Multi-physical fields distribution in billet during helical electromagnetic stirring:A numerical simulation research

Electromagnetic stirring is one of the widely applied techniques to modify the quality of casting billets.Different from conventional rotate stirring,the helical stirring is more professional in assisting multi-dimensional flow of molten metal and eliminating solidification defects.In this study,the single-winding helical stirring(SWHS)was introduced,offering advantages such as smaller volume and lower electromagnetic shielding compared to traditional helical stirring methods.Following a comprehensive numerical simulation,the stirring parameters of SWHS were adjusted to yoke inclination angle of 43°and frequency of 12 Hz.The higher electromagnetic force and flow velocity in drawing direction,as well as the lower temperature gradient induced by the SWHS,are positive factors for homogeneous solidification of billet.The experimental results on Al-8%Si alloy and 0.4%C-1.1%Mn steel demonstrate that compared to rotate stirring,the SWHS process can induce better billet quality and is more effective in accelerating the equiaxed expansion and reducing element segregation.The SWHS process can enhance the equiaxed ratio of the billet by 58.3%and reduce segregation degree of carbon element by 10.97%.Consequently,SWHS holds great promise as a potential approach for improving the quality of continuous casting billets.

Mathematical Modelling and Design of Helical Coil Heat Exchanger for Production of Hot Air for Fluidized Bed Dryer

In global industrialization, efforts have been made to increase the rate of heat transfer in heat exchanger, minimizing the size of heat exchanger to reduce cost as well as increasing the effectiveness. Helical coil heat exchanger (HCHE) has been proven to be effective in improving heat transfer due to its large surface area. In this study, HCHE was designed to provide hot air needed for fluidized bed drying processes. The HCHE design model was fabricated and evaluated to study the efficiency of the hot air output for a laboratory fluidized bed dryer. The mathematical model for estimation of the final (output) temperature of air, Taf, passing through the HCHE was developed and validated experimentally. The drying of bitter kola particulates was carried out with a drying temperature of 50C 3C and a bed height-to-bed diameter ratio (H/D) of 1.5. The time taken to dry bitter kola particulates to 0.4% moisture content was 1 hour 45 minutes. Hence, HCHE is recommended for use in the production of hot for laboratory-scale fluidized bed dryers.

Helically symmetric equilibria for some ideal and resistive MHD plasmas with incompressible flows

In this paper, the problem of finding exact solutions to the magnetohydrodynamic(MHD) equations in the presence of incompressible mass flows with helical symmetry is considered. For ideal flows, a similarity reduction method is used to obtain exact solutions for several MHD flows with nonlinear variable Mach number. For resistive flows parallel to a magnetic field, the governing equilibrium equation is derived. The MHD equilibrium state of a helically symmetric incompressible flow is governed by a second-order elliptic partial differential equation(PDE) for the helical magnetic flux function. Exact solutions for the latter equation are obtained. Also, the equilibrium equations of a gravitating plasma with incompressible flow are derived.

Failure Envelopes of Single-Plate Rigid Helical Anchors for Floating Offshore Wind Turbine

Helical anchor is a kind of novel foundation for floating offshore wind turbines,which should be subjected to combined tensile loading caused by wind,wave and current.However,the research about the capacity of helical anchor was mainly examined under uniaxial loading and scarcely explored under combined loading.In this study,three-dimensional finite element limit analysis is adopted to assess the bearing capacities of single-plate rigid helical anchors with different ratios of helix to shaft diameter,D_(H)/D_(S) and embedment ratios L/D_(S).Result shows that the vertical,horizontal and moment bearing capacities increase with increasing D_(H)/D_(S) and L/D_(S).The normalized V-H failure envelopes expands with increasing L/D_(S),while the normalized V-M failure envelopes tend to contract with the increase of D_(H)/D_(S).With increasing D_(H)/D_(S) or decreasing L/D_(S),the normalized H-M failure envelopes expand when the horizontal and moment loading act in the same direction and contract when they act in the opposite direction.The effect of D_(H)/D_(S) and L/D_(S) on the shape of H-M failure envelope become insignificant when L/D_(S)≥4.A series of failure mechanisms under different loading conditions were observed and can be used to explain the trend.Besides,a series of approximate expressions were proposed to fit the uniaxial bearing capacities and the failure envelopes.

Improving energy storage by PCM using hybrid nanofluid[(SWCNTs-CuO)/H_(2)O]and a helical(spiral)coil:Hybrid passive techniques

The aim of this study is the numerical analysis of the melting process of the phase change material(PCM)in a spiral coil.The space between the inner tube and outer shell is filled with RT-50 as PCM.Moreover,the hybrid nanofluid(with a carbon component)flows through the inner tube.The novelty of this work is to use different configurations of fin and different percentage of hybrid nanoparticles(SWCNTs-Cu O)on the PCM melting process.In the numerical model created by ANSYS-Fluent,the effect of various inlet temperatures is investigated.The results indicate that the extended surface created by extra fin has a dominant effect on melting time,so by adding the third fin,the melting time is reduced by 39.24%.The next most influential factor in PCM melting is the inlet temperature of the working fluid,so that 10°C increment of temperature result in the PCM melting time decreased by 35.41%.

Multi-objective Optimization of a Two-Stage Helical Gearbox to Improve Efficiency and Reduce Height

The goal of this research is to look at multi-target optimization of a two-stage helical gearbox in order to determine the best key design elements for reducing gearbox height and enhancing gearbox efficiency.To do this,the method known as Taguchi and GRA(Grey Relation Analysis)were used in two stages to address the problem.The single-objective optimization problem was addressed first to close the gap between variable levels,and then the multi-objective optimization problem was solved to determine the best primary design variables.The first and second stage CWFWs(Coefficients of Wheel Face Width),ACS(Permissible Contact Stresses),and first stage gear ratio were also calculated.The study’s findings were utilized to identify the best values for five critical design aspects of a two-stage helical gearbox.

Helical Bulbous Loop推上颌磨牙向远中移动的临床应用

[目的]用Helical bulbous loop远中移动上颌磨牙,探寻该技术的临床效果以及操作要点和优势。[方法]对磨牙关系为Ⅱ类,牙列为中度拥挤,牙体牙周健康的20例正畸患者,采用该技术推上颌磨牙远中移动,测量移动的距离,每月加力1次,观察3个月。[结果]所有正畸患者的磨牙远中移动效果显著,平均每月移动1.12 mm,3个月共移动最大量为3.48 mm,最小量为3.06 mm。[结论]该技术临床效果显著,操作简单,相对于其他技术优势明显,值得临床推广使用。

Research on the Influence of Helical Strakes on Dynamic Response of Floating Wind Turbine Platform

The stability of platform structure is the paramount guarantee of the safe operation of the offshore floating wind turbine. The NREL 5MW floating wind turbine is established based on the OC3-Hywind Spar Buoy platform with the supplement of helical strakes for the purpose to analyze the impact of helical strakes on the dynamic response of the floating wind turbine Spar platform. The dynamic response of floating wind turbine Spar platform under wind, wave and current loading from the impact of number, height and pitch ratio of the helical strakes is analysed by the radiation and diffraction theory, the finite element method and orthogonal design method. The result reveals that the helical strakes can effectively inhibit the dynamic response of the platform but enlarge the wave exciting force; the best parameter combination is two pieces of helical strakes with the height of 15%D （D is the diameter of the platform） and the pitch ratio of 5; the height of the helical strake and its pitch ratio have significant influence on pitch response.

Statistical Modification Analysis of Helical Planetary Gears based on Response Surface Method and Monte Carlo Simulation

Tooth modification technique is widely used in gear industry to improve the meshing performance of gearings. However, few of the present studies on tooth modification considers the influence of inevitable random errors on gear modification effects. In order to investigate the uncertainties of tooth modification amount variations on system＇s dynamic behaviors of a helical planetary gears, an analytical dynamic model including tooth modification parameters is proposed to carry out a deterministic analysis on the dynamics of a helical planetary gear. The dynamic meshing forces as well as the dynamic transmission errors of the sun-planet 1 gear pair with and without tooth modifications are computed and compared to show the effectiveness of tooth modifications on gear dynamics enhancement. By using response surface method, a fitted regression model for the dynamic transmission error（DTE） fluctuations is established to quantify the relationship between modification amounts and DTE fluctuations. By shifting the inevitable random errors arousing from manufacturing and installing process to tooth modification amount variations, a statistical tooth modification model is developed and a methodology combining Monte Carlo simulation and response surface method is presented for uncertainty analysis of tooth modifications. The uncertainly analysis reveals that the system＇s dynamic behaviors do not obey the normal distribution rule even though the design variables are normally distributed. In addition, a deterministic modification amount will not definitely achieve an optimal result for both static and dynamic transmission error fluctuation reduction simultaneously.

Influences of the Helical Strake Cross-Section Shape on Vortex-Induced Vibrations Suppression for A Long Flexible Cylinder

An experimental study on a bare flexible cylinder as well as cylinders fitted with two types of cross-sectioned helical strakes was carried out in a towing tank. The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of strakes’ cross-section on the vortex-induced vibrations （VIV） suppression of a flexible cylinder. The square-sectioned and round-sectioned helical strakes were selected in the experimental tests. The uniform current was generated by towing the cylinder models along the tank using a towing carriage. The Reynolds number was in the range of 800–16000. The strain responses were measured by the strain gages in cross-flow （CF） and in-line （IL） directions. A modal analysis method was adopted to obtain the displacement responses using the strain signals in different measurement positions. The comparison of the experimental results among the bare cylinder, square-sectioned straked cylinder and round-sectioned straked cylinder was performed. The helical strakes can effectively reduce the strain amplitude, displacement amplitude, response frequencies and dominant modes of a flexible cylinder excited by VIV. And the mean drag coefficients of straked cylinders were approximately consistent with each other. In addition, the square-sectioned and round-sectioned strakes nearly share the similar VIV reduction behaviors. Sometimes, the strakes with round-section represent more excellent effects on the VIV suppression of response frequency than those with square-section.

Performance comparison of heat exchangers using sextant/trisection helical baffles and segmental ones

The shell side flow fields of both sextant and trisection helical baffle heat exchangers are presented on meridian and multilayer hexagon slices.It verifies that the performance of sextant schemes is better than those of the other kinds of helical baffle heat exchangers.The main mechanisms are due to the restricted leakage flow in the minimized gaps with increased baffle number and by one row of tubes dampen the leakage flow in the circumferential overlapped area of the adjacent helical baffles.The performance features were simulated on two different angled sextant helical heat exchangers and each compared with two trisection ones of either identical helical pitch or identical incline angle.The results verified that the performances of helical heat exchangers are mainly determined by the helical pitch rather than the baffle incline angle.The average values of comprehensive index hoΔpo-1/3 of the trisection helical schemes T-24.1°and T-29.7°are correspondingly 3.47%and 3.34%lower than those of the sextant ones X-20°and X-25°with identical helical pitches.The comparison results show that the average values of shell side h.t.c.hoand comprehensive index hoΔpo-1/3 of the optimal dual helix sextant scheme DX30°are respectively 7.22%and 23.56%higher than those of the segment scheme S100.

Clinical analysis of intracranial germinoma's craniospinal irradiation using helical tomotherapy

Objective： To evaluate the short-term clinical outcomes of intracranial germinoma patients treated with craniospinal irradiation （CSI） using helical tomotherapy （HT） system in our center. Methods： Twenty-three patients who were treated with CSI in our center from January 2008 to July 2012 were collected, with an average age of 20. M1 of the patients＇ CSI used the HT system. The total doses were 27-36 Gy/15-20 F （1.5-2 Gy per fraction）, and total local doses were 46-60 Gy/30-50 F （5 fractions per week）. M1 female patients for CSI were treated with left-right parallel-opposed field irradiation to protect their ovarian functions. Median follow-up time was 30.9 months （range, 5-67 months）. The SPSS19.0 software was used, and the overall survival （OS） was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results： Among 17 patients with assessable tumors, 9 cases （52.9%） were CR, 7 cases （41.2%） were PR, and 1 case （5.9%） was SD. Hematological toxicity was the severest side-effect occurred in the procedure of CSI. The level 1-4 acute leukopenia were 8.7%, 30.4%, 34.8% and 21.7% and the level 1-4 acute thrombopenia were 8.7%, 30.4%, 21.7% and 8.7%, respectively. Conclusions： For primary intracranial germinomas, HT can be used to implement CSI for simplifying radiotherapy procedures, improving radiotherapy accuracy, enhancing protection of peripheral organs at risk （ORA） and guaranteeing therapeutic effects. With the acceptable acute and long-term toxicity, CSI using HT in intracranial germinoma patients can be a safe and alternative mode.

Design and Modeling on Stranded Wires Helical Springs

A stranded wires helical spring is formed of a multilayer and coaxial strand of several wires twisted together with the same direction of spiral. Compared with the conventional single wire spring, the stranded wires helical spring has the notable predominance in strength, damping and vibration reduction, which is usually used in aircraft engines, automatic weapons, etc. However, due to its complicated structure, the precise computation of its strength and rigidity need be a correct mathematical model, which then will be imported to finite element analysis software for solutions. Equations on solving geometric parameters, such as external diameters of strands and screw pitches of wires, are put forward in the paper. It also proposes a novel methodology on solving geometric parameters and establishing entity models of the stranded wires helical spring, which provides foundation of computing mechanical parameters by FEA. Then mathematical models on the centre line of the strand and the surface curve of each wire, after closing two ends in a spring, are proposed. Finally, geometric parameters are solved in a case study, and a 3D entity model of a spring with 3 layers and 16 wires is established, which has validated the accuracy of the proposed methodology and the 3D entity mathematical model. The method provides a new way to design stranded wire helical spring.

Formation Mechanism and Stability Study of Konjac Glucomannan Helical Structure

The formation mechanism and stability of konjac glucomannan （KGM） helical structure were investigated by molecular dynamic simulation and experimental method. The results indicate that the molecular conformation of KGM is a non-typical helical structure. In detail, helical structure of KGM is mainly sustained by acetyl group, whose size and stability are affected by the molecular polymerization degree of KGM. In vacuum among the non-bonding interactions, electrostatic force is the greatest factor affecting its helical structure, but in water solution, hydrogen bond affects the helical arrangement greatly. To our interest, temperature exhibits a reversible destroying effect to some extent; the helical structure will disappear completely and present a ruleless clew-like arrangement till 341 K. This work suggests that the method of combining molecular dynamic simulation and experiment tools can be effective in the study of KGM helical structure.

Coupled lateral-torsional-axial vibrations of a helical gear-rotor-bearing system

Considering the axial and radial loads, a math- ematical model of angular contact ball bearing is deduced with Hertz contact theory. With the coupling effects of lateral, torsional and axial vibrations taken into account, a lumped-parameter nonlinear dynamic model of helical gearrotor-bearing system （HGRBS） is established to obtain the transmission system dynamic response to the changes of dif- ferent parameters. The vibration differential equations of the drive system are derived through the Lagrange equation, which considers the kinetic and potential energies, the dis- sipative function and the internal/external excitation. Based on the Runge-Kutta numerical method, the dynamics of the HGRBS is investigated, which describes vibration properties of HGRBS more comprehensively. The results show that the vibration amplitudes have obvious fluctuation, and the frequency multiplication and random frequency components become increasingly obvious with changing rotational speed and eccentricity at gear and bearing positions. Axial vibration of the HGRBS also has some fluctuations. The bearing has self-variable stiffness frequency, which should be avoided in engineering design. In addition, the bearing clearance needs little attention due to its slightly discernible effect on vibration response. It is suggested that a careful examination should be made in modelling the nonlinear dynamic behavior of a helical gear-rotor-bearing system.

Multiphase hepatic scans with multirow- detector helical CT in detection of hypervascular hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND: Multirow-detector helical CT (MDCT) allows faster Z-axis coverage and improves longitudinal re- solution to scan the entire liver. This study was to evaluate the value of multiphase hepatic CT scans using MDCT in diagnosing hypervascular hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: Multiphase hepatic CT scans in 40 patients were carried out with a Marconi Mx8000 MDCT scanner. The scans of early arterial phase (EAP), late arterial phase (LAP) and portal venous phase (PVP) were started at 21, 34 and 85 seconds after injection of contrast medium, re- spectively. The number of detected lesions was calculated in each phase. The density of the liver and tumor was great- er than 1 cm for HCC, and the density of the liver and tumor in each phase was statistically calculated. RESULTS: A total of 61 lesions were found in the 40 pa- tients , and lesions greater than 1 cm were seen in 47 cases. The density differences between the liver and tumor were statistically significant (P<0.05) at the LAP and EAP and between the LAP, EAP and PVP. In the 61 lesions, the de- tectability in the EAP, LAP and the double arterial phases (DAP) was 32%, 87%, and 94%, respectively. Significant difference was found between the LAP plus PVP and the EAP plus PVP; but no significant difference was observed between the DAP plus PVP and the LAP plus PVP. CONCLUSIONS: The utility of MDCT scan in the liver has optimized the protocol of arterial phase scan. MDCT is possible to scan the entire liver in a real arterial phase and it is very valuable in the detection of small HCC.

Helical tomotherapy and volumetric modulated arc therapy:New therapeutic arms in the breast cancer radiotherapy

AIM To analyse clinical and dosimetric results of helical tomotherapy(HT) and volumetric modulated arc therapy(VMAT) in complex adjuvant breast and nodes irradiation.METHODS Seventy-three patients were included(31 HT and 42 VMAT). Dose were 63.8 Gy(HT) and 63.2 Gy(VMAT) in the tumour bed, 52.2 Gy in the breast, 50.4 Gy in supraclavicular nodes(SCN) and internal mammary chain(IMC) with HT and 52.2 Gy and 49.3 Gy in IMC and SCN with VMAT in 29 fractions. Margins to particle tracking velocimetry were greater in the VMAT cohort(7 mm vs 5 mm).RESULTS For the HT cohort, the coverage of clinical target volumes was as follows: Tumour bed: 99.4% ± 2.4%; breast: 98.4% ± 4.3%; SCN: 99.5% ± 1.2%; IMC:96.5% ± 13.9%. For the VMAT cohort, the coverage was as follows: Tumour bed: 99.7% ± 0.5%, breast: 99.3% ± 0.7%; SCN: 99.6% ± 1.4%; IMC: 99.3% ± 3%. For ipsilateral lung, Dmean and V20 were 13.6 ± 1.2 Gy, 21.1% ± 5%(HT) and 13.6 ± 1.4 Gy, 20.1% ± 3.2%(VMAT). Dmean and V30 of the heart were 7.4 ± 1.4 Gy, 1% ± 1%(HT) and 10.3 ± 4.2 Gy, 2.5% ± 3.9%(VMAT). For controlateral breast Dmean was 3.6 ± 0.2 Gy(HT) and 4.6 ± 0.9 Gy(VMAT). Acute skin toxicity grade 3 was 5% in the two cohorts.CONCLUSION HT and VMAT in complex adjuvant breast irradiation allow a good coverage of target volumes with an acceptable acute tolerance. A longer follow-up is needed to assess the impact of low doses to healthy tissues.

Passive VIV Reduction of An Inclined Flexible Cylinder by Means of Helical Strakes with Round-Section

A series of experimental tests of passive VIV suppression of an inclined flexible cylinder with round-sectioned helical strakes were carried out in a towing tank. During the tests, the cylinder models fitted with and without helical strakes were towed along the tank. The towing velocity ranged from 0.05 to 1.0 m/s with an interval of 0.05 m/s.Four different yaw angles(a=0°, 15°, 30° and 45°), defined as the angle between the axis of the cylinder and the plane orthogonal of the oncoming flow, were selected in the experiment. The main purpose of present experimental work is to further investigate the VIV suppression effectiveness of round-sectioned helical strakes on the inclined flexible cylinder. The VIV responses of the smooth cylinder and the cylinder with square-sectioned strakes under the same experimental condition were also presented for comparison. The experimental results indicated that the roundsectioned strake basically had a similar effect on VIV suppression compared with the square-sectioned one, and both can significantly reduce the VIV of the vertical cylinder which corresponded to the case of a=0°. But with the increase of yaw angle, the VIV suppression effectiveness of both round-and square-section strakes deteriorated dramatically, the staked cylinder even had a much stronger vibration than the smooth one did in the in-line(IL)direction.

Use of Helical Strakes for FIV Suppression of Two Inclined Flexible Cylinders in A Side-by-Side Arrangement

The experimental studies on flow-induced vibrations(FIV) reduction of two side-by-side flexible cylinders inclined at 45° by using the helical strakes were carried out in a towing tank. The main aim of the experiment is to check whether the helical strakes with a pitch of 17.5 D and a height of 0.25 D, which is considered as the most effective vibration suppression device for the isolated cylinder undergoing vortex-shedding, still perform very well to reduce FIV of two inclined flexible cylinders in a side-by-side arrangement. The vibration of two identical inclined cylinders with a mass ratio of 1.90 and an aspect ratio of 350 was tested in the experiment. The center-to-center distance between the two cylinders was 3.0 D. The uniform flow was simulated by towing the cylinder models along the tank.The towing velocity varied from 0.05 to 1.0 m/s with an interval of 0.05 m/s. The maximum Reynolds number can be up to 1.6×104. Three cases were experimentally studied in this paper, including two side-by-side inclined smooth cylinders, only one smooth cylinder fitted with helical strakes in the two side-by-side inclined cylinders system and both two cylinders attached with helical strakes. The variations of displacement amplitude, dominant frequency, FIV suppression efficiency and dominant mode for the two side-by-side inclined cylinders with reduced velocity were shown and discussed.

Prediction of transmembrane helical segments in transmembrane proteins based on wavelet transform

Tmnsmembrane（TM） protein plays an important role in the life activity of the cells, and the prediction of transmembrane helical segments （TMHs） is an important subject in the bioinformatics research. Thus far, several prediction methods have been reported, but there are some deficiencies in prediction accuracy and adaptability in these methods. In this paper, a method based on discrete wavelet transform （DWT） was developed to predict the TMHs. Two sets of test data sets containing total 60 protein sequences were utilized to access the effect of the method. Compared with the prediction results of TMHMM2.0 and MEMSAT, the obtained results indicate that the presented method has high prediction accuracy.