Industrially Experimental Investigations and Development of the Curve-ROD Baffle Heat Exchanger

The conventional heat exchanger with segmental baffles is prone to bring forth fluid-induced vibration of heat transfer tubes and increase the pressure drop of shell-side greatly at higher fluid flow velocity. In order to avoid the above defects, the ROD-baffle heat exchanger has been developed. However, its collocation of heat transfer tubes is conventionally in square, which leads to fewer heat transfer area per unit volume. Based on the ROD-baffle heat exchanger, a new type curve-ROD baffle has been developed, and an industrial investigation of the curve-ROD baffle heat exchanger with normal triangular collocation has been carried into execution. In this paper, two equations using the Reynolds number were acquired to predict the heat transfer coefficients of the shell-side and tube-side. The experimental results show that the shell-side heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics of the curve-ROD baffle heat exchanger are superior to those of the segmental baffle one.

Dynamic parameters of multi-cabin protective structure subjected to low-impact load e Numerical and experimental investigations

The dynamic response of a multi-cabin protective structure subjected to impact load directly affects the protective performance of materials;thus,studying the dynamic response and communication law of wave effect of the load plays an important role in the prediction of protective performance.In this study,the protection experiments of box-structure under air-and/or water-medium are conducted,the dynamic response of the structure subjected to low-impact load is analyzed,and the corresponding numerical simulations are analyzed using the theory of finite element method(FEM).Combined with experimental and FEM simulations,the shock strain distribution,acceleration attenuation,and signal energy in defensive materials are determined.Based on the results,the metal structure exhibits good absorption characteristics for shock vibration.Using the experimental data,we also show that the attenuation of shock wave in water medium should be significantly better than that in air medium,and the protective structure should be designed for a combination of water and air mediums.Meanwhile,the numerical simulation can provide a quantitative analysis process for dynamic analysis of defensive materials.

Multi-type sensor placement and response reconstruction for building structures: Experimental investigations

Estimation of lateral displacement and acceleration responses is essential to assess safety and serviceability of high-rise buildings under dynamic loadings including earthquake excitations. However, the measurement information from the limited number of sensors installed in a building structure is often insufficient for the complete structural performance assessment. An integrated multi-type sensor placement and response reconstruction method has thus been proposed by the authors to tackle this problem. To validate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method, an experimental investigation using a cantilever beam with multi-type sensors is performed and reported in this paper. The experimental setup is first introduced. The finite element modelling and model updating of the cantilever beam are then performed. The optimal sensor placement for the best response reconstruction is determined by the proposed method based on the updated FE model of the beam. After the sensors are installed on the physical cantilever beam, a number of experiments are carried out. The responses at key locations are reconstructed and compared with the measured ones. The reconstructed responses achieve a good match with the measured ones, manifesting the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method. Besides, the proposed method is also examined for the cases of different excitations and unknown excitation, and the results prove the proposed method to be robust and effective. The superiority of the optimized sensor placement scheme is finally demonstrated through comparison with two other different sensor placement schemes： the accelerometer-only scheme and non-optimal sensor placement scheme. The proposed method can be applied to high-rise buildings for seismic performance assessment.

Experimental investigations on structural improvement of morphing mechanism for nose cone of aerospace vehicle adopting a bionic redundant constraint strategy

Aerospace vehicles have recently received great attention for their completely reusable in aviation and aerospace.To achieve the optimal aerodynamic performance of the aerospace vehicle,the nose cone needs to change its aerodynamic shape under different flight conditions.However,the structural design of a morphing nose cone that is capable of changing aerodynamic shape adaptively and withstanding prescribed aerodynamic loads remains an ongoing challenge.To overcome this issue and to further advance our previous work,the motion performance of a morphing nose cone inspired by the deformation mechanism of the honeybee abdomen was tested to evaluate the deformation ability and bearing capacity.The dynamic prediction analysis of the morphing nose cone with a clearance joint and flexible links was then investigated to elucidate the crucial issues in the deformation movement.To improve the motion performance,a performance improvement scheme based on redundant constraints drawn from the muscle distribution of the honeybee abdomen was proposed.Finally,the structural stiffness,dynamic analysis,and experimental testing of the improved morphing nose cone were conducted.The experimental results indicate that the extension and contraction ratios and bending angles of the improved morphing nose cone under loads of 0,10,and 25 kg loads improve by 1.51%and 2.329°,2.78%and-1.902°,and 5.06%and 1.111°,respectively,verifying the rationality and effectiveness of the performance improvement scheme.This work provides a new reference for the design of the morphing structure for aerospace vehicles.

Experimental investigation on coal pore-fracture variation and fractal characteristics synergistically affected by solvents for improving clean gas extraction

Chemical solvents instead of pure water being as hydraulic fracturing fluid could effectively increase permeability and improve clean methane extraction efficiency.However,pore-fracture variation features of lean coal synergistically affected by solvents have not been fully understood.Ultrasonic testing,nuclear magnetic resonance analysis,liquid phase mass spectrometry was adopted to comprehensively analyze pore-fracture change characteristics of lean coal treated by combined solvent(NMP and CS_(2)).Meanwhile,quantitative characterization of above changing properties was conducted using geometric fractal theory.Relationship model between permeability,fractal dimension and porosity were established.Results indicate that the end face fractures of coal are well developed after CS2and combined solvent treatments,of which,end face box-counting fractal dimensions range from 1.1227 to 1.4767.Maximum decreases in ultrasonic longitudinal wave velocity of coal affected by NMP,CS_(2)and combined solvent are 2.700%,20.521%,22.454%,respectively.Solvent treatments could lead to increasing amount of both mesopores and macropores.Decrease ratio of fractal dimension Dsis 0.259%–2.159%,while permeability increases ratio of NMR ranges from 0.1904 to 6.4486.Meanwhile,combined solvent could dissolve coal polar and non-polar small molecules and expand flow space.Results could provide reference for solvent selection and parameter optimization of permeability-enhancement technology.

Experimental investigation on the permeability of gap-graded soil due to horizontal suffusion considering boundary effect

The boundary condition is a crucial factor affecting the permeability variation due to suffusion.An experimental investigation on the permeability of gap-graded soil due to horizontal suffusion considering the boundary effect is conducted,where the hydraulic head difference(DH)varies,and the boundary includes non-loss and soil-loss conditions.Soil samples are filled into seven soil storerooms connected in turn.After evaluation,the variation in content of fine sand(ΔR_(f))and the hydraulic conductivity of soils in each storeroom(C_(i))are analyzed.In the non-loss test,the soil sample filling area is divided into runoff,transited,and accumulated areas according to the negative or positive ΔR_(f) values.ΔR_(f) increases from negative to positive along the seepage path,and Ci decreases from runoff area to transited area and then rebounds in accumulated area.In the soil-loss test,all soil sample filling areas belong to the runoff area,where the gentle-loss,strengthened-loss,and alleviated-loss parts are further divided.ΔR_(f) decreases from the gentle-loss part to the strengthened-loss part and then rebounds in the alleviated-loss part,and C_(i) increases and then decreases along the seepage path.The relationship between ΔR_(f) and Ci is different with the boundary condition.Ci exponentially decreases with ΔR_(f) in the non-loss test and increases with ΔR_(f) generally in the soil-loss test.

Auto-parametric resonance of a continuous-beam-bridge model under two-point periodic excitation:an experimental investigation and stability analysis

The auto-parametric resonance of a continuous-beam bridge model subjected to a two-point periodic excitation is experimentally and numerically investigated in this study.An auto-parametric resonance experiment of the test model is conducted to observe and measure the auto-parametric resonance of a continuous beam under a two-point excitation on columns.The parametric vibration equation is established for the test model using the finite-element method.The auto-parametric resonance stability of the structure is analyzed by using Newmark's method and the energy-growth exponent method.The effects of the phase difference of the two-point excitation on the stability boundaries of auto-parametric resonance are studied for the test model.Compared with the experiment,the numerical instability predictions of auto-parametric resonance are consistent with the test phenomena,and the numerical stability boundaries of auto-parametric resonance agree with the experimental ones.For a continuous beam bridge,when the ratio of multipoint excitation frequency(applied to the columns)to natural frequency of the continuous girder is approximately equal to 2,the continuous beam may undergo a strong auto-parametric resonance.Combined with the present experiment and analysis,a hypothesis of Volgograd Bridge's serpentine vibration is discussed.

Experimental Investigations on Fiber Motion within Rotor Spinning Unit

An experimental platform is constructed to photograph fibers＇ motion within rotor spinning unit, which is mainly composed of a transparent rotor and a transport channel based on the similarity theory. The fibers will stretch and gather into a fiber bundle in the transport channel. The velocity of fibers is increasing along the inlet to the outlet of the transport channel, and the fibers＇ maximum velocity appears at the outlet of transport channel. The straightness of the fiber bundle is related to the convergence degree of the transport channel, and the greater the convergence degree is, the straighter the fiber bundle stretches. The results will provide a useful insight to the yam-forming mechanism of rotor spinning.

Application of PCM-based Thermal Energy Storage System in Buildings: A State of the Art Review on the Mathematical Modeling Approaches and Experimental Investigations

This review paper critically analyzes the most recent literature(64% published after 2015) on the experimentation and mathematical modeling of latent heat thermal energy storage(LHTES) systems in buildings. Commercial software and in-built codes used for mathematical modeling of LHTES systems are consolidated and reviewed to provide details on the selection of appropriate tools. Insights on software’s computing speed, model simplicity, accuracy(by considering the convective term in the melting process), and application of artificial neural networks are reviewed in detail. Moreover, the overall research status of the experiments conducted on the phase change material-based LHTES systems with different experiment configurations is reviewed. The analysis shows that ANSYS Fluent is the most widely used software for specific heat transfer phenomenon in storage tanks, while self-developed models with simplified terms are evaluated as more flexible and easier to apply. For hybrid systems, self-developed MATLAB, mature parts in ESP-r, TRNSYS, and EnergyPlus are compatible. Further, most of the experimental investigations are conducted on the laboratory scale, providing data for model validation. To provide a clear guidance for the future market application, the scope for future works is presented. With this review, it would be easier to develop a unified, simplified, visual, and accurate simulation platform for the PCM-based thermal energy storage in buildings.

Experimental Investigation on the Strength and Ductility Performance of Steel-Timber-Steel Joints with Screw and Steel-Tube Fasteners

This article presents experimental results of steel-timber-steel(STS)joints loaded parallel to grain.Eight groups of specimens were designed,and tensile tests were performed.The fastener types and fastener numbers were considered to evaluate the tensile strengths and ductility performances of the STS joints.The screws with 6 mm diameter and the innovative steel-tubes with 18 mm diameter were adopted as connecting fasteners.The experimental results were discussed in terms of yielding and ultimate strengths,slip stiffness,and ductility factors.The ductility classification and failure mechanisms of each group of specimens were analyzed.It was demonstrated that the STS joint with large diameter steel-tubes showed acceptable ductility,which was close to the ductility of the STS joint with small diameter screws,thanks to the hollow structure of the steel-tube.The theoretical strengths of various failure modes for the joints with small diameter screws or large diameter steel-tubes were calculated and compared with the experimental results.The ductile performance of the STS joint was discussed by comparing the theoretical strengths of various failure modes.The effective number of the STS joint with multifasteners was also analyzed by considering the failure mechanisms in aspects of tensile strength and slip stiffness.

Experimental Investigation of a Fixed-geometry Two-dimensional Mixed-compression Supersonic Inlet with Sweep-forward High- light and Bleed Slot in an Inverted ＂X＂-type Layout

A fixed-geometry two-dimensional mixed-compression supersonic inlet with sweep-forward high-light and bleed slot in an inverted ＂X＂-form layout was tested in a wind tunnel. Results indicate： （1） with increases of the free stream Mach number, the total pressure recovery decreases, while the mass flow ratio increases to the maximum at the design point and then decreases; （2） when the angle of attack, a, is less than 6°, the total pressure recovery of both side inlets tends to decrease, but, on the lee side inlet, its values are higher than those on the windward side inlet, and the mass flow ratio on lee side inlet increases first and then falls, while on the windward side it keeps declining slowly with the sum of mass flow on both sides remaining almost constant; （3） with the attack angle, a, rising from 6° to 9°, both total pressure recovery and mass flow ratio on the lee side inlet fall quickly, but on the windward side inlet can be observed decreases in the total pressure recovery and increases in the mass flow ratio; （4） by comparing the velocity and back pressure characterristics of the inlet with a bleed slot to those of the inlet without, it stands to reason that the existence of a bleed slot has not only widened the steady working range of inlet, but also made an enormous improvement in its performance at high Mach numbers. Besides, this paper also presents an example to show how this type of inlet is designed.

Experimental Investigation on Element Immersing Process of Immersed Tube Tunnel

Bridges and tunnels are good solutions to transportation problems in large cities separated by large rivers. In bridge construction great success has been achieved in China, but large-sized immersed tube tunnel construction is still new. Element immersing is an important process of immersed tube tunnel construction. The accuracy of tunnel element positioning directly determines the quality of tunnel construction. In order to study the behavior of elements during its lowering to the sea bed, the experiments carried out in the State Key Laboratory of Ocean Engineering of Shanghai Jiaotong University. In consideration of the construction experience abroad and by reference to published papers on the Oresund tunnel in Norway-Sweden and Tokyo Bay tunnel in Japan, an element model to an appropriate scale is developed. A concise description of the model experiment wave environments is carried out, and the feasibility of two immersing strategies is studied.

A case study of excessive vibrations inside buildings due to an underground railway:Experimental tests and theoretical analysis

Excessive vibrations inside buildings in the Lihu New Village caused by the Shenzhen Metro Line 2 underground railway were investigated by conducting analyses of the tunnel,the track irregularities,the stiffness of the fastening system,and the vibrations of the track system and the building at different speeds.A numerical simulation based on the dynamic coupling theory of the vehicle-track system was used to verify the experimental results.Suitable countermeasures were investigated.The results show that rail corrugation is the primary reason for the excessive vibration,and an increase in the stiffness of the vertical fastening system is the secondary reason.The solution was to eliminate the rail corrugation using rail grinding and decrease the vertical stiffness by changing the fastening system.The results of this study provide references for solving vibration problems caused by rail lines.

Theoretical and Experimental Investigation of Flexural Vibration Transfer Properties of High-Pressure Periodic Pipe

According to the theory of phononic crystals, the hydraulic pipeline is designed to be a periodic structure composed of steel pipes and hoses to suppress the vibration of the hydraulic system with band gaps. We present theoretical and experimental investigations into the flexural vibration transfer properties of a high-pressure periodic pipe with the force on the inner pipe wall by oii pressure taken into consideration. The results show that the vibration attenuation of periodic pipe decreases along with the elevation of working pressure for the hydraulic system, and the band gaps in low frequency ranges move towards high frequency ranges. The periodic pipe has good vibration attenuation performance in the frequency range below 1000 Hz and the vibration of the hydraulic system is effectively suppressed. A11 the results are validated by experiment. The experimental results show a good agreement with the numerical calculations, thus the flexural vibration transfer properties of the high- pressure periodic pipe can be precisely calculated by taking the fluid structure interaction between the pipe and oil into consideration. This study provides an effective way for the vibration control of the hydraulic system.

Experimental Investigation on Flow and Scour Characteristics Around Tandem Piers in Sandy Channel With Downward Seepage

Experimental investigations have been carried out to study morpho-hydraulic characteristics such as scour geometry and turbulent flow properties around tandem piers in alluvial channels. Experiments were carried out in a plane sand bed with two circular piers of same diameter arranged in tandem manner under no seepage, 10% seepage and 20% seepage conditions. Downward seepage minimizes the scour depth around piers and restrains the development of scour depth with time. Strong reversal flow is found near the bed at upstream of piers and near free surface at downstream of piers where velocity and Reynolds shear stress are found to be negative which reduce in magnitude with downward seepage. The flow is more critical within the gap between two piers where velocity is lesser near free surface and gradually increasing towards bed. Quadrant analysis shows that contribution of each event to the total Reynolds shear stress increases with downward seepage. Sedimentation effect prevails within the scour hole whereas outside the scour hole erosive forces become more dominant. Reduced reversal flow at upstream of pier because of downward seepage results in decreasing higher order moments and turbulent kinetic energy. At downstream of piers, secondary currents are dominant due to wake vortices. Strouhal number decreases in case of seepage runs than no seepage condition.

Partition method and experimental validation for impact dynamics of flexible multibody system

The impact problem of a flexible multibody system is a non-smooth, high-transient, and strong-nonlinear dynamic process with variable boundary. How to model the contact/impact process accurately and efficiently is one of the main difficulties in many engineering applications. The numerical approaches being used widely in impact analysis are mainly from two fields： multibody system dynamics （MBS） and computational solid mechanics （CSM）. Approaches based on MBS provide a more efficient yet less accurate analysis of the contact/impact problems, while approaches based on CSM are well suited for particularly high accuracy needs, yet require very high computational effort. To bridge the gap between accuracy and efficiency in the dynamic simulation of a flexible multibody system with contacts/impacts, a partition method is presented considering that the contact body is divided into two parts, an impact region and a non-impact region. The impact region is modeled using the finite element method to guarantee the local accuracy, while the non-impact region is modeled using the modal reduction approach to raise the global efficiency. A three-dimensional rod-plate impact experiment is designed and performed to validate the numerical results. The principle for how to partition the contact bodies is proposed： the maximum radius of the impact region can be estimated by an analytical method, and the modal truncation orders of the non-impact region can be estimated by the highest frequency of the signal measured. The simulation results using the presented method are in good agreement with the experimental results. It shows that this method is an effec-rive formulation considering both accuracy and efficiency. Moreover, a more complicated multibody impact problem of a crank slider mechanism is investigated to strengthen this conclusion.

Experimental Investigation on Performance of Pulse Detonation Rocket Engine Model

The PDRE test model used in these experiments utilized kerosene as the fuel, oxygen as oxidizer, and nitrogen as purge gas. The solenoid valves were employed to control intermittent supplies of kerosene, oxygen and purge gas. PDRE test model was 50 mm in inner diameter by 1.2 m long. The DDT （deflagration to detonation transition） enhancement device Shchelkin spiral was used in the test model. The effects of detonation frequency on its time-averaged thrust and specific impulse were experimentally investigated. The obtained results showes that the time-averaged thrust of PDRE test model was approximately proportional to the detonation frequency. For the detonation frequency 20 Hz, the time-averaged thrust was around 107 N, and the specific impulse was around 125 s. The nozzle experiments were conducted using PDRE test model with three traditional nozzles. The experimental results obtained demonstrated that all of those nozzles could augment the thrust and specific impulse. Among those three nozzles, the convergent nozzle had the largest increased augmentation, which was approximately 18%, under the specific condition of the experiment.

EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION AND COMPUTER SIMULATION ON DYNAMIC BUCKLING BEHAVIOR OF LIQUID-FILLED CYLINDRICAL SHELLS UNDER AXIAL IMPACT

This article reports an experimental investigation on the axial impact buckling of thin metallic cylindrical shells fully filled with water. Low velocity impact tests are carried out by DHR-9401 drop hammer rig. The whole process of dynamic buckling is simulated using LS-DYNA computer code. The consistency between experimental observation and numerical simulation is quite satisfactory. The investigation indicates that quite high internal hydrodynamic pressure occurs inside the shell during the impact process. Under the combined action of the high internal pressure and axial compression plastic buckling occurs easily in the thin-walled shells and buckling modes take on regular and axisymmetric wrinkles.

Experimental investigation on tensile strength of butt welded joint post high temperatures

In order to investigate the laws of variation on tensile strength of butt welded joint post high temperatures, the wide plate tension tests for butt welded joint were conducted after cooling down from different high temperatures. The tests indicate that specimens appear ductile fracture at the steel plate during the tension tests after cooling down. The maximum temperatures undergone and the cooling pattern are major factors influencing tensile strength of butt welded joint post high temperatures. The tensile strength mostly reduces by 8% within 900℃. Based on the experimental results, the paper proposes the calculation formulas of tensile strength of butt welded joint post high temperatures. The conclusions of the paper supply references for evaluation damage and reinforcement of steel structure post fire.

Experimental study on the pressure control of soil chamber in shield tunneling

A mathematical model of the soil pressure system in shield tunneling was proposed to optimize soil pressure control in the soil chamber, based on the constitutive relationship between strain and stress. The desired pressure is determined by using the finite element method. A linear quadratic constant state tracking problem was considered over an infinite time interval. The optimal control law was derived by differentiating the Hamilton function with respect to system input. In order to verify the effectiveness of the proposed mathematical model and optimal control law, an experimental study on the pressure control of the soil chamber in shield tunneling was conducted in a laboratory. The experiment results show that soil pressure in the soil chamber in shield tunneling can be accurately controlled.