A Holographic and BEM/FEM Analysis of a Fluid-Loaded Propeller

Author(s):  
John M. Rice ◽  
William G. Fennell

Abstract The modal dynamic characteristics of an underwater propeller are investigated using a coupling of the Finite Element Method (FEM) to model the propeller and the Boundary Element Method (BEM) to model the fluid. Results of this numerical model are presented for a fluid-loaded propeller and are compared with experimental holographic results. The FEM is known to yield very reliable solutions in the analysis of the modal dynamic characteristics of solid structures such as a propeller and the BEM is very attractive in dealing with infinite domain problems and the radiation condition, such as the infinite fluid field. Combining the two methods exploits the best attributes of both. The fluid/structural coupling is achieved by discretizing Kirchhoff’s integral with boundary elements and isolating the effective mass of the fluid. This effective mass is in the form of a mass matrix which is coupled by the degrees of freedom of the propeller. The effective mass is then input into a finite element program in the form of user elements along with the propeller’s geometry, material properties, and boundary conditions to simulate an underwater propeller in a hub. An experiment using time averaged holographic interferometry was performed to identify the resonant modes of the propeller, identical in geometry to that used in the FEM model. In order to simulate the boundary conditions of the model the propeller was rigidly clamped in a vise at it’s root and submerged in water. Excitation of the propeller was provided by means of a mechanical shaker mounted to the vise. Both the resonant frequencies and their respective mode shapes agreed favorably with numerical predictions.

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-68
Author(s):  
M. S. SILVA ◽  
F. A. NEVES

Abstract Regular use and the effects of time can affect the behavior of a structure. Over time, problems such as the occurrence of small fissures, oxidation of steel elements, and excessive displacements at some points may arise in a structure. In this context, the monitoring of structures through experimental tests has gained more importance, because it allows for the identification of the dynamic characteristics (natural frequencies, mode shapes, and damping rate) of structures. The dynamic characteristics can be obtained through forced vibration tests, which are based on measuring the response of a structure subjected to an excitation of known magnitude, or through tests in which only the structural response is measured, such as free vibration and ambient vibration tests. The present study aims to identify the modal parameters of bridge 44 of the Carajás Railroad, using experimental data obtained on site by monitoring the vibration caused by a group of people jumping, and it compares them with the results obtained through numerical modeling performed using the finite element method, developed in CSiBridge. The modal parameters were obtained using the commercial software ARTeMIS Modal, and stochastic subspace identification was used for modal identification.


2019 ◽  
Vol 141 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisha Yuan ◽  
Romesh C. Batra

Abstract We numerically analyze, with the finite element method, free vibrations of incompressible rectangular plates under different boundary conditions with a third-order shear and normal deformable theory (TSNDT) derived by Batra. The displacements are taken as unknowns at the nodes of a 9-node quadrilateral element and the hydrostatic pressure at four interior nodes. The plate theory satisfies the incompressibility condition, and the basis functions satisfy the Babuska-Brezzi condition. Because of the singular mass matrix, Moler's QZ algorithm (also known as the generalized Schur decomposition) is used to solve the resulting eigenvalue problem. Computed results for simply supported, clamped, and clamped-free rectangular isotropic plates agree well with the corresponding analytical frequencies of simply supported plates and with those found using the commercial software, abaqus, for other edge conditions. In-plane modes of vibrations are clearly discerned from mode shapes of square plates of aspect ratio 1/8 for all three boundary conditions. The magnitude of the transverse normal strain at a point is found to equal the sum of the two axial strains implying that higher-order plate theories that assume null transverse normal strain will very likely not provide good solutions for plates made of rubberlike materials that are generally taken to be incompressible. We have also compared the presently computed through-the-thickness distributions of stresses and the hydrostatic pressure with those found using abaqus.


Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 1388
Author(s):  
Daniele Oboe ◽  
Luca Colombo ◽  
Claudio Sbarufatti ◽  
Marco Giglio

The inverse Finite Element Method (iFEM) is receiving more attention for shape sensing due to its independence from the material properties and the external load. However, a proper definition of the model geometry with its boundary conditions is required, together with the acquisition of the structure’s strain field with optimized sensor networks. The iFEM model definition is not trivial in the case of complex structures, in particular, if sensors are not applied on the whole structure allowing just a partial definition of the input strain field. To overcome this issue, this research proposes a simplified iFEM model in which the geometrical complexity is reduced and boundary conditions are tuned with the superimposition of the effects to behave as the real structure. The procedure is assessed for a complex aeronautical structure, where the reference displacement field is first computed in a numerical framework with input strains coming from a direct finite element analysis, confirming the effectiveness of the iFEM based on a simplified geometry. Finally, the model is fed with experimentally acquired strain measurements and the performance of the method is assessed in presence of a high level of uncertainty.


Author(s):  
Виктор Григорьевич Чеверев ◽  
Евгений Викторович Сафронов ◽  
Алексей Александрович Коротков ◽  
Александр Сергеевич Чернятин

Существуют два основных подхода решения задачи тепломассопереноса при численном моделировании промерзания грунтов: 1) решение методом конечных разностей с учетом граничных условий (границей, например, является фронт промерзания); 2) решение методом конечных элементов без учета границ модели. Оба подхода имеют существенные недостатки, что оставляет проблему решения задачи для численной модели промерзания грунтов острой и актуальной. В данной работе представлена физическая постановка промерзания, которая позволяет создать численную модель, базирующуюся на решении методом конечных элементов, но при этом отражающую ход фронта промерзания - то есть модель, в которой объединены оба подхода к решению задачи промерзания грунтов. Для подтверждения корректности модели был проделан ряд экспериментов по физическому моделированию промерзания модельного грунта и выполнен сравнительный анализ полученных экспериментальных данных и результатов расчетов на базе представленной численной модели с такими же граничными условиями, как в экспериментах. There are two basic approaches to solving the problem of heat and mass transfer in the numerical modeling of soil freezing: 1) using the finite difference method taking into account boundary conditions (the boundary, for example, is the freezing front); 2) using the finite element method without consideration of model boundaries. Both approaches have significant drawbacks, which leaves the issue of solving the problem for the numerical model of soil freezing acute and up-to-date. This article provides the physical setting of freezing that allows us to create a numerical model based on the solution by the finite element method, but at the same time reflecting the route of the freezing front, i.e. the model that combines both approaches to solving the problem of soil freezing. In order to confirm the correctness of the model, a number of experiments on physical modeling of model soil freezing have been performed, and a comparative analysis of the experimental data obtained and the calculation results based on the provided numerical model with the same boundary conditions as in the experiments was performed.


2011 ◽  
Vol 2-3 ◽  
pp. 1018-1020
Author(s):  
De Chen Zhang ◽  
Yan Ping Sun

Finite element method and structural mechanics method are used to study the blast furnace shell modal analysis and the natural frequencies and mode shapes have been calculated. The two methods were compared and validated , and the results provide a theoretical foundation for the anti-vibration capabilities design of blast furnace shell in the future .


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