• International Journal of Fluid Machinery and Systems
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.47-55
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• 2016

The portable hydraulic turbine we previously developed for open channels comprises an axial flow runner with an appended collection device and a diffuser section. The output power of this hydraulic turbine was improved by catching and accelerating an open-channel water flow using the kinetic energy of the water. This study aimed to further improve the performance of the hydraulic turbine. Using numerical analysis, we examined the performances and flow fields of a single runner and a composite body consisting of the runner and collection device by varying the airfoil and number of blades. Consequently, the maximum values of input power coefficient of the Runner D composite body with two blades (which adopts the MEL031 airfoil and alters the blade angle) are equivalent to those of the composite body with two blades (MEL021 airfoil). We found that the Runner D composite body has the highest turbine efficiency and thus the largest power coefficient. Furthermore, the performance of the Runner D composite body calculated from the numerical analysis was verified experimentally in an open-channel water flow test.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.139-146
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• 2009

In this study, an assessment is made for the helicopter vibration reduction of composite rotor blades using an active twist control concept. The piezoceramic shear actuation mechanism along with elastic couplings of composite blades is used for vibration reduction. The rotor blades are modeled as composite box-beams with actuator layers bonded on the outer surfaces of the thin-walled section. The governing equations of motion for helicopter blades are obtained using Hamilton's principle. A time domain unsteady aerodynamic theory with free wake model is used to obtain the airloads. Various rotor configurations with different elastic couplings with appropriate actuator placement are used to investigate the hub vibration characteristics. Numerical results show that a substantial reduction of $N_b$/rev hub vibration can be achieved using the optimal control algorithm.

• International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sciences
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.77-85
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• 2009

A two-dimensional cross-section analysis program based on the finite element method has been developed for composite blades with arbitrary cross-section profiles and material distributions. The modulus weighted approach is used to take into account the non-homogeneous material characteristics of advanced blades. The CLPT (Classical Lamination Plate Theory) is applied to obtain the effective moduli of the composite laminate. The location of shear center for any given cross-sections are determined according to the Trefftz' definition while the torsion constants are obtained using the St. Venant torsion theory. A series of benchmark examples for beams with various cross-sections are illustrated to show the accuracy of the developed cross-section analysis program. The cross section cases include thin-walled C-channel, I-beam, single-cell box, NACA0012 airfoil, and KARI small-scale blades. Overall, a reasonable correlation is obtained in comparison with experiments or finite element analysis results.

• Composites Research
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.353-359
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• 2020

In this work, a contour-based section analysis method incorporating the use of Bézier curves is attempted for the construction of optimal structural design framework of composite helicopter blades. The suggested section analysis method is able to analyze composite blades with solid cores made of arbitrary materials and geometric shapes. The contour-based section analysis method is integrated into a blade structural optimization framework to confirm the efficiency of the present approach. The numerical simulation result demonstrates that the optimized blade configurations are obtained with a reduction in mass by 52%, compared to the baseline blade. For the structural optimization of composite blades with 19 subsections, it takes about one hour for the successful optimization while satisfying all the design constraints considered in this study, which reveals the efficiency of the present approach.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.61-66
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• 2011

According to recent figures, 35% of the world's blades are made using prepreg blades, by Vestas and Gamesa. They are the most advanced in the market today. In this study, we investigated the validity of the finite element method (FEM) applied to an FE analysis of a hybrid composite wind-turbine blade. Two methods were suggested for a composite FE analysis: using the equivalent properties of the composite or using stacking properties. FE analysis results using the stacking properties of the composite were in good agreement with results of using the equivalent properties. The difference between FE results was approximately 0.6~13.3%.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Technology Engineers
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.288-294
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• 2010

In recent years, wind energy has been the world's fastest growing source of energy. This paper describes the structural design and analysis of composite blade for 2 kW-level HAWT (horizontal axis wind turbine). The aerodynamic design and force, which are required to design and analyze a composite blade structurally, are calculated through BEMT(blade element momentum theory) implemented in public code PROPID. To obtain the equivalent material properties of filament wound composite blades, the rule-of-mixture is applied using the basic material properties of fiber and matrix, respectively. Lay-up sequence, ply thickness and ply angle are designed to satisfy the loading conditions. Structural analysis by using commercial software ABAQUS is performed to compute the displacement and strength ratio of filament wound composite blades.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
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• 2000.06a
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• pp.1222-1227
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• 2000

The optimization study are carried out for helicopter rotor blades with composite box-beam spar. The objective function is to minimize the weight of rotor blades subject to frequency, aeroelastic stability and failure constraints. Design variables include the number of ply and ply angles of the laminated walls. The beam model of a hinge less rotor blade is based on a large deflection beam theory to describe the arbitrary large deflections and rotations. The p-k method and unsteady two dimensional strip theory are used to calculate aeroelastic stability boundary.

• Journal of Aerospace System Engineering
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.21-25
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• 2010

Fatigue properties of composite materials are extremely important to design durable and reliable helicopter rotor blades. However, it is very difficult to apply conventional fatigue test loads in short period. Therefore, accelerating test speed and facilitating spectrum load realization are required. In this study, we have developed a fatigue testing method that uses a resonance of simply supported beam type blade specimen. This test consists in exciting the blade specimen with a frequency that corresponds to its natural frequency. In that case, the test specimen similar to a beam fixed between two pivot points starts vibrating and is significantly deformed. Resonant fatigue tests were performed by changing exciting vertical amplitude and frequency, and S-N curves of each composite materials were successfully obtained.

• Aerospace Engineering and Technology
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.1-7
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• 2010

Fatigue properties of composite materials are extremely important to design durable and reliable helicopter rotor blades. However, it is very difficult to apply conventional fatigue test loads in short period. Therefore, accelerating test speed and facilitating spectrum load realization are required. In this study, we have developed a fatigue testing method that uses a resonance of simply supported beam type blade specimen. This test consists in exciting the blade specimen with a frequency that corresponds to its natural frequency. In that case, the test specimen similar to a beam fixed between two pivot points starts vibrating and is significantly deformed. Resonant fatigue tests were performed by changing exciting vertical amplitude and frequency, and S-N curves of each composite materials were successfully obtained.

• Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.512-521
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• 2002

The flap-lag-torsion coupled aeroelastic behavior of a hingeless rotor blade with composite flexures in hovering flight has been investigated by using the finite element method. The quasisteady strip theory with dynamic inflow effects is used to obtain the aerodynamic loads acting on the blade. The governing differential equations of motion undergoing moderately large displacements and rotations are derived using the Hamilton's principle. The flexures used in the present model are composed of two composite plates which are rigidly attached together. The lead-lag flexure is located inboard of the flap flexure. A mixed warping model that combines the St. Versant torsion and the Vlasov torsion is developed to describe the twist behavior of the composite flexure. Numerical simulations are carried out to correlate the present results with experimental test data and also to identify the effects of structural couplings of the composite flexures on the aeroelastic stability of the blade. The prediction results agree well with other experimental data. The effects of elastic couplings such as pitch-flap, pitch-lag, and flap-lag couplings on the stability behavior of the composite blades are also investigated.