Comparative modal analysis for a twisted beam axle for a hybrid vehicle

In this article it is presented a comparative analysis of natural mode frequencies for a non-powered rear axle used to fit mass production vehicle and for a similar rear axle derived from the first one to be used to fit a hybrid powered vehicle. The CAD model of the axle and the computed natural mode frequencies were realised using CATIA V5. For calculation, finit element method was used.

Analysis of parametric instability of a spring-attached pre-twisted beam with viscoelastic end support

This study investigated the parametric instability of a single elastic beam with spring attachment on the top and viscoelastic springs as end supports. The beam considered is pre-twisted with a pin connection at both ends that supports the beam. The analytical solution of the problem is expressed in the matrix form achieved from the implementation of Hamilton’s principle and General Galerkin’s method, from which both static and dynamic stability of the beam can be investigated. The results of various influential dimensionless parameters such as stiffness, mass, length, position of the spring attachment, and stiffness of the viscoelastic springs on both the stabilities are studied. This analysis concluded that the spring attachment on the system leads to substantial contribution in improving the stability. The viscoelastic springs also contribute in upsurging the beam’s stability. Three different profiles of the beam have been considered, and for each profile, three different types of springs have been examined. The results revealed that the beam with parabolic profile and stiffness of the spring attachment with parabolic variation is most effective towards strength-to-weight ratio.

Analysis of vibration in rotating pretwisted functionally graded graphene platelets reinforced nanocomposite laminated blades with an attached point mass

This work presents an investigation on the free vibration behavior of rotating pre-twisted functionally graded graphene platelets reinforced composite (FG-GPLRC) laminated blades/beams with an attached point mass. The considered beams are constituted of [Formula: see text] layers which are bonded perfectly and made of a mixture of isotropic polymer matrix and graphene platelets (GPLs). The weight fraction of GPLs changes in a layer-wise manner. The effective material properties of FG-GPLRC layers are computed by using the modified Halpin-Tsai model together with rule of mixture. The free vibration eigenvalue equations are developed based on the Reddy’s third-order shear deformation theory (TSDT) using the Chebyshev–Ritz method under different boundary conditions. After validating the approach, the influences of the GPLs distribution pattern, GPLs weight fraction, angular velocity, the variation of the angle of twist along the beam axis, the ratio of attached mass to the beam mass, boundary conditions, position of attached mass, and geometry on the vibration behavior are investigated. The findings demonstrate that the natural frequencies of the rotating pre-twisted FG-GPLRC laminated beams significantly increases by adding a very small amount of GPLs into polymer matrix. It is shown that placing more GPLs near the top and bottom surfaces of the pre-twisted beam is an effective way to strengthen the pre-twisted beam stiffness and increase the natural frequencies.

Structural design and analysis of composite blade for horizontal-axis tidal turbine

In this work, we report on the structural design of a 5-m-long composite blade intended for use in a horizontal-axis tidal turbine. The blade geometry is constructed through an optimization process to obtain the maximum power coefficient at the desired tip speed ratio of 4.5 by applying the blade element-momentum theory (BEMT). The blade is primarily designed using a NACA 63-424 hydrofoil. The blade structure is designed by using the BEMT to compute the loading conditions at various inflow velocities. Two parallel spars were chosen to produce the blade structure grid, and the preliminary lay-up structure of the composite blade was determined according to the thickness distribution identified using the twisted beam theory under the assumption that the two spars plus the upper and lower skins mostly contribute to the flap-wise bending stiffness while withstanding an external load. Then, high-strength unidirectional and double-bias fiber glass/epoxy materials were chosen to fabricate the blade. The final blade structure was then analyzed in ANSYS Workbench using the finite element method. The results show that the blade structure can withstand the applied load with failure indices <0.4.