DHFGs were then employed as the means of calibrating the liquid crystal layer. The roughness of 25 μm, which is the typical order of roughness for the in-service turbine blades and vanes, increases the heat transfer coefficient by up to 50 percent over the smooth surface level. The film cooling effectiveness is influenced less by the roughness. [S0889-504X(00)00804-7]


1993 ◽  
Vol 115 (2) ◽  
pp. 311-318 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Camci ◽  
K. Kim ◽  
S. A. Hippensteele ◽  
P. E. Poinsatte

Accurate determination of convective heat transfer coefficients on complex curved surfaces is essential in the aerothermal design and analysis of propulsion system components. The heat transfer surfaces are geometrically very complex in most of the propulsion applications. This study focuses on the evaluation of a hue capturing technique for the heat transfer interpretation of liquid crystal images from a complex curved heat transfer surface. Impulsively starting heat transfer experiments in a square to rectangular transition duct are reported. The present technique is different from existing steady-state hue capturing studies. A real-time hue conversion process on a complex curved surface is adopted for a transient heat transfer technique with high spatial resolution. The study also focuses on the use of encapsulated liquid crystals with narrow color band in contrast to previous steady-state hue based techniques using wide band liquid crystals. Using a narrow band crystal improves the accuracy of the heat transfer technique. Estimated uncertainty for the heat transfer coefficient from the technique is about 5.9 percent. A complete heat transfer map of the bottom surface was possible using only seven liquid crystal image frames out of the 97 available frames during the transient experiment. Significant variations of heat transfer coefficients are quantitatively visualized on the curved surfaces of the transition duct.


2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (07) ◽  
pp. 1950063
Author(s):  
Marcel G. Clerc ◽  
Michał Kowalczyk ◽  
Panayotis Smyrnelis

In this paper, we describe domain walls appearing in a thin, nematic liquid crystal sample subject to an external field with intensity close to the Fréedericksz transition threshold. Using the gradient theory of the phase transition adapted to this situation, we show that depending on the parameters of the system, domain walls occur in the bistable region or at the border between the bistable and the monostable region.


Soft Matter ◽  
2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fumiya Nemoto ◽  
Norifumi L. Yamada ◽  
Masahiro Hino ◽  
Hiroyuki Aoki ◽  
Hideki Seto

Surface aligning agents, such as amphiphilic surfactants, are widely used to control the initial alignment of nematic liquid crystals (NLCs) in liquid crystal displays (LCDs). Generally, these agents are first...


Author(s):  
S. M. Guo ◽  
C. C. Lai ◽  
T. V. Jones ◽  
M. L. G. Oldfield ◽  
G. D. Lock ◽  
...  

The influence of surface roughness on heat transfer coefficient and cooling effectiveness for a fully film cooled 3D nozzle guide vane (NGV) has been measured in a transonic annular cascade using wide band liquid crystal and direct heat flux gauges (DHFGs). The liquid crystal methods were used for rough surface measurements and the DHFGs were used for the smooth surfaces. The measurements have been made at engine representative Mach and Reynolds numbers and inlet freestream turbulence intensity. The aerodynamic and thermodynamic characteristics of the coolant flow have been modelled to represent engine conditions by using a heavy “foreign gas” (30.2% SF6 and 69.8% Ar by weight). Two cooling geometries (cylindrical and fan-shaped holes) have been tested. The strategies of obtaining accurate heat transfer data using a variety of transient heat transfer measurement techniques under the extreme conditions of transonic flow and high heat transfer coefficient are presented. The surfaces of interest are coated with wide-band thermochromic liquid crystals which cover the range of NGV surface temperature variation encountered in the test. The liquid crystal has a natural peak-to-peak roughness height of 25 μm creating a transitionally rough surface on the NGV. The time variation of colour is processed to give distributions of both heat transfer coefficient and film cooling effectiveness over the NGV surface. The NGV was first instrumented with the DHFGs and smooth surface tests preformed. Subsequently the surface was coated with liquid crystals for the rough surface tests. The DHFGs were then employed as the means of calibrating the liquid crystal layer. The roughness of 25 μm, which is the typical order of roughness for the in service turbine blades and vanes, increases the heat transfer coefficient by up to 50% over the smooth surface level. The film cooling effectiveness is influenced less by the roughness.


Soft Matter ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (17) ◽  
pp. 3347-3353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giorgio Mirri ◽  
Miha Škarabot ◽  
Igor Muševič

We present a new method for the in-plane realignment of nematic liquid crystals in already fully assembled cells with uni-directionally rubbed polyimide as an aligning layer. This method can be applied to obtain twisted and planar μm-sized domains.


2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 4705-4717
Author(s):  
Zhang Qian ◽  
Zhou Xuan ◽  
Zhang Zhidong

Basing on Landau–de Gennes theory, this study investigated the chiral configurations of nematic liquid crystals confined to cylindrical capillaries with homeotropic anchoring on the cylinder walls. When the elastic anisotropy (L2/L1) is large enough, a new structure results from the convergence of two opposite escape directions of the heterochiral twist and escape radial (TER) configurations. The new defect presents when L2/L1≥7 and disappears when L2/L1<7. The new structure possesses a heterochiral hyperbolic defect at the center and two homochiral radial defects on both sides. The two radial defects show different chiralities.


Micromachines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 247
Author(s):  
Rowan Morris ◽  
Cliff Jones ◽  
Mamatha Nagaraj

Liquid crystals are valuable materials for applications in beam steering devices. In this paper, an overview of the use of liquid crystals in the field of adaptive optics specifically for beam steering and lensing devices is presented. The paper introduces the properties of liquid crystals that have made them useful in this field followed by a more detailed discussion of specific liquid crystal devices that act as switchable optical components of refractive and diffractive types. The relative advantages and disadvantages of the different devices and techniques are summarised.


Crystals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 678
Author(s):  
Yuqi Han ◽  
Yan Jiang ◽  
Wei Guo ◽  
Bing Li ◽  
Lu Zhang ◽  
...  

Based on the anchoring effect due to the self-assembling behavior of the phospholipid molecules at the interface between the liquid crystal and water phases on the orientation of liquid crystals, the optical response associated with the orientation and structure of liquid crystals with respect to the concentration of 1,2-didodecanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine solution has been investigated. The optical response owing to changes in the orientation and structure of the mixed cholesteric liquid crystals with respect to the change in the concentration of phosphatidylcholine has been obtained. Moreover, the feasibility of using as-prepared mixed cholesteric liquid crystals to measure the phosphatidylcholine concentration has been verified. A methodology to measure the reflectance spectrum by using mixed cholesteric liquid crystals to sensitize the phosphatidylcholine concentration has been further realized. The sensitization effect of the mixed cholesteric liquid crystals on the measurement of phosphatidylcholine concentration was also verified.


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