Paola Forte

A Magnetorheological Fluid Damper for Rotor Applications

Even though we are still far from industrial applications, in the last decade there has been increasing attention directed toward the employment of electrorheological (ER) and magnetorheological (MR) fluids in active bearings and active squeeze film dampers in rotordynamics. MR fluids react to magnetic fields undergoing reversible changes in their mechanical characteristics, viscosity, and stiffness in particular. In previous literature, some applications of ER fluids in rotor squeeze film dampers can be found; however, on the contrary, little is reported on similar test rigs set up for MR dampers. In this work, the design of an MR squeeze film damper is presented and discussed. A numerical simulation has been carried out in order to evaluate the dynamic behavior of the damped rotor as a function of the magnetic field strength. The test rig is made of a slender shaft supported by two oilite bearings and an unbalanced disk. The damper is interfaced with the shaft through a rolling bearing. Electric coils generate the magnetic field whose field lines cross the MR film. Since the damping characteristics can be varied continuously by controlling the magnetic field, it is possible to have the optimum conditions for each regime of rotational speed. Preliminary tests are encouraging.

Biomechanics of the tympanic membrane

The tympanic membrane is a key component of the human auditory apparatus which is a complex biomechanical system, devoted to sound reception and perception. Over the past 30 years, various bioengineering approaches have been applied to the ear modeling and particularly to the middle part. The tympanic membrane, included in the middle ear, transfers sound waves into mechanical vibration from the ear canal into the middle ear. Changes in structure and mechanical properties of the tympanic membrane due to middle ear diseases or damages can deteriorate sound transmission. An accurate model of the tympanic membrane, which simulates the acoustic-mechanical transmission, could improve clinical surgical intervention. In this paper a detailed survey of the biomechanics and the modeling of the tympanic membrane focusing on the finite element method is conduced. Eight selected models are evaluated and compared deducing the main features and most design parameters from published models, mainly focusing on geometric, constraint and material aspects. Non-specified parameters are replaced with the most commonly employed values. Our simulation results (in terms of modal frequencies and umbo displacement), compared with published numerical and experimental results, show a good agreement even if some scattering appears to indicate the need of further investigation and experimental validation.

Design of a novel magneto-rheological squeeze-film damper

Magneto-rheological (MR) fluids react to magnetic fields undergoing changes in their mechanical characteristics, viscosity in particular. After an analytical and numerical study, an MR squeeze-film damper has been designed and set up on a reduced scale rotor test-rig. Numerical simulations were carried out in order to evaluate the dynamic behaviour of the damped rotor as a function of the current supplied to the adjustable device. A linear model that depicts the main characteristics of the system has been developed as a useful tool in damper and control design. By testing different fluids, an optimal fluid has been singled out. Tests conducted on the selected fluid show that it is possible to have the optimum conditions for each steady rotational speed.

Evaluation of the Effect of Misalignment and Profile Modification in Face Gear Drive by a Finite Element Meshing Simulation

Face gear drives have many advantages over other cross axis transmissions especially in high performance applications. The lack of published design experience and design standards make their design difficult. This is mainly due to the complex geometries and to the lack of practical experience. For these reasons face gears have not been used for long. This work is aimed at investigating the behavior of a face gear transmission considering contact path under load, load sharing and stresses, for an unmodified gear set including shaft misalignment and modification on pinion profile. The investigation is carried out by integrating a 3D CAD system and a FEA code, and by simulating the meshing of pinion and gear sectors with three teeth, using contact elements and an automated contact algorithm. The procedures followed to create the 3D models of teeth in mesh are described and finite element analysis results discussed showing the differences between unmodified, modified and misaligned teeth. Results show the influence of load on theoretically calculated contact paths, contact areas, arc of action and load sharing. The differences with respect to the ideal case are sometimes remarkable. Further developments are discussed.

A computational investigation of the transient response of an unbalanced rigid rotor flexibly supported and damped by short magnetorheological squeeze film dampers

Due to manufacturing and assembly inaccuracies, real rotors are always slightly imbalanced. This produces their lateral vibration and forces that are transmitted through the bearings to the stationary parts. The oscillation of the system can be reduced if damping devices are added to the constraint elements. To achieve the optimum performance of the rotor in a wide range of angular velocities and when passing through the critical speeds their damping effect must be controllable. For this purpose, the application of semiactive magnetorheological (MR) dampers has been analysed. The investigated problem focuses on studying the influence of their damping effect and of its control on the amplitude of the rotor vibration, on the magnitude of the force transmitted to the rotor casing, and on the amount of dissipative power generated in the MR films. The developed mathematical model assumes cavitation in the lubricating layer, and the MR liquid is modelled as a Bingham material. The derivation of the equation governing the pressure distribution in the oil film is completed by a new methodology making it possible to determine the yielding shear stress needed for its solution. The equations of motion of the rotor are nonlinear due to the damping forces and to solve them a Runge–Kutta integration method was applied. Computer simulations show that a suitably proposed current–rotor angular speed relationship enables one to fully eliminate the resonance peaks and to achieve the optimum compromise between the attenuation of the rotor lateral vibration, the magnitude of the forces transmitted to the rotor casing and the amount of energy dissipated in the lubricating layers.

Model-oriented review and multi-body simulation of the ossicular chain of the human middle ear

The ossicular chain of the human middle ear has a key role in sound conduction since it transfers vibrations from the tympanic membrane to the cochlea, connecting the outer and the inner part of the hearing organ. This study reports firstly a description of the main anatomical features of the middle ear to introduce a detailed survey of its biomechanics, focused on model development, with a collection of geometric, inertial and mechanical/material parameters. The joint issues are particularly discussed from the perspective of developing a model of the middle ear both explanatory and predictive. Such a survey underlines the remarkable dispersion of data, due also to the lack of a standardization of the experimental techniques and conditions. Subsequently, a 3D multi-body model of the ossicular chain and other structures of the middle ear is described. Such an approach is justified as the ossicles were proven to behave as rigid bodies in the human hearing range and was preferred to the more widely used finite element one as it simplifies the model development and improves joint modeling. The displacement of the umbo (a reference point of the tympanic membrane) in the 0.3-6kHz frequency range was defined as input of the model, while the stapes footplate displacement as output. A parameter identification procedure was used to find parameter values for reproducing experimental and numerical reference curves taken from the literature. This simple model might represent a valid alternative to more complex models and might provide a useful tool to simulate pathological/post-surgical/post-traumatic conditions and evaluate ossicular replacement prostheses.

A fail-safe magnetorheological clutch excited by permanent magnets for the disengagement of automotive auxiliaries

This work was carried out in the framework of a funded project aimed at evaluating the feasibility of an ad hoc clutch for the disengagement an auxiliary device, i.e. the vacuum pump used with the powerbrake in diesel engine vehicles, when its operation is not required. In this way it is possible to improve the overall vehicle efficiency. Strict design specifications were defined with reference to available room, torque transmission, absence of axial loads and fail-safe operation. A magnetorheological clutch with permanent magnets was conceived to fulfil the technical requirements. Different clutch geometries were compared with particular reference to the fail-safe operation and torque capabilities. After an iterative procedure, in which both mechanical design and magnetic field analyses were considered, the most promising solution was defined and a prototype was built and tested. A four-pole sliding permanent magnet was adopted to generate the magnetic field. The experimental results validated the developed models and demonstrated the feasibility developed models and demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed solution. A principle for the automatic clutch actuation is also presented.

Pneumatic stability of the integral aerostatic bearing: comparison with other types of bearing

Abstract The analysis of pneumatic stability of an integral aerostatic bearing subject to axial loads is carried out with the lumped parameter approach. The influence of various geometric quantities on the instability range has been analysed. Both single and opposed bearings are considered. A comparison with the Yates and separate effect configurations has also been carried out.

Temperature Effect on the Torque Characteristic of a Magnetorheological Clutch

In this article the torque characteristic of a permanent magnet magnetorheological (MR) clutch is investigated focusing on the influence of temperature. An experimental campaign was carried out on a test bench equipped with a caulk oxen, heating up to 80°C. The torque characteristic was measured monitoring both fluid and clutch case temperature. Torque data were processed and well fitted by a formula where the temperature dependence is expressed by Arrhenius law. In particular, a loss of transmitted torque for increasing temperature was found. An approximate dependence of MR fluid shear stress on temperature, useful for similar devices, was also obtained.

Anisotropic AAA: Computational comparison between four and two fiber family material models

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a cardiovascular disease with high incidence among elderly population. Biomechanical computational analyses can provide fundamental insights into AAA pathogenesis and clinical management, but modeling should be sufficiently accurate. Several constitutive models of the AAA wall are present in the literature, and some of them seem to well describe the experimental behavior of the aneurysmatic human aorta. In this work we compare a two (2FF) and a four (4FF) fiber families constitutive models of the AAA wall. Both these models satisfactorily fit literature data from biaxial tests on the aneurysmatic tissue. To investigate the peculiar characteristics of these models, we considered the problem of AAA inflation, and solved it by implementing the constitutive equations in a finite element code. A 20% axial stretch was imposed to the aneurysm ends, to simulate the physiological condition. Although fitted on the same dataset, the two material models lead to considerably different outcomes. In particular, adopting a 4FF strain energy function (SEF), an increase of the circumferential stress values can be observed, while higher axial stresses are recorded for the 2FF model. These differences can be attributed to the intrinsic characteristics of the SEFs and to the effective stress field, with respect to the one experienced in biaxial experimental tests on which the fitting is based. In fact the two SEFs appear similar within the region of the stress-strain experimental data, but become different outside it, as in case of aneurysms, due to the effects of the data extrapolation process. It is suggested that experimental data should be obtained for conditions similar to those of the application for which they are intended.