Numerical and Experimental Investigation of the Effects of Thermal Expansion and Pressure Loss in Air Hoses made from Different Materials

Abstract

This study was carried out to numerically and experimentally examine the thermal expansion of four different air hoses with the same geometric shape and dimensions, produced from rubber types with different raw materials, and to examine its effects on pressure loss. Hoses are manufactured from EPDM, ECO, AEM and NBR/CSM rubber compounds. The thermal expansion test was performed at 100°C and 140°C. Thermal and flow analyses and solid-fluid interaction (FSI) analyzes were performed with ANSYS 19.2 commercial finite volumes software. In the study, independence from mesh number was studied. k- Ɛ was chosen as the turbulence model. As a result of the study, the maximum expansion was observed in ECO material and in AEM, EPDM and NBR/CS materials, respectively. It has been determined by tests and analyses that air hoses made of AEM and ECO materials with a low modulus of elasticity have the highest values in diameter expansion. These deformation values caused the pressure value of 300 kPa to decrease to 298.5 kPa at 100 ^oC and to 298.41 kPa at 140 ^oC for AEM and decreased the 300 kPa pressure value to 298.1 kPa for ECO. It has been determined that the importance of material selection in air hose designs and the deformation due to the material will affect the pressure loss