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Calculating the stator end-winding leakage inductance, taking into account the rotor, is difficult due to the irregular shape of the end-winding. The end-winding leakage may distribute at the end of the active part and the fringing flux of the air gap. The fringing flux belongs to the main flux but goes into the end-winding region. Then, not all the magnetic flux occurring in the end region is the end-winding leakage flux. The purpose of this paper was to find a method to accurately separate the leakage from the total flux, taking into account the rotor.

In this paper, two methods based on energy calculation are presented. Both methods require the assumption that the machine is symmetrical. The first method depends on the total leakage inductance and the machine’s active region length. The second method is based on the energy stored in the end region of the machine. In this case, removing the energy produced by the fringing flux of the air gap is necessary. The model should have a volume-closing fringing flux to remove the part of energy belonging to the end of the air gap.

The method presented in the paper does not require rotor removal. The values of the end-winding leakage inductance computed based on the proposed method were compared with values computed using the method with the removed rotor. The computations show that the proposed method is closest to the results from the method presented in the literature. Results obtained in the first method present that rotor influence on the value of end-winding leakage inductance exists. The model of the stator end-winding described in the paper is general. Therefore, the proposed methods are suitable for calculating the end-winding leakage inductance of other electric machines.

The method presented in the paper considers the rotor in end-winding leakage inductance calculation. It is not necessary to remove the rotor as in the similar method presented in the literature. The authors elaborated a parametric model with a volume-closing fringing flux to remove the part of energy belonging to the end of the air gap. The authors also elaborated their 3D model of the machine winding for calculations in Opera 3D.

The purpose of this paper is to study the insulation structure optimization method of multiwinding high-frequency transformer (HFT).

This paper takes 100 kW, 10 kHz multiwinding HFT as the research object. First, the distribution of electric field strength within the core window of multiwinding HFT with different winding configurations is simulated by the electrostatic field finite element method. The symmetrical hybrid winding structure with minimum electric field strength is selected as the insulation design. To reduce the electric field strength at the end region of the winding, the electrostatic ring and angle ring are designed based on the response surface method.

The optimal results show that the maximum electric field strength can be reduced by 15.4%, and the low voltage stress can be achieved.

The above research provides guidance and basis for the optimal design of insulation structure of multiwinding HFT.

This research addresses the diverse characteristics of existing railway steel bridges in China, including variations in construction age, design standards, structural types, manufacturing processes, materials and service conditions. It also focuses on prominent defects and challenges related to heavy transportation conditions, particularly low live haul reserves and severe fatigue problems.

The study encompasses three key aspects: (1) Adaptability assessment: It begins with assessing the suitability of existing railway steel bridges for heavy-haul operations through comprehensive analyses, experiments and engineering applications. (2) Strengthening: To combat frequent crack defects in the vertical stiffener end structure of girder webs, fatigue performance tests and reinforcement scheme experiments were conducted. These experiments included the development of a hot-spot stress S-N curve for this structure, validating the effectiveness of methods like crack stop holes, ultrasonic hammering and flange angle steel. (3) Service life extension: Research on the cruciform welded joint structure (non-fusion transfer type) focused on fatigue performance over the long life cycle. This led to the establishment of a fatigue S-N curve, enhancing Chinese design codes.

The research achieved several significant outcomes: (1) Successful implementation of strengthening and retrofitting measures on a 64-m single-span double-track railway steel truss girder on an existing heavy-duty line. (2) Post-reinforcement, a substantial 26% to 32% reduction in live haul stress on bridge members was achieved. (3) The strengthening and retrofitting efforts met design expectations, enabling the bridge to accommodate vehicles with a 30-ton axle haul on the railway line.

This research systematically tackles challenges and defects associated with Chinese existing railway steel bridges, providing valuable insights into adaptability assessment, strengthening techniques and service life extension methods. Furthermore, the development of fatigue S-N curves and the successful implementation of bridge enhancements have practical implications for improving the resilience and operational capacity of railway steel bridges in China.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the two-phase flow problems involving gas–liquid mixture.

The governed equations consist of a range of conservation laws modeling a classification of two-phase flow phenomena subjected to a velocity nonequilibrium for the gas–liquid mixture. Effects of the relative velocity are accounted for in the present model by a kinetic constitutive relation coupled to a collection of specific equations governing mass and volume fractions for the gas phase. Unlike many two-phase models, the considered system is fully hyperbolic and fully conservative. The suggested relaxation approach switches a nonlinear hyperbolic system into a semilinear model that includes a source relaxation term and characteristic linear properties. Notably, this model can be solved numerically without the use of Riemann solvers or linear iterations. For accurate time integration, a high-resolution spatial reconstruction and a Runge–Kutta scheme with decreasing total variation are used to discretize the relaxation system.

The method is used in addressing various nonequilibrium two-phase flow problems, accompanied by a comparative study of different reconstructions. The numerical results demonstrate the suggested relaxation method’s high-resolution capabilities, affirming its proficiency in delivering accurate simulations for flow regimes characterized by strong shocks.

While relaxation methods exhibit notable performance and competitive features, as far as we are aware, there has been no endeavor to address nonequilibrium two-phase flow problems using these methods.

This paper aims to examine the effects of extractive activities on the well-being of local communities and assesses stakeholder expectations of resource benefits and the corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices of oil companies in Ghana.

The paper uses a qualitative approach based on an exploratory research design to investigate the opinions and experiences of stakeholders in the growing oil and gas industry in Ghana.

The empirical findings demonstrate that entry negotiated agreements and local content requirements in the offshore oil industry have minimal benefits because of the lack of linkages with the economies of local communities. Additionally, the nature of CSR practices within the extractive industry is directly traceable to the resource governance arrangements and plural logics in Ghana’s institutional context.

This study only provides insights into natural resource governance and CSR issues in offshore oil and gas projects. Thus, the findings are not generalisable to the entire industry, including onshore drilling, which have other sustainability issues.

This research highlights the gap in natural resource management in Ghana and the effects of community expectations on CSR practices in the oil and gas industry. Therefore, this study posits the significance for including compliance requirements for improving the well-being of host communities in entry negotiated agreements and local contents.

By highlighting the nuanced issues in natural resource management within the oil and gas industry in Ghana, this paper makes significant contributions to the CSR and sustainability literature.

The purpose of this study is to assess the influence of Al and Ag addition on thermal, mechanical and shape memory properties of Cu-Al-Ag alloy.

The material is synthesized in a controlled atmosphere to minimize the reaction of alloying elements with the atmosphere. Cast samples were homogenized, then subjected to hot rolling and further betatized, followed by step quenching. Eight samples were chosen for study among which first four samples varied in Al content, and the next set of four samples varied in Ag composition.

The testing yielded a result that the increase in binary alloying element decreased transformation temperature range but increased entropy and elastic energy values. It also improved the shape memory effect and mechanical properties (UTS and hardness). An increase in ternary alloying element increased transformation temperature range, entropy and elastic energy values. The shape memory effect and mechanical properties are enhanced by the increase in ternary alloying element. The study revealed that compositional variation of Al should be limited to a range of 8 to 14 Wt.% and Ag from 2 to 8 Wt.%. Microstructural and diffraction studies identified the ß’1 martensite as a desirable phase for enhancing shape memory properties.

Numerous studies have been made in exploring the transformation temperature and phase formation for similar Cu-Al-Ag shape memory alloys, but their influence on shape memory effect was not extensively studied. In the present work, the influence of Al and Ag content on shape memory characteristics is carried out to increase the design choice for engineering applications of shape memory alloy. These materials exhibit mechanical and shape memory properties within operating ranges similar to other copper-based shape memory alloys.

Glass material is largely used for load-bearing components in buildings. For this reason, standardized calculation methods can be used in support of safe structural design in common loading and boundary conditions. Differing from earlier literature efforts, the present study elaborates on the load-bearing capacity, failure time and fire endurance of ordinary glass elements under fire exposure and sustained mechanical loads, with evidence of major trends in terms of loading condition and cross-sectional layout. Traditional verification approaches for glass in cold conditions (i.e. stress peak check) and fire endurance of load-bearing members (i.e. deflection and deflection rate limits) are assessed based on parametric numerical simulations.

The mechanical performance of structural glass elements in fire still represents an open challenge for design and vulnerability assessment. Often, special fire-resisting glass solutions are used for limited practical applications only, and ordinary soda-lime silica glass prevails in design applications for load-bearing members. Moreover, conventional recommendations and testing protocols in use for load-bearing members composed of traditional constructional materials are not already addressed for glass members. This paper elaborates on the fire endurance and failure detection methods for structural glass beams that are subjected to standard ISO time–temperature for fire exposure and in-plane bending mechanical loads. Fire endurance assessment methods are discussed with the support of Finite Element (FE) numerical analyses.

Based on extended parametric FE analyses, multiple loading, geometrical and thermo-mechanical configurations are taken into account for the analysis of simple glass elements under in-plane bending setup and fire exposure. The comparative results show that – in most of cases – thermal effects due to fire exposure have major effects on the actual load-bearing capacity of these members. Moreover, the conventional stress peak verification approach needs specific elaborations, compared to traditional calculations carried out in cold conditions.

The presented numerical results confirm that the fire endurance analysis of ordinary structural glass elements is a rather complex issue, due to combination of multiple aspects and influencing parameters. Besides, FE simulations can provide useful support for a local and global analysis of major degradation and damage phenomena, and thus support the definition of simple and realistic verification procedures for fire exposed glass members.