Due to their frictionless operation active magnetic bearings (AMBs) are essential components in high-speed rotating machinery. Active magnetic control of a high speed rotating rotor requires precise knowledge of its position. Self-sensing endeavours to eliminate the required position sensors by deducing the rotor’s position from the voltages and currents with which it is levitated. For self-sensing AMBs to be of practical worth, they have to be robust. Robustness analysis aims to quantify a control system’s tolerance for uncertainty. In this study the stability margin of a two degree-of-freedom self-sensing AMB is estimated by means of μ-analysis. Detailed black-box models are developed for the main subsystems in the AMB by means of discrete-time system identification. Suitable excitation signals are generated for system identification in cognisance of frequency induced nonlinear behaviour of the AMB. Novel graphs that characterize an AMB’s behaviour for input signals of different amplitudes and frequency content are quite useful in this regard. In order to obtain models for dynamic uncertainty in the various subsystems (namely the power amplifier, self-sensing module and AMB plant), the identified models are combined to form a closed-loop model for the self-sensing AMB. The response of this closed-loop model is compared to the original AMB’s response and models for the dynamic uncertainty are empirically deduced. Finally, the system’s stability margin for the modelled uncertainty is estimated by means of μ-analysis. The potentially destabilizing effects of parametric uncertainty in the controller coefficients as well as dynamic uncertainty in the AMB plant and self-sensing module are examined. The resultant μ-analyses show that selfsensing AMBs are much less robust for parametric uncertainty in the controller than AMBs equipped with sensors. The μ-analyses for dynamic uncertainty confirm that self-sensing AMBs are rather sensitive for variations in the plant or the self-sensing algorithm. Validation of the stability margins estimated by μ-analysis reveal that μ-analysis is overoptimistic for parametric uncertainty on the controller and conservative for dynamic uncertainty. (Validation is performed by means of Monte Carlo simulations.) The accuracy of μ-analysis is critically dependent on the accuracy of the uncertainty model and the degree to which the system is linear or not. If either of these conditions are violated, μ-analysis is essentially worthless. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Electronical Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010

Due to their frictionless operation active magnetic bearings (AMBs) are essential components in high-speed rotating machinery. Active magnetic control of a high speed rotating rotor requires precise knowledge of its position. Self-sensing endeavours to eliminate the required position sensors by deducing the rotor’s position from the voltages and currents with which it is levitated. For self-sensing AMBs to be of practical worth, they have to be robust. Robustness analysis aims to quantify a control system’s tolerance for uncertainty. In this study the stability margin of a two degree-of-freedom self-sensing AMB is estimated by means of μ-analysis. Detailed black-box models are developed for the main subsystems in the AMB by means of discrete-time system identification. Suitable excitation signals are generated for system identification in cognisance of frequency induced nonlinear behaviour of the AMB. Novel graphs that characterize an AMB’s behaviour for input signals of different amplitudes and frequency content are quite useful in this regard. In order to obtain models for dynamic uncertainty in the various subsystems (namely the power amplifier, self-sensing module and AMB plant), the identified models are combined to form a closed-loop model for the self-sensing AMB. The response of this closed-loop model is compared to the original AMB’s response and models for the dynamic uncertainty are empirically deduced. Finally, the system’s stability margin for the modelled uncertainty is estimated by means of μ-analysis. The potentially destabilizing effects of parametric uncertainty in the controller coefficients as well as dynamic uncertainty in the AMB plant and self-sensing module are examined. The resultant μ-analyses show that selfsensing AMBs are much less robust for parametric uncertainty in the controller than AMBs equipped with sensors. The μ-analyses for dynamic uncertainty confirm that self-sensing AMBs are rather sensitive for variations in the plant or the self-sensing algorithm. Validation of the stability margins estimated by μ-analysis reveal that μ-analysis is overoptimistic for parametric uncertainty on the controller and conservative for dynamic uncertainty. (Validation is performed by means of Monte Carlo simulations.) The accuracy of μ-analysis is critically dependent on the accuracy of the uncertainty model and the degree to which the system is linear or not. If either of these conditions are violated, μ-analysis is essentially worthless. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Electronical Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010

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Particle filters are a class of sequential Monte-Carlo methods which are used commonly when estimating various unknowns of the time-varying signals presented in real time, especially when dealing with nonlinearity and non-Gaussianity in BOT applications. This thesis work is designed to perform one such estimate involving tracking a person using the road information available from an IR surveillance video. In this thesis, a parallel custom hardware is implemented in Altera cyclone IV E FPGA device utilizing SIRF type of particle filter. This implementation has accounted how the algorithmic aspects of this sampling based filter relate to possibilities and constraints in a hardware implementation. Using 100MHz clock frequency, the synthesised hardware design can process almost 50 Mparticles/s. Thus, this implementation has resulted in tracking the target, which is defined by a 5-dimensional state variable, using the noisy measurements available from the sensor.

This thesis focuses on the experimental studies conducted on the development of low-cost seismic base isolation pads using scrap automobile tires. Seismic base isolation is a well-defined building protection system against earthquakes, on which numerous studies have been conducted. The majority of the previous studies focus on the performance improvement of the base isolation systems. However, this study aims at cost and weight reduction of seismic base isolation pads by recycling otherwise useless material: scrap tires. Elastomer-based isolators have been heavily studied and used for the last 25 years. Steel or fiber reinforcement inside the elastomer isolators provides high vertical stiffness, whereas rubber segments between reinforcement layers provide low horizontal stiffness for the seismic base isolation. Since 1960&rsquo / s, automobile tires have been produced by means of vulcanizing rubber with steel mesh in different forms which have a similar effect as the steel plates or fibers inside the conventional elastomer-based isolators. Therefore, rectangular shaped layers cut from tread sections of used tires and then piled on top of each other can function as an elastomeric bearing. Since the tires are being designed for friction, load transfer between scrap tire layers would be large enough to keep all layers intact. A minimal slip generated between the piled layers at high strain rates may even help to dissipate some extra energy. Axial compression, dynamic free vibration, static shear and shaking table tests have been conducted on Scrap Tire Pads (STP) prepared by using different tire brands for different number of layers and orientations. The results have shown that the average shear modulus of STPs change between 0.9MPa and 1.85MPa. At the end of the dynamic tests it has been noticed that the lateral stiffness of STPs can be simply adjusted by changing the number of tread layers placed on top of each other. The amount of wire mesh inside the tire tread layers is relatively low compared to the steel plates in regular elastomeric pads / consequently, axial load capacity of STPs has been found to be around 8.0MPa. Static large deformation shear experiments have been performed to obtain the horizontal stiffness and shear modulus values at high strains and the results are tabulated in the manuscript. Steel and rubber layers are produced separately and just put on top of each other without any adhesive to form the &frac14 / scaled versions of STPs which were used to isolate a &frac14 / scaled masonry house on the shaking table available in METU Structural Laboratory. The experiment showed that non-vulcanized rubber-steel layers put on top of each other can also be used to isolate structures. In conclusion, STPs may be used as a low-cost alternative to conventional elastomer-based pads for seismic isolation of massive structures (e.g. stone wall rural masonry) or for temperature induced deformation compensation of rural bridges. STP usage is demonstrated using three hypothetical design examples in the manuscript.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2004. / Supervisor: Michael D. Bryant. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

During the project a test rig was constructed in which experiments were performed on radial bearings to evaluate the acoustic emission amplitude and RMS value of the signal. The acoustic emission amplitude depends on the Hertz contact time, i.e. the time it takes for the Hertz contact to roll over its own contact length. When the load remains constant on the bearing the Hertz contact time is directly reliant on the rotational speed of the inner ring of the bearing. Two experiments were performed, one on a spherical roller bearing and another identical experiment on a spherical ball bearing. Throughout both experiments the load on the bearing remained constant and the rotational speed of the inner ring was changed, the response of the speed change was measured using an acoustic emission sensor. The experiments found a quadratic dependency between the amplitude of the acoustic emission signal and the rotational speed of the inner ring. During the experiments the bearings were lubricated using grease and a total of 195 measurements were performed on each type of bearing at 13 different rotational speeds ranging between 1 and 3000 RPM.

Continuous design and improvements in performance of roller bearings have resulted in an increased power transmission whilst size and spatial requirements have been reduced. Radial cylindrical roller bearings have followed this trend and due to their high performance characteristics (such as high loading capacity and high rotational speed capabilities), they have obtained a firm place as high performance machine elements. An essential characteristic of a radial cylindrical roller bearing is the minimisation of frictional torque for particular operating conditions. In spite of these improvements in design and operation the bearing frictional torque is still usually calculated according to the Palmgren method first published in 1957. However, as a result of the increased performance of radial cylindrical roller bearings and a corresponding wider range of application this Palmgren method is insufficiently accurate for the prediction of frictional torques in modern bearings. Whilst the literature review in this thesis identified a variety of bearing frictional torque calculation methods, most of these methods are based on various ball bearing designs and are not necessarily applicable to cylindrical roller bearings types. As a result an accurate frictional torque prediction method is required for radial cylindrical roller bearings because of customer's demands. Consequently, the current project is combined with the development of a method of frictional torque prediction (FTP - Method), which enables the frictional torque of purely radially and radially and axially loaded radial cylindrical roller bearings to be calculated accurately. The FTP - Method is based on the physical effects producing the frictional torque in a bearing, such as the EHL - theory and a contact analysis to determine raceway rolling resistance, and in addition takes into account the frictional forces of the rib / rolling element end face rolling and sliding contact. Comprehensive experimental tests have been undertaken on different radial cylindrical roller bearing designs (including cage guided and full complement types) for a minimum of three different sizes to validate the derived equations. Good agreement was obtained between the predictions according to the FTP - Method and the measured test data for the frictional torqye of both radially and combined loaded bearings. Moreover, the thermal reference speed and the thermal limiting speed of a radial cylindrical roller bearing can be readily calculated for any operating condition using an explicit equation in the radial part of the FTP - Method. The thesis also presents a calculation program to illustrate a method of bearing design based on the thermal balance within a bearing. The bearing is initially pre-selected according to its life time requirements using a life time calculation. After the lubrication method has been defined a thermal balance can be used to design the bearing.

O monitoramento de vibração de máquinas rotativas é de grande interesse da indústria, uma vez que se tem a possibilidade de detectar, com certa antecedência, problemas relacionados à condição de funcionamento do equipamento, possibilitando reparos, ajustes ou consertos e, assim, minimizando custos no caso de falhas graves ou paradas inesperadas. Neste trabalho é feita a adequação de uma bancada de testes para estudo de técnicas de detecção de falhas em rolamentos de esferas por análise de vibração. O objetivo é o de localizar falhas em rolamentos utilizando o monitoramento dos sinais das vibrações (aceleração) no mancal que suporta o rolamento de teste e o posterior processamento com o auxílio de alguma técnica de detecção. Neste trabalho a técnica do envelope foi escolhida. A bancada, assim desenvolvida, permite a retirada e colocação dos rolamentos em estudo de maneira simples e rápida, permitindo a execução de diversos testes com rapidez. A investigação da detecção de falhas em rolamentos é feita comparando-se rolamentos em condições normais com rolamentos que têm um defeito induzido. Inicialmente é apresentada a descrição das origens e formas de propagação das falhas em elementos de rolamentos e também as formas como estas falhas são induzidas em locais específicos de cada rolamento. Uma breve revisão sobre métodos de detecção de falhas no domínio do tempo e da frequência é feita. Ênfase é dada ao método do envelope que faz uso da transformada de Hilbert (Hilbert Transform) conjuntamente com a transformada Rápida de Fourier (Fast Fourier Transform). Em seguida, descreve-se como foram geradas as falhas e separados os grupos de teste, também é descrito como os ensaios foram executados com os danos induzidos em local pré-determinado no rolamento. Os resultados obtidos possibilitaram identificar as origens das falhas induzidas tanto na pista externa quanto na interna dos rolamentos analisando os sinais de vibração do mancal onde está montado o rolamento em teste com o pós-processamento dos mesmos com a técnica investigada. Os testes simulam as condições extremas encontradas em sistemas rotativos de equipamentos industriais através da imposição de cargas verticais ao rolamento. Este estudo de detecção das falhas em rolamentos propiciou uma melhor compreensão e análise do processo de falha nestes componentes. / The vibration monitoring of rotating machines is of great interest to industries since it has the ability to detect, in advance, problems related to the operational condition of the equipment, enabling fixing, adjustments or repair, and thus, minimizing the cost in case of faults or unexpected downtime. In this work, the study of the adequacy of a test bench for detecting faults in ball bearings by vibration analysis techniques is developed. It aims at locating faults in ball bearings using vibration monitoring signals (acceleration) in the journal bearings that support this elements and further processing with the aid of some detection technique. In this work the envelope technique was chosen. The developed test bench thus allows the removal and placement of the bearings in a simple and fast way allowing running quickly several tests. The investigation of detecting faults in ball bearings is made by comparing the bearings under normal conditions with bearings which have an induced defect. First of all is presented a description of the origins and forms of propagation of faults in bearing elements and also the ways in which these failures are induced in specific locations of each bearing. A brief review of methods for detecting faults in the time and frequency domain is made. Emphasis is given to the Envelope Method which uses the Hilbert Transform with the Fast Fourier Transform. Then it is described how the tests were accomplished with the induced damage in predetermined sites in the bearing. The results obtained allowed to identify the origins of the induced bearing failures in both outer and inner races just by reading the vibration signals and post-processing them with the investigated technique. The tests take care to simulate conditions close to those found in actual rotatory systems of industrial equipment by imposing vertical loads to the bearing. This study in detecting flaws in balls bearings provided a better understanding of the analysis failure process in these components.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:28:34Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2005-09Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:58:32Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 silva_fjp_me_guara.pdf: 1797451 bytes, checksum: 8356f42bb2a95184e0bf1b4b2bb9a24f (MD5) / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) / Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) / Bronzinas são componentes essenciais em motores automotivos, pois são muito importantes sempre que houver peças em movimento relativo, já que sua utilização visa minimizar os danos das peças móveis mais caras e de difícil substituição. Um dos mais comuns tipos de falhas evidenciados em bronzinas é a fadiga superficial, que geralmente aparece na forma de trincas superficiais. Tensões reversas na camada do mancal podem causar fadiga superficial. Estas falhas por fadiga podem ser induzidas na superfície do mancal devido às tensões flutuantes diretas, ou na superfície de união devido às tensões flutuantes de cisalhamento. Muitas são as fontes de tensões em mancais, tais como: gradiente de pressão, flexibilidade de materiais de encosto e alojamento, presença de ranhuras de óleo, não uniformidade do apoio do alojamento, rugosidade superficial, espessura das camadas de encosto e de revestimento, problemas de montagem, entre outros. Este projeto visa determinar o campo de tensões a partir das deformações de encosto e alojamento, utilizando o método dos elementos finitos, e relacionar este campo de tensões com falhas por fadiga. Para isto, é utilizado o software comercial ANSYS® versão 7.0 no qual a bronzina é modelada. / Journal bearings are essentials components in automotive engines, because they are very important when exist parts in relative movement, since its use aims at to minimize the damages of the more expensive and difficult substitution mobile parts. One of the most common types of evidenced failures is the surface fatigue, which it appears in the form of surface cracks. Reverse stresses in the bearing layer can cause surface fatigue. These failures can be induced in the surface due to the direct floating stresses or in the bond surface due to the shear floating stresses. There are many stress sources in bearings, such as, pressure gradient, flexibilities of backing and housing materials, presence of oil grooves, non-uniform housing supports, surface roughness, backing and covering layer thickness, assembly problems, among others. This work aims at to determine the stresses field from the backing and housing strain, using the finite elements method, and to relate this stresses field fatigue failures. For this, it is used the commercial software ANSYS® version 7.0 in which the bearing is modeled.