2015 Vol.28(05)

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Analytical and Experimental Study on Complex Compressed Air Pipe Network
2015, 29(05).
[Abstract](2569) [PDF 537KB](139)
Abstract:
To analyze the working characteristics of complex compressed air networks, numerical methods are widely used which are based on finite element technology or intelligent algorithms. However, the effectiveness of the numerical methods is limited. In this paper, to provide a new method to optimize the design and the air supply strategy of the complex compressed air pipe network, firstly, a novel method to analyze the topology structure of the compressed air flow in the pipe network is initially proposed. A matrix is used to describe the topology structure of the compressed air flow. Moreover, based on the analysis of the pressure loss of the pipe network, the relationship between the pressure and the flow of the compressed air is derived, and a prediction method of pressure fluctuation and air flow in a segment in a complex pipe network is proposed. Finally, to inspect the effectiveness of the method, an experiment with a complex network is designed. The pressure and the flow of airflow in the network are measured and studied. The results of the study show that, the predicted results with the proposed method have a good consistency with the experimental results, and that verifies the air flow prediction method of the complex pipe network. This research proposes a new method to analyze the compressed air network and a prediction method of pressure fluctuation and air flow in a segment, which can predicate the fluctuation of the pressure according to the flow of compressed air, and predicate the fluctuation of the flow according to the pressure in a segment of a complex pipe network.
Hierarchical Control of Ride Height System for Electronically Controlled Air Suspension Based on Variable Structure and Fuzzy Control Theory
2015, 29(05).
[Abstract](2570) [PDF 1573KB](109)
Abstract:
The current research of air suspension mainly focuses on the characteristics and design of the air spring. In fact, electronically controlled air suspension (ECAS) has excellent performance in flexible height adjustment during different driving conditions. However, the nonlinearity of the ride height adjusting system and the uneven distribution of payload affect the control accuracy of ride height and the body attitude. Firstly, the three-point measurement system of three height sensors is used to establish the mathematical model of the ride height adjusting system. The decentralized control of ride height and the centralized control of body attitude are presented to design the ride height control system for ECAS. The exact feedback linearization method is adopted for the nonlinear mathematical model of the ride height system. Secondly, according to the hierarchical control theory, the variable structure control (VSC) technique is used to design a controller that is able to adjust the ride height for the quarter-vehicle anywhere, and each quarter-vehicle height control system is independent. Meanwhile, the three-point height signals obtained by three height sensors are tracked to calculate the body pitch and roll attitude over time, and then by calculating the deviation of pitch and roll and its rates, the height control correction is reassigned based on the fuzzy algorithm. Finally, to verify the effectiveness and performance of the proposed combined control strategy, a validating test of ride height control system with and without road disturbance is carried out. Testing results show that the height adjusting time of both lifting and lowering is over 5 s, and the pitch angle and the roll angle of body attitude are less than 0.15. This research proposes a hierarchical control method that can guarantee the attitude stability, as well as satisfy the ride height tracking system.
Energy-efficient Approach to Minimizing the Energy Consumption in An Extended Job-shop Scheduling Problem
2015, 29(05).
[Abstract](2616) [PDF 500KB](170)
Abstract:
The traditional production planning and scheduling problems consider performance indicators like time, cost and quality as optimization objectives in manufacturing processes. However, environmentally-friendly factors like energy consumption of production have not been completely taken into consideration. Against this background, this paper addresses an approach to modify a given schedule generated by a production planning and scheduling system in a job shop floor, where machine tools can work at different cutting speeds. It can adjust the cutting speeds of the operations while keeping the original assignment and processing sequence of operations of each job fixed in order to obtain energy savings. First, the proposed approach, based on a mixed integer programming mathematical model, changes the total idle time of the given schedule to minimize energy consumption in the job shop floor while accepting the optimal solution of the scheduling objective, makespan. Then, a genetic-simulated annealing algorithm is used to explore the optimal solution due to the fact that the problem is strongly NP-hard. Finally, the effectiveness of the approach is performed small- and large-size instances, respectively. The experimental results show that the approach can save 5%‒10% of the average energy consumption while accepting the optimal solution of the makespan in small-size instances. In addition, the average maximum energy saving ratio can reach to 13%. And it can save approximately 1%‒4% of the average energy consumption and approximately 2.4% of the average maximum energy while accepting the near-optimal solution of the makespan in large-size instances. The proposed research provides an interesting point to explore an energy-aware schedule optimization for a traditional production planning and scheduling problem.
Nonlinear Mathematical Modeling and Sensitivity Analysis of Hydraulic Drive Unit
2015, 29(05).
[Abstract](2548) [PDF 1903KB](162)
Abstract:
The previous sensitivity analysis researches are not accurate enough and also have the limited reference value, because those mathematical models are relatively simple and the change of the load and the initial displacement changes of the piston are ignored, even experiment verification is not conducted. Therefore, in view of deficiencies above, a nonlinear mathematical model is established in this paper, including dynamic characteristics of servo valve, nonlinear characteristics of pressure-flow, initial displacement of servo cylinder piston and friction nonlinearity. The transfer function block diagram is built for the hydraulic drive unit closed loop position control, as well as the state equations. Through deriving the time-varying coefficient items matrix and time-varying free items matrix of sensitivity equations respectively, the expression of sensitivity equations based on the nonlinear mathematical model are obtained. According to structure parameters of hydraulic drive unit, working parameters, fluid transmission characteristics and measured friction-velocity curves, the simulation analysis of hydraulic drive unit is completed on the MATLAB/Simulink simulation platform with the displacement step 2 mm, 5 mm and 10 mm, respectively. The simulation results indicate that the developed nonlinear mathematical model is sufficient by comparing the characteristic curves of experimental step response and simulation step response under different constant load. Then, the sensitivity function time-history curves of seventeen parameters are obtained, basing on each state vector time-history curve of step response characteristic. The maximum value of displacement variation percentage and the sum of displacement variation absolute values in the sampling time are both taken as sensitivity indexes. The sensitivity indexes values above are calculated and shown visually in histograms under different working conditions, and change rules are analyzed. Then the sensitivity indexes values of four measurable parameters, such as supply pressure, proportional gain, initial position of servo cylinder piston and load force, are verified experimentally on test platform of hydraulic drive unit, and the experimental research shows that the sensitivity analysis results obtained through simulation are approximate to the test results. This research indicates each parameter sensitivity characteristics of hydraulic drive unit, the performance-affected main parameters and secondary parameters are got under different working conditions, which will provide the theoretical foundation for the control compensation and structure optimization of hydraulic drive unit.
Improving Tribological Performance of Gray Cast Iron by Laser Peening in Dynamic Strain Aging Temperature Regime
2015, 29(05).
[Abstract](2514) [PDF 1030KB](145)
Abstract:
A high and stable brake disc friction coefficient is needed for automobile safety, while the coefficient degrades due to elevated temperature during the braking process. There is no better solution except changes in material composition and shape design optimization. In the dynamic strain aging(DSA) temperature regime of gray cast iron, micro-dimples with different dimple depth over diameter and surface area density are fabricated on the material surface by laser peening(LP) which is an LST method. Friction behavior and wear mechanism are investigated to evaluate the effects of surface texturing on the tribological performance of specimens under dry conditions. Through LP impacts assisted by DSA, the friction coefficients of the LPed specimens increase noticeably both at room temperature and elevated temperature in comparison to untreated specimens. Moreover, the coefficient of specimen with dimple depth over diameter of 0.03 and surface area density of 30% is up to 0.351 at room temperature, which dramatically rises up to 1.33 times that of untextured specimen and the value is still up to 0.3305 at 400℃ with an increasing ratio of 35% compared to that of untreated specimen. The surface of textured specimen shows better wear resistance compared to untreated specimen. Wear mechanism includes adhesive wear, abrasive wear and oxidation wear. It is demonstrated that LP assisted by DSA can substantially improve wear resistance, raise the friction coefficient as well as its stability of gray cast iron under elevated temperatures. Heat fade and premature wear can be effectively relieved by this surface modification method.
Effects of System Pressure and Heat Flux on Bubble Nucleation and Growth
2015, 29(05).
[Abstract](2579) [PDF 1222KB](127)
Abstract:
Characteristics of bubble nucleation and growth are critical for its application. It is affected by several factors including viscosity, surface tension and temperature. However, the effect of pressure on bubble nucleation and growth has been underreported, although it processes significant effect on above characteristics. In this work, a micro copper electrode is etched on a slab covered with copper to produce bubble on the surface by current input. The nucleation time of bubble is measured under different heat flux and system pressures. The nucleation and growth processes are recorded with a high speed camera in order to discuss the effects of heat flux and system pressure on bubble characteristics. The experiment results indicate that the micro electrode with higher heat flux produces more thermal energy, which makes the time of bubble nucleation shorter and the speed of bubble growth faster. Higher system pressure causes the increase of the critical nucleation temperature and also baffles the bubble nucleation and growth. Bubble growth includes the stages of rapid growth and dynamic equilibrium, with the speed being from fast to slow. In the former part of rapid growth, heat flux plays a dominant role in bubble growth. While the effect of system pressure on bubble growth becomes significant in the latter part of rapid growth. Both the nucleation time and bubble growth agree well with the theoretical analysis. The obtained results help to accurately control bubble nucleation and growth required in different application.
Over-constraint and a Unified Mobility Method for General Spatial Mechanisms Part 1: Essential Principle
2015, 29(05).
[Abstract](2544) [PDF 535KB](127)
Abstract:
Compared with the parallel mechanisms, the mobility analysis of the general multi-loop spatial mechanisms(GMSMs) is more difficult to obtain correct results. The reason is that its multi-loop are formed through several times of closings and there also exists motion coupling even strong coupling, where the over-constraints are concealed. However, the mobility analysis for this kind of mechanisms has been paid few attentions. A new systemic methodology for analyzing mobility is proposed for GMSMs also based on the screw theory. The key issue for mobility analysis is to recognize the over-constraint. Firstly, three theorems are given and point out: the reason and site of over-constraint occurrence, calculating the number of over-constraints by the screw theory, and how to analyze the over-constraints for a single-loop mechanism as well. Then, three closing forms for GMSMs are proposed including rigid closure, movable closure and dynamic closure, and for the three different forms the different analysis methods are also given. Especially, for the most difficult issue of GMSMs with the multi-loop closure in many times and the inevitable motion coupling, two important methods are proposed: “recognizing over-constraints by analyzing relative movement” and “recognizing over-constraints by virtual loop”. The two methods are well used to solve the issue. Above-mentioned principles are not only systematic and effective but also unified. They provides a theoretical basis for the general multi-loop spatial mechanisms.
Digitalized Accurate Modeling of SPCB with Multi-spiral Surface Based on CPC Algorithm
2015, 29(05).
[Abstract](2516) [PDF 769KB](100)
Abstract:
The main methods of the existing multi-spiral surface geometry modeling include spatial analytic geometry algorithms, graphical method, interpolation and approximation algorithms. However, there are some shortcomings in these modeling methods, such as large amount of calculation, complex process, visible errors, and so on. The above methods have, to some extent, restricted the design and manufacture of the premium and high-precision products with spiral surface considerably. This paper introduces the concepts of the spatially parallel coupling with multi-spiral surface and spatially parallel coupling body. The typical geometry and topological features of each spiral surface forming the multi-spiral surface body are determined, by using the extraction principle of datum point cluster, the algorithm of coupling point cluster by removing singular point, and the “spatially parallel coupling” principle based on the non-uniform B-spline for each spiral surface. The orientation and quantitative relationships of datum point cluster and coupling point cluster in Euclidean space are determined accurately and in digital description and expression, coupling coalescence of the surfaces with multi-coupling point clusters under the Pro/E environment. The digitally accurate modeling of spatially parallel coupling body with multi-spiral surface is realized. The smooth and fairing processing is done to the three-blade end-milling cutter’s end section area by applying the principle of spatially parallel coupling with multi-spiral surface, and the alternative entity model is processed in the four axis machining center after the end mill is disposed. And the algorithm is verified and then applied effectively to the transition area among the multi-spiral surface. The proposed model and algorithms may be used in design and manufacture of the multi-spiral surface body products, as well as in solving essentially the problems of considerable modeling errors in computer graphics and engineering in multi-spiral surface’s connection available with approximate methods or graphical methods.
Abnormality Degree Detection Method Using Negative Potential Field Group Detectors
2015, 29(05).
[Abstract](2550) [PDF 1370KB](132)
Abstract:
Online monitoring methods have been widely used in many major devices, however the normal and abnormal states of equipment are estimated mainly based on the monitoring results whether monitored parameters exceed the setting thresholds. Using these monitoring methods may cause serious false positive or false negative results. In order to precisely monitor the state of equipment, the problem of abnormality degree detection without fault sample is studied with a new detection method called negative potential field group detectors(NPFG-detectors). This method achieves the quantitative expression of abnormality degree and provides the better detection results compared with other methods. In the process of Iris data set simulation, the new algorithm obtains the successful results in abnormal detection. The detection rates for 3 types of Iris data set respectively reach 100%, 91.6%, and 95.24% with 50% training samples. The problem of Bearing abnormality degree detection via an abnormality degree curve is successfully solved.
Effects of Driving Mode on the Performance of Multiple-Chamber Piezoelectric Pumps with Multiple Actuators
2015, 29(05).
[Abstract](2544) [PDF 1180KB](169)
Abstract:
Due to the limited output capability of piezoelectric diaphragm pumps, the driving voltage is frequently increased to obtain the desired output. However, the excessive voltage application may lead to a large deformation in the piezoelectric ceramics, which could cause it to breakdown or become damaged. Therefore, increasing the number of chambers to obtain the desired output is proposed. Using a check-valve quintuple-chamber pump with quintuple piezoelectric actuators, the characteristics of the pump under different driving modes are investigated through experiments. By changing the number and connection mode of working actuators, pump performances in terms of flow rate and backpressure are tested at a voltage of 150 V with a frequency range of 60 Hz -400 Hz. Experiment results indicate that the properties of the multiple-chamber pump change significantly with distinct working chambers even though the number of pumping chambers is the same. Pump performance declines as the distance between the working actuators increases. Moreover, pump performance declines dramatically when the working piezoelectric actuator closest to the outlet is involved. The maximum backpressures of the pump with triple, quadruple, and quintuple actuators are increased by 39%, 83%, and 128%, respectively, compared with the pump with double working actuators; the corresponding maximum flow rates of the pumps are simply increased by 25.9%, 49.2%, and 67.8%, respectively. The proposed research offers practical guidance for the effective utilization of the multiple-chamber pumps under different driving modes.
Multiple Measurement Models of Articulated Arm Coordinate Measuring Machines
2015, 29(05).
[Abstract](2578) [PDF 1052KB](88)
Abstract:
The existing articulated arm coordinate measuring machines(AACMM) with one measurement model are easy to cause low measurement accuracy because the whole sampling space is much bigger than the result in the unstable calibration parameters. To compensate for the deficiency of one measurement model, the multiple measurement models are built by the Denavit-Hartenberg’s notation, the homemade standard rod components are used as a calibration tool and the Levenberg-Marquardt calibration algorithm is applied to solve the structural parameters in the measurement models. During the tests of multiple measurement models, the sample areas are selected in two situations. It is found that the measurement errors’ sigma value(0.083 4 mm) dealt with one measurement model is nearly two times larger than that of the multiple measurement models(0.043 1 mm) in the same sample area. While in the different sample area, the measurement errors’ sigma value(0.054 0 mm) dealt with the multiple measurement models is about 40% of one measurement model(0.137 3 mm). The preliminary results suggest that the measurement accuracy of AACMM dealt with multiple measurement models is superior to the accuracy of the existing machine with one measurement model. This paper proposes the multiple measurement models to improve the measurement accuracy of AACMM without increasing any hardware cost.
Determination of Elastoplastic Mechanical Properties of the Weld and Heat Affected Zone Metals in Tailor-Welded Blanks by Nanoindentation Test
MA Xiangdong, GUAN Yingping, YANG Liu
2015, 29(05).
[Abstract](2570) [PDF 534KB](482)
Abstract:
The elastoplastic mechanical properties of the weld and heat affected zone metals have comparatively major impact on the forming process of tailor-welded blanks. A few scholars investigated the elastoplastic mechanical properties of the weld and heat affected zone, but they only simply assumed that it was a uniform distribution elastoplastic material different from the base materials. Four types of tailor-welded blanks which consist of ST12 and 304 stainless steel plates are selected as the research objects, the elastoplastic mechanical properties of the tailor-welded blanks weld and heat affected zone metals are obtained based on the nanoindentation tests, and the Erichsen cupping tests are conducted by combining numerical simulation with physical experiment. The nanoindentation tests results demonstrate that the elastoplastic mechanical properties of the weld and heat affected zone metals are not only different from the base materials, but also varying between the weld metals and the heat affected zone metals. Comparing the Erichsen cupping test resulted from numerical with that from experimental method, it is found that the numerical value of Erichsen cupping test which consider the elastoplastic mechanical properties of the weld and heat affected zone metals have a good agreement with the experimental result, and the relative error is only 4.8%. The proposed research provides good solutions for the inhomogeneous elastoplastic mechanical properties of the tailor-welded blanks weld and heat affected zone metals, and improves the control performance of tailor-welded blanks forming accuracy.
Driving Torque Reduction in Linkage Mechanisms Using Joint Compliance for Robot Head
2015, 29(05).
[Abstract](2568) [PDF 970KB](117)
Abstract:
The conventional linkage mechanisms with compliant joint have been widely studied and implemented for increasing the adaptability of the mechanism to external contacts. However, the analysis of how compliant joints in linkage mechanism can reduce the energy consumption isn’t still studied deeply. In a mobile service robot head, the actions of blinking the eyes and moving the eyeballs are realized by the planar linkage mechanism respectively. Therefore, minimizing the driving torques through motion trajectories for the linkage mechanism, which will be beneficial to extend the working time for mobile service robots. The dynamic modeling of the linkage mechanism with springs-loaded compliant joint is established. An optimization procedure for obtaining the optimal parameters of springs is proposed for minimizing the max value of driving torques within a range of desired operating conditions. The Simulations prove that the linkage mechanism with compliant joints can effectively reduce the driving torques, and reduce the energy consumption consequently. The framework can also be applied in other similar applications to reduce the driving torque and save energy. Compared with previous efforts, this is the first attempt that the linkage mechanism with complaint joint is applied in the robot head for reducing the driving torque.
Effective Hybrid Teaching-learning-based Optimization Algorithm for Balancing Two-sided Assembly Lines with Multiple Constraints
2015, 29(05).
[Abstract](2553) [PDF 785KB](117)
Abstract:
Due to the NP-hardness of the two-sided assembly line balancing (TALB) problem, multiple constraints existing in real applications are less studied, especially when one task is involved with several constraints. In this paper, an effective hybrid algorithm is proposed to address the TALB problem with multiple constraints (TALB-MC). Considering the discrete attribute of TALB-MC and the continuous attribute of the standard teaching-learning-based optimization (TLBO) algorithm, the random-keys method is hired in task permutation representation, for the purpose of bridging the gap between them. Subsequently, a special mechanism for handling multiple constraints is developed. In the mechanism, the directions constraint of each task is ensured by the direction check and adjustment. The zoning constraints and the synchronism constraints are satisfied by teasing out the hidden correlations among constraints. The positional constraint is allowed to be violated to some extent in decoding and punished in cost function. Finally, with the TLBO seeking for the global optimum, the variable neighborhood search (VNS) is further hybridized to extend the local search space. The experimental results show that the proposed hybrid algorithm outperforms the late acceptance hill-climbing algorithm (LAHC) for TALB-MC in most cases, especially for large-size problems with multiple constraints, and demonstrates well balance between the exploration and the exploitation. This research proposes an effective and efficient algorithm for solving TALB-MC problem by hybridizing the TLBO and VNS.
Shakedown Criterion Employing Actual Residual Stress Field and Its Application in Numerical Shakedown Analysis
2015, 29(05).
[Abstract](2594) [PDF 649KB](82)
Abstract:
Construction of the static admissible residual stress field and searching the optimal field are key tasks in the shakedown analysis methods applying the static theorem. These methods always meet dimension obstacles when dealing with complex problems. In this paper, a novel shakedown criterion is proposed employing actual residual stress field based on the static shakedown theorem. The actual residual stress field used here is produced under a specified load path, which is a sequence of proportional loading and unloading from zero to all the vertices of the given load domain. This ensures that the shakedown behavior in the whole load domain can be determined based on the theorem proposed by Knig. The shakedown criterion is then implemented in numerical shakedown analysis. The actual residual stress fields are calculated by incremental finite element elastic-plastic analysis technique for finite deformation under the specified load path with different load levels. The shakedown behavior and the shakedown limit load are determined according to the proposed criterion. The validation of the criterion is performed by a benchmark shakedown example, which is a square plate with a central hole under biaxial loading. The results are consistent with existing results in the literatures and are validated by full cyclic elastic-plastic finite element analysis. The numerical shakedown analysis applying the proposed criterion avoids processing dimension obstacles and performing full cyclic elastic-plastic analysis under arbitrary load paths which should be accounted for appearing. The effect of material model and geometric changes on shakedown behavior can be considered conveniently.
Geometric Deviation Modeling by Kinematic Matrix Based on Lagrangian Coordinate
2015, 29(05).
[Abstract](2545) [PDF 747KB](133)
Abstract:
Typical representation of dimension and geometric accuracy is limited to the self-representation of dimension and geometric deviation based on geometry variation thinking, yet the interactivity affection of geometric variation and gesture variation of multi-rigid body is not included. In this paper, a kinematic matrix model based on Lagrangian coordinate is introduced, with the purpose of unified model for geometric variation and gesture variation and their interactive and integrated analysis. Kinematic model with joint, local base and movable base is built. The ideal feature of functional geometry is treated as the base body; the fitting feature of functional geometry is treated as the adjacent movable body; the local base of the kinematic model is fixed onto the ideal geometry, and the movable base of the kinematic model is fixed onto the fitting geometry. Furthermore, the geometric deviation is treated as relative location or rotation variation between the movable base and the local base, and it’s expressed by the Lagrangian coordinate. Moreover, kinematic matrix based on Lagrangian coordinate for different types of geometry tolerance zones is constructed, and total freedom for each kinematic model is discussed. Finally, the Lagrangian coordinate library, kinematic matrix library for geometric deviation modeling is illustrated, and an example of block and piston fits is introduced. Dimension and geometric tolerances of the shaft and hole fitting feature are constructed by kinematic matrix and Lagrangian coordinate, and the results indicate that the proposed kinematic matrix is capable and robust in dimension and geometric tolerances modeling.
Prediction of Vibration Characteristics in Beam Structure Using Sub-scale Modeling with Experimental Validation
2015, 29(05).
[Abstract](2560) [PDF 893KB](149)
Abstract:
Geometric or sub-scale modeling techniques are used for the evaluation of large and complex dynamic structures to ensure accurate reproduction of load path and thus leading to true dynamic characteristics of such structures. The sub scale modeling technique is very effective in the prediction of vibration characteristics of original large structure when the experimental testing is not feasible due to the absence of a large testing facility. Previous researches were more focused on free and harmonic vibration case with little or no consideration for readily encountered random vibration. A sub-scale modeling technique is proposed for estimating the vibration characteristics of any large scale structure such as Launch vehicles, Mega structures, etc., under various vibration load cases by utilizing precise scaled-down model of that dynamic structure. In order to establish an analytical correlation between the original structure and its scaled models, different scale models of isotropic cantilever beam are selected and analyzed under various vibration conditions( i.e. free, harmonic and random) using finite element package ANSYS. The developed correlations are also validated through experimental testing. The prediction made from the vibratory response of the scaled down beam through the established sets of correlation are found similar to the response measured from the testing of original beam structure. The established correlations are equally applicable in the prediction of dynamic characteristics of any complex structure through its scaled down models. This paper presents modified sub scale modeling technique that enables accurate prediction of vibration characteristics of large and complex structure under not only sinusoidal but also for random vibrations.
Impact of Typical Steady-state Conditions and Transient Conditions on Flow Ripple and Its Test Accuracy for Axial Piston Pump
2015, 29(05).
[Abstract](2528) [PDF 2007KB](225)
Abstract:
The current research about the flow ripple of axial piston pump mainly focuses on the effect of the structure of parts on the flow ripple. Therein, the structure of parts are usually designed and optimized at rated working conditions. However, the pump usually has to work in the large-scale and time-variant working conditions. Therefore, the flow ripple characteristics of pump and analysis for its test accuracy with respect to variant steady-state conditions and transient conditions in a wide range of operating parameters are focused in this paper. First, a simulation model has been constructed, which takes the kinematics of oil film within friction pairs into account for higher accuracy. Afterwards, a test bed which adopts Secondary Source Method is built to verify the model. The simulation and tests results show that the angular position of the piston, corresponding to the position where the peak flow ripple is produced, varies with the different pressure. The pulsating amplitude and pulsation rate of flow ripple increase with the rise of pressure and the variation rate of pressure. For the pump working at a constant speed, the flow pulsation rate decreases dramatically with the speed when the speed is less than 27.78% of the maximum speed, subsequently presents a small decrease tendency with the speed further increasing. With the rise of the variation rate of speed, the pulsating amplitude and pulsation rate of flow ripple increase. As the swash plate angle augments, the pulsating amplitude of flow ripple increases, nevertheless the flow pulsation rate decreases. In contrast with the effect of the variation of pressure, the test accuracy of flow ripple is more sensitive to the variation of speed. It makes the test accuracy above 96.20% available for the pulsating amplitude of pressure differing within a range of 6% from the mean pressure. However, with a variation of speed differing within a range of 2% from the mean speed, the attainable test accuracy of flow ripple is above 93.07%. The model constructed in this research proposes a method to determine the flow ripple characteristics of pump and its attainable test accuracy under the large-scale and time-variant working conditions. Meanwhile, a discussion about the variation of flow ripple and its obtainable test accuracy with the conditions of the pump working in wide operating ranges is given as well.
Structure Design of Lower limb Exoskeletons for Gait Training
2015, 29(05).
[Abstract](2577) [PDF 2634KB](217)
Abstract:
Due to the close physical interaction between human and machine in process of gait training, lower limb exoskeletons should be safe, comfortable and able to smoothly transfer desired driving force/moments to the patients. Correlatively, in kinematics the exoskeletons are required to be compatible with human lower limbs and thereby to avoid the uncontrollable interactional loads at the human-machine interfaces. Such requirement makes the structure design of exoskeletons very difficult because the human-machine closed chains are complicated. In addition, both the axis misalignments and the kinematic character difference between the exoskeleton and human joints should be taken into account. By analyzing the DOF(degree of freedom) of the whole human-machine closed chain, the human-machine kinematic incompatibility of lower limb exoskeletons is studied. An effective method for the structure design of lower limb exoskeletons, which are kinematically compatible with human lower limb, is proposed. Applying this method, the structure synthesis of the lower limb exoskeletons containing only one-DOF revolute and prismatic joints is investigated; the feasible basic structures of exoskeletons are developed and classified into three different categories. With the consideration of quasi-anthropopathic feature, structural simplicity and wearable comfort of lower limb exoskeletons, a joint replacement and structure comparison based approach to select the ideal structures of lower limb exoskeletons is proposed, by which three optimal exoskeleton structures are obtained. This paper indicates that the human-machine closed chain formed by the exoskeleton and human lower limb should be an even-constrained kinematic system in order to avoid the uncontrollable human-machine interactional loads. The presented method for the structure design of lower limb exoskeletons is universal and simple, and hence can be applied to other kinds of wearable exoskeletons.
Experimental Study on Molecular Arrangement of Nanoscale Lubricant FilmsA Review
ZHANG Shaohua and LIU Yuhong
2015, 29(05).
[Abstract](2669) [PDF 908KB](153)
Abstract:
In order to understand lubrication mechanism at the nanoscale, researchers have used many physical experimental approaches, such as surface force apparatus, atomic force microscopy and ball-on-disk tribometer. The results show that the variation rules of the friction force, film thicknessand viscosity of the lubricant at the nanoscale are different from elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL). It is speculated that these differences are attributed to the special arrangement of the molecules at the nanoscale. However, it is difficult to obtain the molecular orientation and distribution directly from the lubricant molecules in these experiments. In recent years, more and more attention has been paid to use new techniques to overcome the shortcomings of traditional experiments, including various spectral methods. The most representative achievements in the experimental research of molecular arrangement are reviewed in this paper: The change of film structure of a liquid crystal under confinement has been obtained using X-ray method. The molecular orientation change of lubricant films has been observed using absorption spectroscopy. Infrared spectroscopy has been used to measure the anisotropy of molecular orientation in the contact region when the lubricant film thickness is reduced to a few tens of nanometers. In situ Raman spectroscopy has been performed to measure the molecular orientation of the lubricant film semi-quantitatively. These results prove that confinement and shear in the contact region can change the arrangement of lubricant molecules. As a result, the lubrication characteristics are affected. The shortages of these works are also discussed based on practicable results. Further work is needed to separate the information of the solid-liquid interface from the bulk liquid film.
Numerical Simulation and Experimental Study of Heat-fluid-solid Coupling of Double Flapper-nozzle Servo Valve
2015, 29(05).
[Abstract](2619) [PDF 2084KB](121)
Abstract:
The double flapper-nozzle servo valve is widely used to launch and guide the equipment. Due to the large instantaneous flow rate of servo valve working under specific operating conditions, the temperature of servo valve would reach 120℃ and the valve core and valve sleeve deform in a short amount of time. So the control precision of servo valve significantly decreases and the clamping stagnation phenomenon of valve core appears. In order to solve the problem of degraded control accuracy and clamping stagnation of servo valve under large temperature difference circumstance, the numerical simulation of heat-fluid-solid coupling by using finite element method is done. The simulation result shows that zero position leakage of servo valve is basically impacted by oil temperature and change of fit clearance. The clamping stagnation is caused by warpage-deformation and fit clearance reduction of the valve core and valve sleeve. The distribution rules of the temperature and thermal-deformation of shell, valve core and valve sleeve and the pressure, velocity and temperature field of flow channel are also analyzed. Zero position leakage and electromagnet’s current when valve core moves in full-stroke are tested using Electro-hydraulic Servo-valve Characteristic Test-bed of an aerospace sciences and technology corporation. The experimental results show that the change law of experimental current at different oil temperatures is roughly identical to simulation current. The current curve of the electromagnet is smooth when oil temperature is below 80℃, but the amplitude of current significantly increases and the hairy appears when oil temperature is above 80℃. The current becomes smooth again after the warped valve core and valve sleeve are reground. It indicates that clamping stagnation is caused by warpage-deformation and fit clearance reduction of valve core and valve sleeve. This paper simulates and tests the heat-fluid-solid coupling of double flapper-nozzle servo valve, and the obtained results provide the reference value for the design of double flapper-nozzle force feedback servo valve.
Novel Evaluation Method of Vehicle Suspension Performance Based on Concept of Wheel Turn Center
WANG Bo, GUAN Hsin, LU Pingping, and ZHAN Jun
2015, 29(05).
[Abstract](2610) [PDF 1199KB](100)
Abstract:
The current research of suspension performance evaluation is mixed in the evaluation of vehicle handling and ride comfort. However, it is lack of a direct and independent evaluation method for suspension performance. In this paper, a novel wheel turn center method is proposed to evaluate the suspension performance. This method is based on the concept and application of wheel turn center (WTC) and sprung mass turn center (SPTC). The vehicle body and each wheel are regarded to be independent rigid bodies and have their own turn centers which reflect respective steering motions and responses. Since the suspension is the link between vehicle body and wheels, the consistence between the sprung mass turn center and the wheel turn center reflects the effect and performance of the suspension system. Firstly, the concept and appropriate calculation method of WTC and SPTC are developed. Then the degree of inconsistence between WTC and SPTC and the time that they achieve consistence, when the vehicle experiences from transient steering to steady steering state, are proposed to evaluate suspension performance. The suspension evaluation tests are conducted under different vehicle velocities and lateral accelerations by using CarSim software. The simulation results show that the inconsistence of steering motion between vehicle body and wheels are mainly at high speeds and low lateral accelerations. Finally, based on the proposed evaluation indexes, the influences of different suspension characteristic parameters on suspension performance and their matches to improve steering coordination are discussed. The proposed wheel turn center method provides a guidance and potential application for suspension evaluation and optimization.
Assembly Auxiliary System for Narrow Cabins of Spacecraft
2015, 29(05).
[Abstract](2583) [PDF 2095KB](99)
Abstract:
Due to the narrow space and complex structure of spacecraft cabin, the existing asssembly systems can not well suit for the assembly process of cabin products. This paper aims to introduce an assembly auxiliary system for cabin products. A hierarchical-classification method is proposed to re-adjust the initial assembly relationship of cabin into a new hierarchical structure for efficient assembly planning. An improved ant colony algorithm based on three assembly principles is established for searching a optimizational assembly sequence of cabin parts. A mixed reality assembly environment is constructed with enhanced inforamtion to promote interaction efficiency of assembly training and guidance. Based on the machine vision technology, the inspection of left redundant objects and measurement of parts distance in inner cabin are efficiently performed. The proposed system has been applied to the assembly work of a spacecraft cabin with 107 parts, which includes cabin assembly planning, assembly training and assembly quality inspection. The application result indicates that the proposed system can be an effective assistant tool to cabin assembly works and provide an intuitive and real assembly experience for workers. This paper presents an assembly auxiliary system for spacecraft cabin products, which can provide technical support to the spacecraft cabin assembly industry.
Constant Speed Control of Four-stroke Micro Internal Combustion Swing Engine
2015, 29(05).
[Abstract](2597) [PDF 1455KB](89)
Abstract:
The increasing demands on safety, emission and fuel consumption require more accurate control models of micro internal combustion swing engine (MICSE). The objective of this paper is to investigate the constant speed control models of four-stroke MICSE. The operation principle of the four-stroke MICSE is presented based on the description of MICSE prototype. A two-level Petri net based hybrid model is proposed to model the four-stroke MICSE engine cycle. The Petri net subsystem at the upper level controls and synchronizes the four Petri net subsystems at the lower level. The continuous sub-models, including breathing dynamics of intake manifold, thermodynamics of the chamber and dynamics of the torque generation, are investigated and integrated with the discrete model in MATLAB Simulink. Through the comparison of experimental data and simulated DC voltage output, it is demonstrated that the hybrid model is valid for the four-stroke MICSE system. A nonlinear model is obtained from the cycle average data via the regression method, and it is linearized around a given nominal equilibrium point for the controller design. The feedback controller of the spark timing and valve duration timing is designed with a sequential loop closing design approach. The simulation of the sequential loop closure control design applied to the hybrid model is implemented in MATLAB. The simulation results show that the system is able to reach its desired operating point within 0.2 s, and the designed controller shows good MICSE engine performance with a constant speed. This paper presents the constant speed control models of four-stroke MICSE and carries out the simulation tests, the models and the simulation results can be used for further study on the precision control of four-stroke MICSE.