Emerging and Innovative Materials for Hydropower Engineering Applications:Turbines,Bearings,Sealing,Dams and Waterways,and Ocean Power

The hydropower sector is currently experiencing several technological developments.New technologies and practices are emerging to make hydropower more flexible and more sustainable.Novel materials have also been recently developed to increase performance,durability,and reliability;however,no systematic discussions can be found in the literature.Therefore,in this paper,novel materials for hydropower applications are presented,and their performance,advantages,and limitations are discussed.For example,composites can reduce the weight of steel equipment by 50%to 80%,polymers and superhydrophobic materials can reduce head losses by 4%to 20%,and novel bearing materials can reduce bearing wear by 6%.These improvements determine higher efficiencies,longer life span,waste reduction,and maintenance needs,although the initial cost of some materials is not yet competitive with respect to the costs of traditional materials.The novel materials are described here based on the following categories:novel materials for turbines,dams and waterways,bearings,seals,and ocean hydropower.

High Water Content Material Based on Ba-Bearing Sulphoaluminate Cement

A new type of high water content material which is made up of two pastes is prepared, one is refute from lime and gypsum, and another is based on Ba-bearing sulphoaluminate cement. It has excellent properties such as slow single paste solidifing ,fust double pustes solidifing ,fast coagulating and hardening, high early strength, good suspeasion property at high W/C ratio and low cost. Meanwhile, the properties and hydration mechanism of the material were analyzed by using XRD, DTA- TG and SEM. The hydrated products of new type of high water content material are Ba-bearing ettringite, BaSO4 , aluminum gel and C-S-H gel.

Experimental Study of Moso Bamboo to-Steel Connections with Embedded Grouting Materials

Moso bamboos have attracted excessive attention as a renewable green building material to the concept of sustainable development.In this paper,the 20 bolted Moso bamboo connection specimens with embedded steel plates and grouting materials were designed according to connection configurations with different bolt diameters and end distance of bolt holes,and their bearing capacities and failure modes were analyzed by static tension tests.According to the test results of all connectors,the failure modes of the specimens are divided into four categories,and the effects of bolt diameter and bolt hole end distance on the connection bearing capacity and failure mode are analyzed.The test results show that the deformation and failure process can be divided into four stages.The main influence factor of connector bearing capacity is bolt diameter.Connectors can be divided into four failure modes,and brittle failure can be avoided by adopting certain structural measures.Filling with grouting material can improve the bearing capacity of joints.Due to the large variability of bamboo,further experiments are needed.

In vitro evaluation of a new resilient, hard-carbon, thin-film coating as a bearing material for ventricular assist devices ——In Vitro Bearing Evaluation of BioMedFlex

Our aim was to evaluate the potential use of BioMedFlex? (BMF), a new resilient, hard-carbon, thin- film coating, as a blood journal bearing material in Cleveland Heart’s continuous-flow left and right ven- tricular assist devices (VADs). BMF is not classified as a diamond-like carbon (DLC) and differs from other thin-film carbon coatings by its high flexural strength, radiopacity, and wear resistance. A 2- to 4-μm-thick BMF adhesion layer was deposited on the VAD journal bearing surfaces. A commercial DLC coating used in other clinical blood pump applications was used as a control. Durability and reliability of the BMF coating was verified in severe pump start/stop testing using 20 BMF-coated journal bearing pairs. The BMF-coated surfaces showed no coating failures, whereas 57% of the DLC bearing pairs developed scratches through the carbon coating, documenting that BMF can provide a durable coating in our blood journal bearing application. In conclusion, BMF has shown qualities that support its significant advantages as an alternative journal bea- ring material in Cleveland Heart pumps. Our plan includes biocompatibility testing with ongoing animal studies, endurance testing with submerged pumps running in saline, and assessment of batch coating processing capability.

Isotope Geochemical Characteristics and Material Sources of Tin--Bearing Porphyries in South China

Tin-bearing porphyries in South China can be divided into the F-rich and F-poorsubtypes. They are high-silica (SiO_2>71%), peraluminous (A/NKC>1.0) and rich inincompatible elements (Rb, Zr, U, W, Sn) and have weak Ce (δCe=0.68-0.82) and strong Eu(δEu=0.01-0.38) negative anomalies. Meantime, they also have low δ_(Nd)(-6.3- -8.4), high^(207)Pb/^(204)Pb (15.588-15.790), medium to high (^(87)Sr/^(86)Sr)_i (0.7084-0.7287) and relatively highδ^(18)O(9.1-10.3‰). These characteristics clearly suggest that the two subtypes of tin-bearingporphyries were derived from the crustal materials. Their differences lie only in the existence ofcertain different components in their source materials. Therefore, there is only one type oftin-bearing prophyry in South China. that is continental crust transformation type.

Effect of Alternation of Aging and Seawater Erosion on Properties of Rubber Material Used in Lead Rubber Bearing

An artificially accelerated alternation of aging and seawater erosion test of rubber materials used in lead rubber bearing(LRB)was performed,mainly to study the time-varying laws of rubber materials mechanical properties.Time-varying laws of the Mooney–Rivlin and Neo-Hookean constitutive parameters of rubber materials under the alternation of aging and seawater erosion were also analyzed.Results indicate that the rubber material mechanical properties were significantly affected by alternation of aging and seawater erosion.Hardness and elongation stress increased exponentially with test time.And 120 days after the test,the hardness increased by 14%,the maximum percentage increase in stress of 124.76%occurred at 100%constant elongation and the minimum percentage increase in stress of 68.32%occurred at 300%constant elongation;Tensile strength and elongation at break decreased by 44.96%and 53.09%.Besides,constitutive parameters of Mooney–Rivlin and Neo-Hookean all changed greatly with test duration.Finally,time-varying laws of constitutive parameters were verified by comparing the simulated and experimental results of the lead rubber bearing’s stiffness.Research results are of great significance to the seismic performance research and life-cycle performance analysis of offshore traffic engineering such as cross-sea bridges and bridges in the marine environment.

An Overview of Performance Characteristics, Experiencesand Trends of Aerospace Engine Bearings Technologies

In this paper, the operating conditions, technical requirements, performance characteristics, design ideas, application experiences and development trends of aerospace engine bearings, including material technology, integration design and reliability, are reviewed. The development history of aerospace engine bearing is recalled briefly at first. Then today＇s material technologies and the high bearing performances of the bearings obtained through the new materials are introduced, which play important roils in the aeroengine bearing developments. The integration design ideas and practices are explained to indicate its significant advantages and importance to the aerospace engine bearings. And the reliability of the shaft-bearing system is pointed out and treated as the key requirement with goals for both engine and bearing. Finally, as it is believed that the correct design comes from practice, the pre-qualification rig testing conducted by FAG Aerospace GmbH ＆ Co. KG is briefly illustrated as an example. All these lead to the development trends of aerospace engine bearings from different aspects.

MICROSTRUCTURE AND PROPERTIES OF HIGH BORON BEARING STEEL

High boron bearing steel, in which boron homogeneously distributed, wassuccessfully produced in the vacuum induction furnace. The microstructural observations of cast andhot rolled steels showed that the addition of titanium can eliminate the quantity of ferrous boridesprecipitated at the grain boundaries and break the net microstructure, as a result, its hotworkability is improved. The titanium boride TiB_2 homogeneously distributes in the matrix ofalpha-Fe. The parameters of hot rolling process, including preheated temperature, initial rollingtemperature, finished rolling temperature and the total deformation, have been optimized.

Role of Rare Earth in Low Sulphur Nb-Ti-Bearing Steel

The effect of rare earth on the microstructures, mechanical properties and inclu sions in low sulphur Nb-Ti-bearing steel were investigated. It is shown that t h e transverse yield point, the traverse tensile strength and elongation of testin g steels decrease initially and then rise with increasing content of rare earth. The impact energy values of the testing steels exhibit a contrary trend. Proper amount of rare earth in the steels can improve the anisotropy of impact toughne ss above -20 ℃ and it does not affect the type of microstructures which ar e st ill composed of ferrites and pearlites, but the pearlite amount increases. On one hand, rare earth cleans the molten steel and reduces the amount of inclusions; on the other hand, rare earth makes the inclusions spheroidizd, refi ned and dispersed, and thus improves the distribution of inclusions.

EFFECT OF SULFUR ON PROPERTIES OF BALL BEARING STEEL

5 heats of GCr15 bearing steel of different sulfur contents ranging from 0.009-0.092% （wt.）were smelted. The role of sulfur in bearing steel and its effect on contact fatigue properties andfracture toughness KICWere studied. It was shown that as the sulfur content increases the sulfur content dissolved in the steelsubstrate remains unchanged. The best contact fatigue property appears at the sulfur content of0.045% （wt.）, and the influence of sulfur content on the fracture toughness of bearing steel is notobvious. Finally, the mechanism of the role of sulfur was investigated.

MEASURING AND MODELING OF THE MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF COMPOSITE BEARING PAD MADE OF PLASTIC MATRIX AND FINE BRONZE ELASTIC SPRINGS

The viscoelastic properties of the normal PTFE plastic and strengthened PTFEplastic for bearing pad are measured. The mechanical properties of the composite material forbearing pad, which is made of the aforementioned plastics as matrix reinforced by fine bronzeelastic springs, are modeled and relaxation modulus of the material are presented. The differencebetween these two kinds of PTFE is studied. The results show that the complex modulus of PTFEplastics for bearing pad is higher than that of normal PTFE plastics.

Modeling of Rolling Contact Friction of Ball Bearings at Elevated Temperature

In order to predict the rolling friction coefficient and analyze the effects of material compatibility on the friction coefficient at elevated temperature(from room temperature to 600℃),a theoretic computation model was developed based on bearing's elastic contact hysteresis and related material characteristic parameters.Some examples were carried out to verify the feasibility of the model.The research results show that the material compatibility has significant effects on rolling friction coefficient,especially the modulus of elasticity and the expansion coefficient of material,and results also show the rolling friction coefficient of the matched pair between GCr15 and Si3N4 is the smallest comparing with that between GCr15 and M50(or ASP-23,or GCr15) when making GCr15,M50,ASP-23,and Si3N4 materials as bearing's rolling balls and GCr15 material as bearing's inner and outer rings.Further research indicates that the working temperature also has played an important role in the rolling friction coefficient of the ball bearing,moreover,the friction coefficient of the matched pair of M50 and Si3N4 behaves most stably at elevated temperature.

Numerical simulation and experimental verification of a novel double-layered split die for high-pressure apparatus used for synthesizing superhard materials

Based on the principles of massive support and lateral support, a novel double-layered split die(DLSD) for high-pressure apparatus was designed to achieve a higher pressure-bearing capacity and larger sample cavity. The stress distributions of the DLSDs with different numbers of divided blocks were investigated by the finite element method and compared with the stress distributions of the conventional belt-type die(BTD). The results show that the cylinders and first-layer supporting rings of the DLSDs have dramatically smaller stresses than those of the BTD. In addition, increasing the number of divided blocks from 4 to 10 gradually increases the stress of the cylinder but has minimal influence on the stress of the supporting rings. The pressure-bearing capacities of the DLSDs with different numbers of divided blocks, especially with fewer blocks, are all remarkably higher than the pressure-bearing capacity of the BTD. The contrast experiments were also carried out to verify the simulated results. It is concluded that the pressure-bearing capacities of the DLSDs with 4 and 8 divided blocks are 1.58 and 1.45 times greater than that of the BTD. This work is rewarding for the commercial synthesis of high-quality, large-sized superhard materials using a double-layered split high-pressure die.

Endogenic Au-Ag polymetallic ore deposits and ore-bearing potentiality of strata

The problem of ore-bearing potentiality of the strata involves metallogenic theory and ore-search orientation.Studies of the spatial distribution of endogenic Au-Ag polymetallic ore deposits in North Hebei indicated that the strata in which ore deposits occurred range in age from Paleozoic,Proterozoic to Mesozoic.In addition the ore deposits are characterized as being strata-bound in nature.The arise and establishment of "extracting" viewpoint may be attributed to the following three reasons:1) influence by the idea of "ore-source bed";2) limitation of analytical techniques in the 1980s'(especially gold element);and 3) a small number of samples(sampling locations were mostly disturbed by mineralization).Studies have shown that ore-forming materials would most probably come from the deep interior of the Earth.Deep-seated ore-bearing materials including Au-Ag polymetals were brought to the shallow levels by way of mantle plume-mantle sub-plume-mantle branch structure multi-stage evolution,finally leading to the formation of ore deposits.

Soil Improvement Using Waste Materials:A Review

With the industrialisation,industrial byproducts are produced in large quantities and create nuisance to natural habitats.The disposal of these wastes like fly ash,marble powder,construction and demolition(C&D)waste,brick powder,agricultural wastes etc.has become the potential threat to the ecosystem and need some real solutions.The direct disposal of such wastes into open land or water bodies causes circumambient pollution.One of the potential solutions is to utilise these wastes in the construction industry on large scale as subgrade rehab or additive to cement based materials.In the present study,the compaction and strength characteristics of stabilised soil have been studied by using various waste materials i.e.lime,cement,plastic waste,industrial waste,fibre,mushroom waste,wet olive pomace etc.and reviewed.The addition of additives improved the engineering properties of soil significantly.

Processing Defect Analysis and Nondestructive Evaluation Technology for Si_3N_4 Bearing Ball

Researches on the processing method of ceramic bearing ball,the formation and propagation of defects in the manufacturing and the nondestructive evaluation(NDE) are summarized in this paper.The key for successful processing of high strength ceramic balls is to avoid producing related defects.Many investigations show that the material microstructures,defects as well as mechanical processing parameters influence the final surface quality significantly.Most of NDE technologies,such as radiation,ultrasonic,dye-penetration and laser scatter,have been studied for ceramic bearing ball surface inspection around the world.So far,the difficulties to develop the perfect NDE system for ceramic bearing balls,which are caused by the defect variety and surface unfolding,have not been overcome yet.

纤维材质对UHMWPE水润滑轴承复合材料摩擦学性能的影响

超高分子量聚乙烯(Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, UHMWPE)在水润滑轴承领域具有巨大的发展潜力,然而单一的UHMWPE难以满足水润滑轴承的耐磨性需求,尤其是在低速重载工况下.通过纤维改性的方法可以提高其摩擦学性能,但是纤维材质的不同特性对于复合材料摩擦学性能的影响存在差异.通过热压模具分别制备剑麻纤维(Sisal fiber,SF)、碳纤维(Carbon fiber,CF)和聚酯纤维(Polyester fiber,PETF)与UHMWPE混合的定向纤维复合材料,并与纯UHMWPE做对照试验.利用R-tec往复摩擦试验机模拟不同载荷(5和10 N)和不同速度(20、40和60 mm/s)下铜球与不同复合材料的摩擦过程,通过邵氏硬度和极限抗弯强度试验对复合材料力学性能进行表征测试,采用接触角测试复合材料的浸润性,试验结束后用扫描电子显微镜观察表面磨损形貌.结果表明:纤维的力学性能,尤其是硬度和抗弯强度是影响定向纤维复合材料摩擦学性能的关键因素,所添加纤维在复合材料中强有力的支撑作用使摩擦学性能显著提高,纤维的耐磨性和浸润性是次要因素.试验工况下,CF/UHMWPE摩擦系数最低,且在低速重载(载荷10 N,速度20 mm/s)时的摩擦系数与纯UHMWPE相比降低了36.92%;添加耐磨性强的PETF纤维后,复合材料磨损体积与纯UHMWPE相比降低了30.56%.

基于UEL的水电机组导轴承支架非线性连接模态特性分析

模态分析是水电机组故障诊断的重要方法,但其传统方法缺少对接触部分非线性接触的模拟手段,直接影响模态分析的准确性,也无法对链接部位的失效过程及趋势进行分析。该文基于用户自定义单元子程序接口(user-defined element subroutine interface,UEL),建立了结合部三维非线性专用分析单元模型。推导所提模型有限元格式的基本方程,获得表征材料非线性特性的本构关系;给出螺栓连接的固定结合部的静态分析,以及立式水轮发电机导轴承支架的模态分析算例;给出导轴承支架的支臂末端螺栓连接变刚度计算的工程应用实例。实验与仿真对比结果表明了建立的UEL三维非线性接触分析专用单元模型的正确性;连接失效分析表明了随着导轴承支架接触刚度的下降,会在整机模态频率计算中引入新的频率段这一结果的重要性。

GFRP布无损加固输电铁塔角钢受力性能研究

针对现役输电铁塔在覆冰、风荷载、边坡变形等作用下可能存在承载力不足的问题,研究玻璃纤维增强复合材料(GFRP)布无损加固铁塔角钢的受力性能。首先,利用文献中的物理试验对加固钢材数值试验方法进行验证;其次,以铁塔角钢为研究对象,基于验证的数值试验方法建立72组有限元分析模型,探讨长细比、GFRP布粘贴层数、粘贴长度等因素对角钢极限承载力的影响;最后,推导并改进GFRP布角钢复合构件理论承载力计算方法。结果表明:不同长细比对构件极限承载力影响较大,当角钢长细比大于70时,加固后的承载力提升不明显;增加GFRP布粘贴层数,角钢承载力大幅提升,粘贴8层GFRP布的承载力提升率最高达41.03%;柱中GFRP布粘贴长度为75%与粘贴长度为100%的角钢极限承载力相比提升不大,仅为0.27%~2.10%;对推导的GFRP布角钢复合构件理论承载力计算方法引入修正系数后,数值试验与理论计算值相对误差缩小至-2.70%~1.77%,有效提升理论解计算精度。在对现役铁塔加固时,只需对角钢全长的75%粘贴6~8层GFRP布进行加固,且对于长细比λ≤70的角钢加固效果更好。