As a result of concern about the effects of CO2 emssions on the global warming, there is increasing pressure to reduce such emissions from power generation systems. The use of biomass co-firing with coal in conventional pulverised fuel power plants has provided the most immediate route to introduce a class of fuel that is regarded as both sustainable and carbon neutral as it produces less net CO2 emissions. In the future it is anticipated that increased levels of biomass will be required to use in such systems to accomplish the desired CO2 emissions targets. The use of biomass, however, is believed to result in severe fireside corrosion of superheater and reheater tubing and cause unexpected early failures of tubes, which can lead to significant economic penalties. Moreover, future pulverised fuel power systems will need to use much higher steam temeptures and pressures to increase the boiler efficiency. Higher operating temperatures and pressures will also increase the risk of fireside corrosion damage to the boiler tubing and lead to shorter component life. Predicting the remaining service life of superheater and reheater tubes in coal-biomass fired power plants is therefore an important aspect of managing such power plants. The path to this type of failure of heat exchangers involves five processes: combustion, deposition, fireside corrosion, steam-side oxidation, and creep. Various models or partial models each of these processes are available from existing research, but to fully understand the impact of new fuel mixtures (i.e. biomass and coal) and changing operating conditions on such failures, an integrated model of all of these processes is required. This work has produced an integrated set of models and so predicted the remaining service life of superheater/reheater tubes based on the three frameworks which have been developed by analysing those models used in depicting the five processes: one was conceptual and the other two were based on mathematical model. In addition, the outputs of the integrated mathematical models were compared with the laboratory generated data from Cranfield University as well as historical data from Central Electricity Research Laboratories. Furthermore, alternative models for each process were applied in the model and the results were compared with other models results as well as with the experimental data. Based on these comparisons and the availability of models constants the best models were chosen in the integrated model. Finally, a sensitivity analysis was performed to assess the effect of different model input values on the residual life superheater and reheater tubing. Mid-wall metal temperature of tubes was found to be the most important factor affecting the remaining service life of boiler tubing. Tubing wall thickness and outer diameter were another critical input in the model. Significant differences were observed between the residual life of thin-walled and thick-walled tubes.

Metal pipes are sometimes swaged by a metal cone to enlarge them, which increases the strain in the material. The amount of strain is important because it affects the burst and collapse strength. Burst strength is the amount of internal pressure that a pipe can withstand before failure, while collapse strength is the amount of external pressure that a pipe can withstand before failure. If the burst or collapse strengths are exceeded, the pipe may fracture, causing critical failure. Such an event could cost the owners and their customers millions of dollars in clean up, repair, and lost time, in addition to the potential environmental damage. Therefore, a reliable way of estimating the burst and collapse strength of strained pipe is desired and valuable. The sponsor currently rates strained pipes using the properties of raw steel, because those properties are easily measured (for example, yield strength). In the past, the engineers assumed that the metal would be work-hardened when swaged, so that yield strength would increase. However, swaging introduces anisotropic strain, which may decrease the yield strength. This study measured the yield strength of strained material in the transverse and axial direction and compared them to raw material, to determine the amount of anisotropy. This information will be used to more accurately determine burst and collapse ratings for strained pipes. More accurate ratings mean safer products, which will minimize risk for the sponsor’s customers. Since the strained metal has a higher yield strength than the raw material, using the raw yield strength to calculate burst and collapse ratings is a conservative method. The metal has even higher yield strength after strain aging, which indicates that the stresses are relieved. Even with the 12% anisotropy in the strained and 9% anisotropy in the strain aged specimens, the raw yield strengths are lower and therefore more conservative. I recommend that the sponsor continue using the raw yield strength to calculate these ratings. I set out to characterize the anisotropic nature of swaged metal. As expected, the tensile tests showed a difference between the axial and transverse tensile strength. The correlation was 12% difference in yield strength in the axial and transverse directions for strained material and 9% in strained and aged material. This means that the strength of the metal in the hoop (transverse) direction is approximately 10% stronger than in the axial direction, because the metal was work hardened during the swaging process. Therefore, the metal is more likely to fail in axial tension than in burst or collapse. I presented the findings from the microstructure examination, standard tensile tests, and SEM data. All of this data supported the findings of the mini-tensile tests. This information will help engineers set burst and collapse ratings and allow material scientists to predict the anisotropic characteristics of swaged steel tubes.

Master thesis is focused on the influence of interference fit on rolling bearing life. The first part of thesis deals with the theoretical knowledge, that is necessary for the solution. The influence of interference fit was investigated of inner ring on shaft and outer ring in housing bore for recommended tolerance classes. Interference fit was solved on cylindrical roller bearing and tapered roller bearing. Analytical and numerical approach was used for the solution. A static analysis of bearing was made using program ANSYS Workbench in numerical section. The output of analysis was maximum shear stress under the contact surface, which result is contact fatigue of bearing. Bearing life was determined by life factor, which indicates bearing life with interference fit compared to bearing without interference fit.

This thesis primarily focused on the development of novel composite tubes by braiding. The objective was to use hierarchical scale technique, i.e., micro, meso and macro scales, with the transfer of information from one scale to another to develop novel braided composite tubes. This research was conducted and reported in three journal papers. The aim of the first paper was to predict plane elastic properties for E-glass/epoxy braided composite structures at different braid orientations, by analytical and finite element techniques. The lenticular shape has been used to describe the geometry of the tow. Modified lenticular geometric model was developed to improve an existing geometric model, in terms of tow parameters, thereafter, plane elastic properties from Chamis micromechanical model for E-glass fibre and epoxy matrix without any knockdown effects were used as benchmark to develop predictive models, namely; Lekhnitskii's methodology and braided unit cell meso-scale finite element model to account for the effects of tow geometry, undulations/crimp, cross-over and braid orientations on the plane elastic properties of E-glass/epoxy composite. The results showed agreement in trend between the predictive models, Chamis micromechanical model, and a similar existing model. However, the plane elastic properties were knocked down in predictive models by 30% in the E11 direction and 32% in the E22 direction, when compared with Chamis micro-mechanical model for largest ±65° braid angle, among the braid angles, considered. The aim of the second paper was to manufacture E-glass/epoxy braided tubes at different braid orientations by vacuum bag infusion technique, conduct internal pressure tests, and determine the hoop and axial moduli of the infused tubes. Lekhnitskii's methodology was also used to develop plane elastic moduli by experiment using microscopy results, and by calculation. The experimental elastic moduli of the infused tubes and the experimental elastic moduli from Lekhnitskii's methodology were used to compare the predictive elastic moduli for E-glass/epoxy braided structures by Chamis micro-mechanical model, and the braided unit cell meso-scale finite element model. The two were from another paper. Results showed a perfect agreement in trend between the experimental results and the predictive results. However, the values of the experimental results were close but lower than the predicted results. Optical microscopy was performed on braided tube cross-section to evaluate the level of crimp or undulation. This was done by the determination of tow centreline crimp angle and aspect ratio. Results show that when compared with the predicted crimp, there was an agreement in trend, although the experimental results were lower than the predicted. Also, the knockdown factor was evaluated and used to quantify the reduction in experimental elastic moduli when compared with the predicted. Results showed that the absences of crimp in the Chamis model caused a tremendous difference between it, other predicted models and the experiment results. The elastic moduli of Chamis were by far higher than all others, including other predictive models. The purpose of the third paper was to manufacture E-glass/epoxy braided tube at ±31°, ±45°, ±55°, ±65° braid orientations using vacuum bagging and resin infusion technique, to design and manufacture a rig for tube internal pressures experiment, to determine the hoop and axial stress performances of the tubes by internal pressure experiment, to compare experimental results with laminate analysis predictions to evaluate the effect of crimp on the internal pressure performance of the braided tubes. To use E-glass braided tow meso-scale unit cell finite element model to predict the tow critical stresses, and the optimum braided tube architecture, using tube hoop and axial failure stresses or strains. The tubes were manufactured and subjected to internal pressure test (2:1), to failure. Failure mode was by weeping and bursting. Hoop stress was twice the axial stress. The highest value of hoop stress was at the ±65° braid angle, higher than the hoop stresses at the ±31°, ±45°, and ±55 ° braid angles by 50%, 39%, and 28% respectively. Hoop stress increased with increase in braid angle. The experimental results were validated by laminate analysis predictions by Chamis micro-mechanical model and Lekhnitskii's methodology, and the trend of the laminate analysis prediction matched that of the experimental results. However, the predicted values were higher than the experimental results by 21%, 14%, 11%, 10% for the ±31°, ±45°, ±55°, ±65° braid angles for the Chamis micro-mechanical model and 5%, 7%, 7%, 5% for the ±31°, ±45°, ±55°, ±65 braid angles respectively for the Lekhnitskii's model, showing the severe effect of crimp in the experimental tube, mostly when compared with Chamis micro-mechanical model. Braided tow unit cell finite element model prediction, showed that tow axial stresses increased with increase in braid angle, while the tow transverse stresses decreased with increase in braid angle. The predictions showed that the tow critical stresses and the tube optimum braided architecture lie between the ±65° and 90° braid angles. The tow critical stresses are the stresses at which the tow decreasing transverse stress and the tow increasing axial stress causes the tube to fail.