Detailed surface pressure measurements have been made on a NACA 0015 immersed in two grid generated homogenous flows at Re = 1.17 x 10⁶ for a = 0°, 4°, 8°, 12°, 16°, and 20°. The goal of this measurement was to reveal and highlight mean loading and turbulence scale effects on surface pressure fluctuations resulting from turbulence/airfoil interaction. Also, measurements are compared with the theory of Amiet (1976a,b). The surface pressure response shows a dependance on angle of attack, the nature of which is related to the relative chord/turbulence scale. The dependance on turbulence scale appears to be non-monotonic at low reduced frequencies, wr = Pi*f*c/U with both an increase and decrease in unsteady pressure magnitude occurring with increasing mean load. A reduced frequency overlap region exists at wr > 10 where the two different scale flows begin to produce similar effects on the surface pressure with increasing angle of attack manifesting as a rise in unsteady surface pressure magnitude. Also, the interaction of the full 3-dimensional wavenumber spectrum affects the distance over which pressure fluctuations correlate and the extent of correlation is affected by angle of attack as demonstrated in the chordwise and spanwise pressure correlation. Amiet's theory is shown to agree favorably with measurements in the leading edge region although demonstrates insufficiencies in predicting unsteady pressure phasing. / Master of Science

Rotating blades are considered to be the one of the most common cause of failures in rotating machinery. Blade failure modes normally occur as a result of cracks due to unexpected operating conditions, which are normally caused by accidents of foreign objects damage, high cycle fatigue, blade rubbing, blade root looseness, and degradation from erosion and corrosion. Thus, detection of blade faults has an important role in reducing blade related failures and allowing repairs to be scheduled for the machinery. This in turn will lead to reduction in maintenance costs and thus raise productivity and safety aspects of operation. To maintain vital components of rotating machines, such as blades, shafts, bearings and gear boxes, at optimal levels, detection of failures in such components is important, because this will prevent any serious damage that could affect performance. This research study involves laboratory tests on a small rig with a bladed disc rotor that applied vibration measurements and analysis for blade fault detection. Three measurements: shaft torsional vibration, on-bearing vibration (OBV) and on-casing vibration (OCV), are used. A small test rig of a single stage bladed disc holding 8-blades was designed and manufactured, to carry out this research study to assess the usefulness and capability of each vibration technique in detection of incipient defects within machine blades. A series of tests was conducted on a test rig for three different cases of blade health conditions: (a) healthy blade(s) with mistuned effects, (b) blade root looseness and (c) cracks in a blade on two different blade sizes (long and short blades) in order to discover changes in blades' dynamic behaviour during the machine running-up operation. The data were collected using the three measurements during machine run-up and then recorded. The measured vibration data were analysed by computing the blades' resonance at different engine orders (EOs) related to the blade(s) resonance frequencies and their higher harmonics, to understand the blade(s) dynamics behaviour for the cases of healthy and faulty blade(s). Data have been further processed using a polar plot presentation method which provides clear results that can be used for monitoring blade integrity. To validate the obtained experimental results, a simplified mathematical model was also developed. Finally, a comparative study between three methods was undertaken to understand the relative advantages and limitations in the blade heath monitoring.

The thesis contains basic information about propeler turbines. It deals with the correct location in the fountain so as to ensure the highest possible performance. Part of the work is devoted to the all-weather resulting blade to blade channels and their impact on the room is filled with diffuser.

Magíster en Ciencias de la Ingeniería, Mención Mecánica / Este estudio presenta el análisis de una turbina eólica de eje horizontal que utiliza cilindros en rotación, en lugar de aspas con perfiles alares. El principio de funcionamiento de este generador eólico es el efecto Magnus, el cual sucede cuando las aspas cilíndricas se ponen en rotación y se da una interacción entre la corriente de viento incidente y el aire que es arrastrado por las paredes de los cilindros en movimiento. De esta forma se obtiene la sustentación que pone en movimiento la turbina. El objetivo buscado es caracterizar este tipo de turbina y buscar sus posibles aplicaciones en ambientes urbanos, mediante modelos numéricos y matemáticos que permitan determinar los parámetros de funcionamiento de las turbinas eólicas Magnus de eje horizontal. Se incluye un análisis teórico del efecto Magnus mediante la teoría de Flujo Potencial, con el cual se logra obtener una expresión analítica de la fuerza que produce este efecto sobre un cilindro en rotación, partiendo de un flujo irrotacional, incompresible y no viscoso. Para estudiar el desempeño de la turbina, se propone un método numérico no iterativo, que es implementado en un código que permite predecir el rendimiento de turbinas de eje horizontal, el cual es validado con mediciones experimentales de turbinas convencionales. Posteriormente se adecúa el código para aplicarlo a turbinas Magnus y con ello se obtiene el comportamiento de la curva de potencia ante variaciones en la geometría y cantidad de cilindros, así como las velocidades angulares de la turbina y del aspa cilíndrica. Los resultados de las simulaciones numéricas se procesan para obtener un modelo matemático del comportamiento de la turbina, el cual permite definir parámetros óptimos de operación y establecer un valor máximo de 0,2 para el coeficiente de potencia de este generador eólico, en el marco de su aplicación en ambientes urbanos.

This investigation studies the leakage flows over the high pressure turbine blade tip at high speed flow conditions. There is an unavoidable gap between the un-shrouded blade tip and the engine casing in a turbine stage, where the pressure difference between the pressure and the suction surfaces of the blade gives rise to the development of leakage flows through this gap. These flows contribute to about one third of the aerodynamic losses in a turbine stage. In addition they expose the blade tip to a very high temperature and result in thermal damages which reduce the blade‟s operational life. Therefore any improvement on the tip design to reduce these flows has a significant impact on the engine‟s efficiency and turbine blade‟s operational life. At the engine operational condition, the leakage flows over the high pressure turbine blade tip are mostly transonic. On the other hand literature survey has shown that most of the studies on the tip leakage flows have been performed at low speed conditions and there are only a few experimental works on the transonic tip flows. This project aims to explore the tip leakage flows at high speed condition which is the real engine condition, both experimentally and computationally and establish a comprehensive understanding of these flows on different tip geometries. The effect of tip geometry was studied using the flat tip and the cavity tip models and the effect of in-service burnout on these two tip models was established using the radius-edge flat tip and the radius-edge cavity tip models. The experimental work was carried out in the transonic wind tunnel of Queen Mary University of London and the computational simulations were performed using RANS and URANS. As the flow approached each tip model it turned and accelerated around its leading edge in the same way as the flow turns around the leading edge of an aerofoil. In the case of the tip models with sharp edges the tip flow separated at the inlet to the tip gap. For the flat tip model the flow reattachment occurred further downstream whereas in the case of the cavity tip model the length of the pressure side rim was not sufficient for the reattachment to occur and the separated flow left the rim as a free shear layer. The cavity tip model was found to have a smaller effective tip gap and hence smaller discharge coefficient in comparison to the flat tip model. For the radius-edge tip models, no separation occurred at the inlet to the tip gap and the effective tip gap was found to be the same as the geometrical tip gap. Therefore it was concluded that the tip model with radius-edges had a larger effective tip gap and hence a greater discharge coefficient than the tip geometry with sharp edges. It was observed that in the case of the supersonic tip leakage flows, decreasing the pressure ratio PR (i.e. the ratio of the static pressure at the tip gap exit to the stagnation pressure at the inlet to the tip gap) increased the discharge coefficient Cd for the tip models with sharp edges but it decreased the Cd value in the case of the tip models with radius edges. The cavity tip model with sharp edges was found to have the smallest discharge coefficient and thus the best performance in reducing the tip leakage flows as compared to all the other tip models studied in this investigation.

Considerando a importância da maciez dentre os atributos de qualidade de carnes, a necessidade do estabelecimento de um método mais rápido e moderno, que forneça resultados mais precisos, com baixa variabilidade e que possa ser utilizado para a determinação da maciez instrumental de diferentes cortes cárneos é uma demanda evidente. Sendo assim, o objetivo desta tese foi estudar a maciez instrumental de diferentes cortes cárneos bovinos, testando diferentes temperaturas finais de cocção e tempos de resfriamento no preparo das amostras e utilizando diferentes equipamentos, bem como estabelecer correlações entre a maciez instrumental e diversos outros atributos de qualidade de carnes. Foram avaliados os efeitos de três temperaturas finais de cocção (65, 70 e 75 °C) e dois tempos de resfriamento das amostras (4 e 24 horas) e ainda a utilização de três diferentes equipamentos (Texturômetro TAXT2icon equipado com lâminas de 1 e 3 mm de espessura e Warner-Bratzler clássico) na determinação da força de cisalhamento de cinco cortes cárneos bovinos. Os cortes foram caracterizados quanto aos atributos pH, índice de fragmentação miofibrilar, temperaturas de desnaturação das proteínas Actina e Miosina, cor instrumental, teor de colágeno, comprimento de sarcômeros, composição química e perda de peso por cocção. Foram determinadas as correlações lineares entre estes atributos, entre estes atributos e as forças de cisalhamento e entre as forças de cisalhamento. Foram estudados ainda, os comportamentos mecânico e estrutural dos cortes durante a realização dos testes de determinação da força de cisalhamento por meio da microestrutura das superfícies cisalhadas e das curvas mecânicas geradas durante os testes no texturômetro. Não houve efeito significativo do tempo de resfriamento nos resultados dos testes de determinação da força de cisalhamento. O Texturômetro com lâmina de 1 mm produziu valores mais baixos, enquanto que o Warner-Bratzler provocou os maiores valores. O Texturômetro com lâmina de 3 mm provocou menor precisão nos resultados. Em quase todos os casos, a temperatura de 65 °C produziu os menores valores de força de cisalhamento, enquanto que a utilização de 75 °C provocou os maiores valores. Foram observadas baixas correlações entre os atributos de qualidade avaliados e a força de cisalhamento dos cortes em estudo. Foram determinadas quatro equações de predição de força de cisalhamento de uma técnica com base nos resultados de outra. Os equipamentos e temperaturas finais de cocção utilizados ocasionaram diferentes comportamentos mecânicos e estruturais nos cortes cárneos avaliados. O Texturômetro com lâmina de 1 mm produziu menor variação nos resultados mas ao mesmo tempo, na maioria dos casos, provocou corte ao invés de cisalhamento nas amostras. Foi possível concluir que a utilização de diferentes equipamentos e pequenas variações na temperatura final de cocção das amostras pode ser uma grande fonte de variação nos resultados de testes de determinação da força de cisalhamento de carnes e que comparações entre resultados devem ser feitas com cautela observando estes detalhes. / Considering the importance of tenderness among the meat quality attributes, the need to establish a faster and more modern method that provides more accurate results with low variability and can be used to determine the instrumental tenderness of different meat cuts is an obvious demand. Thus, the objective of this thesis was to study the instrumental tenderness of different beef cuts, by testing different cooking endpoint temperatures and cooling times in the sample preparation step and using different equipment, as well as to establish correlations among the instrumental tenderness and several other meat quality attributes. The effects of using three cooking endpoint temperatures (65, 70 and 75 °C) and two cooling times of the samples (4 and 24 hours) and the use of three different equipment (TAXT2icon Texturometer equipped with shear blades of 1 and 3 mm thick, and a classical Warner-Bratzler) in the shear force determination of five beef cuts were evaluated. The cuts were evaluated for pH, myofibrillar fragmentation index, denaturation temperatures of Actin and Myosin proteins, instrumental color, collagen content, sarcomere length, chemical composition and cooking loss. Linear correlations between these attributes, between these attributes and shear force results and between shear force results were determined. The mechanical and structural behaviors of the cuts during the shear force tests were studied through the microstructure of the sheared surfaces and the mechanical curves generated during the tests in the texturometer. There was no significant effect of the cooling time on shear force results. The texturometer equipped with a 1 mm blade produced lower values, while Warner-Bratzler produced the higher ones. The texturometer equipped with a 3 mm blade resulted in decreased precision in the results. In most cases, the temperature of 65 °C produced the lowest shear force values, whereas the use of 75 °C resulted in the highest ones. Low correlations among the quality attributes evaluated and the shear force results of the cuts under study were observed. Four prediction equations of shear force were determined from one technique based on the results of another. The equipment and cooking endpoint temperatures used resulted in different mechanical and structural behaviors in the beef cuts evaluated. The texturometer equipped with a 1 mm blade produced less variation in the results, but at the same time, in most cases, it caused cutting rather than shearing of the samples. It is possible to conclude that the use of different equipment and small variations in the cooking endpoint temperature of the samples may be a great source of variation in the meat shear force results and that comparisons between results should be made with caution and observing these details.

A fundamental aerodynamic analysis technique for a single straight fixed wing has been expounded upon and turned into a modern technique that can analyze multiple wings of more realistic shapes common on aircraft. This modern technique is extended further to apply towards propellers. A method to overcome propeller analysis problems at low airspeeds is presented. This method is compared to more traditional propeller analysis techniques.

In this study, loss and loading characteristics of compressor tandem blades are evaluated. Whole study was focused on change of the total camber so called turning angle. Effects of camber change were investigated in terms of loss and loading characteristics. Methodology was increasing overall camber first by aligning angular positions of blades and second, if required, using more cambered airfoils. 2-dimensional cascade flow CFD analyses were performed to obtain loss-loading information of different tandem blade combinations. Acquired results were compared with the classical axial compressor blades&rsquo / loading and loss characteristics which were obtained from literature. Results showed that most of the time tandem blade configuration performed better than the single blade counterpart in 2-dimensional cascade flow. Lastly, to clarify the benefit of the study and present the gained performance in numbers, only one cascade flow CFD analysis was performed for a classical single compressor blade. Loss and loading results were compared with the tandem blade counterpart where single and tandem configurations both having the same degree of camber. It was clearly seen that tandem blade performed better again.

This work develops a methodology for full engine FEA simulation of the fan blade off containment test for a jet engine using LS-Dyna. The fan blade off containment test is a safety requirement involving the intentional release of a fan blade when the engine is running at full power. The released blade must not pierce or fracture the engine cases during the impact or rotating unbalance. The novel feature of the LS-Dyna simulation is the extensive full engine geometry as well as the widespread use of nonlinearities (mainly plasticity and friction) to absorb the large kinetic energies of the engine rotors. The methodology is simple to use, runs quickly and is being recognized by industry as a contender for widespread implementation. Future applications look promising enough that the methodology warrants further development and refinement.

This work develops a methodology for full engine FEA simulation of the fan blade off containment test for a jet engine using LS-Dyna. The fan blade off containment test is a safety requirement involving the intentional release of a fan blade when the engine is running at full power. The released blade must not pierce or fracture the engine cases during the impact or rotating unbalance. The novel feature of the LS-Dyna simulation is the extensive full engine geometry as well as the widespread use of nonlinearities (mainly plasticity and friction) to absorb the large kinetic energies of the engine rotors. The methodology is simple to use, runs quickly and is being recognized by industry as a contender for widespread implementation. Future applications look promising enough that the methodology warrants further development and refinement.