A numerical study of the spatial stability of three-dimensional developing plane mixing layer

This paper is concerned with the hydrodynamic stability of the free shear llayer. The concern of this study lies in obtaining solutions for the viscous spatially three-dimensional stability corresponding to the classical self-similar velocity profile of the free shear layer. In this study several techniques are applied to resolve the serious numerical complication introduced by the finite domain and parasitic contamination of the solution. As the spanwise wave number decreases, the neutral stability occurs at higher frequencies, β. The maximum amplification rate (α _imax ) inereases when spanwise wave number decreases. The decrease of — α _imax with γ at a fixed Reynolds number is quite linear with the exception of low spanwise wave number (γ≤0.2).     

A study of the characteristics of a super water-saving toilet with flexible trapway by measuring accumulated flow rate

The issue of water shortages is aggravated with increased pollution and global warming. Given that water usage from toilets constitutes the majority of domestic water usage, water-savings realized through toilet use is one of the most effective ways to resolve water shortages. Therefore, a comparative analysis of the flushing and water-saving performances of a flexible-trapway toilet was conducted in this research. In addition, the flushing performance of the toilet was quantized through the development of a measurement method to measure the accumulated flow rate and mass flow rate of the trapway with respect to time. As a result, the flexible-trapway toilet yielded stable flushing and good filth emission performance with an inflow of 4 kg. However, the fixed-trapway toilet failed to generate a steady siphon with an inflow of 5 kg. An ultra-water-savings toilet that combines a flexible trapway and pressure assistance will be developed in the future.     

Interactions of a short-pulsed plane acoustic wave with complex rigid objects: a numerical study

Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology - In this paper, we numerically study interactions of a short-pulsed plane acoustic wave with complex rigid objects by solving the linearized Euler...     

Experimental study on heat transfer characteristics of internal heat exchangers for CO2 system under cooling condition

This paper presents the heat transfer characteristics of the internal heat exchanger (IHX) for CO₂ heat pump system. The influence on the IHX length, the mass flow rate, the shape of IHX, the operating condition, and the oil concentration was investigated under a cooling condition. Four kinds of IHX with a coaxial type and a micro-channel type, a mass flow meter, a pump, and a measurement system. With increasing of the IHX length, the capacity, the effectiveness, and the pressure drop increased. For the mass flow rate, the capacity of micro-channel IHX are higher about 2 times than those of coaxial IHX. The pressure drop was larger at cold-side than at hot-side. In the transcritical CO₂ cycle, system performance is very sensitive to the IHX design. Design parameters are closely related with the capacity and the pressure drop of CO₂ heat pump system. Along the operating condition, the performance of CO₂ IHXs is different remarkably. For oil concentration 1, 3, 5%, the capacity decreases and the pressure drop increased, as compared with oil concentration 0%. This paper was recommended for publication in revised form by Associate Editor Yong Tae Kang Prof. Young-Chul Kwon received his B.S. degree in Precision Mechanical Engineering from Pusan National University, Korea, in 1989. He then received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from POSTECH, in 1991 and 1996, respectively. Dr. Kwon is currently a Professor at the Division of Mechanical Engineering at Sunmoon University in Chungnam, Korea. He serves as a chief of the Institute of Automation and Energy Technology. Dr. Kwon’s research interests include heat exchanger, CO₂ cycle, heat pump, and energy recovery ventilator for HVAC&R. Mr. Dae-Hoon Kim is currently Doctoral student at the Mechanical Engineering from Hanyang University in Seoul, Korea. His research topics include experimental and numerical of CO₂ heatpump system. He has conducted a study on the Analysis of Refrigerating & Air-Conditioning Equipment Industry and Its Forecasting Supervising and Testing for Performance of Refrigerator, Freezer and Air-Conditioner. Prof. Jae-Heon Lee received his B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Seoul National University, Korea, in 1971. He then received his M.S. and Ph. D. degree from Seoul National University in 1977 and 1980, respectively. Dr. Lee is currently a Professor at the school of Mechanical Engineering at Hanyang University in Seoul, Korea. Dr. Lee is currently a president at the Korea Institute research interests include simulation of thermal fluid and Plant engineering and construction. Dr. Jun-Young Choi received his B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Yonsei University, Republic of Korea, in 1989. He then received his M.S. and Ph. D. degrees from Yonsei University in 1991 and 1999, respectively. Dr. Choi is currently a chief researcher with the 18 years experience on the energy performance testing of HVAC/R product. He is now assigned to the Energy Technology Center at Basic Industry Division at Korea Testing Laboratory. He has been involved in the development of Design and Manufacturing Technology for Air-Conditioner E.E.R. and Performance Testing Equipment for Cooling and Heating System with Non-CFCs, and natural refrigerants. He has conducted a study on the Analysis of Refrigerating & Air-Conditioning Equipment Industry and Its Forecasting Supervising and Testing for Performance of Refrigerator, Freezer and Air-Conditioner. Dr. Sang Jae Lee received his Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Hanyang University, KOREA, in 2008. Dr. Lee is currently a Researcher at the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology in Cheonan, Korea. Dr. Lee’s research interests CO₂ heatpump system, liquid desiccant air conditioning system and Micro heat exchanger.     

An experimental study on the cavitation vibration characteristics of a centrifugal pump at normal flow rate

Cavitation is a challenging flow abnormality that leads to undesirable effects on the energy performance of the centrifugal pump and the reliable operation of the pump system. The onset and mechanism of a phenomenon that results in unsteady cavitation must be realised to ensure a reliable operation of pumps under the cavitation state. This study focuses on cavitation instability at normal flow rate, at which point the unsteady cavitation occurs as the available net positive suction head (NPSHa) falls below 5.61 m for the researched pump. An ameliorative algorithm–united algorithm for cavitation vibration analysis is proposed on the basis of short time Fourier transform (STFT) and Wigner–Ville distribution (WVD). The STFT–WVD method is then tested using vibration data measured from the centrifugal pump. The relationship between vibration and suction performance indicates that the inception and development of cavitation can be effectively detected by the distribution and intensity of the united algorithm at the testing points. Intermediate frequency components at approximately 6 kHz fluctuate initially with the development of cavitation. A time–frequency characteristic is found to be conducive to monitoring the cavitation performance of centrifugal pumps.     

Effect of variable viscosity on thermal boundary layer over a permeable flat plate with radiation and a convective surface boundary condition

In this paper, the combined effects of radiation, temperature dependent viscosity, suction and injection on thermal boundary layer over a permeable flat plate with a convective heat exchange at the surface are investigated. By taking suitable similarity variables, the governing boundary layer equations are transformed into a boundary value problem of coupled nonlinear ordinary differential equations and solved numerically using the shooting technique with sixth-order Runge-Kutta integration scheme. The solutions for the velocity and temperature distributions together with the skin friction coefficient and Nusselt number depend on six parameters; Prandtl number Pr, Brinkmann number Br, the radiation parameter Ra, the viscosity variation parameter a, suction/injection parameter f _w and convection Biot number Bi. Numerical results are presented both in tabular and graphical forms illustrating the effects of these parameters on thermal boundary layer. The thermal boundary layer thickens with a rise in the local temperature as the viscous dissipation, wall injection, and convective heating each intensifies, but decreases with increasing suction and thermal radiation. For fixed Pr, Ra, Br and Bi, both the skin friction coefficient and the Nusselt number increase with a decrease in fluid viscosity and an increase in suction. A comparison with previously published results on special case of the problem shows excellent agreement.     

A computational study of annular cascade flows using aq-ω turbulence model with a wall function

A computational code has been developed for steady viscous flows in three dimensional annular cascades. This code solves a special form of the thin-layer Navier-Stokes equations with a two-equationq-ω turbulence model in curvilinear coordinates using a time asymptotic method for steady state solutions. It employs a scalar implicit approximate factorization in time and a finite volume formulation with second-order upwind-differencing in space. A wall function treatment is implemented at solid boundaries for turbulence equations instead of integration to the wall to relieve gridding requirements. In order to validate the effectiveness of this code, computational studies have been made to access modeling capability for complex turbulent flow fields in three dimensional annular cascade geometries which typically include laminar-turbulent boundary layer transition. The results have been compared with both the computational studies with integration to the wall and the experimental studies. The wall function treatment was found to be reliable by predicting secondary flows and loss contours reasonably well.     

Investigation of the turbulence characteristics in the swirling flow of a gun-type gas burner with two different hot-wire probes

Mean velocities and turbulence characteristics in the swirling flow of a gun-type gas burner (GTGB) were measured with a triaxial hot-wire probe (T-probe) and compared with previous data measured with an X-type hot-wire probe (Xprobe). Vectors and axial mean velocity data obtained by the measurement of the two types of probes in the horizontal plane and in the cross section differ in magnitude, but have very similar shape in overall distribution. Axial mean velocity components show especially wide differences around the slits and outer part of the swirl vanes within the range of X/R=2. Also, various turbulence intensities appear in a similar trend to axial mean velocity components within the range of X/R=2. The radial component of turbulence intensity around the slits and the outer part of swirl vanes above the range of X/R=2 has an opposite phenomenon. On the whole, the T-probe’s measurements appear smaller than the X-probe’s. This shows that the X-probe is better than the T-probe, especially on the swirling flow because it is much easier to use.     

CFD modelling of flow and mixing characteristics for multiple rows jets injected radially into a non-reacting crossflow

CFD parametric study was done of flow and mixing characteristics of coolant radial jets injected outwardly from a centerline multiple rows diffuser into a heated non-reacting crossflow in a cylindrical chamber in three-dimensional model using ANSYS-FLUENT 14.5. The effects of jet-mixing ratio, nozzles diameter, diffuser diameter, number of nozzles rows number of nozzles per row on the penetration depth and mixing quality through chamber cross section were parametrically studied. The simulation results were validated with the available experimental data and good agreement was obtained. The results showed that the nozzle diameter, the diffuser diameter and the jet-mixing ratio have remarkable effects on the penetration depth and the mixing quality compared to the effects of number of nozzles per row and the number of nozzle rows. The penetration depth at downstream, the jet diffuser exit and the mixing quality at centerline of chamber exit are increased ?46% & ?49%, respectively, with increasing the jet-mixing ratio from 0.1 to 0.5. Dimensionless correlations in terms of the studied parameters for predicting the penetration depth, mixing quality and maximum temperature difference were developed and presented.     

Numerical and experimental studies on the mixing characteristics of two jets with inclined angles in a rectangular chamber

Mixing characteristics in a rectangular chamber are investigated using experimental and numerical methods. A mixing chamber with an axial inlet (representing fuel inlet) and a side inlet (representing air inlet) is designed. Two jets with different momentum ratios through the two inlets are mixed in the chamber. Computational fluid dynamic simulation is validated by experimental data of particle image velocimetry that measures flow velocity distribution. The momentum ratios of the two jets and the height of the axial inlet significantly influence the penetration depth of axial jet into the mixing chamber and the pressure drops at recirculation zones.     

Boundary conditions for the calculation of the dynamic characteristics of infinitely long journal bearings with turbulence and inertia effects

A discussion is presented concerning the various pressure boundary conditions used in the calculation of the dynamic characteristics of infinitely long journal bearings under turbulent operating conditions including inertia effects. The dynamic characteristics of bearings such as the spring, damping and acceleration coefficients and the stability limit curves of a rigid rotor supported by two identical symmetrically aligned bearings are determined with four kinds of pressure boundary conditions. The calculated results for each condition are indicated in graphical form. It is concluded that the pressure boundary condition plays an important role in determining the dynamic characteristics when turbulent and inertia effects are included.     

On the prescribed inlet boundary condition with no buffer zone for the subsonic compressible laminar boundary layer with hybrid application of equations

Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology - In the computation of compressible Navier-Stokes equations for viscous flows, if a uniform boundary condition is enforced at the inlet of...     

Laser surface hardening of 42CrMo cast steel for obtaining a wide and uniform hardened layer by shaped beams

For laser surface hardening (LSH) of large-sized workpieces, a wide and uniform hardened layer of a single track is pursued. In this study, two kinds of shaped laser beams were used in LSH of 42CrMo cast steel to obtain the required hardened layer. One is a stripy spot with uniform-intensity array spots and the other a stripy spot with intensity blowup in the edge of the whole array spots. As a comparison, a Gaussian laser beam was also adopted. A three-dimensional finite element model was used to simulate the thermal history of specific points by the latter shaped beam and the Gaussian laser beam. The surface morphology, microstructure, microhardness, and uniformity of hardened layers were studied. The results showed that a wider and more uniform hardened layer could be obtained using the latter shaped beam at relative higher scanning velocities and laser power. The thermal history of a material has an important effect on the microstructure and microhardness finally formed. Due to the high peak temperature and heating rate caused by the latter shaped beam, a higher value of microhardness in the transformation hardened zone was found.     

Novelty detection for practical pattern recognition in condition monitoring of multivariate processes: a case study

Multivariate statistical process control (MSPC) can be applied for condition monitoring (CM) purposes. MSPC is implemented using a variety of techniques including neural networks (NNs). In situations when the number of process attributes is sufficiently large (e.g. 10 or more) concerns can arise with respect to training of NNs for pattern recognition. A classification method known as novelty detection (ND) can provide an effective alternative to conventional NN solutions that suffer from the above problem. Despite its great potential, ND is still unknown to the broad community of manufacturing engineers. This paper successfully demonstrates the ability of ND, using Gaussian mixture models, to notify operators of an end-milling process of the presence of faulty tool conditions. A significant achievement is that ND is used to identify abnormal time-series patterns as opposed to individual vectors of multiple simultaneous measurements related to abnormal conditions. Such patterns are found in windowed streams of signals related to 10 different process features (with an effective problem dimension of 140). The paper also investigates some of the issues related to implementation of ND for pattern recognition in condition monitoring .     

Performance assessment of PID and IMC tuning methods for a mixing process with time delay

A flow process with time delay has been considered for modeling and control. A dilute solution of sodium chloride is used as tracer and an online conductivity measurement unit as sensor and recorder. The objective of the current study is to design control algorithms and present corresponding robust control analysis for the process. The control methodologies considered are (i) conventional PID control and (ii) internal model control (IMC). The control structures are comparatively analyzed using standard robustness measures for stability and performance. Of the two control algorithms, conventional PID and IMC, IMC exhibits faster settling time, no overshoot, better set-point tracking and disturbance rejection, and good robust performance than the PID control scheme.     

A study of the characteristics for electrochemical micromachining with ultrashort voltage pulses

Electrochemical micromachining (EMM) has traditionally been used in highly specialized fields, such as those of the aerospace and defense industries. It is now increasingly being applied in other industries, where parts with difficult-to-cut material, complex geometry and tribology, and devices of microscopic-scale are required. EMM, which is not normally considered as a precision process, is presented in this paper. The application of voltage pulses between a tool electrode and a workpiece in an electrochemical environment allows the three-dimensional machining of conducting materials with micrometer precision. In this paper, tool electrodes (5 μm in diameter, 1 mm in length) are developed by EMM and microholes are manufactured using these tool electrodes. Microholes with a size of below 50 μm in diameter can be accurately achieved by using ultrashort voltage pulses (1–5 μs).     

On characteristics of flow around building models with a view to simulating the minimum fraction of the natural boundary layer

The results of an investigation of the characteristics of the flow around building models in terms of the various stagnation points are reported. The influence of the mean velocity profile, turbulence intensity, percentage boundary layer immersion ratio and the building model's aspect ratio on the location of the various stagnation points was studied from the point of view of simulating the minimum fraction of the atmospheric boundary layer in a wind tunnel for building aerodynamics investigations. It is suggested that the atmospheric boundary layer height of at least two to three times the building height should be simulated in a wind tunnel for studying the effects of strong and gusty winds on buildings and structures.     

Determination of the optimal production run and the optimal initial means of a process with dependent multiple quality characteristics subject to a random deterioration

In this paper, a process is considered which has multiple dependent quality characteristics. This process is subject to deterioration with time. The deterioration occurs due to assignable causes at a random point in time. The occurrence time of the assignable causes are assumed to follow two types of distribution functions: exponential and uniform. Earlier research did not consider the dependency of multiple quality characteristics in deteriorating states. A mathematical model is developed for this problem to minimise the cost of quality, process adjustments, maintenance and defects. A generalised reduced gradient search algorithm is used to find the parameters to minimise total cost per unit time for a number of numerical examples. Sensitivity analysis of the given model is also presented.     

New roller for a mill with adjustable flexure of the working-roller barrel in the horizontal plane

A new roller for a mill with adjustable flexure of the intermediate rollers in the horizontal plane is described. The new design permits the production of strip with minimal transverse thickness variation and nonplanarity.     

Method of a net operator for the synthesis of a spacecraft descent control system with uncertain initial conditions

The problem of the synthesis of spacecraft control during the descending stage in the Earth’s atmosphere is considered. The control target is a given point hit at a certain altitude and the minimization of the maximal value of the load factor. The control is searched for in the form of a nonlinear relationship of space coordinates. The found control is shown to be less susceptible to a variation in the initial angle of the flight path inclination at the entry into the atmosphere than the optimal control, which is a function of time. For the search of the control, a method of genetic programming with a net operator is used.