Swing Characteristics and Vibration Feature of Tower Cranes under Compound Working Condition

The swing behaviour of tower cranes under compound working conditions is closely related to construction safety and structural health. This paper presents dynamic models and simulated them for parameter analysis to understand tower cranes’ dynamic characteristics and vibration features under compound working conditions. The parameters contain payload mass, rope length, lifting acceleration, slewing acceleration, luffing acceleration, and initial angle. For the lifting-luffing coupling motion (LLCM) and lifting-slewing coupling motion (LSCM) of the tower crane, the D’Alembert principle provides a theoretical basis for the derivation of system dynamics equations. The spatial swing angle description of the crane payload includes the time-domain response and frequency-domain response, which uses a dynamic model. The result shows that the mass has little effect on the spatial swing angle. The value of the lifting acceleration is stable at 0.004 m/s2 to 0.01 m/s2. Peak value (PV), root mean square value (RMS), root mean square frequency (RMSF), and frequency standard deviation (RVF) present the best sensitivity to changes in the spatial swing angle response. When PV of angles θ and β increases by tens of thousands of times in the LLCM, PV can reflect the phenomenon of angle divergence. The skewness value (SV) increases by 3422% at the severe swing angle performance in the LSCM. The swing angle regularity with the compound working conditions can provide theoretical guidance for eliminating structural vibration.

Comparative radiographic analysis of three-dimensional innate mobility of the foot bones under axial loading of humans and African great apes

The human foot is considered to be morphologically adapted for habitual bipedal locomotion. However, how the mobility and mechanical interaction of the human foot with the ground under a weight-bearing condition differ from those of African great apes is not well understood. We compared three-dimensional (3D) bone kinematics of cadaver feet under axial loading of humans and African great apes using a biplanar X-ray fluoroscopy system. The calcaneus was everted and the talus and tibia were internally rotated in the human foot, but such coupling motion was much smaller in the feet of African great apes, possibly due to the difference in morphology of the foot bones and articular surfaces. This study also found that the changes in the length of the longitudinal arch were larger in the human foot than in the feet of chimpanzees and gorillas, indicating that the human foot is more deformable, possibly to allow storage and release of the elastic energy during locomotion. The coupling motion of the calcaneus and the tibia, and the larger capacity to be flattened due to axial loading observed in the human foot are possibly morphological adaptations for habitual bipedal locomotion that has evolved in the human lineage.

Direct CFD Simulation and Experimental Study on Coupled Motion Characteristics of Ship and Tank Sloshing in Waves

It is of great significance to study the tank sloshing, especially the coupling motion between tank sloshing and ship in waves with strong non-linearity and randomness. In this study, the response of the ship with/without tank in regular wave is studied by EFD method and CFD method. All the simulations are carried out by in-house CFD code HUST-Ship (hydrodynamic unsteady simulation technology of ship) to solve RANS equations coupled with six degrees of freedom solid body motion equations. RANS equations are solved by finite difference method and PISO algorithm. A two-equation Shear Stress Transport (SST) k-w turbulence model is used. The simulation results are in good agreement with the experimental results, which also indicates that the result of the tank sloshing simulated by in-house CFD code is reliable. The influence of sloshing on ship motions is estimated by comparing the experimental results between the ship with/without tank in different wave conditions. The coupling motion characteristics between the liquid in the tank and the ship is further studied by the CFD method. The study shows that the influence of tank sloshing on ship motion is different under the action of different regular waves.

Impact of Typhoons on Floating Offshore Wind Turbines: A Case Study of Typhoon Mangkhut

A typhoon is a restrictive factor in the development of floating wind power in China. However, the influences of multistage typhoon wind and waves on offshore wind turbines have not yet been studied. Based on Typhoon Mangkhut, in this study, the characteristics of the motion response and structural loads of an offshore wind turbine are investigated during the travel process. For this purpose, a framework is established and verified for investigating the typhoon-induced effects of offshore wind turbines, including a multistage typhoon wave field and a coupled dynamic model of offshore wind turbines. On this basis, the motion response and structural loads of different stages are calculated and analyzed systematically. The results show that the maximum response does not exactly correspond to the maximum wave or wind stage. Considering only the maximum wave height or wind speed may underestimate the motion response during the traveling process of the typhoon, which has problems in guiding the anti-typhoon design of offshore wind turbines. In addition, the coupling motion between the floating foundation and turbine should be considered in the safety evaluation of the floating offshore wind turbine under typhoon conditions.