Experimental and numerical study on static and dynamic axial crushing of square aluminum tubes: Effects of cutouts

The collapse of tubes under axial load is an important subject from the safety point of view, particularly in the design of energy absorbing devices used in many engineering applications. In this study, quasi-static and dynamic experiments were carried out on square thin-walled aluminum extrusions to investigate the effects of circular holes. Cutouts were introduced in the four corners of the square-section tube, not far from the end boundary of the tube, in order both to decrease the first peak load on the load-displacement characteristic and to control the collapse mode. Different aspects, such as the buckling modes and the energy absorption in quasi-static axial crushing tests, as well as dynamic effects and material rheology contributions in dynamic crushing tests, have been examined. For the dynamic tests, the parameters were the impacting mass and its velocity. The results showed a drop in the first peak function of the openings’ radius and the tube’s energy absorption capacity was kept. A comparison between static and dynamic tests results was carried out and the interpretation of the results in terms of deformation mechanism and energy absorption was discussed. Numerical simulations with the finite element code ABAQUS were conducted to confirm the experimental findings. The results of different numerical models, implicit and explicit calculations, that contribute to a basic understanding of the buckling and prediction of the crash behavior of the aluminum components without and with the cutouts are presented.

THE COMPARISON OF THE DYNAMIC TESTS RESULTS FROM SENSORY PLATFORMS

The article deals with dynamic plantography, which is a popular diagnostic method focused on assessment of the foot condition during walking and to expose foot disorders. The aim of the paper is to discover whether it’s possible to do dynamic analyses on short platforms by using comparison of short and long sensory platform output. To get dynamic output were used ImportaMedica platforms, specific long platform Elegance and short platform Speed. Three subjects were involved in dynamic test on both platforms. The evaluated parameters were surface of the foot, maximum and average pressure, speed and gait line. By comparing these parameters the biggest difference was discovered in adapting walking because of the correct tread on short platform. When comparing the outputs from the long and short platforms, a longer duration of the right and left footsteps was recorded for all three subjects on the short platform.

Complementary and normalized energies during static and dynamic uniaxial deformation of single and multi-layer foam-filled tube

This article investigates the quasi-static compressive behavior and the drop weight impact tests during the crashing of energy-absorbing structures such as aluminum foam-filled tubes. The closed-cell Al and A356 Alloy foams were cast and, after cutting, inserted into the Al thin wall tube as axial fillers of single-, double- and quad-layer structures. Then, the specific energy absorption (SEA), complementary energy (CE), normalized energy (NE), and specific normalized energy (SNE) are calculated based on static and dynamic test results under uniaxial loading. In this new method, values of NE and SNE are always between 0 and 1. Results show that the SEA-strain curves obtained from crashing the foam-filled tubes were linear and overlapping under static and dynamic loading. However, NE curves for dynamic tests were cyclic and in the static tests were asymptotic non-linear, and utterly separable. Results indicated that the SNE for Al, A356 single layer, Al-A356 double-, and Al-A356-Al-A356 quad-layer foam-filled tubes during dynamic tests were 0.25, 0.29, 0.31, and 0.31, while for the static tests, 0.14,0.15, 0.17, and 0.14 were recorded. It was found that CE and NE energies were better than the SEA energy for recognizing plastic deformation and crushing behavior.

Fuzzy Logic Based Synchronization Method for Solar Powered High Frequency On-Board Grid

This paper proposes a method for synchronizing a grid inverter with the voltage of an on-board high-frequency power grid. The described synchronization method belongs to the adaptive methods, which use fuzzy logic in the process of estimating the fundamental component of the voltage. The synchronization system has been tuned to achieve the primary goal of achieving synchronization in the shortest possible time. This is to allow for the efficient energy fed from photovoltaic sources into the on-board grid at 400 Hz. The proposed method was implemented in the field programmable gate array (FPGA) based power converter controller and static and dynamic tests for harmonic, interharmonic and subharmonic voltage disturbances were performed. Dynamic tests for phase jump, frequency jump and sag of the on-board voltage were also performed. To evaluate the effectiveness of synchronization with high-frequency voltage, the grid current control system in the grid tied inverter was elaborated. Proper current waveforms at the perturbed voltage were recorded while identifying the effectiveness of power ripple suppression. The results obtained were compared with the enhanced phase locked loop (EPLL) synchronization method. Satisfactory test results confirmed the suitability of the proposed method in systems coupling the photovoltaic source to the on-board high-frequency power grid.

Stand for dynamic tests of methods vibration diagnostics of compressor blades

В статье рассматривается стендовая реализация предложенного авторами способа проведения экспериментов с рабочими лопатками аксиальных компрессоров, целью которых является отработка методов мониторинга вибраций лопаток и алгоритмов выявления характерных дефектов (усталостных трещин) непосредственно во время работы компрессора. Для обеспечения безопасности экспериментов с повреждёнными компрессорными лопатками в конструкции стенда применён один из эвристических принципов решения изобретательских задач, сформулированный Г.С. Альтшуллером, который состоит в том, что движущиеся на натурном объекте детали (лопатки) делают неподвижными, а неподвижные детали (датчики) приводят в движение таким образом, чтобы сохранить скорости их относительных перемещений. Рассмотрена конструкция стенда и состав измерительных приборов. Приведены результатов экспериментов с исправными компрессорными лопатками и с лопатками, имеющими различные стадии развития дефектов (усталостных трещин). Показано, что графическое представление ранжированных массивов измеренных временных интервалов позволяет судить о наличии дефекта и о стадии его развития. The article discusses the bench implementation of the method proposed by the authors for conducting experiments with rotor blades of axial compressors, the purpose of which is to develop methods for monitoring blade vibrations and algorithms for detecting characteristic defects (fatigue cracks) directly during compressor operation. To ensure the safety of experiments with damaged compressor blades, one of the heuristic principles for solving inventive problems, formulated by G.S. Altshuller, which consists in the fact that parts (blades) moving on a full-scale object are made stationary, and stationary parts (sensors) are set in motion in such a way as to maintain the speed of their relative movements. The design of the stand and the composition of the measuring instruments are considered. The results of experiments with serviceable compressor blades and blades with different stages of development of defects (fatigue cracks) are presented. It is shown that the graphical presentation of ranked arrays of measured time intervals allows one to judge the presence of a defect and the stage of its development.

The Influence of Specimen Geometry and Loading Conditions on the Mechanical Properties of Porous Brittle Media

Dynamic tests of fine-grained fired dioxide-zirconia ceramics under compression under uniaxial stress conditions were carried out. The influence of the specimen length on the obtained strength and deformation properties of ceramics is investigated. The thickness of the specimen has a significant impact on the course of the obtained dynamic stress–strain diagrams: short specimens have a much more sloping area of active loading branch. The main contribution to the modulus of the load branch resulting from tests of brittle porous media is made by the geometry of the specimens and the porosity of the material. When choosing the length of specimens for dynamic tests, the optimal geometry of the tested specimens is preferable in accordance with the Davies–Hunter criterion, when the contributions of axial and radial inertia are mutually compensated, and the contribution of the effects of friction in the resulting diagram is minimal. When choosing the geometry of specimens of brittle porous media, the structure of the material should be taken into account so that the size of the specimen (both length and diameter) exceeds the size of the internal fractions of the material by at least five times.

Model Updating of a Freight Wagon Based on Dynamic Tests under Different Loading Scenarios

This article presents an efficient methodology for the calibration of a numerical model of a Sgnss freight railway wagon based on experimental modal parameters, namely natural frequencies and mode shapes. Dynamic tests were performed for two distinct static loading configurations, tare weight and current operational overload, under demanding test conditions, particularly during an unloading operation of the train and without disturbing its tight operational schedule. These conditions impose restrictions to the tests, especially regarding the test duration, sensor positioning and system excitation. The experimental setups involve the use of several high-sensitivity accelerometers strategically distributed along with the vehicle platform and bogies in the vertical direction. The modal identification was performed with the application of the enhanced frequency-domain decomposition (EFDD) method, allowing the estimation of 10 natural frequencies and mode shapes associated with structural movements of the wagon platform, which in some cases are coupled with rigid body movements. A detailed 3D FE model of the freight wagon was developed including the platform, bogies, wheelsets, primary suspensions and wheel–rail interface. The model calibration was performed sequentially, first with the unloaded wagon model and then with the loaded wagon model, resorting to an iterative method based on a genetic algorithm. The calibration process allowed the obtainment of the optimal values of eight numerical parameters, including a double estimation of the vertical stiffness of the primary suspensions under the unloaded and loaded static configurations. The results demonstrate that the primary suspensions present an elastic/almost elastic behaviour. The comparison of experimental and numerical responses before and after calibration revealed significant improvements in the numerical models and a very good correlation between the experimental and numerical responses after calibration.

Influence of Discontinuities on Rock Failure under Blasting at Shuangjiangkou Hydropower Station

The underground caverns of Shuangjiangkou hydropower station are under complex geological conditions. During excavation, the stability of the tunnels is severely affected by problems, such as blasting impact and excavation unloading, resulting in abnormal deformation at different locations. On the basis of on-site measurement, the characteristics of rocks at the main powerhouse and the main transformer room are compared through dynamic tests, and a numerical model is established using discrete element method (DEM) to analyze the special influence of fault SPD9-f1 on the deformation after excavation. It is revealed that the surrounding rock of the main powerhouse has stronger impact resistance than that of the main transformer room and that the existence of fault SPD9-f1 accounts for the abnormal deformation. In this study, the failure characteristics and mechanism of surrounding rock deformation controlled by stress and fault are revealed, providing important references for the subsequent excavation and support design of underground projects.