An experimental and numerical investigation on the aeroengine blade/case containment analysis is presented. Blade out containment capability analysis is an essential step in the new aeroengine design, but containment tests are time-consuming and incur significant costs; thus, developing a short-period and low-cost numerical method is warranted. Using explicit nonlinear dynamic finite element analysis software, the present study numerically investigated the high-speed impact process for simulated blade containment tests which were carried out on high-speed spin testing facility. A number of simulations were conducted using finite element models with different mesh sizes and different values of both the contact penalty factor and the friction coefficient. Detailed comparisons between the experimental and numerical results reveal that the mesh size and the friction coefficient have a considerable impact on the results produced. It is shown that a finer mesh will predict lower containment capability of the case, which is closer to the test data. A larger value of the friction coefficient also predicts lower containment capability. However, the contact penalty factor has little effect on the simulation results if it is large enough to avoid false penetration.

A first-order torsion theory based on Vlasov theory has been developed to investigate the restrained torsion of open thin-walled beams. The total rotation of the cross section is divided into a free warping rotation and a restrained shear rotation. In first-order torsion theory, St. Venant torque is only related to the free warping rotation and the expression of St. Venant torque is derived by using a semi-inverse method. The relationship between the warping torque and the restrained shear rotation is established by using an energy method. The torsion shear coefficient is then obtained. On the basis of the torsion equilibrium, the governing differential equation of the restrained torsion is derived and the corresponding initial method is given to solve the equation. The relationship between total rotation and free warping rotation is obtained. A parameter λ, which is associated with the stiffness property of a cross section and the beam length, is introduced to determine the condition, under which the St. Venant constant is negligible. Consequently a simplified theory is derived. Numerical examples are illustrated to validate the current approach and the results of the current theory are compared with those of some other available methods. The results of comparison show that the current theory provides more accurate results. In the example of a channel-shaped cantilever beam, the applicability of the simplified theory is determined by the parameter study of λ.

To provide physically based wind modelling for wind erosion research at regional scale, a 3D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) wind model was developed. The model was programmed in C language based on the Navier-Stokes equations, and it is freely available as open source. Integrated with the spatial analysis and modelling tool (SAMT), the wind model has convenient input preparation and powerful output visualization. To validate the wind model, a series of experiments was conducted in a wind tunnel. A blocking inflow experiment was designed to test the performance of the model on simulation of basic fluid processes. A round obstacle experiment was designed to check if the model could simulate the influences of the obstacle on wind field. Results show that measured and simulated wind fields have high correlations, and the wind model can simulate both the basic processes of the wind and the influences of the obstacle on the wind field. These results show the high reliability of the wind model. A digital elevation model (DEM) of an area (3800 m long and 1700 m wide) in the Xilingele grassland in Inner Mongolia (autonomous region, China) was applied to the model, and a 3D wind field has been successfully generated. The clear implementation of the model and the adequate validation by wind tunnel experiments laid a solid foundation for the prediction and assessment of wind erosion at regional scale.

To analyze the stability of a shallow square tunnel, a new curved failure mechanism, representing the mechanical characteristics and collapsing form of this type of tunnel, is constructed. Based on the upper bound theorem of limit analysis and the Hoek-Brown nonlinear failure criterion, the supporting pressure derived from the virtual work rate equation is regarded as an objective function to achieve optimal calculation. By employing variational calculation to optimize the objective function, an upper bound solution for the supporting pressure and the collapsing block shape of a shallow square tunnel are obtained. To evaluate the validity of the failure mechanism proposed in this paper, the solutions computed by the curved failure mechanism are compared with the results calculated by the linear multiple blocks failure mechanism when the Hoek-Brown nonlinear failure criterion is converted into the Mohr-Coulomb linear criterion. The influences of rock mass parameters on the supporting pressure and collapsing block shape are discussed.

The effects of journal misalignment on the transient flow of a finite grooved journal bearing are presented in this study. A new 3D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis method is applied. Also, the quasi-coupling calculation of transient fluid dynamics of oil film in journal bearing and rotor dynamics is considered in the analysis. Based on the structured mesh, a new approach for mesh movement is proposed to update the mesh volume when the journal moves during the fluid dynamics simulation of an oil film. Existing dynamic mesh models provided by FLUENT are not suitable for the transient oil flow in journal bearings. The movement of the journal is obtained by solving the moving equations of the rotor-bearing system with the calculated film pressure as the boundary condition of the load. The data exchange between fluid dynamics and rotor dynamics is realized by data files. Results obtained from the CFD model were consistent with previous experimental results on misaligned journal bearings. Film pressure, oil film force, friction torque, misalignment moment and attitude angle were calculated and compared for misaligned and aligned journal bearings. The results indicate that bearing performances are greatly affected by misalignment which is caused by unbalanced excitation, and the CFD method based on the fluid-structure interaction (FSI) technique can effectively predict the transient flow field of a misaligned journal bearing in a rotor-bearing system.

Understanding the pattern of phytoplankton and their dependence on water quality variables, can help the management of eutrophic lakes. The aim of this study was to determine water quality and environmental factors associated with cyanobacteria dominance and microcystin production in Qingshan Lake, a subtropical lake located in the headwater of the Taihu watershed, China. Water samples collected monthly from 10 study sites in Qingshan Lake were analyzed for the species distributions of freshwater algae and physico-chemical parameters including total nitrogen (TN), ammonia (NH₄⁺-N), nitrate (NO₃⁻-N), total phosphorus (TP), and chlorophyll a (Chl-a) from June, 2008 to May, 2009. Qingshan Lake was found to be eutrophic, based on the calculated trophic state index (TSI). The average TN of 4.33 mg/L during the study period exceeded the Surface Water Quality Standards of China. TP was significantly correlated with relative abundance of cyanobacteria and Microcystis biovolume, indicating its important role in regulating cyanobacteria. Microcystis, Anabaena, and Oscillatoria were dominant cyanobacteria in Qingshan Lake from June to November, 2008. Cyanobacteria dominance was regulated by water temperature and TP. Principal component analysis further indicated that microcystin production was most affected by water temperature, TP, and cyanobacteria biomass. Results suggest that the control of TP in summer can mitigate cyanobacteria dominance and microcystin production in Qingshan Lake, and close monitoring should be undertaken in summer.