Size-dependent thermomechanical vibration characteristics of rotating pre-twisted functionally graded shear deformable microbeams

A three-dimensional(3D)thermomechanical vibration model is developed for rotating pre-twisted functionally graded(FG)microbeams according to the refined shear deformation theory(RSDT)and the modified couple stress theory(MCST).The material properties are assumed to follow a power-law distribution along the chordwise direction.The model introduces one axial stretching variable and four transverse deflection variables including two pure bending components and two pure shear ones.The complex modal analysis and assumed mode methods are used to solve the governing equations of motion under different boundary conditions(BCs).Several examples are presented to verify the effectiveness of the developed model.By coupling the slenderness ratio,gradient index,rotation speed,and size effect with the pre-twisted angle,the effects of these factors on the thermomechanical vibration of the microbeam with different BCs are investigated.It is found that with the increase in the pre-twisted angle,the critical slenderness ratio and gradient index corresponding to the thermal instability of the microbeam increase,while the critical material length scale parameter(MLSP)and rotation speed decrease.The sensitivity of the fundamental frequency to temperature increases with the increasing slenderness ratio and gradient index,and decreases with the other increasing parameters.Moreover,the size effect can suppress the dynamic stiffening effect and enhance the Coriolis effect.Finally,the mode transition is quantitatively demonstrated by a modal assurance criterion(MAC).

Geometrically exact nonlinear analysis of pre-twisted composite rotor blades

Modeling of pre-twisted composite rotor blades is very complicated not only because of the geometric non-linearity, but also because of the cross-sectional warping and the transverse shear deformation caused by the anisotropic material properties. In this paper, the geometrically exact nonlinear modeling of a generalized Timoshenko beam with arbitrary cross-sectional shape,generally anisotropic material behavior and large deflections has been presented based on Hodges＇ method. The concept of decomposition of rotation tensor was used to express the strain in the beam. The variational asymptotic method was used to determine the arbitrary warping of the beam cross section. The generalized Timoshenko strain energy was derived from the equilibrium equations and the second-order asymptotically correct strain energy. The geometrically exact nonlinear equations of motion were established by Hamilton＇s principle. The established modeling was used for the static and dynamic analysis of pre-twisted composite rotor blades, and the analytical results were validated based on experimental data. The influences of the transverse shear deformation on the pre-twisted composite rotor blade were investigated. The results indicate that the influences of the transverse shear deformation on the static deformation and the natural frequencies of the pre-twisted composite rotor blade are related to the length to chord ratio of the blade.

鞘状碳纳米管人工肌肉纤维在弱电流刺激下的驱动性能提升机制

电热驱动的鞘状人工肌肉已经展示出广阔的应用前景.当受到高电流产生的焦耳热影响时,它们的鞘层会膨胀和软化,有效地释放芯部纤维内储存的扭转能量,这种现象显著地提高了驱动性能.本工作制备了一种包裹在聚二甲基硅氧烷(PDMS)鞘层中的预捻碳纳米管(CNT)人工肌肉纤维.施加频率为0.25 Hz的50 mA电流,其可以产生13.28%的收缩变形和9.82 MPa的收缩应力,功率密度为3.8 W g^(−1).得益于非螺旋结构,CNT纤维@PDMS的运行速率可达42%s^(−1),我们据此开发了快速运行的开关和仿生臂.有趣的是,我们观察到即使在较弱的电流不足以诱导驱动所需的PDMS鞘层膨胀和软化的情况下,CNT纤维@PDMS的驱动性能也有所改善.为了解释这一现象,我们提出了一种鞘层致密化机制.当电流通入CNT纤维时,其内部CNTs间产生的安培吸引力也会引发驱动,PDMS鞘层在固化过程中产生沿CNT纤维径向分布的收缩应力,会使CNTs间距减小,从而提升安培吸引力.我们通过检测CNT纤维@PDMS在不同温度下的驱动行为、内部微观结构、力学和电学性能的变化证实了这种致密化机制的存在,并分析了整个驱动过程中能量的变化.

A new phase-shifted long-period fiber grating for simultaneous measurement of torsion and temperature

A novel phase-shifted long-period fiber grating(PS-LPFG)for the simultaneous measurement of torsion and temperature is described and experimentally demonstrated.The PS-LPFG is fabricated by inserting a pretwisted structure into the long-period fiber grating(LPFG)written in single-mode fiber(SMF).Experimental results show that the torsion sensitivities of the two dips are?0.114 nm/(rad/m)and?0.069 nm/(rad/m)in the clockwise direction,and?0.087 nm/(rad/m)and?0.048 nm/(rad/m)in the counterclockwise direction,respectively.The temperature sensitivities of the two dips are 0.057 nm/℃ and 0.051 nm/℃,respectively.The two dips of the PS-LPFG exhibit different responses to torsion and temperature.Simultaneous measurement of torsion and temperature can be implemented using a sensor.The feasibility and stabilization of simultaneous torsion and temperature measurement have been confirmed,and hence this novel PS-LPFG demonstrates potential for fiber sensing and engineering applications.

EXPERIMENTAL AND NUMERICAL STUDIES ON PERFORMANCE OF MACRO FIBER COMPOSITES FOR BEAM TWISTING APPLICATIONS

This paper presents the use of macro-fiber composites (MFC) as actuators for twisting control of pre-twisted beams, which is one efficient method of vibration suppression techniques of helicopter rotors. An MFC is a piezoelectric fiber composite which has an interdigitated electrode, rectangular cross-section and unidirectional piezoceramic (PZT) fibers embedded in the polymer matrix. An MFC actuator has much higher actuation performance, flexibility and durability than a traditional piezoceramic (PZT) actuator. This study showed that an MFC could be used as an actuator to change the displacement and twist tip-angle of a pre-twisted beam. In the test, an MFC patch was pasted on the beam’s upper surface to twist the pre-twisted beam actively. Different twist tip-angle changes of the pre-twisted beam were measured under a series of actuation voltages, and a good agreement was observed when experimental results were compared with numerical results. In addition, the actuation performance of MFC was compared with those of PZT4 and PVDF and the influence of anisotropic property of the MFC on its actuation performance was also studied. The experimental and numerical results presented in this paper show the potential of MFC for use in the vibration control of helicopter rotors.

Dynamic modeling and coupling characteristics of rotating inclined beams with twisted-shape sections

In the existing literature, most studies investigated the free vibrations of a rotating pre-twisted cantilever beam;however, few considered the effect of the elastic-support boundary and the quantification of modal coupling degree among different vibration directions. In addition, Coriolis, spin softening, and centrifugal stiffening effects are not fully included in the derived equations of motion of a rotating beam in most literature, especially the centrifugal stiffening effect in torsional direction. Considering these deficiencies, this study established a coupled flapwise–chordwise–axial–torsional dynamic model of a rotating double-tapered, pre-twisted, and inclined Timoshenko beam with elastic supports based on the semi-analytic method. Then, the proposed model was verified with experiments and ANSYS models using Beam188 and Shell181 elements. Finally, the effects of setting and pre-twisted angles on the degree of coupling among flapwise, chordwise, and torsional directions were quantified via modal strain energy ratios. Results showed that 1) the appearance of torsional vibration originates from the combined effect of flapwise–torsional and chordwise–torsional couplings dependent on the Coriolis effect, and that 2) the flapwise–chordwise coupling caused by the pure pre-twisted angle is stronger than that caused by the pure setting angle.