A State-of-the-Art Survey of the Mechanics of Rarefied Gas Flows:Part I. Fundamental Equations,

摘要

Several theoretical methods which are adopted for solving the problems of rarefied gas flows are explored in this theory. As the analytic approaches are based on the elements of probability laws and kinetic theory, a review of the method of classical and statistical mechanics is given. After deriving the classical Boltzmann equation for dilute gases starting with the Liouville's equation,some approximate analytical methods of solving the Boltzmann equation are discussed. The approximate analytical methods involve either expansions,in appropriate ways,of the molecular velocity distribution functions,or physical modeling of the collisional integrals of the Boltzmann equation. Some comments of the computational techniques are made in part 1,and more detailed information about these techniques will be provided in part 2of the survey to be published in the near future. (Author)