Vibration management in structures with mode degeneracy - enhancing the life of industrial Charge Air Coolers

该项目的灵感来自于减少增压空气冷却器（一种热交换器，例如用于机车的热交换器）的振动，从而提高设备的使用寿命。这类结构的一个特点是，由于几个相同的部件，如冷却管，通过翅片或端板耦合在一起，因此存在数学上的困难。这使得振动预测和管理问题极具挑战性。理论、计算和实验技术的结合将被用来理解这种结构的独特振动行为（在技术文献中，这被称为“具有模态退化的结构”），并提供解决方案来管理振动水平。该候选人将制作这类热交换器结构的有限元模型，以了解由发动机引起的振动行为。他们还将通过使用振动筛的仪表锤对结构进行机械激励来进行测量，并对数字数据进行分析，目的是监测和抑制振动。最后，他们将使结构振动测量与计算和理论预测相一致。

The project is inspired by reducing vibration in charge air coolers -- a class of heat exchangers, such as those used in locomotive applications, and thus enhancing the life of the equipment. A feature of this class of structures is that there are mathematical difficulties due to several identical parts such as cooling tubes that are coupled together via fins or end plates. This makes the problem of vibration prediction and management extremely challenging. A combination of theoretical, computational and experimental techniques will be used to understand the unique vibration behaviour of such structures (in the technical literature this is known as "structures with mode degeneracy") and offer solutions to manage vibration levels. The candidate will make finite element models of this class of heat exchanger structures to understand the vibration behaviour as induced by engines. They will also make measurements by mechanically exciting the structure using an instrumented hammer of a shaker and carry out analysis of the digital data with an aim of vibration monitoring and suppression. Finally they will reconcile the structural vibration measurements with computational and theoretical predictions.