Scale Test Rig Research Articles

Vibration-based structural health monitoring for offshore wind turbines - Experimental validation of stochastic subspace algorithms

The efficiency of wind turbines (WT) is primarily reflected in their ability to generate electricity at any time. Downtimes of WTs due to conventional inspections are cost-intensive and undesirable for investors. For this reason, there is a need for structural health monitoring (SHM) systems, to enable service and maintenance on demand and to increase the inspection intervals. In general, monitoring increases the cost effectiveness of WTs. This publication concentrates on the application of two vibration-based SHM algorithms for stability and structural change monitoring of offshore WTs. Only data driven, output-only algorithms based on stochastic subspace identification (SSI) in time domain are considered. The centerpiece of this paper deals with the rough mathematical description of the dynamic behavior of offshore WTs and with the basic presentation of stochastic subspace-based algorithms and their application to these structures. Due to the early stage of the industrial application of SHM on offshore WT on the one side and the required confidentiality to the plant manufacturer and operator on the other side, up to now it is not possible to analyze different isolated structural damages resp. changes in a systematic manner, directly by means of in-situ measurement and to make these acknowledgements publicly available. For this reason, the sensitivity of the methods for monitoring purposes are demonstrated through their application on long time measurements from a 1:10 large scale test rig of an offshore WT under different conditions: undamaged, different levels of loosened bolt connections between tower parts, different levels of fouling, scouring and structure inclination. The limitation and further requirements for the approaches and their applicability on real foundations are discussed along the paper.

Localization of CO2 leakage from transportation pipelines through low frequency acoustic emission detection

Carbon Capture and Storage is a technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. CO2 leak from high pressure CO2 transportation pipelines can pose a significant threat to the safety and health of the people living in the vicinity of the pipelines. This paper presents a technique for the efficient localization of CO2 leakage in the transportation pipelines using acoustic emission method with low frequency and narrow band sensors. Experimental tests were carried out on a lab scale test rig releasing CO2 from a stainless steel pipe. Further, the characteristics of the acoustic emission signals are analyzed in both the time and the frequency domains. The impact of using the transverse wave speed and the longitudinal wave speed on the accuracy of the leak localization is investigated. Since the acoustic signals are expected to be attenuated and dispersed when propagating along the pipe, empirical mode decomposition, signal reconstruction and a data fusion method are employed in order to extract high quality data for accurate localization of the leak source. It is demonstrated that a localization error of approximately 5% is achievable with the proposed detecting system.

Numerical and experimental verification of physical blast thermodynamic model

Helium inventory in big cryogenic systems may be of the order of hundred tons. During the warm up of the machine the helium has to be stored in warm pressurized tanks. A potential rupture of the tank may create a danger to adjacent objects. In order to formulate recommendations concerning storage of compressed gases in close vicinity of nuclear installations, a thermodynamic model of physical blast has been formulated. The model has been experimentally verified in a laboratory scale test rig. To simulate rupture of compressed gas storage tanks, plastic tanks have been used. Scaling of the results to real cases like ITER compressed gas inventory requires good understanding of potential rupture of high volume gas storage tanks. Numerical model of tanks rupture have been elaborated and verified against experimental results. The model allows scaling of thermodynamic simplified description to real gas storage installations.

Analysis and Design of a Modular Multilevel Converter With Trapezoidal Modulation for Medium and High Voltage DC-DC Transformers

Conventional dual-active bridge topologies provide galvanic isolation and soft-switching over a reasonable operating range without dedicated resonant circuits. However, scaling the two-level dual-active bridge to higher dc voltage levels is impeded by several challenges among which the high dv/dt stress on the coupling transformer insulation. Gating and thermal characteristics of series switch arrays add to the limitations. To avoid the use of standard bulky modular multilevel bridges, this paper analyzes an alternative modulation technique, where staircase approximated trapezoidal voltage waveforms are produced; thus, alleviating developed dv/dt stresses. Modular design is realized by the utilization of half-bridge chopper cells. This way the analyzed dc-dc transformer employs modular multilevel converters operated in a new mode with minimal common-mode arm currents, as well as reduced capacitor size, hence reduced cell footprint. Suitable switching patterns are developed and various design and operation aspects are studied. Soft-switching characteristics will be shown to be comparable to those of the two-level dual-active bridge. Experimental results from a scaled test rig validate the presented concept.

축소 모델 실험장치를 이용한 철도 스킬소음의 특성에 대한 실험적 연구

Squeal noise is a harsh, high-pitched sound that occurs when railways are running at sharp curve tracks. The cause of squeal noise is known to be the transient lateral traction force between wheel and rail. Field measurements are too difficult to control the parameters. Thus, the scaled test rig should have been made in order to investigate the generating mechanism of squeal noise. The unique feature of our test rig, HSTR(Hongik Squeal Testing Rig), is that DOFs of its wheelset are as close to as those of the real railway. The attack angle and running speed of the rail roller are controlled in real time for simulating a transient characteristic of driving curve. The environment conditions, such as given axle load, running speed, and wheel's yaw angle have been identified for generating squeal noise and the squeal noise itself has been measured. The relation between wheel creepage and creep force in lateral direction and the criteria for squeal noise have been investigated, which results has been verified by finite element method.

Turbulent Drag Reduction by Biopolymers in Large Scale Pipes

In this work, we describe drag reduction experiments performed in a large diameter pipe (i.d. 100 mm) using a semirigid biopolymer Xanthan Gum (XG). The objective is to build a self-consistent data base which can be used for validation purposes. To aim this, we ran a series of tests measuring friction factor at different XG concentrations (0.01, 0.05, 0.075, 0.1, and 0.2% w/w XG) and at different values of Reynolds number (from 758 to 297,000). For each concentration, we obtain also the rheological characterization of the test fluid. Our data is in excellent agreement with data collected in a different industrial scale test rig. The data is used to validate design equations available from the literature. Our data compare well with data gathered in small scale rigs and scaled up using empirically based design equations and with data collected for pipes having other than round cross section. Our data confirm the validity of a design equation inferred from direct numerical simulation (DNS) which was recently proposed to predict the friction factor. We show that scaling procedures based on this last equation can assist the design of piping systems in which polymer drag reduction can be exploited in a cost effective way.

How to assess cleaning? Evaluating the cleaning performance of moving impinging jets

Cleaning of process equipment is a necessity in the pharmaceutical and food industry. Recently, the efficiency of these cleaning processes has come more into focus due to increasing economical and ecological demands. Different approaches to assess cleaning processes in terms of their cleaning effectiveness, cleaning efficiency, cleaning rate and cleaning performance are discussed.Stainless steel sheets soiled with Xanthan gum were cleaned by a moving impinging water jet in a laboratory scale test rig. Different assessment criteria (time, fluid consumption and energy) to determine the related cleaning performance indicators were studied. The influence of operating parameters (nozzle diameter, gauge pressure and jet moving speed) on these performance indicators was quantified. Experiments showed that the cleaned area width, used as a quantitative criteria of cleaning, decreased with jet moving speed. The influence of the three operating parameters on the performance indicators was evaluated. The experimental results reveal that there is no parameter combination which optimizes the performance indicators simultaneously: the best combination depends on the priority given to each indicator.

The Experimental Studies of Improving the Aerodynamic Performance of a Turbine Exhaust System

Analysis and testing were conducted to optimize an axial diffuser–collector gas turbine exhaust. Two subsonic wind tunnel facilities were designed and built to support this program. A 1/12th scale test rig enabled rapid and efficient evaluation of multiple geometries. This test facility was designed to run continuously at an inlet Mach number of 0.41 and an inlet hydraulic diameter-based Reynolds number of 3.4 × 105. A 1/4th geometric scale test rig was designed and built to validate the data in the 1/12th scale rig. This blow-down rig facilitated testing at a nominally equivalent inlet Mach number, while the Reynolds number was matched to realistic engine conditions via back pressure. Multihole pneumatic pressure probes, particle image velocimetry (PIV), and surface oil flow visualization were deployed in conjunction with computational tools to explore physics-based alterations to the exhaust geometry. The design modifications resulted in a substantial increase in the overall pressure recovery coefficient of +0.07 (experimental result) above the baseline geometry. The optimized performance, first measured at 1/12th scale and obtained using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was validated at the full scale Reynolds number.

An investigation of the relationship between wear and contact force for abradable materials

Abradable linings are frequently used on the inside of aero-engine casings. During the operation of engine, the rotating blades may strike the lining of the casing. The wear mechanisms present during these incursions have been re-produced on a scaled test rig platform. Previously, characterisation of the wear has been performed using a stroboscopic imaging technique in order to identify the different wear mechanisms at the incursion conditions investigated. In the present study, a dynamometer has been included in the test arrangement allowing the measurement of the contact force. This approach has then been combined with sectioning of the abradable test samples, in order to investigate the material response to the different incursion conditions. The wear results, the cutting force and material structure post-incursion show a high degree of correlation. At low incursion rates, significant consolidation and solidification of abradable material was observed, whilst at the same time adhesive transfer to the blade was recorded along with a low tangential to normal force ratio. At high incursion rates, little solidification and consolidation was observed, together with negligible adhesion and a higher tangential force, suggesting a cutting mechanism. Transitions in material behaviour, wear mechanism, and force ratio were observed at the same incursion condition, further highlighting the link between the different experimental measurements.

Numerical analysis of particle flows within a double expansion

The effect of solid particles within flows having zones of recirculation is of interest in pulverised fuel distribution and combustion at burners. Previous modelling of a 1/4 scale test rig was performed by Giddings et al. (2004), and an instability was later identified within the domain. Subsequently the transient dynamics of the flow of air through a double expansion were investigated numerically and a recirculation zone was found to develop at one of the four corners of the expansion. In the work presented here the flow of solid particles through this double expansion is investigated using the commercial software ANSYS FLUENT R14.0. The Stress-Omega Reynolds Stress Model is used to model the gas phase turbulence and the Discrete Particle Model is used to model the solid particle flow. The dynamics of the flow are reported here for 10μm and 60μm particles and for mass loadings from 0 to 1kgparticles/kgair. The simulations show a distinct transition to a vortex shedding type instability with the addition of the discrete phase. Furthermore, for increasing mass loading and particle Stokes number the Coanda effect is reduced leading to two large recirculation zones in opposing corners of the domain. The characteristics of the flow field are in qualitative agreement with studies of particle flows in jet flows and shear layers. This work serves to highlight some of the challenges in modelling complex pneumatic conveying flows from an industrial perspective.

Design of a fretting fatigue test rig with compliant springs

Fretting is a small amplitude oscillatory movement which occurs between contacting bodies who are subjected to cyclic loading or vibrations. In the contact area arise stresses -normal and tangential- causing stress concentrations and surface degradation. Fretting in combination with ordinary fatigue will reduce the plain fatigue lifetime due to the additional stresses and surface degradation. Applications susceptible to fretting fatigue are for instance connections techniques. By nature they have contacting bodies and transfer loads or vibrations. Connection techniques commonly seen in the field of fretting fatigue are lap-joints, dovetail connections and spline connections.Although mitigating or managing fretting fatigue is industrially relevant, academic research is confined and only revealed basic insights. Therefore, we developed a fretting fatigue test rig at Soete Laboratory. The paper describes the design of the test rig and points out some important features. To study the general phenomenon of fretting fatigue we selected a coupon scale test rig rather than a full scale test rig where only one application can be studied. The specimens used are one dog bone specimen and two indentation pads which make contact with the dog bone specimen. The normal force FN between the specimen and the pads is close loop controlled with a hydraulic actuator. A second hydraulic actuator controls the dynamic force Ffat in the dog bone specimen. A third force FT is introduced during dynamic loading between the dog bone specimen and the pads by means of compliant springs. The combination of these three forces: FN, Ffat, FT in the contact area gives rise to the fretting fatigue phenomenon. The test rig at Soete laboratory can be used to study fretting fatigue and examine mitigations such as surface texturing, surface work hardening, etc.

Pressures on the support columns buried in iron ore stockpiles

This paper presents the results of experimental investigations aimed at the determination of the loads exerted on support structures buried in gravity reclaim stockpiles. Structures, such as trestle legs to support load-out conveyors in open stockpiles, or columns to support roof structures and load-out conveyors of enclosed bulk solids storage sheds are subject to the loads exerted by the surrounding bulk solids. The complexity of these loads has been discussed recently (Roberts, 2007 [1], Katterfeld and Roberts, 2009 [2]). According to the theoretical approach proposed by Roberts, both active and passive stress states in bulk solids contribute considerably to the pressure distributions on these support columns. The findings of the preliminary experimental studies carried out by Roberts match with the theoretical predictions. However, follow-up work is required to further validate and improve the design equations for the determination of the loads on support columns. Based on Roberts' prediction model, a laboratory scale test rig was constructed to measure the loads on both the front and rear faces of a buried column. Tekscan tactile pressure sensors were employed in the pressure measurements. Stockpile tests under three different conditions were investigated, and the measured results correlate well with theoretical predictions from modified Roberts' theory. The outcome confirms that Roberts' theory can contribute to the design criterion regarding the loads on buried structures in stockpiles.

Rail grade dependent damage behaviour – Characteristics and damage formation hypothesis

This paper investigates the damage behaviour of several pearlitic rail steels with special focus on three specific damage mechanisms – wear, plastic flow and rolling contact fatigue (RCF, head checks in particular). Multiple tests were conducted on a full scale test-rig at voestalpine Schienen GmbH under dry contact conditions. The obtained results were compared with data from selected track tests. The test-rig is capable of producing realistic contact conditions that allow the formation of wear and RCF defects in very short time periods within 100,000 wheel passes. The test-rig results showed the improved wear and RCF resistance of high strength steels clearly. Additionally, a system wear analysis was conducted to outline the interaction of these high strength rail steels with a standard wheel steel. Although the trends are consistent on the rig and in track, the absolute values concerning wear and RCF differ due to some specific differences between track and test-rig conditions. Finally ideas are postulated that explain on one hand the test-rig specific wear behaviour of the rail grades and on the other hand the formation of periodic, rail grade dependent crack spacing of the defect type head checks.

Labyrinth Seal and Pocket Damper Seal High Pressure Rotordynamic Test Data

The current centrifugal compressor design for the oil & gas market is more and more challenging, and the presence of many competitors is pushing technology towards both a casing size reduction and a rotational speed increase. The first point is leading to an increase in the number of wheels per rotor (to do the same service), and the second point is forcing to cross two or even three rotor modes (hence a higher control of rotor damping is necessary). The two points together are leading to increase the rotor “flexibility ratio” (defined as the ratio between the maximum continuous speed and the first critical speed at infinite support stiffness according to API standard, and finally the rotordynamic stability is very much challenged. The centrifugal compressor's rotordynamic stability is strongly related to the internal seals' dynamic behavior, and for this reason, the authors' company decided several years ago to develop internally a high pressure seal test rig to measure internal seals stiffness and damping. The rig is now in operation, and in a previous paper the authors described its main capabilities, the applied identification procedures, and the preliminary test results captured for a long labyrinth seal (smooth rotor, straight toothed stator) tested up to 200 bar. This paper is intended to show more data for the same long Laby with special focus on some peculiar test as negative preswirl test, single frequency versus multifrequency test, offset versus centered seal test. The negative preswirl test shows a drastic change in the effective damping (from destabilizing to stabilizing) and provides a support in favor of the selection of swirl reversal devices at seals upstream. The multifrequency excitation test approach (based on the concurrent presence of several frequencies not multiples at each other) is compared with a single frequency excitation providing similar results and thus confirming the soundness of the multiple effects linear superimposition assumption. The effect of a static offset (simulating the real position of a rotor inside an annular seal) is also investigated proving that the relevant impact is negligible within the range of eccentricity explored (10% of seal clearance). Moreover, a pocket damper seal (PDS) with the same nominal diameter, clearance, and effective length has been tested (up to 300 bar) and compared with the Laby. As expected, the PDS shows both a higher effective stiffness and damping at the same test conditions, so the promising results already collected in a previous test campaign which was performed on a smaller scale and lower pressure test rig were mostly confirmed with the only exception for the effective damping crossover frequency which was lower than expected.

Detection of CH-53 swashplate bearing deformation - from a 3D dynamic model to diagnostics

The purpose of this paper is to present the research approach for the development of an algorithm for detection of a failure of the CH-53 swashplate bearing external spacer. The failure causes a lack of support of the swashplate bearing, thus creating a deformation of the outer ring. This study integrates the results of a new 3D dynamic model, developed for assessment of the defect pattern, and results from experiments. The research approach is planned in hierarchical phases. The experimental phases include a small scale specimen, full scale test rig, helicopter blades test facility and finally a CH-53 helicopter. The unique approach gradually simulates the real work environment of the swashplate bearing. The first two experimental phases and their results are presented. The first experimental phase is conducted on a small scale specimen and the second phase on a full scale test rig. Model results indicate that the lack of support has a defect pattern in both the radial and axial directions. These results are validated with the small scale specimen. In the future phases, the algorithm will be validated with data from the helicopter blades test facility and CH-53 helicopter.

Interaction between cracks and microstructure in three dimensions for rolling contact fatigue in railway rails

ABSTRACTThe rail–wheel contact generates plastic deformation and cracks in the top layer of a rail. Rolling contact fatigue (RCF) cracks in rail samples from track and from a full scale test rig were examined. Due to the shear forces arising in the wheel rail contact, the microstructure close to the surface becomes aligned in the shear direction. Thereby, the pearlite becomes anisotropic, and resistance to cracks is lower in certain directions. RCF cracks follow the weakest direction of the microstructure, which in pearlitic railway rails is the aligned pearlite structure or singular weaknesses such as pro‐eutectoid ferrites or slags. The deformation of the microstructure is different depending on loading situation and original microstructure (rail grade). Once the plastic deformation is present, the cracks follow the path of the weakest crack resistance. Cracks close to each other can interact or shield each other; it is unclear, however, to what extent. In this paper, a new method is described that allows the presentation of RCF cracks in three dimensions.

Effect of hardness in shackle chain wear under harsh environmentally conditions

Industrial fishing (e.g. bottom trawling) uses shackle chains as a sea soil rake to increase the catch. Serving in such extreme conditions (seawater, sand) results in limited lifetimes less than 6 months. To increase the lifetime, hardened ‘wear resistant’ chains could be a possible alternative but quantitative data on their lifetime is unclear. In this study we quantified the wear rate and wear mechanism of two commercially available chain materials. The wear experiments performed on a custom designed full scale test rig show a significant difference between both materials. The hardened chains wear out ~1.5× less comparing with the ‘normal’ chains. The current investigation allows fishermen to make an economical trade-off between both types of chains.

Heat Transfer and Pressure Drop Measurements in High Solidity Pin Fin Cooling Arrays With Incremental Replenishment

Leading edge heat loads on turbine airfoils can be reduced by increasing the diameter of the leading edge. The lower external heat transfer and more generous curvature may allow for cooling this region internally. Large diameter leading edge regions are expected to exhibit a relatively broad region with nearly constant heat transfer. However, the ability of internal passages to cool a surface diminishes with distance as cooling air picks up thermal energy within the passage. Two novel internal cooling geometries have been designed and tested, which incrementally replenish cooling air by using impingement holes distributed along the array. These cooling methods have been compared to a baseline high solidity passage in terms of both array heat transfer and pressure drop. Heat transfer rates and pressure drop have been determined on a row by row basis to provide a means to assess their ability to sustain adequate cooling levels across the entire leading edge region. The authors believe turbine airfoil designs integrating large diameter leading edge regions with properly designed internal passages have the potential to eliminate showerhead cooling arrays in many industrial gas turbine applications. This change is especially beneficial in environments where fuel or air impurities have the potential to clog leading edge showerhead cooling arrays. Heat transfer and pressure drop measurements were acquired in a bench scale test rig. Reynolds numbers ranged from approximately 5000 to 60,000 for the constant height channel arrays based on the pin diameter and the local maximum average velocity across a row. The high solidity pin fin arrays have an axial spacing (X/D) of 1.074 and a cross channel spacing (S/D) of 1.625. The constant section pin fin arrays have channel height to diameter ratios of 0.5. Each array has eight rows of pins with six pins per row in a staggered arrangement. Heat transfer testing was conducted using a constant temperature boundary condition.

Adhesive transfer in aero-engine abradable linings contact

Wear of abradable linings has been investigated on a scaled test rig platform, re-creating the wear mechanisms observed between the blade tip and abradable material that occur in an aero-engine compressor. The characterisation of the wear process has been performed using a stroboscopic imaging technique, capable of investigating the nature of the blade tip strike on the abradable, and the adhesive transfer of the material to the blade tip during a test. It was found in tests with low incursion rates that there was adhesive transfer, whereas with high incursion rates a cutting behaviour was observed. Analysis with the stroboscopic imaging technique allowed the adhesive transfer during the test as a function of the rub length to be recorded. Three phases were identified for adhesive transfer during test; an initiation phase with low rate of adhesion, steady state adhesion, and fracture of adhered material followed by re-initiation. These results also highlight how the standard practice of performing analysis of adhered material at the end of a test does not necessarily characterise the overall mechanics of adhesive transfer satisfactorily.

Rail grade selection and friction management: a combined approach for optimising rail–wheel contact

To investigate the mechanisms behind rolling contact fatigue (RCF) and wear, a collaborative test program was conducted by voestalpine Schienen GmbH (Leoben, Austria) and Kelsan Technologies Corp. (a part of LB Foster Friction Management) on the full scale test rig of voestalpine. A reference grade was compared to a series of pearlitic rail grades under dry and friction modifier (FM) contact conditions. Rail and wheel profiles were collected at predefined intervals, allowing the calculation of wear rates. The initiation and development of RCF cracks were monitored using optical means and magnetic particle inspection. Metallographic sectioning of the samples was conducted to characterise crack growth and crack orientation as well as the evolution of surface and subsurface material flow. Additionally, the test rig results were compared to the results obtained from the extensive track test network of voestalpine and Kelsan to outline similarities and differences between test rig conditions and the conditions in track. The combination of rail grade, FM application and an appropriate maintenance strategy is seen to have a significant effect on the development and propagation of wear and RCF. This offers a huge potential for reducing the track LCC costs for the infrastructure owners.