The purpose of this thesis is to develop an existing design of a fully controllable multi-rotor vehicle toward simulating small satellite dynamics, enabling technology development to be accelerated and component failure risks to be mitigated by providing a testing platform with dynamics similar to those of small satellites in orbit. Evaluating dynamics-sensitive software and hardware components for use in small satellite operations has typically been relegated to simulated or physically constrained testing environments. More recently, researchers have begun using multi-rotor aerial vehicles to mimic the orbital motion of such satellites, further increasing simulation fidelity. The dynamical nature of multi-rotor vehicles allows them to accurately simulate the translational dynamics of a small satellite, but they struggle to accurately simulate rotational dynamics, as conventional multi-rotor vehicles' translational and rotational dynamics are coupled. In this thesis, an optimal design for a multi-rotor vehicle independently controllable in all six degrees of freedom is evaluated as a suitable simulation platform. The design of the proposed physical system is discussed and progress toward its construction is demonstrated. To facilitate future research endeavors, a simulation of the vehicle in a software-in-the-loop environment, using the Gazebo dynamics simulator, is developed and its performance evaluated. This simulation is then used to evaluate the vehicle's feasibility as a small-satellite dynamics simulator by tasking it with tracking dynamic position and attitude time histories representative of a small satellite. / Master of Science / When developing a spacecraft, it can be difficult to accurately test software and hardware that are sensitive to the spacecraft's motion. This difficulty arises because the space environment experienced by orbiting spacecraft allows them to move and rotate freely, and recreating this freedom of motion on earth requires large, expensive, and difficult-to-access test equipment. To make this testing more accessible, researchers have begun using quadcopter drones to mimic some aspects of a spacecraft's motion. While quadcopters can move like an orbiting spacecraft can, their designs do not allow them to rotate like an orbiting spacecraft can, thus providing an incomplete recreation of spacecraft motion. To correct this shortcoming, an existing drone design that is able to move and rotate simultaneously without fear of crashing is developed, with progress shown toward its construction. A software simulation of the drone is developed to help future researchers test software and algorithms before flying it on the physical drone. The simulation is then used to see how well the drone design can recreate the motions that a small spacecraft would experience.

Yes / Mechanochemical synthesis has the potential to change the way in which chemistry is conducted, particularly with regard to removing or dramatically reducing the need for solvents. Recently, it has been demonstrated that mechanochemistry can be carried out continuously and on large scale through the use of twin-screw extrusion (TSE). TSE has successfully been applied to the synthesis of cocrystals, metal organic frameworks (MOFs), deep eutectic solvents (DESs), metal complexes, and organic condensation reactions. However, while TSE provides a route for mechanochemical synthesis to be developed into a continuous, high-volume manufacturing process, little is currently understood about how to best optimize the various process parameters involved. Herein, we investigate the use of a batch mixer that has been previously used in polymer processing, to optimize mechanochemical reactions performed by extrusion. In particular, reactions between 8-hydroxyquinoline (Hq) and metal acetate salts of zinc or aluminum to give quinolinate complexes Znq2·AcOH and Alq3·AcOH, which are of interest for organic light-emitting diode (OLED) applications, have been investigated. The manner in which the progress of the reaction correlates with the machine torque, temperature, and specific mechanical energy (SME) imparted by the batch mixer has been elucidated. Significantly, this knowledge enabled optimization of the mechanochemical reactions by TSE through the key parameters of screw speed, feed rate, temperature, and particle size. / EPSRC (EP/L019655/1).

A rotor immersed in a thick turbulent boundary layer produces unsteady loading on the blades which generates unwanted noise and vibration. Two point velocity fluctuations were measured in detail to determine the full four-dimensional correlation function of a boundary layer generated over a smooth wall in the Virginia Tech Stability Wind Tunnel. The correlation function reveals anisotropy in the flow dominated by a large scale correlation structure elongated in the streamwise direction and inclined relative to the wall. This correlation function was then evaluated in the blade frame of reference of an idealized 10 bladed rotor partially immersed in the flow. Blade to blade upwash coherence shows significant asymmetry which is a direct result of the anisotropy of the flow. Using a newly developed theory, the correlation function was used to predict the far-field radiated noise from the rotor at various operating and flow conditions. Predictions show the sound field is dominated by the effects of "haystacking" which is further increased with the inclusion of the presence of the wall. Directivity predictions suggest the far-field sound field acts like a monopole/dipole combination. / Master of Science

The turbocharger industry is booming recently, and there is an urgent need for new evaluations of the overall design. As the oil prices continue to rise, along with the new emissions regulations strictly enforced for the in-road as well as the off-road vehicles, the transition to turbocharged engines, and especially for diesel engines, has become irresistible. Higher power, smaller engines, reduced emissions, and overall better efficiency are the main concerns. By means of the recent development in the computational tools, a new era of the product development has emerged. Most diesel engine turbochargers incorporate floating-ring bearings that use the engine's oil for lubrication. The high-speed turbocharger is known to have subsynchronous vibrations at high amplitudes for a wide speed range that could reach 150,000 rpm. The bearing fluid-film whirl instability is the main source of the subsynchronous vibration. The nonlinear reaction forces inside the bearings are usually causing the rotor to whirl in a limit cycle but may become large enough to cause permanent damages. Additionally, the lubrication oil may leak at higher rates through the seals into the engine or the exhaust emissions. This dissertation investigates methods for improving the dynamic stability of the high-speed automotive turbochargers, especially designed for heavy-duty diesel engines that are used for example in heavy machinery, trucks, tractors, etc. The study utilizes the available modern computational tools in rotor-dynamics in addition to the locally developed supportive computer codes. This research is a major part of the turbocharger dynamic analysis supporting the current extensive experimental tests in the Virginia Tech Rotor Dynamics Laboratory for the product development of different high-speed diesel engine turbochargers. The study begins with the method of enhanced-performance hydrodynamic bearings. The aim is to modify the inner surface of the bearing for better dynamic characteristics. The finite-element model of the turbocharger rotor shaft with linearized bearing dynamic coefficients is developed. The system is solved for eigenvalues and eigenvectors in order to evaluate the dynamic stability. The first phase of the study demonstrated that there are two modes of instability that persist during much of the operating speed range, and one of the modes exhibits serious subsynchronous vibration levels at the higher speeds. The first unstable mode builds up at very low speeds forming a conical shape, where both rotor shaft ends whirl forward out-of-phase. The second unstable mode has a cylindrical shape with slight bending, where both rotor ends whirl forward in-phase. The outcome of the study is that the inner surface of the bearing has direct influence on the turbocharger dynamic stability. However, a fixed hydrodynamic bearing may not give total linear stability of the system if it is used without additional damper. The second method is to analytically design flexible damped bearing-supports in order to improve the dynamic characteristics of the rotor-bearing system. The finite-element model of the turbocharger rotor with linearized bearing dynamic coefficients is used to solve for the logarithmic decrements and hence the stability map. The design process attempts to find the optimum dynamic characteristics of the flexible damped bearing-support that would give best dynamic stability of the rotor-bearing system. The method is successful in greatly improving the dynamic stability of the turbocharger and may also lead to a total linear stability throughout the entire speed range when used besides the enhanced-performance hydrodynamic bearings. The study also presents a new method for improving the dynamic stability by inducing the turbocharger rotor unbalance in order to suppress the subsynchronous vibrations. The finite-element model of the turbocharger rotor with floating-ring bearings is numerically solved for the nonlinear time-transient response. The compressor and the turbine unbalance are induced and the dynamic stability is computed. The turbocharger model with linearized floating-ring bearings is also solved for eigenvalues and eigenvectors to predict the modes of instability. The linear analysis demonstrates that the forward whirling mode of the floating-ring at the compressor end becomes also unstable at the higher turbocharger speeds, in addition to the unstable forward conical and cylindrical modes. The numerical predictions are also compared to the former experimental results of a typical turbocharger. The results of the study show that the subsynchronous frequency amplitude of the dominant first mode is reduced when inducing either the compressor or the turbine unbalance at a certain level. In addition to the study of the stability improvement methods, the dissertation investigates the other internal and external effects on the turbocharger rotor-bearing system. The radial aerodynamic forces that may develop inside the centrifugal compressor and the turbine volutes due to pressure variation of the circulating gas are numerically predicted for magnitudes, directions, and locations. The radial aerodynamic forces are numerically simulated as static forces in the turbocharger finite-element model with floating-ring bearings and solved for nonlinear time-transient response. The numerical predictions of the radial aerodynamic forces are computed with correlation to the earlier experimental results of the same turbocharger. The outcomes of the investigation demonstrated a significant influence of the radial aerodynamic loads on the turbocharger dynamic stability and the bearing reaction forces. The numerical predictions are also compared to the former experimental results for validation. The external effect of the engine-induced vibration on the turbocharger dynamic stability is studied. The engine-induced excitations are numerically simulated as time-forcing functions on the rotor-bearings of the turbocharger finite-element model with floating-ring bearings in order to solve for the nonlinear time-transient response. The compressor radial aerodynamic forces are combined to the engine-induced excitations to numerically predict the total nonlinear transient response. The results of the study show that there are considerable amplitudes at the engine-excitation frequency in the subsynchronous region that may also have similar amplitude at the second harmonic. Additionally, the magnitudes of the engine-induced vibration have an effect on the turbocharger dynamic stability. The numerical predictions are compared to the former experimental tests for turbocharger dynamic stability. / Ph. D.

M. Tech. (Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Technology), Vaal University of Technology / A project investigating the behaviour of an assembled preloaded rotor was performed for an M-Tech qualification in the Mechanical Engineering Department. Pre-Stressing of mechanical structures is widely applied to improve their performance, and in this project the behaviour of an assembled preloaded rotor was investigated. An Impact Test was done on the structure to see if induced stresses originated by a set of bolts which keep the discs system together, would influence the natural dynamic response or the rotor. Tendencies in the natural response were investigated. Analytical models like the Finite Element Beam model and the Solid Finite Element model were studied in order to find a represntative description of this particular structure's dynamic behaviour after pre-tension. From the experimental results it was apparent that the slenderness of the pre-tensioned sector influences the natural frequency. The solid finite element model appears to be the most applicable model to present the assembled rotor-disk system as a continuous shaft. Furthermore, modelling and predictions for a typical rotor and similar assembled structures can be generated from the findings.

[pt] A Dissertação aqui apresentada descreve um acidente em um rotor de máquina de grande porte (compressor de ar) de uma fábrica de fertilizante cujas conseqüências foram perdas financeiras de alta monta tanto para a empresa quanto para o Estado, pela importância econômica onde a fábrica é situada. O objetivo da Dissertação foi simular matematicamente o acidente ocorrido e esclarecer o mesmo. Para se chegar ao diagnóstico do problema se modelou o rotor e o discretizou pelo Método de Elementos Finitos. As técnicas de investigação do problema e a sua seqüência de investigação podem ser tomadas como base em investigação de eventuais acidentes envolvendo rotores futuramente. O capítulo relativo a Análise Modal será extraído como base de apostila para curso envolvendo pessoal da área de Manutenção Mecânica. / [en] A problem related with an air compressor gave birth to the MSc Thesis. Problems related with rotative machines are usual in the industrial field. Difficulties come from the data gathering in order to analyze, and propose a theory of failure in order to explain and avoid the recurrence of such problem. Modelling a rotor with a Timoshenko beam element and the discretization by finite element method permit the dynamical analysis and the modal analysis of the rotor considering its interaction with the radial and thrust bearings (assuming stiffness and rigidity). The work is divided in seven chapters: chapter one introduces the work and gives the overview of it; chapter two describes the industrial problem; chapter three is a brief explanation of bearing types and the fundamental principle of lubrication; chapter four introduces vibration theory and modal analysis; chapter five introduces the finite element method; chapter six is the simulation of the problem, using tailor-made MATLABr programs to reconstruct the problem and to compare the test field results with the here mentioned formulation; chapter seven discusses the results and proposes future works. Appendix shows the kinetic theory and the beam deformation model used in the program and the Laval simple rotor as a limited description of the dynamic of a rotor with distributed mass, rigidity and stiffness. The aim of this work is to help understand and avoid the recurrence of the failure described and to easy the understanding of modal analysis for new engineers and technicians which will deal with rotor dynamics.

La thèse résume la recherche sur le fonctionnement et l’écoulement autour d’une éolienne caréné à deux rotors. Le placement d’une turbine à l’entrée d’un canal divergent permet d’augmenter le débit massique à travers le rotor. Afin de mieux tirer parti de l’augmentation de la vitesse du vent à l’entrée du diffuseur, il a été décidé d’examiner la possibilité de placer un deuxième rotor, tournant dans le sens opposé, dans cette zone.L'étude menée combinait plusieurs voies de recherche différentes, y compris les méthodes de la mécanique des fluides numérique (CFD) et des études expérimentales. Cela a permis de mieux comprendre la nature de l'écoulement et du fonctionnement d'une éolienne à deux rotors. Des recherches expérimentales ont été menées dans la soufflerie de l’Institut de Turbomachinerie de l’Ecole Polytechnique de Lodz (Pologne). Une série de mesures de systèmes d'éoliennes divers, avec et sans carénage, à un et deux rotors, a été réalisée. Les résultats recueillis ont permis de confirmer que le carénage pouvait augmenter considérablement (même deux fois) l'efficacité du rotor. Cependant, les forces aérodynamiques et la vitesse de rotation augmentent également. Cet inconvénient peut être partiellement résolu en utilisant un deuxième rotor et en répartissant les charges aérodynamiques sur deux étages de turbine.Une partie importante de l'étude était les simulations numériques. Ils ont permis de préciser la nature et les paramètres de l'écoulement et d'estimer leur impact sur les performances de l'éolienne. Deux modèles numériques différents ont été développés:• Modèle rotor complet (anglais : Fully-resolved Rotor Model, FRM): modèle URANS dans ANSYS CFX, basé sur la discrétisation de la géométrie complète du rotor; ce modèle a été utilisé pour l'analyse de l’écoulement,• Modèle hybride CFD-BET (théorie de l’élément de pâle): modèle RANS dans ANSYS Fluent, dans lequel le rotor est représenté par les termes source dans les équations de Navier-Stokes, déterminés par un code interne; ce modèle a été utilisé pour évaluer les performances de différentes configurations d'éoliennes.Au cours de la recherche, une correction empirique interne de la perte d’extrémité de la pâle (anglais : tip loss correction) a été proposée, en tenant compte de l’influence du diffuseur. L’étude réalisée a permis d’observer, entre autres, que le déplacement du rotor en aval vers la sortie du diffuseur pouvait entraîner une réduction de la vitesse du vent à travers le rotor en amont, placé à l’entrée du diffuseur, et une diminution de la puissance globale du système. / Doctoral dissertation summarizes the research on the functioning and flow around a two-stage, shrouded wind turbine. Placing the turbine at the inlet of a diverging channel allows to increase the mass flow rate of the flow through the rotor. To better take advantage of the increase in wind speed at the diffuser inlet, it was decided to examine the possibility of placing a second rotor in this area, with the opposite direction of rotation.The conducted study combined several different research paths, including Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) methods and experimental studies. This allowed for a more refined understanding of the nature of the flow and operation of a wind turbine with two rotors. Experimental research was carried out in the IMP TUL wind tunnel. A series of measurements of various turbine systems with and without shroud, with single- and double-rotor wind turbine were made. The collected results allowed to confirm that the shrouding can significantly (even twice) increase the efficiency of the rotor. However, aerodynamic forces and rotational speed also increase. This disadvantage can be partially addressed by using a second rotor and distributing aerodynamic loads to two turbine stages.An important part of the study were numerical simulations. They allowed to specify in more detail the nature and parameters of the flow and to estimate their impact on the performance of the wind turbine. Two different numerical models were developed:• Fully-resolved Rotor Model: URANS model in ANSYS CFX, based on discretising the entire geometry of the rotor, used for the flow analysis,• Hybrid model CFD-BET (Blade-Element Theory): RANS model in ANSYS Fluent, in which the rotor is represented by source terms in the Navier-Stokes equations, determined by an in-house code; the model was used to evaluate the performance of different wind turbine configurations.In the course of the research an in-house, empirical tip loss correction was proposed, taking into account the influence of the diffuser. The performed study permitted to observe, among others, that moving the rear rotor towards the outlet of the diffuser may result in a reduction of the wind speed through the front rotor, placed at the inlet to the diffuser, and a decrease in the overall system power.

Aeroacoustic investigations regarding different types of helicopter noise have indicated that the most annoying noise is caused by impulsive blade surface pressure changes in descent or forward flight conditions. Blade Vortex Interaction (BVI) is one of the main phenomena producing significant impulsive noise by the unsteady fluctuation in blade loading due to the rapid change of induced velocity field during interaction with vortices shed from previous blades. The tip vortex core structure and the blade vortex miss distance were identified as having a primary influence on BVI. In this thesis, piezoelectrically modulated and/or vectored blowing at the rotor blade tip is theoretically investigated as an active technique for modifying the structure of the tip vortex core as well as for increasing blade vortex miss distance. The mechanisms of formation and convection of rotor blade tip vortices up to and beyond 360 degrees wake age are described based on the CFD results for the baseline cases of a hovering rotor with rounded and square tips. A methodology combining electromechanical and CFD modeling is developed and applied to the study of a piezoelectrically modulated and vectored blowing two-dimensional wing section. The thesis is focused on the CFD analysis of rotor flow with modulated tangential blowing over a rounded blade tip, and with steady mid-plane blade tip blowing, respectively. Computational results characterizing the far-wake flow indicate that for steady tangential blowing the miss distance can be doubled compared to the baseline case, which may lead to a significant reduction in BVI noise level if this trend shown in hover can be replicated in low speed forward flight. Moreover, near-wake flow analysis show that through modulated blowing a higher dissipation of vorticity can be obtained.

The problem addressed in this thesis is the delevitation modelling of an active magnetic bearing (AMB) supported rotor. A system model needs to be developed that models the highly non-linear interaction of the rotor with the backup bearings (BBs) during a delevitation event. The model should accurately predict forward and backward whirl as well as the system forces experienced. To this end, the severity of rotor delevitation events should be characterised. The contributions of the research include a more comprehensive model of a cross-coupled flexible rotor-AMB-BB system, a method to obtain repeatable experimental results, two methods for quantifying the severity of a rotor-drop (RDQ and Vval) and the simulation of forward whirl. A simulation model (BBSim) was developed to predict the behaviour of a rotor in rolling element BBs in an AMB system during a rotor delevitation event. The model was validated using a novel rotor delevitation severity quantification method (Vval) to compare experimental and simulated results. In this study the force impulse values as the rotor impacts the BBs are seen as critical to monitor, as an indication of rotor drop severity. The novel quantification method was verified by comparing the impulse values of delevitation events to the values obtained for the same delevitation events using the novel quantification method. The simulation model (BBSim) was developed by integrating and cross coupling various simpler models to obtain a model that could accurately predict the behaviour of a rotor during a delevitation event. A plethora of simulation results were generated for various initial conditions. The simulation results were used to perform a parametric study, from which the effects that certain design parameters have on the severity of rotor delevitation events are determined. The novel quantification method results presented in this research compared well to the impulse values. Since most AMB systems that have BBs do not have force measurement capabilities, the development of the novel quantification method enables the quantification of rotor drop severity solely based on position data. The simulation model BBSim was found to accurately predict the behaviour of a rotor during a delevitation event. The parametric study completed using BBSim revealed that the severity of rotor delevitation events is less sensitive to the bearing stiffness than the bearing damping. The parametric study also found that the severity of a delevitation event is slightly sensitive to the angle of delevitation. The friction factor between the rotor and the inner-race of the rolling element bearings moderately influences the severity of the rotor delevitation event. The inertia of the rolling element bearing’s inner-race and balls influences the behaviour in a complex manner, where the inertia should be kept as low as possible for actively braked rotors, and should be higher for free running rotors. The unbalance of the rotor plays a major role in the severity of rotor delevitation events. A rotor with a high unbalance usually tends to go into forward whirl, whereas low unbalance could promote the development of backward whirl if the inertia of the inner-race and the friction factor between the inner-race and the rotor are excessively large. Some of the recommended future work to be done on BBSim Include investigations into load sharing, various failure modes of AMBs, the effect that rotor circularity has on the stability of AMB control and an investigation into forward whirl. Envisaged improvements that can be made to BBSim are the inclusion of an axial rotor AMB and BB model, cross-coupled with the existing BBSim model. Other improvements could be the inclusion of thermal modelling and the ability to simulate other types of BBs. Future experimental work could include a comparison of simulated and experimental results of larger systems and using the developed quantification methods to refine the defined threshold values for the safe operation of AMB systems. / PhD, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014 / Appendix C is attached seperately because of the size of the pdf (920 MB). If it is too large to download, please loan the hardcopy with the CD from the Loan desk in the Ferdinand Postma Library.

The problem addressed in this thesis is the delevitation modelling of an active magnetic bearing (AMB) supported rotor. A system model needs to be developed that models the highly non-linear interaction of the rotor with the backup bearings (BBs) during a delevitation event. The model should accurately predict forward and backward whirl as well as the system forces experienced. To this end, the severity of rotor delevitation events should be characterised. The contributions of the research include a more comprehensive model of a cross-coupled flexible rotor-AMB-BB system, a method to obtain repeatable experimental results, two methods for quantifying the severity of a rotor-drop (RDQ and Vval) and the simulation of forward whirl. A simulation model (BBSim) was developed to predict the behaviour of a rotor in rolling element BBs in an AMB system during a rotor delevitation event. The model was validated using a novel rotor delevitation severity quantification method (Vval) to compare experimental and simulated results. In this study the force impulse values as the rotor impacts the BBs are seen as critical to monitor, as an indication of rotor drop severity. The novel quantification method was verified by comparing the impulse values of delevitation events to the values obtained for the same delevitation events using the novel quantification method. The simulation model (BBSim) was developed by integrating and cross coupling various simpler models to obtain a model that could accurately predict the behaviour of a rotor during a delevitation event. A plethora of simulation results were generated for various initial conditions. The simulation results were used to perform a parametric study, from which the effects that certain design parameters have on the severity of rotor delevitation events are determined. The novel quantification method results presented in this research compared well to the impulse values. Since most AMB systems that have BBs do not have force measurement capabilities, the development of the novel quantification method enables the quantification of rotor drop severity solely based on position data. The simulation model BBSim was found to accurately predict the behaviour of a rotor during a delevitation event. The parametric study completed using BBSim revealed that the severity of rotor delevitation events is less sensitive to the bearing stiffness than the bearing damping. The parametric study also found that the severity of a delevitation event is slightly sensitive to the angle of delevitation. The friction factor between the rotor and the inner-race of the rolling element bearings moderately influences the severity of the rotor delevitation event. The inertia of the rolling element bearing’s inner-race and balls influences the behaviour in a complex manner, where the inertia should be kept as low as possible for actively braked rotors, and should be higher for free running rotors. The unbalance of the rotor plays a major role in the severity of rotor delevitation events. A rotor with a high unbalance usually tends to go into forward whirl, whereas low unbalance could promote the development of backward whirl if the inertia of the inner-race and the friction factor between the inner-race and the rotor are excessively large. Some of the recommended future work to be done on BBSim Include investigations into load sharing, various failure modes of AMBs, the effect that rotor circularity has on the stability of AMB control and an investigation into forward whirl. Envisaged improvements that can be made to BBSim are the inclusion of an axial rotor AMB and BB model, cross-coupled with the existing BBSim model. Other improvements could be the inclusion of thermal modelling and the ability to simulate other types of BBs. Future experimental work could include a comparison of simulated and experimental results of larger systems and using the developed quantification methods to refine the defined threshold values for the safe operation of AMB systems. / PhD, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014 / Appendix C is attached seperately because of the size of the pdf (920 MB). If it is too large to download, please loan the hardcopy with the CD from the Loan desk in the Ferdinand Postma Library.