Numerical analysis for impacts of nozzle end-clearances on aerodynamic performance and forced response in a VNT turbine

It has been well known that nozzle end-clearances in a Variable Nozzle Turbine（VNT）are unfavorable for aerodynamic performance, especially at small openings, and efforts to further decrease size of the clearances are very hard due to thermal expansion. In this paper, both the different sizes of nozzle end-clearances and the various ratios of their distribution at the hub and shroud sides were modelled and investigated by performing 3D Computational Fluid Dynamics（CFD） and Finite Element Analysis（FEA） simulations with a code of transferring the aerodynamic pressure from the CFD results to the FEA calculations. It was found that increasing the size of the nozzle end-clearances divided equally at the hub and shroud sides deteriorates turbine efficiency and turbine wheel reliability, yet increases turbine flow capacity. And, when the total nozzle endclearances remain the same, varying nozzle end-clearances＇ distribution at the hub and shroud sides not only shifts operation point of a VNT turbine, but also affects the turbine wheel vibration stress.Compared with nozzle hub clearance, the shroud clearance is more sensitive to both aerodynamic performance and reliability of a VNT turbine. Consequently, a possibility is put forward to improve VNT turbine efficiency meanwhile decrease vibration stress by optimizing nozzle end-clearances＇ distribution.

Estimating peak response frequencies in a tidal band in the seas adjacent to China with a numerical model

A numerical method is designed to examine the response properties of real sea areas to open ocean forcing. The application of this method to modeling the China＇s adjacent seas shows that the Bohai Sea has a highest peak response frequency （PRF） of 1.52 d^-1; the northern Yellow Sea has a PRF of 1.69 d^-1; the Gyeonggi Bay has a high amplitude gain plateau in the frequency band roughly from 1.7 to 2.7 d^-1; the Yellow Sea （includ- ing the Gyeonggi Bay）, the East China Sea shelf and the Taiwan Strait have a common high amplitude gain band with frequencies around 1.76 to 1.78 d^-1 and are shown to be a system that responds to the open ocean forcing in favor of amplifying the waves with frequencies in this band; the Beibu Gulf, the Gulf of Thailand and the South China Sea deep basin have PRFs of 0.91, 1.01 and 0.98 d^-1 respectively. In addition, the East China Sea has a Poincare mode PRF of 3.91 d^-1. The PRFs of the Bohal Sea, the northern Yellow Sea, the Bei- bu Gulf and the South China Sea can be explained by a classical quarter （half for the Bohai Sea） wavelength resonance theory. The results show that further investigations are needed for the response dynamics of the Yellow Sea-East China Sea-Taiwan Strait system, the East China Sea Poincare mode, the Talwan Strait, and the Gulf of Thailand.

WRIST FORCE SENSOR'S DYNAMIC PERFORMANCE CALIBRATION BASED ON NEGATIVE STEP RESPONSE

Negative step response experimental method is used in wrist force sensor＇s dynamic performance calibration. The exciting manner of negative step response method is the same as wrist force sensor＇s load in working. This experimental method needn＇t special experiment equipments. Experiment＇s dynamic repeatability is good. So wrist force sensor＇s dynamic performance is suitable to be calibrated by negative step response method. A new correlation wavelet transfer method is studied. By wavelet transfer method, the signal is decomposed into two dimensional spaces of time-frequency. So the problem of negative step exciting energy concentrating in the low frequency band is solved. Correlation wavelet transfer doesn＇t require that wavelet primary function be orthogonal and needn＇t wavelet reconstruction. So analyzing efficiency is high. An experimental bench is designed and manufactured to load the wrist force sensor orthogonal excitation force/moment. A piezoelectric force sensor is used to setup soft trigger and calculate the value of negative step excitation. A wrist force sensor is calibrated. The pulse response function is calculated after negative step excitation and step response have been transformed to positive step excitation and step response. The pulse response function is transferred to frequency response function. The wrist force sensor＇s dynamic characteristics are identified by the frequency response function.

Investigation of Micro-mechanical Response of Asphalt Mixtures by a Three-dimensional Discrete Element Model

The micro-mechanical response of asphalt mixtures was studied using the discrete element method. The discrete element sample of stone mastic asphalt was generated first and the vehicle load was applied to the sample. A user-written program was coded with the FISH language in PFC3 D to extract the contact forces within the sample and the displacements of the particles. Then, the contact forces within the whole sample, in asphalt mastic, in coarse aggregates and between asphalt mastic and coarse aggregates were investigated. Finally, the movement of the particles in the sample was analyzed. The sample was divided into 15 areas and a figure was drawn to show how the balls move in each area according to the displacements of the balls in each area. The displacements of asphalt mastic balls and coarse aggregates were also analyzed. The experimental results explain how the asphalt mixture bears vehicle load and the potential reasons why the rutting forms from a micro-mechanical view.

Erratum to:“An Approximate Method for Calculating the Fluid Force and Response of A Circular Cylinder at Lock-in” [China Ocean Engineering,22(3),2008,371-384]

Because of my carelessness,Eq.（1）in the paper "An approximate method for calculating the fluid force and response of a circular cylinder at lock-in"(China Ocean Engineering,22（3）,2008,pp.373)should be f’-1.0/U’-5.0=f’;-1.0/5.75f’;-5.0,not f’=U’/5.75. My apology is hereby given.

Response Process of Oceanto AtmosphericForcing and Optimal Response Frequency in the CZ Ocean Model

Ocean response to atmospheric forcing in the CZ ocean model is analyzed.The results show that Nino 3 indexfrom the CZ ocean model driven by linear composite of biennial,ENSO and even annual time scale wind stressanomalies is consistent well with composite of responding two or three components of observed Nino 3 index duringthe EI Nino period while the La Nina phenomena cannot be reproduced by the linear composite.It implies that linearresponse process for ocean response to atmospheric forcing is dominated during the EI Nino period while nonlinearresponse might be main process during the La Nina period.Simulated results also suggest that optimal response frequency of the CZ ocean model is the frequency lowerthan annual variability and ocean response to the atmospheric forcing with annual time scale can give rise to incorrectsignal-errors in the simulated SSTA field.

RADIAL VIBRATIONS OF AXISYMMETRICALLY LOADED STEPPED PRESSURE VESSELS

Differential equations of free/forced radial vibrations of axisymmetrically loaded stepped pressure vessels are established by using singular functions. Furthermore, their general solutions are solved, the expression of vibration mode function and frequency equations on usual supports are derived with W operator and the forced response of such vessels are calculated.

The Super-large Ensemble Experiments of CAS FGOALS-g3

A super-large ensemble simulation dataset with 110 members has been produced by the fully coupled model FGOALS-g3 developed by researchers at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics,Chinese Academy of Sciences.This is the first dataset of large ensemble simulations with a climate system model developed by a Chinese modeling center.The simulation has the largest realizations up to now worldwide in terms of single-model initial-condition large ensembles.Each member includes a historical experiment(1850-2014)and an experiment(2015-99)under the very high greenhouse gas emissions Shared Socioeconomic Pathway scenario(SSP5-8.5).The dataset includes monthly and daily temperature,precipitation,and other variables,requiring storage of 275 TB.Additionally,the surface air temperature(SAT)and land precipitation simulated by the FGOALS-g3 super-large ensemble have been validated and projected.The ensemble can capture the response of SAT and land precipitation to external forcings well,and the internal variabilities can be quantified.The availability of more than 100 realizations will help researchers to study rare events and improve the understanding of the impact of internal variability on forced climate changes.

VIBRATIONS OF STEPPED RECTANGULAR THIN PLATES ON WINKLER’S FOUNDATION

Differential equations of free/forc ed vibrations of stepped rectangular thin plates on Winkler's foundation are estab lished by using singular functions, and their general solutions are also solved for expression of vibration mode function and frequency equations on usual suppo rts derived with W operator, as well as forced responses of such plates unde r different_type loads disc ussed with Fourier expansion of generalized functions.

VIBRATIONS OF ONE-WAY RECTANGULAR STEPPEDTHIN PLATES ON WINKLER'S FOUNDATION

Differential equations of free forced vibrations of one -way rectangular stepped thin plated on Winkler 's foundation are established by using singular functions ,their general solutions are solved :exprssion of vibration mode function and frequency equations on usual supports are derived from W operator :forced responses of such plates under different -type loads are discussed with generalized functions .

Interference effects of two and three super-tall buildings under wind action

Most previous investigations on interference effects of tall buildings under wind actions focused on the wind induced interference effects between two buildings,and the interference effects of three or more buildings have seldom been studied so far due to the huge workload involved in experiments and data processing.In this paper,mean and dynamic force/response interference effects and peak wind pressure interference effects of two and three tall buildings,especially the three-building configuration,are investigated through a series of wind tunnel tests on typical tall building models using high frequency force balance technique and wind pressure measurements.Furthermore,the present paper focuses on the effects of parameters,including breadth ratio and height ratio of the buildings and terrain category,on the interference factors and derives relevant regression results for the interference factors.

Time-domain hydrodynamic analysis of pontoon-plate floating breakwater

The hydrodynamic behaviors of a floating breakwater consisting of a rectangular pontoon and horizontal plates are studied theoretically. The fluid motion is idealized as two-dimensional linear potential flow. The motions of the floating breakwater are assumed to be two-dimensional in sway, heave, and roll. The solution to the fluid motion is derived by transforming the governing differential equation into the integral equation on the boundary in time domain with the Green＇s function method. The motion equations of the floating breakwater are established and solved with the fourth-order Runge-Kutta method to obtain the displacement and velocity of the breakwater. The mooring forces are computed with the static method. The computational results of the wave transmission coefficient, the motion responses, and the mooring forces of the pontoon-plate floating breakwater are given. It is indicated that the relative width of the pontoon is an important factor influencing the wave transmission coefficient of the floating breakwater. The transmission coefficient decreases obviously as the relative width of the pontoon increases. The horizontal plates help to reduce the wave transmission over the floating breakwater. The motion responses and the mooring forces of the pontoon-plate floating breakwater are less than those of the pontoon floating breakwater. The mooring force at the offshore side is larger than that at the onshore side.

Equivalent damping of SDOF structure with Maxwell damper

To predict the maximum earthquake response of an SDOF structure with a Maxwell fluid damper or supplemental brace-viscous damper system using the seismic design response spectrum technique,a new approach is presented to determine the first-and second-order equivalent viscous damping and stiffness,the peak responses,and the damper force of the above structure.Based on the fact that the dynamic characteristics of a general linear viscoelastically damped structure are fully determined by its free vibration properties and the relaxation time constants of a Maxwell fluid damper and supplemental brace-viscous damper system in engineering practice are all small,the method of improved multiple time scales and the equivalent criterion in which all free vibration properties are the same are used to obtain the first-and second-order equivalent viscous damping and stiffness of the above structure in closed form.The accuracy of the proposed method is higher and significantly better than that of the modal strain energy method.Furthermore,in the parametric range of the requirements of the Chinese ＂Code for Seismic Design of Buildings＂,the error of the proposed second-order equivalent system for the abovementioned engineering structure is not more than 0.5%.

Recent developments in seismically isolated buildings in Japan

The Building Standard Law of Japan and related Enforcement Order and Notifications have been substantially revised since the year 2000 to introduce a performance-based regulatory and deregulation system for building control systems. Up to then,time-history analyses were mandatory for isolated buildings and had to be specially approved by the Minster of the Ministry of Construction (MOC).Simplified design procedures based on the equivalent linear method for seismically isolated buildings have been issued as'Notification 2009-Structnral calculation procedure for buildings with seismic isolation'from MOC,and are now integrated into the Ministry of Land,Infrastructure,and Transportation (MLIT).Along with Notification 2009,'Notification 1446 of year 2000-Standard for specifications and test methods for seismic isolation devices'was also issued.Buildings with heights equal to or less than 60m and that are designed according to these Notifications,including base isolated buildings,only need approval from local building officials,and no longer require the special approval of the Minister of MLIT.This paper summarizes:1) some statistics related to buildings with seismic isolation completed up to the end of 2001; 2) simplified design procedures required by Notification 2009 of year 2000;and 3) performance of seismic isolation devices required by Notification 1446 of year 2000.

Experimental investigation on dynamic response of flat blades with underplatform dampers

One test rig with three blades and two Under-Platform Dampers(UPDs) is established to better understand the dynamical behavior of blades with UPDs. A pre-loaded spring is used to simulate the centrifugal load acting on the damper, thereby achieving continuous adjustment of the pressing load. UPDs with different forms, sizes and materials are carefully designed as experimental control groups. Noncontact measurement via a laser Doppler velocimeter is employed and contact excitation which is performed by an electromagnetic exciter is adopted to directly obtain the magnitude of the excitation load by a force sensor mounted on the excitation rod. Particular attention is paid to the influence of the contact status of the contact surfaces, e.g. the pressure-sensitive paper is used to measure the effective contact area of the UPDs. The experimental variables are selected as the centrifugal force, the amplitude of the excitation force, the damper mass, the effective contact area, and the damper material. The Frequency Response Function(FRF) of the blade under different experimental parameters is obtained by slow frequency sweep under sinusoidal excitation to study the influence of each parameter on the dynamic characteristics of the blade and the mechanism analysis is carried out combined with the experimental results.

Optimal machining conditions for turning Ti-6Al-4V using response surface methodology

Machining titanium is one of ever-increasing magnitude problems due to its characteristics such as low thermal conductivity, modulus of elasticity and work hardening. The efficient titanium alloy machining involves a proper selection of process parameters to minimize the tangential force （Fz） and surface roughness （Ra）. In the present work, the performance of PVD/TiA1N coated carbide inserts was investigated using response surface methodology （RSM） for turning Ti-6A1-4V. The effects of process parameters such as speed （v）, feed （/＇）, depth of cut （d） and back rake angle （Ty） on Fz and Ra were investi- gated. The experimental plan used for four factors and three levels was designed based on face centered, central composite design （CCD）. The experimental results indi- cated that Fz increased with the increase in d, f and decreased with the increase in v and yy, whereas Ra decreased with the increase in v and 7y, and increased with d and v. The goodness of fit of the regression equations and model fits （R2） for Fz and Ra were found to be 0.968 and 0.970, which demonstrated that it was an effective model. A confirmation test was also conducted in order to verify the correctness of the model.

THE SECOND-ORDER HYDROELASTIC ANALYSIS OF A SWATH SHIP MOVING IN LARGE-AMPLITUDE WAVES

Based on the second order hydroelasticity theory of ships, the numerical methods and the calculated results of the non-linear hydroelastic responses of a ship traveling in rough seas were investigated. The non-linear hydrodynamic actions induced by the rigid body rotations and the variations of instantaneous wetted surface area were included in the second order analysis. The first order wave potentials and responses, which are sure to make the major contributions to the second order hydrodynamic actions, were obtained by employing the translating and pulsating source Green function and the Kelvin steady wave flow solution based on the linear three-dimensional hydroelasticity theory. The influences of the forward speed and the steady wave flow on the responses, and the differences of the predicted non-linear responses were illustrated by the numerical examples of a SWATH ship traveling with forward speed of 12 kn in irregular waves.