Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Static and Dynamic Characteristics of Bio-Oils and SAE40 in Fluid Film Journal Bearing.

Mineral-based oils are the market leaders when it comes to their consumption in different types of rotating machines. Recently, a lot of attention has been given to the bio-oils and lubricants due to their better thermophysical, tribological, and environmental characteristics for use in journal bearing and other rotating machines. The superior physical properties of bio-oils have instigated this research in order to evaluate their dynamic characteristics that can cause the harmful dynamic instabilities in rotating machinery. The dynamic characteristics of the fluid film are influenced by temperature, eccentricity ratio, and rotational speed. In this work, the effect of temperature is experimentally measured on the dynamic viscosity of bio-oils and mineral-based oil. The dynamic viscosity measured is then computationally used to estimate the hydrodynamic pressure response of three bio-oils (rapeseed, palm olein, and soybean) and SAE40, a mineral-based oil, to check their performance in the rotor bearing system. It is found that at 40 °C, the hydrodynamic pressure for SAE40 is observed to be 2.53, 2.72, and 3.32 times greater than those of rapeseed, palm olein, and soybean oil, respectively, whereas, at 125 °C, the hydrodynamic pressure for SAE40 is observed to be 8% and 4.3% less than those of rapeseed and palm olein, respectively, but 14% greater than that of soybean oil. Hence, the increasing temperature has less effect on the viscosity and hydrodynamic pressure of bio-oils compared to SAE40. Therefore, for high-temperature applications, the bio-oils can be used with further processing. The superior response of bio-oils is also an indication for better dynamic characteristics.

An Experimental Investigation of Static Properties of Bio-Oils and SAE40 Oil in Journal Bearing Applications.

Considerable research has been conducted in the past decade and a half regarding the bio-lubricants potential to replace mineral-based lubricants as mainstream lubricants such as engine oil, hydraulic oil, compressor oil, and metalworking oil. This study studied several bio-lubricants (rapeseed oil, palm olein, and soybean oil) and a mineral-based lubricant, SAE40. The bio-lubricants have better physiochemical, tribological characteristics and environmental friendly nature, and are promising to replace mineral-based lubricants. In this study, a journal bearing test rig (JBTR) was developed in order to investigate the effect of journal speed on the temperature of oil film with time. Additionally, the load-carrying capacity of bio-oils was tested against the mineral-based lubricant SAE40 by adding a load on the journal. For all three speeds, i.e., 1000, 1500, and 2000 rpm, the bio-lubricants recorded minimum temperature. At 1000 rpm, rapeseed oil recorded a 9.2% lower temperature than SAE40. Similarly, at 2000 rpm, rapeseed oil recorded a minimum temperature that was 2.5% lower than SAE40; in comparison, at 1500 rpm, palm olein recorded a minimum temperature that was 1.8% less than SAE40. Overall, the results of this study revealed that bio-oils recorded a lower temperature rise than mineral oil. These results are very encouraging for further research in this area.

Karman Vortex Creation Using Cylinder for Flutter Energy Harvester Device.

This study presents the creation of a Karman vortex for a fluttering electromagnetic energy harvester device using a cylinder. The effects of two parameters, which are the diameter and the position of the cylinder, were investigated on the Karman vortex profile and the amplitude of the fluttering belt, respectively. A simulation was conducted to determine the effect of the creation of the Karman vortex, and an experiment was performed to identify influence of the position of the cylinder on the fluttering belt amplitude. The results demonstrated that vortex-induced vibration occurred at the frequency of the first natural mode for the belt at 3 cm and 10 cm for the diameter and position of the cylinder, respectively. Under such configuration, an electromagnetic energy harvester was attached and vibrated via the fluttering belt inside the turbulent boundary layers. This vibration provides a measured output voltage and can be used in wireless sensors.

New regression model for predicting hand-arm vibration (HAV) of Malaysian Army (MA) three-tonne truck steering wheels.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to present a new method for determination of hand-arm vibration (HAV) in Malaysian Army (MA) three-tonne truck steering wheels based on changes in vehicle speed using regression model and the statistical analysis method known as Integrated Kurtosis-Based Algorithm for Z-Notch Filter Technique Vibro (I-kaz Vibro). METHODOLOGY: The test was conducted for two different road conditions, tarmac and dirt roads. HAV exposure was measured using a Brüel & Kjær Type 3649 vibration analyzer, which is capable of recording HAV exposures from steering wheels. The data was analyzed using I-kaz Vibro to determine the HAV values in relation to varying speeds of a truck and to determine the degree of data scattering for HAV data signals. RESULTS: Based on the results obtained, HAV experienced by drivers can be determined using the daily vibration exposure A(8), I-kaz Vibro coefficient (Ƶ(v)(∞)), and the I-kaz Vibro display. The I-kaz Vibro displays also showed greater scatterings, indicating that the values of Ƶ(v)(∞) and A(8) were increasing. Prediction of HAV exposure was done using the developed regression model and graphical representations of Ƶ(v)(∞). The results of the regression model showed that Ƶ(v)(∞) increased when the vehicle speed and HAV exposure increased. DISCUSSION: For model validation, predicted and measured noise exposures were compared, and high coefficient of correlation (R(2)) values were obtained, indicating that good agreement was obtained between them. By using the developed regression model, we can easily predict HAV exposure from steering wheels for HAV exposure monitoring.

Using the pressure transmission coefficient of a transmitted wave to evaluate some of the mechanical properties of refractory metals.

Refractory metals have attracted increasing interest in recent years because of their use in many high-temperature applications. However, the characteristics of these metals calculated using loaded tests (such as tensile strength tests) differ considerably from those calculated using one of the most famous methods in NDT which is called time of flying of the wave (TOF).The present study presents two solutions based on calculating the pressure transmission coefficient (PTC) of the transmitted wave between the test sample and magnesium metal. The first is based on the development of a highly accurate algorithm that lowers the cost by determining the acoustic impedance of the test specimen to calculating mechanical properties. Up to 26 theoretical tests were done (10 of these tests for refractory materials) according to their known mechanical properties to verify the accuracy of the algorithm. The convergence in results ranged from 92% to 99%. The second solution was designed to solve the same problem for specimens with a thickness of less than 1mm. Eight experimental tests were done (five using refractory materials) to verify the accuracy of the second solution, with the convergence in the results ranging from 94% to 97%. The relationships of the Vrms measured from the oscilloscope with the PTC and with the Fourier transform spectrum were derived. The results of this research were closer to the standard mechanical properties for refractory metals compared with several recent acoustic tests.