Investigation into nonlinear dynamics of rotor-floating ring bearing systems in automotive turbochargers

As a high speed rotating device, a modern turbocharger rotor is commonly supported by floating ring bearings (FRBs), owing to their cost effectiveness for mass production and good damping performance. Thanks to the rapid growth of the power of the modern computer, rotordynamic analysis of turbocharger rotor-bearing systems becomes feasible, and it is closely related to the healthy operation and noise generation of turbochargers. The work in this thesis is concerned with the nonlinear rotordynamic modelling, simulation and analysis in the rotor-FRB system of turbochargers. The conventional linear eigenvalue analysis is shown first in a gradually deepening manner to provide a deeper insight into the results from nonlinear simulations and reported experimental results. It is subsequently found the onset of first two nonlinear jumps can be effectively predicted by the linearized FRB model, although the rotordynamic characteristics at higher rotor speeds can hardly be linearly predicted. The desired oil-film forces for nonlinear simulations are calculated from a newly proposed analytical method, which is extended from the Capone’s journal bearing model. Stationary simulations under the perfectly balanced condition show two major subsynchronous components throughout the considered speed range, while the inclusion of in-phase unbalance places a considerable effect on the rotor response at relatively low speed and delays the occurrence of oil-film instability. However, at higher rotor speeds, the lower subsynchronous component can still establish the dominance. The engine induced vibrations are also considered, and it is seen the rotor response over the lower end of the speed range will be considerably affected, whereas, at higher rotor speeds, the engine induced vibrations can be suppressed by the dominant lower subsynchronous vibrations. Through carrying out many run-up and run-down simulations, the FRB outer clearance is found to be a critical parameter of the rotordynamic performance of the investigated TC rotor-FRB system, since distinct frequency maps are obtained with varying FRB outer clearances. The nonlinear effects of unbalance are also investigated, and it is observed the rotor response can be considerably affected by the amount and distribution of the imposed unbalance

The influence of shrub expansion on albedo and the winter radiation budget in the Canadian Low Arctic

Au cours des dernières décennies, le réchauffement climatique a entrainé une arbustation accélérée des écosystèmes arctiques. En modifiant l'albédo, les arbustes influencent la température de l'atmosphère, du manteau neigeux et du pergélisol, ce qui pourrait accélérer la fonte ou le dégel de ces deux derniers et initier de fortes boucles de rétroaction positive qui accentueraient les effets des changements climatiques. L'une des conséquences principales de cette arbustation est la réduction de l'albédo de la neige par les branches qui dépassent du manteau neigeux et en assombrissent la surface. De plus, des interactions complexes entre neige et arbustes d'une part modulent la remobilisation et le transport de la neige par le vent et d'autre part accélèrent la fonte durant les redoux. Ainsi, la présence d'arbustes au sein du manteau neigeux peut affecter les propriétés physiques et optiques de la neige, altérant encore davantage l'albédo de la surface affectée. Enfin, les branches ensevelies dans la neige peuvent également influencer le budget radiatif en absorbant les rayons lumineux car ceux-ci pénètrent généralement à plus de 10 cm de profondeur dans le manteau neigeux. Pour étudier et quantifier les interactions entre la neige, les arbustes et la lumière, nous avons récolté un jeu de données unique qui compare des manteaux neigeux avec et sans arbustes. Pour tous les sites échantillonnés, nous avons mesuré l'albédo spectral in situ et les profils de propriétés physiques de la neige ainsi que d'irradiance. Nous avons récolté ces données dans le bas Arctique, à Umiujaq, Nord du Québec, Canada (56° N, 76° W), au cours de plusieurs campagnes de terrain d'automne et d'hiver. En nous basant sur les données obtenues ainsi que des données de taille et de distribution verticale de branches d'arbustes, nous avons développé et validé une paramétrisation simple mais efficace permettant de modéliser l'albédo de surfaces hétérogènes composées de neige et d'arbustes. Cette nouvelle paramétrisation nous a permis de modéliser l'albédo avec une erreur inférieure à 3 %. Elle peut être utilisée de manière prédictive et est facile à intégrer aux modèles de système terre. L'albédo ainsi modélisé nous a permis d'élucider des processus importants des interactions entre la neige, les arbustes et la lumière. Nous avons trouvé que la réduction de l'albédo par les branches qui dépassent du manteau neigeux dépend de la longueur d'ondes considérée. Tôt durant la saison nivale, les branches diminuent l'albedo de 55 % à 500 nm et 18 % à 1000 nm. En revanche, l'effet des branches sur les propriétés physiques de la neige n'étaient pas suffisamment importants pour affecter l'albédo, sauf lors d'évènements climatiques extrêmes comme les blizzards ou les épisodes de chaleur. Nos résultats suggèrent que l'impact direct de l'assombrissement par les branches est largement supérieur aux effets indirects causés par les changements des propriétés physiques de la neige. Cependant, ces derniers pourraient gagner en importance si les évènements climatiques extrêmes devenaient plus fréquents au fur et à mesure que le réchauffement de l'Arctique s'intensifie. Finalement, nous montrons que l'impact des branches ensevelies sous la neige se traduit surtout par une augmentation de la fonte durant les épisodes de chaleur ainsi que par une intensification des processus métamorphiques tôt dans la saison. Cependant ces impacts étaient extrêmement localisés et restreints à l'environnement très proche des branches. Pour cette raison, il a été difficile de quantifier l'impact des branches ensevelies sur le budget radiatif terrestre, d'autant plus que les concentrations de carbone suie élevées (185 ng g⁻¹) dans le manteau neigeux d'Umiujaq ont accentué l'incertitude quant à l'effet relatif de ces deux processus sur l'albédo. Finalement, comme notre paramétrisation pour modéliser l'albédo a été développée sur la base de données provenant d'un seul site, nous croyons qu'il serait nécessaire de la tester de manière plus générale, avec des données provenant d'autres endroits. De cette manière, elle pourrait ensuite être intégrée aux modèles de surface continentale, ce qui permettrait d'inclure un effet réaliste de l'arbustation actuelle et future de l'Arctique sur les scénarios climatiques locaux et globaux.Arctic warming is causing an expansion of deciduous shrubs in the Arctic tundra biome. By modifying albedo, shrubs affect the temperature of the atmosphere, snowpack and permafrost, potentially increasing permafrost thawing and snow melting, and forming a powerful feedback to global warming. The most prominent impact of shrubs is a reduction of surface albedo when dark branches protrude above the bright snow surface. Additionally, complex snow-shrub interactions modify snow redistribution during windy conditions and increase snowmelt rates during warm spells. Thus, snow over shrub-covered tundra may have different physical and optical properties, leading to further modification of surface albedo. Finally, shrub branches buried in snow may still have an impact on the radiation budget because they can absorb light rays which generally penetrate deeper than 10 cm into the snowpack. To study and quantify the snow-shrub-light interactions, we collected a unique dataset comparing snowpacks with and without shrubs. For every site sampled, we measured in situ spectral albedo (400–1080 nm) and recorded snow physical properties and irradiance profiles. These data were acquired in a low Arctic site near Umiujaq, Northern Quebec, Canada (56° N, 76° W), during several field campaigns in autumn and winter. Based on these field data and a dataset of branch sizes and vertical distribution, a simple yet accurate parameterization for modeling albedo of mixed snow-shrub surfaces was developed and validated. This new parameterization had an accuracy of 3 %, can be used in a predictive way, and is easy to implement in earth system models. We uncovered important insights on snow-shrub-light interactions. Surface darkening by protruding branches was wavelength-dependent, and decreased albedo early in the snow season by 55 % at 500 nm and 18 % at 1000 nm. Changes in snow physical properties that were significant enough to impact albedo only occurred in conjunction with extreme weather events like after blizzards or during warm spells. Thus, the direct impact of darkening from shrubs likely dominates over the indirect impact from changes in snow physical properties, however the latter may gain in importance if extreme weather events become more frequent as Arctic warming progresses. The impact of buried branches was very localized, increasing snow melting during warm spells and enhancing snow metamorphic processes early in the season in the direct vicinity of branches. However, quantifying the impact of buried branches on the radiation budget was challenging due to their highly localized effect and because of high black carbon concentrations in the snowpack at our study site, which reached 185 ng g-1. We suggest that future research test the parameterization developed here more broadly, as this study was based on data from just one study site. The parametrization can then be implemented into land surface models, allowing for reliable estimates of the effect of current and projected Arctic shrubification on global and regional warming

Coriolis effect on the stability of convection in mushy layers during the solidification of binary alloys.

Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Durban-Westville, 2000.We consider the solidification of a binary alloy in a mushy layer subject to Coriolis effects. A near-eutectic approximation and large far-field temperature is employed in order to study the dynamics of the mushy layer in the form of small deviations from the classical case of convection in a horizontal porous layer of homogenous permeability. The linear stability theory is used to investigate analytically the Corio lis effect in a rotating mushy layer for, a diffusion time scale used by Amberg & Homsey (1993) and Anderson & Worster (1996), and for a new diffusion time scale proposed in the current study. As such, it is found that in contrast to the problem of a stationary mushy layer, rotating the mushy layer has a stabilising effect on convection. For the case of the new diffusion time scale proposed by the author, it is established that the viscosity at high rotation rates has a destabilising effect on the onset of stationary convection, ie. the higher the viscosity, the less stable the liquid. Finite amplitude results obtained by using a weak non-linear analysis provide differential equations for the amplitude, corresponding to both stationary and overstable convection. These amplitude equations permit one to identify from the post-transient conditions that the fluid is subject to a pitchfork bifurcation in the stationary case and to a Hopf bifurcation associated with the overstable convection. Heat transfer results were evaluated from the amplitude solution and are presented in terms of the Nusselt number for both stationary and overstable convection. They show that rotation enhances the convective heat transfer in the case of stationary convection and retards convective heat transfer in the oscillatory case, but only for low values of the parameter X I = 8 Pr ~ 0 So· The parameter 1/ X I represents the coefficient of the time derivative term in the Darcy equation. For high X I values, the contribution from the time derivative term is small (and may be neglected), whilst for small X I values the time derivative term may be retained