Inverse estimation of properties for charring material using a hybrid genetic algorithm

Fire characteristics can be analyzed more realistically by using more accurate material properties related to the fire dynamics and one way to acquire these fire properties is to use one of the inverse property estimation techniques. In this study an optimization algorithm which is frequently applied for the inverse heat transfer problems is selected to demonstrate the procedure of obtaining fire properties of a solid charring material with relatively simple chemical structure. Thermal decomposition is occurred at the surface of the test plate by receiving the radiative energy from external heat sources and in this process the heat transfer through the test plate can be simplified by an unsteady one dimensional problem. The input parameters for the analyses are the surface temperature and mass loss rate of the char plate which are determined from the actual experiment of from the unsteady one-dimensional analysis with a given set of eight properties. The performance of hybrid genetic algorithm (HGA) is compare with a basic genetic algorithm (GA) in order to examine its performance. This comparison is carried out for the inverse property problem of estimating the fire properties related to the reaction pyrolysis of some relatively simple materials; redwood and red oak. Results show that the hybrid genetic algorithm has better performance in estimating the eight pyrolysis properties than the genetic algorithm.     

Friction and Wear Properties of MoS<Subscript>2</Subscript>-Overcoated Laser Surface-Textured Silver-Containing Nickel-Based Alloy at Elevated Temperatures

The solid lubricant that is coated on a flat surface is easily removed during friction. Surface texture dimples, which act as reservoirs of solid lubricant, can prolong the wear life of solid lubricant films. We textured silver-containing nickel-based alloys by a pulse laser and filled the micro-dimples with molybdenum disulfide powders. The tribological properties of the alloys were tested by rubbing against alloyed steel on a ring-on-disk tribometer at temperatures ranging from room temperature to 600°C . After laser surface texturing, the friction coefficients of the silver-containing nickel-based alloy smeared with molybdenum disulfide powders were reduced at temperatures ranging from room temperature to 400°C. With increasing dimple density, the wear life of the MoS₂ film increased while the wear rate of the nickel-based alloy decreased. The wear life of the textured surface with a dimple density of 11.2% exceeded 10,000 m at room temperature. We conclude that molybdenum disulfide and its oxides stored in the micro-dimples play a role in lubrication at room temperature and high temperatures, respectively.     

Analytic study on structural behavior of the string bed in a tennis racket

The structural behavior of string bed of tennis rackets was investigated subjected to transverse force perpendicular to the string bed. The mathematical model developed for the string bed was implemented into a computer programming code. This code was used to conduct extensive parametric studies on the structural behavior of the string bed for various parameters, including string tension, axial rigidity of the string, string spacing and head size. The analysis results showed that while the transverse stiffness of the string bed is proportional to the string tension, the transverse stiffness of the string bed is inversely proportional to string spacing and head size. In addition, the axial rigidity of the string significantly amplifies the transverse stiffness of the string bed for relatively large transverse deflection of the string bed.     

Calculation of water droplet impingement using the coupled method of rigid body dynamics and the moving particle semi-implicit method

When a liquid droplet impacts on a solid surface, it recoils to the center of that surface after reaching its maximum spreading diameter. The mechanism of droplet recoiling is not fully understood. To simulate this recoiling of a droplet, a particle method is a good choice because it does not require grids for simulating fluid motions, and can easily handle a large deformation of fluid. In this study, the coupled method of rigid body dynamics and the moving particle semi-implicit (MPS) method (Park and Jeun, 2011) was used to calculate three-dimensional droplet impingement. Also, the previous surface tension model for MPS (Nomura et al., 2001) was revised to get a more realistic surface tension force. A two-step calculation was performed. In the first step, a MPS calculation was performed with particles that were considered to have no mass or volume. In the second step, rigid body dynamics came into the calculation and considered the diameters of particles being slightly lesser than the initial distance between particles. In this study, the calculated results were compared with the measured data (Kim and Chun, 2000) and the recoiling lengths of droplets for the various initial impingement speeds were estimated.     

Numerical study on the hydrodynamic control derivatives of a high-speed underwater vehicle with X-stern configuration

A numerical study using a computational fluid dynamics approach is conducted on the control effectiveness of a high-speed underwater vehicle with an X-stern configuration. The calculation method is verified by comparing its results with the calculation results and measurements of control derivatives of an underwater vehicle with a cruciform stern configuration. The results of the study show that the control effectiveness of a high-speed underwater vehicle is improved by about 40% in terms of control derivatives, when the cruciform stern configuration is replaced with an X-stern configuration.     

Enhanced friction model for high-speed right-angle gear dynamics

The modeling of elastohydrodynamic lubrication friction and the analysis of its dynamic effect on right-angle gears, such as hypoid and spiral bevel types are performed in the present study. Unlike the classically applied empirical constant coefficient of friction at the contacting tooth surfaces, the enhanced physics-based gear mesh friction model is both spatial and time-varying. The underlying formulation assumes mixed elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) condition in which the division and load distribution between the full film and asperity contact zones are determined by the film thickness ratio and load sharing coefficient. In the proposed time-varying friction model, the calculation of friction coefficient is performed at each contact grid inside the instantaneous contact area that is being subjected to mineral oil lubrication. The effective friction coefficient and directional parameters synthesized from the net frictional and normal contact forces are then incorporated into a nonlinear time-varying right-angle gear dynamic model. Using this model, the effect of friction on the gear dynamic response due to the transmission error and mesh excitations is analyzed. Also, parametric studies are performed by varying torque, surface roughness and lubrication properties to understand the salient role of tooth sliding friction in gear dynamics. The simulation results are included. But experimental verification is needed.     

Thermal analysis on the letter mark spot of the corvette Cheonan-hit torpedo

Dispute is going on over the letter mark on the torpedo that is believed to have sunk the Korean corvette Cheonan in March, 2010. This research is made to investigate if the spot has experienced temperature high enough to burn, which can be proof of later fabrication. Conditions to maximize the heating are introduced and the temperature is calculated numerically as the explosion ‘bubble’ expands underwater, the gas stream heats the disk front surface and heat is conducted to the letter-written rear surface. Results show less than 20°C rise everywhere in the torpedo propulsion part and essentially no temperature rise on the letter mark over extensive tests. Therefore, the assertion that the letter mark should have been burnt turns out to be fallacious.     

Gap-flow patterns behind twin-cylinders at low Reynolds number

The flow structures, drag coefficients (C _d ) and vortex shedding characteristics around a single square cylinder and twin side-by-side square cylinders were experimentally investigated with various Reynolds numbers (Re) and gap ratios (g*) in a vertical water tunnel. The Reynolds number (Re) and gap ratio (g*) were 178 < Re < 892 and 0 ≤ g* ≤ 2.5, respectively. The flow patterns and vortex shedding frequency were determined using the particle tracking flow visualization (PTFV). The flow structures, velocity properties, and drag coefficients were calculated using the particle image velocimetry (PIV). The topological flow patterns of vortex evolution processes were plotted and analyzed based on critical point theory. Furthermore, the flow structures behind twin side-by-side square cylinders were classified into three modes — single vortex-street mode, gap-flow mode and couple vortex-streets mode. The maximum C _d occurred in the single vortex-street mode, and the minimum C _d occurred in the gap-flow mode. The highest Strouhal number (St) occurred in the single vortex-street mode, and the lowest St occurred in the gap-flow mode.     

Analysis of guide modes in vertical hot ring rolling and their effects on the ring’s dimensional precision using FE method

In the vertical hot ring rolling (VHRR) process, roundness, outer radius, and width spread are three important indexes to the formed ring’s dimensional precision. In this paper, features of the guide modes of the VHRR process, such as single fixed guide mode (SFGM) and single follow-up guide mode (SFUGM), are analyzed to investigate their effects on the ring’s dimensional precision. The geometrical models of all the guide modes are then established and reliable three-dimensional coupled thermal-mechanical elastic-plastic FE models of the VHRR process are developed in ABAQUS/Explicit. Some key technologies, such as the guide roller’s motion control, are reasonably dealt with. The research results show that: (1) The roundness of the rings rolled by SFUGM is obviously superior to that of the ring rolled by SFGM. (2) With the same feed amount, the outer radius of the ring rolled by SFGM is always larger than that of the rings rolled by SFUGM. (3) During the rolling process of the ring rolled by SFGM, severe eccentricity will exist at the ring’s center, which is not obvious in the rolling process of the ring rolled by SFUGM. (4) The average value of width spread of the ring rolled by SFGM is slightly larger than that of the rings rolled by SFUGM. The research results can yield an understanding of some phenomena in the VHRR process. The modeling methods presented in this paper have general significance in the study of the VHRR process of the ring with complex profile.     

A numerical study on parameter control for remelted coating processes

A parametric finite element analysis was carried out to investigate the relation between processing parameters in remelted coating processes (e.g. remelting power, beam diameter, and scanning speed) and thermal behavior of the coating/substrate system such as dilution, melt pool, and heat affected zone. In the simulation, nickel-based alloys and alumina are studied as coatings deposited on AISI 1040 carbon steel substrate. A wide range of processing parameters are investigated. Scanning speed ranges from 5 to 100mm/s. Machining beam radius is taken from 0.5 to 3mm. It is found that the dilution is very sensitive to the re-melting power, scanning speed and machining beam radius. The role of the preheating temperature of the coating/substrate system is also considered. Significant reductions in remelting power of around 20%, 30% and 40% can be seen when the coating/substrate system is preheated at 250, 500 and 750°C, respectively. Numerical results provide useful suggestions for a re-melting process in practice.