• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.99-105
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• 2021

In this study, for a high-pressure turbine (HPT) of 800 MW class supercritical thermal-power plant, considering aerodynamic cross-coupling, we performed a rotordynamic logarithmic decrement (LogDec) stability analysis with various tilting pad journal bearing (TPJB) designs, which several steam turbine OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) currently apply in their supercritical and ultra-supercritical HPTs. We considered the following TPJB designs: 6-Pad load on pad (LOP)/load between pad (LBP), 5-Pad LOP/LBP, Hybrid 3-Pad LOP (lower 3-Pad tilting and upper 1-Pad fixed), and 5-Pad LBPs with the design variables of offset and preload. We used the API Level-I method for a LogDec stability analysis. Following results are summarized only in a standpoint of LogDec stability. The Hybrid 3-Pad LOP TPJBs most excellently outperform all the other TPJBs over nearly a full range of cross-coupled stiffness. In a high range of cross-coupled stiffness, both the 6-Pad LOP and 5-Pad LOP TPJBs may be recommended as a practical conservative bearing design approach for enhancing a rotordynamic stability of the HPT. As expected, in a high range of cross-coupled stiffness, the 6-Pad LBP TPJBs exhibit a better performance than the 5-Pad LBP TPJBs. However, contrary to one's expectation, notably, the 5-Pad LOP TPJBs exhibit a slightly better performance than the 6-Pad LOP TPJBs. Furthermore, we do not recommend any TPJB design efforts of either increasing a pad offset from 0.5 or a pad preload from 0 for the HPT in a standpoint of stability.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.95-102
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• 2021

Elastometic bearings using flexible rubber materials have recently been widely applied for seismic retrofit of bridges. However, due to various factors, the aging of the rubber material progresses, which causes the shear stiffness change of the bearing, which affects the seismic performance of the bridge. For natural rubber, accelerated heat aging test was performed with variables of heating temperatures and exposure time to analyze shear characteristics. As aging progresses (i.e. increase of temperature and exposure time), the maximum shear stress and shear strain decrease. Also, the shear stiffness is greatly increased at the same shear strain. This means that the rubber material is hardened, implying that the seismic performance of the elastomeric bearing becomes poor.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.170-178
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• 2022

Mechanical surface treatment is an excellent approach widely used to modulate and improve the performance and service life of bearings, gears, and frictional joints. The main purpose of this study is to investigate and compare the effect of ultrasonic nanocrystal surface modification (UNSM) and wonder process craft (WPC) on the surface and tribological properties of SUJ2 bearing steel. The surface roughness and hardness of the untreated and treated (UNSM- and WPC-treated) specimens were measured and compared. Their tribological properties were evaluated using a micro-tribometer under grease-lubricated and dry conditions against itself. Surface hardness measurement results revealed that both the UNSM- and WPC-treated specimens had a higher hardness than that of the untreated specimen. The surface roughness of the untreated specimen was reduced after UNSM and WPC treatments. Abrasive wear mode was observed on the surface of the specimens worn under grease-lubricated conditions, while adhesive wear mode was found on the surface of the specimens worn in dry conditions. According to the tribological test results, the friction coefficient and wear rate of the untreated specimens were reduced by the application of both the UNSM and WPC treatments under grease-lubricated and dry conditions.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.83 no.5
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• pp.627-644
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• 2022

In past major earthquakes (1994 Northridge, 1995 Kobe, Chi-Chi 1999, Kocaeli 1999), significant damages occurred in the liquid storage tanks. The basic failure patterns were observed to be the buckling of the tank wall and uplift of the anchorage system. The damages in the industrial facilities and nuclear power plants have caused the spread of toxic substances to the environment and significant fires. Seismic isolation can be used in liquid storage tanks to decouple the structure and decrease the structural demand in the superstructure in case of ground shaking. Previous studies on the use of seismic isolation systems on liquid storage tanks show that an isolation system reduces the impulsive response but might slightly increase the convective one. There is still a lack of understanding of the seismic response of seismically isolated liquid storage tanks considering the fluid-structure interaction. In this study, one broad tank, one medium tank, and one slender tank are selected and designed. Two- and three-dimensional elastomeric bearings are used as seismic isolation systems. The seismic performance of the tanks is then investigated through nonlinear dynamic time-history analyses. The effectiveness of each seismic isolation system on tanks' performance was investigated. Isolator tension forces, modal analysis results, hydrodynamic stresses, strains, sloshing heights and base shear forces of the tanks are compared. The results show that the total base shear is lower in 3D-isolators compared to 2D-isolators. Even though the tank wall stresses, and strains are slightly higher in 3D-isolators, they are more efficient to prevent the tension problem.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.261-272
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• 2021

This study investigates the structural characteristics of oil-free, gas beam foil journal bearings (GBFJBs) for use in high speed motors. Mathematical modeling was carried out, and reaction force modeling for static load was performed to predict the structural characteristics of the GBFJB. Mathematical modeling and reaction force modeling for static load are performed to predict the structural characteristics of GBFJBs. The reaction force of the test bearing against static loads was measured during experiments and compared with the predicted results. The measured experimental data reveal the nonlinear stiffness characteristics of the GBFJB against varying displacement and agree well with the predictions. Dynamic load tests using an exciter allow to identify the vibration characteristics of the GBFJB. Test results show that the vibration displacement, dynamic force, and acceleration measured on the test bearing are most dominant at the applied dynamic load (synchronization) frequency. Futhermore, the test results show that the hysteresis area recorded during the dynamic tests increases with the excitation amplitude and frequency, and that the beam stick phenomena occurr at high excitation frequencies. The single degree of freedom (DOF) vibration model aids to identify the stiffness and damping coefficient of the GBFJB, which decrease as the excitation frequency increases.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.21-27
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• 2023

Surface texturing is widely applied to friction surfaces of various machine elements. Most of the theoretical studies have focused on isothermal (ISO) analyses which consider constant lubricant viscosity. However, there have been limited studies on the effect of oil temperature increase owing to viscous shear. Following the first part of the present study that investigated the effects of film-temperature boundary condition (FTBC) and groove number on the thermohydrodynamic (THD) lubrication characteristics of a surface-textured parallel thrust bearing with multiple rectangular grooves, this study focuses on the effect of groove depths. Current study numerically analyzes the continuity, Navier-Stokes, and energy equations with temperature-viscosity-density relations using a commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software, FLUENT. The results of variation in temperature, velocity, and pressure distributions as well as load-carrying capacity (LCC) and friction force indicate that groove depth and FTBC significantly influence the temperature distribution and pressure generation. The LCC is maximum near the groove depth at which the vortex starts, smaller than the ISO result. For intense grooves, the LCC of THD may be larger than that from ISO. The frictional force decreases as the groove becomes deeper, and decreases more significantly in the case of THD. The study shows that groove depth significantly influences the THD lubrication characteristics of surface-textured parallel thrust bearings.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.33 no.8
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• pp.337-343
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• 2023

3Y-TZP (3 mol% yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystals) ceramics have excellent mechanical properties including high fracture toughness, good abrasion resistance as well as chemical and biological stability. As a result, they are widely used in mechanical and medical components such as bearings, grinding balls, and hip implants. In addition, they provide excellent light transmittance, biocompatibility, and can match tooth color when used as a dental implant. Recently, given the materials' resemblance to human teeth, these ceramics have emerged as an alternative to titanium implants. Since the introduction of CAD/CAM in the manufacture of ceramic implants, they've been increasingly used for prosthetic restoration where aesthetics and strength are required. In this study, to improve the surface roughness of zirconia implants, we modified the 3Y-TZP surface with a biocomposite of hydroxyapatite and forsterite using room temperature spray coating methods, and investigated the mixed effect of the two powders on the evolution of surface microstructure, i.e., coating thickness and roughness, and biological interaction during the in vitro test in SBF solution. We compared improvement in bioactivity by observing dissolution and re-precipitation on the specimen surface. From the results of in vitro testing in SBF solution, we confirmed improvement in the bioactivity of the 3Y-TZP substrate after surface modification with a biocomposite of hydroxyapatite and forsterite. Surface dissolution of the coating layer and the precipitation of new hydroxyapatite particles was observed on the modified surface, indicating the improvement in bioactivity of the zirconia substrate.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.154-166
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• 2023

This study establishes a numerical analysis model of the finite element overhung rotor supported by a DTRB and describes the stiffness properties of the DTRB. The vibration characteristics and contact pressure of the RBR system are predicted according to the DTRB support characteristics such as the initial axial compression and roller profile. The stiffness of the DTRB significantly varies depending on the initial axial compression and external load owing to the occurrence of rollers under the no-load condition and increase in the Hertz contact force. The increase in the initial axial compression increases the rigidity of the DTRB, thereby reducing the displacement of the RBR system and simultaneously increasing the natural frequency. However, above a certain initial axial compression, the effect becomes insignificant, and an excessive increase in the initial axial compression increases the contact pressure. The roller crowning radius, which gives a curvature in the longitudinal direction of the roller, decreases the displacement of the RBR system and increases the natural frequency as the value increases. However, an increase in the crowning radius increases the edge stress, causing a negative effect in terms of the contact pressure. These results show that the DTRB support characteristics required for reducing the vibration and contact pressure of the RBR system supported by the DTRB can be designed.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.139-147
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• 2023

Cavitation phenomena observed during the operation of a submerged plain journal bearing (PJB) can affect bearing performance parameters such as dynamic coefficients, whirl frequency ratio, and critical mass. This study presents numerical solutions of the Reynolds equation for steadily and dynamically loaded submerged PJBs with half-Sommerfeld (HS), Reynolds, and Jakobsson-Floberg-Olsson (JFO) cavitation models when the supply pressure is larger or equal to the cavitation pressure. The loads at various eccentricity ratios are identical; however, the attitude angle is approximately 6% smaller when the eccentricity ratio is between 0.2 and 0.7 and the JFO model is used, compared to that when the Reynolds model is used. Dynamic coefficients obtained with the HS and Reynolds model show good agreement with each other, except for k_xz, which is sensitive to changes in the force normal to the rotor weight, and is attributed to the difference in the attitude angle obtained with each cavitation model. Stiffness coefficients are determined using the pressure distribution in the film, and therefore, when the JFO model is used, the direct stiffness coefficients are affected and show opposite signs for most eccentricity ratios. The mass-conservative JFO model can predict at least a 30% smaller critical mass compared to that using the HS and Reynolds models. Thus, the instability analysis results can change based on the cavitation model used in a submerged PJB. The results of this research indicate that the JFO model should be used when designing a rotor system supported by submerged PJBs.

• Composites Research
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.8-15
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• 2006

In this study, computational rotor dynamic analyses of a composite roller used for large LCD panel manufacturing process have been conducted. The present computational method is based on the general finite element method with rotating gyroscopic effects of rotor systems. General purpose commercial finite element code, SAMCEF which has special rotordynamics analysis module is applied. For the purpose of numerical verification, comparison study for a benchmark dual rotor model with support bearings is also presented. Detailed finite element models for composite roller with optimized lamination angles are constructed and analyzed considering gravity effect in order to investigate vibration characteristics in actual operation environment. As results of the present study, rotor stability diagrams and mass unbalance responses are presented for different rotating conditions.