An Experimental and Theoretical Study of Dynamic Structural Stiffness in Compliant Foil Bearings

Author(s):  
C.-P. Roger Ku

Abstract This paper describes an experimental investigation into the dynamic characteristics of corrugated foil (bump foil) strips used in compliant surface foil bearings. This study provided the first opportunity to quantify the dynamic structural stiffness of bump foil strips for a wide range of operating conditions. The experimental data were compared to results obtained by a theoretical model developed earlier, and the comparisons show very good agreement. The effects of bearing design parameters, such as static loads, dynamic displacement amplitudes, bump configurations, pivot locations, surface coatings, and lubricant were also evaluated. An understanding of the dynamic characteristics of bump foil strips resulting from this work offers designers a means for enhancing the design of high-performance compliant foil bearings.

1994 ◽  
Vol 116 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.-P. Roger Ku

This paper describes an experimental investigation into the dynamic characteristics of corrugated foil (bump foil) strips used in compliant surface foil thrust bearings. This study provided the first opportunity to quantify the dynamic structural stiffness and equivalent damping coefficients of bump foil strips for a wide range of operating conditions. The experimental data were compared to results obtained by a theoretical model developed earlier. The effects of bearing design parameters, such as static loads, dynamic displacement amplitudes, bump configurations, pivot locations, surface coatings, and lubricant were also evaluated. An understanding of the dynamic characteristics of bump foil strips resulting from this work offers designers a means for enhancing the design of high-performance compliant foil bearings.


1993 ◽  
Vol 115 (3) ◽  
pp. 364-369 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.-P. Roger Ku ◽  
Hooshang Heshmat

This paper describes the second part of an investigation into the mechanism of deformation of the corrugated foil (bump foil) strips used in compliant surface foil bearings. In the earlier work, a theoretical model was developed to predict the structural characteristics of bump foil strips under various loads, including the effects of the friction forces between the compliant elements, local interaction forces, load distribution profiles, and bump configurations. In the experiments described here in, two-dimensional deflections of bump foils were recorded via an optical tracking system for a wide range of operating conditions to verify the feasibility of the theoretical model. Test results corroborate the theoretical model for the linear regions of load and the deflection parameters. The effects of the bearing design parameters, such as bump configuration, load profile, and surface coating and lubricant, on the structural characteristics of the bump foil strip were investigated. In addition, the source and mechanism of nonlinear behavior of the bump foil strips under light load conditions were examined, and more effective methods of achieving both Coulomb damping and optimum structural compliance were investigated. An understanding of the analytical and semi-empirical relations resulting from this work offers designers the potential for enhancing the design of high-performance compliant foil bearings.


1994 ◽  
Vol 116 (1) ◽  
pp. 76-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hooshang Heshmat ◽  
C.-P. Roger Ku

This paper describes an experimental investigation into the dynamic characteristics of corrugated foil (bump foil) strips used in compliant surface foil journal bearings and dampers. In the experimental method described herein, a test facility with a journal supported by a compliant foil journal bearing was built. The nonrotating journal was driven by two shakers which were used to simulate dynamic forces acting on bump foil strips. The dynamic structural stiffness and equivalent viscous damping coefficients are calculated based on the experimental measurements for a wide range of operating conditions. The results are compared to the analytical predictions obtained by a theoretical model developed earlier.


Author(s):  
G. Trittler ◽  
E. Eckert ◽  
M. Göing

Hypersonic aircraft projects are highly dependant on efficient propulsion systems. High performance and integration within the airframe play a vital role in the overall concept. Particular attention must be paid to the exhaust system that is submitted to a wide range of operational requirements. An optimization of the nozzle geometry for high flight Mach numbers will lead to a low performance at the transonic flight regime. The additional use of secondary ejector air flow at transonic speeds is one option to improve the thrust behaviour of the nozzle. In the presented paper performance data of single expansion ramp ejector type nozzles are predicted using a calculation model based on a method-of-characteristics algorithm. For optimization purposes the effects of various design parameters on axial thrust coefficient and thrust vector angle are discussed. The geometric parameters investigated are the length of the lower nozzle wall and its deflection angle as well as the ejector slot location and its cross-section.


Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (20) ◽  
pp. 5820
Author(s):  
Zhenzhou Deng ◽  
Yushan Deng ◽  
Guandong Chen

Positron emission tomography (PET) has a wide range of applications in the treatment and prevention of major diseases owing to its high sensitivity and excellent resolution. However, there is still much room for optimization in the readout circuit and fast pulse sampling to further improve the performance of the PET scanner. In this work, a LIGHTENING® PET detector using a 13 × 13 lutetium-yttrium oxyorthosilicate (LYSO) crystal array read out by a 6 × 6 silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) array was developed. A novel sampling method, referred to as the dual time interval (DTI) method, is therefore proposed to realize digital acquisition of fast scintillation pulse. A semi-cut light guide was designed, which greatly improves the resolution of the edge region of the crystal array. The obtained flood histogram shown that all the 13 × 13 crystal pixels can be clearly discriminated. The optimum operating conditions for the detector were obtained by comparing the flood histogram quality under different experimental conditions. An average energy resolution (FWHM) of 14.3% and coincidence timing resolution (FWHM) of 972 ps were measured. The experimental results demonstrated that the LIGHTENING® PET detector achieves extremely high resolution which is suitable for the development of a high performance time-of-flight PET scanner.


Author(s):  
Hooshang Heshmat ◽  
James F. Walton

Abstract To achieve high power density Gas Turbine Engines (GTEs), R&D efforts have strived to develop machines that spin faster and run hotter. One method to achieve that goal is to use high temperature capable foil bearings. In order to successfully integrate these advanced foil bearings into GTE systems, a theoretical understanding of both bearing and rotor system integration is essential. Without a fundamental understanding and sound theoretical modeling of the foil bearing coupled with the rotating system such an approach would prove application efforts fruitless. It is hoped that the information provided in this paper will open up opportunistic doors to designs presently thought to be impossible. In this paper an attempt is made to describe how an advanced foil bearing is modeled for extreme high temperature operation in high performance turbomachinery including GTEs, Supercritical CO2 turbine generators and others. The authors present the advances in foil bearing capabilities that were crucial to achieving high temperature operation. Achieving high performance in a compliant foil bearing under the wide extremes of operating temperatures, pressures and speeds, requires a bearing system design approach that accounts for the highly interrelated compliant surface foil bearing elements such as: the structural stiffness and frictional characteristics of the underlying compliant support structure across the operating temperature and pressure spectrum; and the coupled interaction of the structural elements with the hydrodynamic pressure generation. This coupled elasto-hydrodynamic-Finite Element highly non-linear iterative methodology will be used by the authors to present a series of foil bearing design evaluations analyzing and modeling the foil bearing under extreme conditions. The complexity of the problem of achieving foil bearing system operation beyond 870°C (1600°F) requires as a prerequisite the attention to the tribological details of the foil bearing. For example, it is necessary to establish how both the frictional and viscous damping coefficient elements as well as the structural and hydrodynamic stiffness are to be combined. By combining these characteristics the influence of frictional coefficients of the elastic and an-elastic materials on bearing structural stiffness and hence the bearing effective coupled elasto-hydrodynamic stiffness coefficients will be shown. Given that the bearing dynamic parameters — stiffness and damping coefficients — play a major role in the control of system dynamics, the design approach to successfully integrate compliant foil bearings into complex rotating machinery systems operating in extreme environments is explored by investigating the effects of these types of conditions on rotor-bearing system dynamics. The proposed rotor/bearing model is presented to describe how system dynamics and bearing structural properties and operating characteristics are inextricably linked together in a manner that results in a series separate but intertwined iterative solutions. Finally, the advanced foil bearing modeling and formulation in connection with resulting rotor dynamics of the system will be carried out for an experimental GTE simulator test rig. The analytical results will be compared with the experiments as presented previously to demonstrate the effectiveness of the developed method in a real world application [1].


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Chris H. van de Stadt ◽  
Pilar Espinet Gonzalez ◽  
Harry A. Atwater ◽  
Rebecca Saive

We have developed a computationally efficient simulation model for the optimization of redirecting electrical front contacts for multijunction solar cells under concentration, and we present its validation by comparison with experimental literature results. The model allows for fast determination of the maximum achievable efficiency under a wide range of operating conditions and design parameters such as the contact finger redirecting capability, period and width of the fingers, the light concentration, and the metal and emitter sheet resistivity. At the example of a state-of-the-art four-junction concentrator solar cell, we apply our model to determine ideal operating conditions for front contacts with different light redirection capabilities. We find a 7% relative efficiency increase when enhancing the redirecting capabilities from 0% to 100%.


1976 ◽  
Vol 98 (2) ◽  
pp. 229-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. J. Walker

The influence of free stream disturbances on transition is discussed and it is noted that significant regions of laminar flow may exist on axial turbomachine blades despite the high level of disturbance to which they are subjected. A family of surface velocity distributions giving unseparated flow on the suction surface of an axial compressor blade is derived using data from detailed boundary layer measurements on the blading of a single-stage machine. The distributions are broadly similar to those adopted by Wortmann in designing high performance isolated aerofoil sections for operation at much higher Reynolds numbers. The theoretical performance of blades having the specified surface velocity distributions is computed for a wide range of conditions, and the effects of varying Reynolds number and other design parameters are analyzed. The results suggest the possibility of obtaining useful improvements in performance over that of conventional compressor blade sections. The computed performance values show an almost unique relation between the blade losses and the suction surface diffusion ratio. However the correlation of losses with the equivalent diffusion ratio is found to break down at high values of the latter parameter.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jifeng Wang ◽  
Jorge Olortegui-Yume ◽  
Norbert Müller

AbstractA low cost, light weight, high performance composite material turbomachinery impeller with a uniquely designed blade patterns is analyzed. Such impellers can economically enable refrigeration plants to use water as a refrigerant (R718). A strength and dynamic characteristics analyses procedure is developed to assess the maximum stresses and natural frequencies of these wound composite axial impellers under operating loading conditions. Numerical simulation using FEM for two-dimensional and three-dimensional impellers was investigated. A commercially available software ANSYS is used for the finite element calculations. Analysis is done for different blade geometries and then suggestions are made for optimum design parameters. In order to avoid operating at resonance, which can make impellers suffer a significant reduction in the design life, the designer must calculate the natural frequency and modal shape of the impeller to analyze the dynamic characteristics. The results show that using composite Kevlar fiber/epoxy matrix enables the impeller to run at high tip speed and withstand the stresses, no critical speed will be matched during start-up and shut-down, and that mass imbalances of the impeller shall not pose a critical problem.


2003 ◽  
Vol 125 (2) ◽  
pp. 414-421 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. Stango ◽  
H. Zhao ◽  
C. Y. Shia

Brush seals have proven to be an attractive alternative to labyrinth seals for turbomachinery applications. This innovation in seal technology utilizes both the high temperature capability of special-alloy wire and the flexural adaptability of fibers to accommodate a wide range of operating conditions that are encountered during service. The effectiveness of the seal is principally derived from the bristles ability to endure forces imparted by both the fluid and shaft, and yet maintain contact between the filament tips and the surface of the rotor. Consequently, contact forces generated along the interface of the fiber tip and rotor are an important consideration for both the design and performance of the rotor-seal assembly. This paper focuses on evaluating brush seal forces that arise along the surface of the rotor due to the dimensional disparity or interference between the rotor-fiber. Filament tip contact forces are computed on the basis of an in-plane, large deformation mechanics analysis of a cantilever beam, and validation of the model is assessed by using an electronic balance for measuring the shear and normal force exerted by a bristle tip onto a flat, hardened surface. Formulation of the mechanics problem is briefly reviewed, and includes the effect of Coulombic friction at the interface of the fiber tip and rotor. Filament contact force is used as a basis for computing bearing stress along the fiber-rotor interface. Results are reported for a range of brush seal design parameters in order to provide a better understanding of the role that seal geometry, friction, and bristle flexural rigidity play in generating rotor contact force.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document