Estimation of Extreme Loads of the Mi-24 Helicopter During Maneuvers Using Simulation Method

The aim of the study is to assess the loads that are transferred from the main rotor and the tail rotor to the helicopter fuselage. These loads change in the various phases of the transient flight as a result of the variable control of the maneuver and as a result of the variable flow around the blades. The knowledge of the loads allows for the proper selection of the level of excitations that should load the fuselage structure during fatigue and strength tests. The simulation model describing the helicopter flight is discussed. This model takes into account the motion of each blade relative to its hinges. Results are shown for two maneuvers - pullup/pushover and diving. The values of extreme loads transferred to the fuselage were obtained.

Comparative assessment of the effect of the degree of grinding of vegetables (carrots) on the yield of juices and puree

Some vegetables and fruits are indispensable for the production of a wide range of food, juice and confectionery products, because of their chemical composition and biochemical properties. One of the factors hindering their widespread use in the food industry is the insufficient study of their functional and probiotic properties in the mentioned technological areas. The mechanical properties (approximated dependence, standard deviation, and limit stresses) of the carrot varieties Nantes-5 NABA and Chantenay-2461 intended for juice production have been studied. The enzymatic hydrolysis parameters have been determined based on the parameters of the optimal effect of enzyme preparations. As a result of experimental studies, by determining the extreme loads of squeezing and crushing carrots, the power consumption for grinding carrots was determined. The structure of the carrot pulp was revealed. The highest juice out yield put was observed in the Nantes-5 NABA variety. To increase the juice yield from the pulp, maceration was applied and parameters of enzymatic hydrolysis were determined. Complex two-stage mechanical grinding allowed the production of juice with high organoleptic properties. Antioxidant activity was determined before and after the maceration of carrots. The mode and parameters of the juice production technology were corrected during the research. Ready-made pulpy juice samples were tasted and evaluated. The safety of carrot puree during storage has been verified by analytical research data.

CONTROLLED TESTING OF BELT TRANSMISSIONS AT DIFFERENT LOADS

The presented paper provides the alternative options for determining the condition of belt gear based on the testing and monitoring. In order to carry out experimental measurements, a newly developed device for testing, monitoring and diagnostics of belt drives was designed, as well as the possibility of determination of limit states by extreme loads. The designed measuring stand allows to determine the point of destruction of the belt for an extreme load. The process of the belt measurement was to set the predetermined input revolutions of the driving motor by means of the Altivar 71 (FM1) frequency inverter connected to the driving electric motor. The next step in defining the input parameters was to set the load on the driven electric motor. The load on the driven motor was achieved by the torsional moment set by means of the Altivar 71 (FM2) frequency inverter connected to the driven electric motor. In the paper, the analytical calculation is processed. The article mainly points to the innovation of the stand for testing belt transmissions.

Nuclear terrorism: Assessment of the danger of Nuclear Power Plant air strikes

The article analyzes the problem of possible threats with the use of aircraft captured by terrorists or controlled unmanned aerial vehicles in relation to nuclear energy use facilities. In the context of preventing acts of nuclear terrorism, the urgent task is to protect nuclear facilities from deliberate attacks by civilian airliners operated by terrorists. On the basis of the materials of publications, the influence of external extreme loads acting on the design of nuclear power plants, their features during the fall of aircraft of different types is studied. As a conclusion, the author notes that improving the safety of nuclear power plants and other radiation-hazardous facilities, minimizing possible consequences from aircraft strikes are important areas in risk management and their protection from acts of nuclear terrorism by combining organizational measures to combat terrorism and nuclear security measures.

Air-blast and ground shockwave parameters, shallow underground blasting, on the ground and buried shallow underground blast-resistant shelters: A review

Weak political systems and poor governance in certain developing countries are found to have a war-like environment where structures are being targeted by blasts and bombs. Industrial blasts due to frail know-how and mishandlings are also quite common. Recent accidental explosions like that occurred at the Beirut Port, Lebanon (August 2020); ammunition depot in the outskirt of the Ryazan City of Russia (November 2020) are of concern for the safety of adjacent building infrastructure and their users. Such intense loading events cause damage to certain elements of a structure which may result in disproportionate or progressive collapse. It necessitates a clear understanding of the phenomenon of the blast and extreme loads induced out of it, and response of the target structure under such loadings. In this study, the state of research on air-blast and ground shockwave parameters, shallow underground blasting, and on the ground and buried shallow blast-resistant shelters are presented. The phenomenon of the self-Mach-reflection of the explosion, loading parameters and empirical blast models available in the open literature followed by the damage criteria for the buildings subjected to the underground blasting and available peak particle velocity (PPV) prediction models have been discussed. To make the application of advanced materials such as fibrous concrete, ultra-high performance concrete, FRP composites, etc., it is important to comprehend the existing blast/shock-resistant shelters and their response under such loading. The shelters are primarily designed by incorporating features of the materials like high degree of deformability/ductility, use of the shock-isolation panels and the mechanism for controlling crack formations. Finally, conclusions and recommendations for future studies are summarised. This paper presents prospects to engineers, town planners, researchers, policymakers and members of the core drafting sectional committees to understand the phenomenon of the blast and extreme loads induced out of it.

Analysis of Seismic Action on the Tie Rod System in Historic Buildings Using Finite Element Model Updating

Historic buildings have a high architectural value and their maintenance, repair and rehabilitation require a special approach. This approach is mainly based on the buildings’ performance under non-destructive tests such as operational modal analysis (OMA). Under extreme loads, such as earthquakes, these buildings require representative numerical models to simulate their expected response. In historic buildings, tie rods transfer axial loads and are typically used to balance horizontal trust due to static and dynamic loads associated with seismic actions. It is very important to determine the possibility of exceeding their load-bearing capacity under extreme loads, such as an earthquake. In this context, this paper presents an approach for the analysis of seismic action on the tie rod system in a historic building. The analysis was performed by combining the on-site experimental testing and the finite element model updating (FEMU) of the local models of tie rods and the global model of the structure. It was shown that the combination of analyzing local and global structural models, experimental on-site testing and FEMU is a viable solution for assessment of historic buildings’ load bearing capacity.

Iceberg Load Software Update Using 2019 Iceberg Profile Dataset

The Iceberg Loads Software (ILS) was developed initially to determine design iceberg loads for the Hebron Gravity Base Structure (GBS). The ILS framework has since been adapted for assessing iceberg loads on other structures such as the West White Rose Platform, subsea protection structures, pipelines laid on the seabed and floating production structures (spars and FPSOs). When the ILS was developed, the available iceberg geometry dataset (collected in the 1980s) was relatively limited, which required certain assumptions (i.e., flat wall interaction) and parametrizations (i.e., length distribution, length/draft/mass relationships, eccentricity, etc.) in the formulation of the interaction model. Renewed iceberg profile collection began in 2012, with ongoing improvements in the data collection methodology such that, of the 200 iceberg profiles collected from 2012 onwards, 134 were collected in 2019. The profile data were collected using LiDAR for the iceberg sail and multibeam sonar for the keel. The ILS has been updated using the recent three dimensional (3D) profiles, and a comparison of original versus updated iceberg load distributions for a generic structure show a decrease in loads. Updated ILS loads are compared with another iceberg load analysis tool that directly incorporates iceberg profile data rather than relying on some of the assumptions and parametrizations used in the original ILS formulation. This comparison shows some differences, particularly for extreme loads, which are the subject of on-going investigation.

Active flap control with the trailing edge flap hinge moment as a sensor: using it to estimate local blade inflow conditions and to reduce extreme blade loads and deflections

Active trailing edge flaps are a promising technology that can potentially enable further increases in wind turbine sizes without the disproportionate increase in loads, thus reducing the cost of wind energy even further. Extreme loads and critical deflections of the blade are design-driving issues that can effectively be reduced by flaps. In this paper, we consider the flap hinge moment as a local input sensor for a simple flap controller that reduces extreme loads and critical deflections of the DTU 10 MW Reference Wind Turbine blade. We present a model to calculate the unsteady flap hinge moment that can be used in aeroelastic simulations in the time domain. This model is used to develop an observer that estimates the local angle of attack and relative wind velocity of a blade section based on local sensor information including the flap hinge moment of the blade section. For steady wind conditions that include yawed inflow and wind shear, the observer is able to estimate the local inflow conditions with errors in the mean angle of attack below 0.2∘ and mean relative wind speed errors below 0.4 %. For fully turbulent wind conditions, the observer is able to estimate the low-frequency content of the local angle of attack and relative velocity even when it is lacking information on the incoming turbulent wind. We include this observer as part of a simple flap controller to reduce extreme loads and critical deflections of the blade. The flap controller's performance is tested in load simulations of the reference turbine with active flaps according to the IEC 61400-1 power production with extreme turbulence group. We used the lifting line free vortex wake method to calculate the aerodynamic loads. Results show a reduction of the maximum out-of-plane and resulting blade root bending moments of 8 % and 7.6 %, respectively, when compared to a baseline case without flaps. The critical blade tip deflection is reduced by 7.1 %. Furthermore, a sector load analysis considering extreme loading in all load directions shows a reduction of the extreme resulting bending moment in an angular region covering 30∘ around the positive out-of-plane blade root bending moment. Further analysis reveals that a fast reaction time of the flap system proves to be critical for its performance. This is achieved with the use of local sensors as input for the flap controller. A larger reduction potential of the system is identified but not reached mainly because of a combination of challenging controller objectives and the simple controller architecture.

Fault Detection in Modular Offshore Platform Connections Using Extended Kalman Filter

Within the Space@Sea project, funded by the Horizon 2020 program, a concept for a floating island was developed. The main idea is to create space in the offshore environment, which can be used to harvest renewable energy, grow food or build a maritime transport and logistic hub. The island is designed as an assembly of platforms, which are connected by ropes and fenders. These connection elements are considered critical, as they have to carry extreme loads in the severe offshore environment. At the same time, any failure in the connecting elements might put the entire platform structure at risk. This paper presents a feasibility study for the fault detection in the connection elements using Extended Kalman filters. For various test cases, typical parameters of the connecting elements are estimated from motion data of the structure. Thus, the technique reveals changes in the connections. For various test cases, it is shown that fault detection is possible. Not only a failure of a single connecting rope but also multiple faults in the system can be detected.