Optimal design of tapered roller bearings for maximum rating life under combined loads

Using the relationships of the ISO 281 standard, this paper optimizes the internal dimensions of tapered roller bearings for maximum rating life. The bearing system addressed contains two identical bearings subjected to an arbitrary combination of centred radial and axial forces. It is shown that the basic rating life increases more than quadratically with the roller infill and the aspect ratio of the rollers, increases with the sixth power of the pitch diameter of the roller set and decreases with the third power of the applied radial force. Further, for any given ratio of axial to radial force, an optimal contact angle exists which maximizes the rating life of the bearing pair, irrespective of the actual bearing size and ratio of roller diameter to pitch diameter. The optimization procedure can either be used to design custom-made bearings or to select from manufacturers\u2019 catalogues the bearing with the best contact angle for any assigned loading condition

Heuristic structural optimization of two-dimensional filling materials with square-triangular supercells

Cellular filling materials are a commonplace in additively manufactured parts to lower the structural weight without detriment to the mechanical properties. This technical note undergoes the heuristic optimization of a 2D metamaterial with repetitive supercells derived from a square frame divided by median and diagonal lines into eight triangles. The inherent quadriaxiality of this layout is ideally suited to resist multiaxial stress fields, while enabling size refinement to match the local scale of the component. A step-by-step procedure is developed which optimizes the thickness of the beams along the principal axes of the cell (sidewise and diagonal) according to a fully stressed design concept. Preliminary Finite Element models, including either bar or beam elements, confirm the theoretical results for a case study. Extension of the optimal approach to 3D geometries is envisioned using a cubic cell which incorporates the present 2D grid on each face of the cube

Experimental investigation and model validation of the shear strength of hybrid interfaces up to complete failure

The paper experimentally investigates hybrid interfaces pressurereinforced and bonded with anaerobic adhesive. While their static strength has been deeply investigated, their behavior up to complete failure lacks of a constitutive model. This work aims to assess the applicability of a simple model involving a cohesive law and a pure 10 friction law, in order to describe the interface behavior up to complete failure under different contact pressure levels. A systematic experimental campaign investigates the shear strength of cylindrical specimens butt-bonded and pressure reinforced over an annular surface. The tests involve two anaerobic adhesives and 15 four pressure levels. The experimental torque-rotation curves confirm that the strain energy up to complete failure is given by a cohesive term and a pure friction term, both of them linearly dependent upon the contact pressure

Enhanced properties of magnetorheological fluids: Effect of pressure

Magnetorheological fluids are extensively used in the industrial world to produce dissipative systems in an easily adjustable or even self-adaptive way. Sometimes their intrinsic rheological properties fail to meet system requirements in terms of available forces or yield stress for a given design space. In technical literature, previous works show a dependency of the shear strength of magnetorheological fluids on the internal pressure of the fluid, called squeeze strengthen effect. This work aims at the experimental validation of the behaviour of the magnetorheological fluids in both flow and shear modes under a given compressive state. Two specific ad hoc experimental test rigs are used for the campaign. The systems are designed in order to apply the magnetic field and the pressure at the same time and the tests are carried out following a design of experiment method. The magnetic parts of the system are designed with the help of a magnetic finite element simulation software, then the experiments are performed and the results are collected. The output is analysed through an analysis of variance approach, a statistical procedure that shows the influence of multiple variables on the system outputs. The outcome of the experimental tests confirms the beneficial effect of the pressure in both flow and shear modes, with performances up to three times compared with the datasheet values, where no pressure is considered

SISTEMA DI CARATTERIZZAZIONE PER FLUIDI MAGNETOREOLOGICI: EFFETTO DELLA PRESSIONE IN MODALITA’ SCORRIMENTO

Il presente lavoro descrive l’ apparecchiatura sperimentale per la caratterizzazione di fluidi magnetoreologici (MR) in modalità scorrimento, sottoposti a pressione. Lavori di letteratura riportano indicazioni sull’effetto della pressione sui fluidi MR a taglio, ma oiché molti dispositivi commerciali lavorano in modalità scorrimento è interessante investigare questo aspetto. La progettazione del sistema è sviluppata in tre fasi: progetto del sistema meccanico, progetto del circuito magnetico, progetto della campagna sperimentale. L’attrezzatura effettua la misura della tensione di snervamento apparente del fluido MR in funzione di pressione, campo magnetico e velocità del fluido. Il circuito magnetico, progettato con un software FEM è stato verificato con un gaussmetro, evidenziando un ottimo accordo numerico-sperimentale. Il sistema sviluppato si pone come strumento per valutare se la pressione del fluido MR possa essere usata come strumento per potenziare gli attuali sistemi semiattivi basati su fluidi MR, come smorzatori e dissipatori lineari

Functional fatigue of NiTi Shape Memory wires for a range of end loadings and constraints

The availability of engineering strength data on shape memory alloys (SMAs) under cyclic thermal activation (functional fatigue) is central to the rational design of smart actuators based on these materials. Test results on SMAs under functional fatigue are scarce in the technical literature and the few data available are mainly limited to constant-stress loading. Since the SMA elements used within actuators are normally biased by elastic springs or by another SMA element, their stress state is far from constant in operation. The mismatch between actual working conditions and laboratory arrangements leads to suboptimal designs and undermines the prediction of the actuator lifetime. This paper aims at bridging the gap between experiment and reality. Four test procedures are planned, covering most of the typical situations occurring in practice: constant-stress, constant-strain, constant-stress with limited maximum strain and linear stress-strain variation with limited maximum strain. The paper describes the experimental apparatus specifically designed to implement the four loading conditions and presents fatigue results obtained from commercial NiTi wires tested under all those protocols

Design of shape memory alloy sandwich actuators: an analytical and numerical modelling approach

Shape memory alloy (SMA)-based actuator composites are characterised by a high force output which is activated by a temperature increase. In this work we exploit this property to design sandwich structures with SMA-matrix composite actuator skins capable of exhibiting a reversible, tailored flexural response. A theoretical model which predicts the resultant deflection and flexural moment produced as a result of selectively actuating one of the system skins was developed and confirmed using a multi-step Finite Element (FE) analysis which takes into account the fabrication pathway through which these systems may be manufactured. The model correlates the geometric parameters and material properties of the various components making up the system and provides a quantitative description of the role which each variable plays in determining the overall sandwich actuator performance. This is necessary for the future production and implementation of such systems in real-life applications

Closed-form modal analysis of flexural beam resonators ballasted by a rigid mass

The work deals with the study of free flexural vibrations of constant cross-section elastic beams ballasted by a rigid mass with rotary inertia at any longitudinal position. We analyze five sets of boundary conditions of the beam (fixed-free, fixed-fixed, fixed-pinned, pinned-pinned, and free-free) and hypothesize that the structure is perfectly rigid, where the rigid mass is applied. By employing the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory, a single parametric matrix is obtained, which provides the characteristic equation of motion of the structure. When applied to specific configurations, the proposed analytical model predicts the eigenfrequencies and eigenmodes of the beam as accurately as ad-hoc analytical models available in the literature. The accuracy of the results is also confirmed by comparison with detailed two- and three-dimensional finite element analyses of a test case. By means of a 3D finite element model, the applicability of the rigid mass hypothesis to continuous beams with a composite thickened portion is finally assessed

Analytical Design of Superelastic Ring Springs for High Energy Dissipation

Classical ring springs are mechanical elements used in industrial applications and in transport for shock absorption and energy dissipation. They are constituted by a stack of internal and external metal rings (typically high strength steel), with tapered surfaces in contact with one another. Under the action of an axial load these surfaces slide, the rings are deformed circumferentially and energy is dissipated due to friction. The main advantages of these springs are the high specific energy stored and the large damping capacity due to sliding friction. Furthermore, the stiffness and damping are independent on the strain rate and the temperature, which limits or avoids the occurrence of any resonance problems. The superelastic materials, characterized by an almost flat stress plateau and large reversible deformation, can be used to replace traditional steels in ring springs giving a significant performance increase. Compared to the traditional version where energy is dissipated only due to friction, in superelastic ring springs there is an increase of the dissipated energy thanks to the internal hysteresis of the material. This paper studies analytically the ring springs in traditional material and in superelastic material, providing equations to dimension these mechanical elements, which enable the designer to customize this useful structural element