Modelling the thermal state of a turbocharger bearing housing when calculating the rotor dynamics at transient modes

Purpose The reliability of various mechanisms and machines is determined by the durability of tribo-units, which must ensure operation at high temperatures and an extended range of rotor shaft speeds. The best performance of the bearing assembly is achieved with hydrodynamic lubrication, which depends on optimal operating conditions and temperature conditions. The purpose of this paper is determining the thermal state of the turbocharger (TCR) bearings. Design/methodology/approach The simulation was carried out in the ANSYS Fluent software package. The boundary conditions for the calculation were obtained from experimental data. The experiments were carried out at a specialized stand created at the scientific and production association “Turbotekhnika”. Findings The result of the simulation was the determination of temperatures and thermal fields in the TCR housing. The data obtained testify to the uneven thermal loading of the bearings. When calculating the dynamics of the rotor, transient modes are considered. The results are the trajectories of the rotor in the space of the bearing clearance. The thickness of the lubricating layer was calculated as a parameter that determines the hydrodynamic friction regime. The thermal state of the TCR elements was evaluated at all the considered rotor speeds. The flexible axis of the rotor was obtained at different speeds. Originality/value The paper presents a model of heat transfer in a TCR housing and rotor dynamics, based on numerical methods, which will help in the design of TCRs and journal bearings.

Description of a Dynamical Framework to Analyse the Helicopter Tail Rotor

In this work, a tail rotor is modelled with the aid of a multibody software to provide an alternative tool in the field of helicopter research. This advanced application captures the complex behaviour of tail rotor dynamics. The model has been built by using VehicleSim software (Version 1.0, Mechanical Simulation Corporation, Ann Arbor, MI, USA) specialized in modelling mechanical systems composed of rigid bodies. The dynamic behaviour and the control action are embedded in the code. Thereby, VehicleSim does not need an external link to another software package. The rotors are articulated, the tail rotor considers flap and feather degrees of freedom for each of the equispaced blades and their dynamic couplings. Details on the model’s implementation are derived, emphasising the modelling aspects that contribute to the coupled dynamics. The obtained results are contrasted with theoretical approaches and these have displayed to agree with the expected behaviour. This rotorcraft model helps to study the performance of a tail rotor under certain dynamic conditions.

Extracellular vesicles secreted by human cardiosphere-derived cells attenuate electrophysiological remodelling in an in vitro model of atrial fibrillation

Background Stem cells and their secreted extracellular vesicles (EVs) have shown different cardioprotective effects. However, their impact on the electrophysiological properties of the heart tissue remains controversial. While the use of some progenitor cells seems to have antiarrhythmic potential, the use of cardiomyocyte-like cells may be proarrhythmic. The mechanisms behind, and whether these effects are linked to cell engraftment and not to their secreted products is not fully known. Purpose The aim of this study was to investigate the electrophysiological modifications induced by extracellular vesicles secreted by human cardiosphere-derived cells (CDC-EVs) in an in vitro model of atrial fibrillation in order to explore their potential antiarrhythmic effect. Methods CDCs were derived from cardiac biopsies of patients who underwent cardiac surgery for other reasons. Purified CDC-EVs resuspended in serum-free media (SFM) vs. SFM alone were added to HL-1 atrial myocyte monolayers presenting spontaneous fibrillatory activity. After 48 hours, the monolayers were fully confluent, and the electrophysiological properties were analysed through optical mapping in both the treated (n=9) and control plates (n=9). Optical mapping recordings of the monolayers were analysed with Matlab for the activation frequency, activation complexity, rotor dynamics (curvature and meandering) and conduction velocity. Results CDC-EVs reduced activation complexity of the fibrillating atrial monolayers by ∼40% (2.74±0.59 vs. 1.61±0.16 PS/cm2, p<0.01). This reduction in activation complexity was accompanied by larger rotor meandering (1.47±0.82 vs. 4.32±2.25 cm/s, p<0.01) and decreased curvature (1.79±0.40 vs. 0.87±0.24 rad/cm, p<0.01) in the treated group. Despite reduction in the activation complexity, activation frequency did not change significantly between both groups. This could be in part because CDC-EVs increased conduction velocity by 80% (1.32±0.57 vs. 2.65±0.87 cm/s, p<0.01). Low conduction velocity has been linked to higher reentry recurrence, and lower meandering and higher curvature to higher rotor stability and harder AF termination. Therefore, CDC-EVs seem to drive cardiomyocytes to a less arrhythmic profile reducing activation complexity and preventing remodelling by increasing conduction velocity and modifying rotor dynamics. Conclusions CDC-EVs significantly modify conduction velocity and rotor dynamics, therefore reducing fibrillation complexity and remodelling to drive atrial myocytes to a less arrhythmogenic profile. Testing CDC-EVs in more robust models of atrial fibrillation, the most common sustained arrhythmia in humans with significant morbidity and mortality, is of special interest. FUNDunding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovaciόn,CIBERCV, Spain Figure 1

Analisis Ketidaksesumbuan Poros (Misalignment) pada Rotordinamik Berdasarkan Sinyal Suara

This research aims to identify misalignment of the rotor dynamics based on sound spectrum characteristic. In this study, rotor dynamics consist of motor, shaft, coupling and bearings. Three types of misalignment were considered, namely parallel, angular, and combination misalignment. In order to obtain the best signal, microphones were used as sensors to capture sound signal placed on coupling and each bearing. The signal obtained was in time series. The sound signal in the time domain is then filtered to remove noise signals, which are then transferred to be signals in the frequency domain using Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). From the test results, it is found that in the case of parallel misalignment, the sound frequency spectrum is obtained with a peak amplitude at 2x rpm. The case of angular misalignment obtained a sound spectrum with a peak amplitude value and is dominant at 1x rpm than 2x rpm. Meanwhile, in the case of a combination of parallel and angular misalignment, a peak amplitude sound spectrum appears at 1x rpm and 2x rpm with relatively close spacing between the peaks of the sound spectrum. The result shows that sound signal can be used for identification of misalignment of the rotor dynamics.

Retardational Effect and Hopf Bifurcations in a New Attitude System of Quad-Rotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

The effect of retardation along second vector of angular velocity on a new attitude system of quad-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle (QUAV) is examined in this paper. Catastrophic and hovering conditions of rotor dynamics are verified through bifurcation analysis. It is analyzed that disturbed rotor dynamics during yaw maneuvering lead towards the existence of oscillations and hamper the efficiency of attitude system. We have categorically signified the situation where remote controller of attitude system cannot prevent flipping and consequently, shortens the life of QUAV. This type of situation arises in a strong wind friction zone where positive drag force of rotor dynamics is impeded by the magnitude of rotational moment of inertia. Moreover, subcritical and zero-Hopf bifurcations aroused due to retardational effect in attitude system are analyzed with the aid of normal form and averaging theory. Numerical simulations are also provided for validation of analytical results.