No description available.

One of the main challenges in order to make electric cars competitive with gas-powered cars is in the improvement of the electric power system. Although many of the energy sources currently used in electric vehicles have sufficientlyhigh specific energy, their applicability is limited due to low specific power. It would therefore be advantageous to create a driveline with the main energy storage separated from a smaller energy buffer, designed to have high power capabilities and to withstand frequent and deep discharge cycles. It has been found that rotating kinetic energy storage in flywheels is very well suited for this type of application. A composite shell, comprising an inner part made of glassfiber and an outer part made of carbonfiber, was analyzed analytically and numerically, designed, and constructed. The shell was fitted onto a metallic rotor using shrinkfitting. The cost of the shell, and the complexity of assembly, was reduced by winding the glass- and carbonfiber consecutively on a mandrel, and curing the complete assembly simultaneously. Thereby, the shell obtained an internal segmentation, without the need for fitting several concentric parts onto each other. The radial stress inside the composite shell was kept compressive thanks to a novel approach of using the permanent magnets of the integrated electric machine to provide radial mechanical load during rotation. Two thrust bearing units (one upper and one lower) comprising one segmented unit with the permanent magnets in a cylindrical Halbach configuration and one non-segmented unit in a up/down configuration were optimized, constructed and tested. Each thrust bearing unit generated 1040 N of repelling force, and a positive axial stiffness of 169 N/mm at the nominal airgap of 5 mm.  Two radial active magnetic bearings (one upper and one lower) were optimized, constructed and tested. By parameterizing the shape of the actuators, a numerical optimization of force over resistive loss from the bias currentcould be performed. The optimized shape of the electromagnets was produced by watercutting sheets of laminated steel. A maximum current stiffness of120 N/A at a bias current of 1.5 A was achieved.

With the popularity of outdoor activities like hiking, the demands of certain types of employment, or being a student, an individual’s ability to carry a load is an important mobility consideration. By understanding the changes to an individual’s gait when supporting a backpack load, an individual’s ability to carry heavy loads for prolonged periods could be improved. Most biomechanical studies have examined the changes in able-bodied gait when carrying a load. However, research is lacking on the effect of backpack loads on amputee gait patterns. This project examined the effects of a backpack load on the gait patterns of unilateral transtibial amputees. Ten participants performed walking trials on four surfaces (level ground, uneven ground, walking up an incline, and walking down an incline), without a pack and with a pack. A total of 40 trials were collected per subject, with 10 trials collected on each surface. Three-dimensional motion data were collected with an eight-camera Vicon Motion Analysis system to describe limb motion as well as compare kinematic outcomes between tasks and conditions. Force platform data were collected during the level ground trials and used to calculate kinetic measures for both limbs. With the addition of the pack changes were seen on each surface, with different changes occurring to each limb. The ramp up surface created the most changes when comparing the two conditions. The only change seen across all four surfaces was a decrease in ankle dorsiflexion before push-off on the prosthetic limb. The two next most common changes were increases in knee and hip flexion during weight-acceptance.

In the theoretical analysis of high speed rotor bearing systems, it is common to use four displacement and four velocity based coefficients, which characterise the behaviour of the lubricating fluid film. Although a great deal of work has been published establishing theoretical models of all types of hydrodynamic journal bearings, the large amount of experimental work has centred on relatively low speed conditions. This work presents a contribution to the experimental study of the static and dynamic characteristics of oil films in journal bearings used in high-speed rotating machinery. The main objectives of the work are: • To devise new experimental techniques for the measurement of dynamic coefficients suitable for use at high rotational speeds • To design, manufacture, assemble and commission a test facility to measure the static and dynamic characteristics of journal bearings at speeds up to 30000 rpm • To determine the static and dynamic characteristics of a 5 Pad Tilting Pad Journal Bearing Unit of 80 mm diameter at speeds up to 25 000 rpm using the said test facility. New techniques are particularly necessary for the measurement of velocity coefficients because these invoke the necessity of imposing a velocity on to the bearing housing and previous techniques have utilised synchronous motion of the bearing. Consequently a new experimental procedure for measuring the four velocity or damping coefficients of an oil film journal bearing from imposed dynamic "orbits" has been devised called the "double pulse" technique. All four velocity coefficients are derived from one imposed journal centre dynamic orbit and, therefore may be regarded as being obtained at the same time. The method requires the production of a "cross- over" point similar to that of a "figure of eight" shaped orbit and utilises the "cross-over" point therein. Coefficients are initially evaluated in a co-ordinate system, which is chosen to align with the designated parts of the measured orbit. Each coefficient is then evaluated from single values of instantaneous imposed force and resulting journal centre velocity. Coefficients are them converted into any other desired axes system. The result is a simpler experimental procedure, with reduced uncertainty compared to hitherto existing methods. The use of non-sinusoidal excitation of the oil film was explored, in the form of applying a step-pulse train load pattern to produce a cross-over pattern in the journal displacement ·orbit'. Experimental tests were completed on a tilting pad bearing at speeds up to 15 000 rpm inclusive. At speeds above this, the bearing exhibited a vibrational response, which precluded the accurate measurement of journal centre displacement.

The work described in this thesis aims to conduct a systematic study of the two stage turbocharging system to improve the Diesel engine transient performance as well as NOX and CO2 emissions with a focus on the improved turbocharger matching and the control of the charging system, through the use of high fidelity engine models backed by experimental results. To perform the analytical study, commercial 1D simulation software has been used in the process of system characterisation and control strategy design. To validate the analytical results, a two stage turbocharging system was installed on a production diesel engine and tested on a transient engine test bench. The test results were then used to further calibrate the 1D engine/turbocharger model. Several other technologies were also investigated in simulation to explore their potential to further improve the system. Unlike most studies in the literature, this project focused on the system benefit of the engine and turbochargers, instead of conducting optimisation solely at the component level. The engine global parameters, such as the engine fuel consumption, emission levels and the transient response were the main parameters to be considered and were also best suited to the strengths of the 1D simulation method. The interactive use of both the analytical and experimental methods was also a strong point of this study. A novel control strategy for the system was proposed and demonstrated in the simulation. Experiments confirmed the validity of this control strategy and provided data for further model calibration. The comparison of the test results of the baseline engine to those obtained with the two stage turbocharged engine system verified the benefits of the novel turbocharging arrangement and control scheme. Transient response (T1090) was improved, with a 50% faster torque rise at 1000 rpm; the fuel consumption over the NEDC was 4% lower and NOx emissions over the NEDC were 28% lower. In the meantime, the study also revealed shortcomings of the system, such as the lack of EGR control at low speed, low load condition and a mid-speed fuel consumption deterioration of 13% on average at 3000 rpm due to excessive back pressure. With a novel 1D model corroborated using test results, exploratory simulation was done to rectify the aforementioned shortcomings and to further improve the system. Simulation results showed that by implementing VGT and ball bearing technology in the high pressure stage of the two stage system, the EGR controllability at low speed was regained and the excessive back pressure at high speed was improved. Consequently, the fuel consumption was only increased by 1.3% compared to the baseline NEDC operation and the transient response was on par with the original two stage system, with only 0.05s slower in torque rise at 1000 rpm, and still 48% faster than the baseline VGT system. Furthermore, the NOx emission can be expected to be greatly improved in the upcoming more intensive drive cycles compared to the NEDC cycle, with simulation showing NEDC NOX emissions dropped by 1%, comparing to a substantial reduction of 11% in WLTC.

This diploma thesis is dedicated to mechnical desing, fabrication and assembly of experimental bearing testing rig. First part of the document contains research of current knowlege in the field of bearing testing and desings of currently used machines. In second part is conception of the testing rig described. Third part contains description of design variations that were designed. In Discussion is comented choices of final variants. Last part is dedicated to functional verification of the whole testing rig by first series of the tests.

Historical attempts to measure forces in magnetic bearings have been unsuccessful as a result of relatively high uncertainties. Recent advances in the strain-gauge technology have provided a new method for measuring magnetic bearing forces. Fiber optic strain gauges are roughly 100 times more sensitive than conventional strain gauges and are not affected by electro-magnetic interference. At the Texas A&M Turbomachinery Laboratory, installing the fiber-optic strain gauges in magnetic bearings has produced force measurements with low uncertainties. Dynamic flexibility transfer functions exhibiting noticeable gyroscopic coupling have been identified and compared with results of a finite element model. The comparison has verified the effectiveness of using magnetic bearings as calibrated exciters in rotordynamic testing. Many applications including opportunities for testing unexplained rotordynamic phenomena are now feasible.

No description available.

With the popularity of outdoor activities like hiking, the demands of certain types of employment, or being a student, an individual’s ability to carry a load is an important mobility consideration. By understanding the changes to an individual’s gait when supporting a backpack load, an individual’s ability to carry heavy loads for prolonged periods could be improved. Most biomechanical studies have examined the changes in able-bodied gait when carrying a load. However, research is lacking on the effect of backpack loads on amputee gait patterns. This project examined the effects of a backpack load on the gait patterns of unilateral transtibial amputees. Ten participants performed walking trials on four surfaces (level ground, uneven ground, walking up an incline, and walking down an incline), without a pack and with a pack. A total of 40 trials were collected per subject, with 10 trials collected on each surface. Three-dimensional motion data were collected with an eight-camera Vicon Motion Analysis system to describe limb motion as well as compare kinematic outcomes between tasks and conditions. Force platform data were collected during the level ground trials and used to calculate kinetic measures for both limbs. With the addition of the pack changes were seen on each surface, with different changes occurring to each limb. The ramp up surface created the most changes when comparing the two conditions. The only change seen across all four surfaces was a decrease in ankle dorsiflexion before push-off on the prosthetic limb. The two next most common changes were increases in knee and hip flexion during weight-acceptance.

It is preferable that control and bearing condition monitoring are integrated, as the condition of the system should influence control actions. As wind turbines mainly work in remote areas, it becomes necessary to develop a wireless platform for the control system. A fuzzy system with self-tuning mechanism was developed. The input speed error and speed change were selected to control the shaft speed, while the kurtosis and peak-to-peak values were used as another set of inputs to monitor the bearing conditions. To enhance effectiveness, wait-and-see (WAS) logic was used as the pre-processing step for the raw vibration signal. The system was implemented on the LabVIEW platform. Experiments have shown that the system can effectively adjust motor rotating speed in response to bearing conditions. For future studies, more advanced fault detection methods can be integrated with proper tuning mechanisms to enrich the performance and function of the controller.