Proof of Concept MFD Optimization of the Aftbody Geometry of Axisymmetric Slender Body Based on Wave Drag Considerations

A comprehensive, universally valid, elegant and yet simple method to design slender axisymmetric body of minimum wave drag in transonic and supersonic flows is developed. Computational aerodynamics is also used as a tool for numerical experiments in gaining physical understanding of the drag mechanism due to the geometry of the aftbody, such as the correlation between wave drag and wave distribution of the aftbody geometry. The method utilizes MFD （modified feasible direction） based optimization program, along with the linear slender body aerodynamics, for its elegance and generic optimization convenience. The efforts are focused on inviscid flow. A practical method of reducing the wave drag of a given body is developed for both bodies with pointed end and with base area, using shock wave generator at a particular location on the aftbody. The results show that the MFD optimization program can be effectively utilized in an aerodynamic optimization problem.     

Stabilizing Mechanism and Running Behavior of Couplers on Heavy Haul Trains

Published studies in regard to coupler systems have been mainly focused on the manufacturing process or coupler strength issues. With the ever increasing of tonnage and length of heavy haul trains, lateral in-train forces generated by longitudinal in-train forces and coupler rotations have become a more and more significant safety issue for heavy haul train operations. Derailments caused by excessive lateral in-train forces are frequently reported. This article studies two typical coupler systems used on heavy haul locomotives. Their structures and stabilizing mechanism are analyzed before the corresponding models are developed. Coupler systems models are featured by two distinct stabilizing mechanism models and draft gear models with hysteresis considered. A model set which consists of four locomotives and three coupler systems is developed to study the rotational behavior of different coupler systems and their implications for locomotive dynamics. Simulated results indicate that when the locomotives are equipped with the type B coupler system, locomotives can meet the dynamics standard on tangent tracks; while the dynamics performance on curved tracks is very poor. The maximum longitudinal in-train force for locomotives equipped with the type B coupler system is 2000 kN. Simulations revealed a distinct trend for the type A coupler system. Locomotive dynamics are poorer for the type A case when locomotives are running on tangent tracks, while the dynamics are better for the type A case when locomotives are running on curved tracks. Theoretical studies and simulations carried out in this article suggest that a combination of the two types of stabilizing mechanism can result in a good design which can significantly decrease the relevant derailments.     

RDG System in Remote Areas with Utility or Local Feed Topology and Operation Strategy

In remote regions with availability of wind energy, a RDG （renewable distributed generation） system is an advantageous alternative to increase the provision of electrical supply. Usually, these systems are structured on the basis of a connection to an existing weak grid. When the grid is out of service, the system may operate in islanding mode, if the RDG configuration allows it, continuing the provision of energy with standard voltage and frequency values. Facing the latter situation, a wind-diesel/gas generation system is proposed, with a conversion and control strategies based on a variable speed wind turbine employing a DFIG （doubly fed induction generator）, a SC （ultracapacitor） storage system and a SG （synchronous generator） driven by a diesel/gas engine.     

Identification Method of Dynamic Coefficients of Fluid Film Bearings for HDD Spindle Motors

Fluid film bearings are widely used as support elements of rotating shaft for HDD （hard disk drive） spindle motors. Recently, the opportunity for the HDD spindle motors exposed to external vibration has been increasing because the HDDs are used for various information related equipments such as mobile PCs, car navigation systems. Hence, the rotating shaft has a possibility to come in contact with the bearing and it causes wear or seizure to the bearing surface. In order to avoid the problems, it is extremely important to enhance the dynamic characteristics of the fluid film bearings for spindles. However, verification from both theory and experiment of dynamic characteristics such as spring coefficients and damping coefficients is rare and few. In this paper, the bearing vibration characteristics when the HDD spindle is oscillated are investigated theoretically and experimentally. And then the identification method ofoil film coefficients of fluid film bearing spindles is described.     

Dynamic Detection of Reinforced Concrete Bridge Damage by Finite Element Model Updating

The present work consists of dynamic detection of damages in reinforced concrete bridges by using a MMUM （mathematical model updating method） from incomplete test data. A well suited finite element model of a repaired bridge is carried out. The diagnosis enables us to locate and detect the damage in a reinforced concrete bridge. Thus, developments of analytical predictions have been checked by modal testing techniques. Besides, the FTCS （finite time centered space） scheme is developed to solve the set of equations which can easily handle finite element matrices of a bridge model. It is shown in this study that the method is applied to detect damages as well as existing cracks in real time of a repaired bridge. To check the efficiency of the method, the repaired bridge of OuedOumazer in Algeria has been selected. It is proven that identification methods have been able to detect the exact location of damage areas to be corrected avoiding the inaccuracy from the finite element model for the mass, stiffness and loading.     

Composite with Recyclable Loads for the Manufacture of Blocks to Build Popular Houses

The science space in a state school in Natal city was built using a composite consisting of gypsum, EPS （expanded polystyrene）, shredded tire, cement and water. Mechanical and thermal resistances were evaluated. Inside the blocks, three types of fillings （EPS plates, aluminum cans and 500 mL bottles of mineral water） were placed in order to obtain a walls with higher thermal resistance, but also to give it an ecologically correct order, considering that both the tire and the EPS occupy a large space in landfills and require years to be degraded when released into the environment. Compression tests were conducted according to the rules. The experiments demonstrated that the temperature difference between the internal and external surfaces on the walls reached levels above 12.0 ℃. It was also demonstrated that the proposed composite has adequate mechanical strength to be used for sealing walls. The proposed use of the composite can contribute to reduce the significant housing deficit of Brazil, producing popular houses at low cost and with little time to work.     

Preliminary Study on the Seizure Trend of a MOM-THP with Self-directed Balls

This work continues the approach of one of our topics relating to a MOM-THP （metal on metal-total hip prostheses） with self-directed movement balls. Experiments revealed a certain seizure in some strain conditions. Laboratory trials for balls/plane Hertzian contacts have been restarted in order to determine seizure behaviour depending on the roughness of the flat area. The trials have been carried out in BSF （body simulated fluid） lubrication conditions, much closer to the real operating conditions up against the initial tests with distilled water. Seizure burdens to different loadings and contact surfaces roughness influence over the seizure burden have been determined. Even though the minimum value of the wear must be the same with the minimum value of the surfaces roughness, given the experimental conditions, it came out from the trials results on wear that the lowest level of wear is acquired at a certain value of roughness, not at the lowest level of roughness.     

A Proposal of Deciding Fatigue Strength in Bending Fatigue Test

Generally, the fatigue crack is initiated and then it is propagated toward the welding direction and the thickness direction. Finally, the joints lose the resistance to the external force. At present, as there is no deciding method of the fatigue strength （fatigue life）, this paper proposed it from the result obtained by bending test for fillet welded joints. Judging initiation of the fatigue crack from the measured value of strain gages, there was a possibility that the fatigue crack occurred at both sides of fillet welded joints. However, this was a different result from that of macrograph of cross section. On the other hand, the results obtained by FSM （field signature method） coincided with the result of macrograph of cross section. For the initial state, potential difference obtained by the electrostatic analysis based on FEM （finite element method） and that by FSM was accurately coincided. After confirming validity of the crack model for analysis, the crack model was specified by reproducing the propagating process of crack accurately through trial and error. It was concluded that the state which could not resist to the external force was regarded as fatigue strength based on equivalent stress obtained by elastic stress analysis for specified crack model. From the experimental result, it was proposed that 90% of repetition number corresponding to the state which could not resist to the external force （at the finish of the test） was regarded as fatigue strength （fatigue life） in consideration of safety and as the first approximation.     

Vibration Response Characteristics against the Radial and Axial Shocks on Small Size Hard Disk Drive Spindle Supported by Oil Film Bearings

This paper describes the experimental study on shock response of FDB （fluid dynamic bearing） spindle for HDDs （hard disk drives）. The FDBs are widely used as rotating shaft support elements for HDD spindle motors. Recently, the opportunity for the HDD spindle motors exposed to external vibration has been increasing because the HDDs are used for various information related equipment such as mobile PCs （personal computers）, video cameras, car navigation systems and so on. Hence, the rotating shaft has a possibility to come in contact with the bearing by external shocks and it causes wear or seizure to the bearing surface. To avoid the problem, it is extremely important to know how the spindle moves against the large shock on HDDs experimentally. However, as far as the authors know, there are few experimental studies treating the shock response of HDD spindles. In this paper, firstly, we propose a new test rig and experimental method for shock response of FDB spindles. Then the shock tests against the radial and axial disturbance on FDB spindle for 2.5＂ HDD are conducted. Finally, the experimental results of shock response waveforms and maximum displacement of disk are shown.     

Investigation of CFD calculation method of a centrifugal pump with unshrouded impeller

Currently, relatively large errors are found in numerical results in some low-specific-speed centrifugal pumps with unshrouded impeller because the effect of clearances and holes are not accurately modeled. Establishing an accurate analytical model to improve performance prediction accuracy is therefore necessary. In this paper, a three-dimensional numerical simulation is conducted to predict the performance of a low-specific-speed centrifugal pump, and the modeling, numerical scheme, and turbulent selection methods are discussed. The pump performance is tested in a model pump test bench, and flow rate, head, power and efficiency of the pump are obtained. The effect of taking into consideration the back-out vane passage, clearance, and balance holes is analyzed by comparing it with experimental results, and the performance prediction methods are validated by experiments. The analysis results show that the pump performance can be accurately predicted by the improved method. Ignoring the back-out vane passage in the calculation model of unshrouded impeller is found to generate better numerical results. Further, the calculation model with the clearances and balance holes can obviously enhance the numerical accuracy. The application of disconnect interface can reduce meshing difficulty but increase the calculation error at the off-design operating point at the same time. Compared with the standard k-ε, renormalization group k-ε, and Spalart-Allmars models, the Realizable k-ε model demonstrates the fastest convergent speed and the highest precision for the unshrouded impeller flow simulation. The proposed modeling and numerical simulation methods can improve the performance prediction accuracy of the low-specific-speed centrifugal pumps, and the modeling method is especially suitable for the centrifugal pump with unshrouded impeller.     

Enhance Mining System Reliability through System Integration Approach

The reliability of mining systems is generally low due to their harsh working conditions. Currently, efforts for improving mining system reliability are often made in isolation. This practice could substantially limit the effectiveness of the efforts on overall reliability improvement of the mining system. To enhance the overall reliability of mining systems, an integrated improvement approach is necessary. In this paper, we developed a framework for integrated mining system reliability improvement to address this issue. In this framework, there are five major components including data integration, business process integration, hardware integration, software integration and analysis/decision integration, but we only focus on the integrated reliability analysis which is important to the analysis/decision integration. The reliability analysis considers the interactions between machines, and the impacts of design, operation, maintenance, automation and working environment on the overall system reliability. These multiple interactions present a big challenge to accurate reliability prediction. In this paper, we for the first time systematically investigated integrated reliability analysis approaches for dealing with this challenge using novel models and methods, including covariate hazard models, intelligent reliability prediction approach and complex system modeling methods. While these models and methods have found some successful applications in other industries, they in general have not been effectively used for the reliability analysis of mining systems. Our study results show that the system integration approach is applicable to mining systems and can be used for developing a computer aided integration system for the implementation of the integrated reliability improvement approach.     

ASME Section Ⅲ Stress Analysis of a Heat Exchanger Tubesheet with a Misdrilled Hole and Irregular or Thin Ligaments

A stress analysis is described for a nuclear steam generator tubesheet with a thin, or irregular ligament, associated with a mis-drilled hole using the rules of ASME （American Society of Mechanical Engineers） B ＆ PV Section Ⅲ and non-mandatory Appendix A, Article A-8000 for stresses in perforated flat plates. The analysis demonstrates the proper application of the NB-3200 rules for this special application, with discussion of the differences between an actual tube hole deviation and what is assumed in ASME Appendix A. This is a companion paper to ＂Technical Justification Supporting Operation with a Tube Installed in a Mis-Drilled Hole of a Steam Generator Tubesheet＂.     

Development of a Stabilized Pan/Tilt Platform and the State of the Art

In the context of this paper, a small scale, medium precision, stabilized pan/tilt platform is developed as a prototype, which is used to compare various stabilization algorithms experimentally. The overall performance of the system depends on rigid body dynamics, structural dynamics, servo control loops, stabilization control algorithm, sensor fusion algorithm and sensory feedback such as from the IMU （inertial measurement unit）. In the case that the response bandwidth of the overall system is high enough, the same hardware can also achieve active vibration isolation. All of these design aspects are investigated in the paper via numerical models and with their experimental verification.     

Hybrid Improved Self-adaptive Differential Evolution and Nelder-Mead Simplex Method for Solving Constrained Real-Parameters

In this paper, a new hybrid algorithm based on exploration power of a new improvement self-adaptive strategy for controlling parameters in DE （differential evolution） algorithm and exploitation capability of Nelder-Mead simplex method is presented （HISADE-NMS）. The DE has been used in many practical cases and has demonstrated good convergence properties. It has only a few control parameters as number of particles （NP）, scaling factor （F） and crossover control （CR）, which are kept fixed throughout the entire evolutionary process. However, these control parameters are very sensitive to the setting of the control parameters based on their experiments. The value of control parameters depends on the characteristics of each objective function, therefore, we have to tune their value in each problem that mean it will take too long time to perform. In the new manner, we present a new version of the DE algorithm for obtaining self-adaptive control parameter settings. Some modifications are imposed on DE to improve its capability and efficiency while being hybridized with Nelder-Mead simplex method. To valid the robustness of new hybrid algorithm, we apply it to solve some examples of structural optimization constraints.     

Case-Based Reasoning（CBR） Model for Ultra-Fast Cooling in Plate Mill

New generation thermo-mechanical control process（TMCP） based on ultra-fast cooling is being widely adopted in plate mill to product high-performance steel material at low cost. Ultra-fast cooling system is complex because of optimizing the temperature control error generated by heat transfer mathematical model and process parameters. In order to simplify the system and improve the temperature control precision in ultra-fast cooling process, several existing models of case-based reasoning（CBR） model are reviewed. Combining with ultra-fast cooling process, a developed R5 CBR model is proposed, which mainly improves the case representation, similarity relation and retrieval module. Certainty factor is defined in semantics memory unit of plate case which provides not only internal data reliability but also product performance reliability. Similarity relation is improved by defined power index similarity membership function. Retrieval process is simplified and retrieval efficiency is improved apparently by windmill retrieval algorithm. The proposed CBR model is used for predicting the case of cooling strategy and its capability is superior to traditional process model. In order to perform comprehensive investigations on ultra-fast cooling process, different steel plates are considered for the experiment. The validation experiment and industrial production of proposed CBR model are carried out, which demonstrated that finish cooling temperature（FCT） error is controlled within±25℃ and quality rate of product is more than 97%. The proposed CBR model can simplify ultra-fast cooling system and give quality performance for steel product.     

Temperature Distribution and Scuffing of Tapered Roller Bearing

In the field of aerospace, high-speed trains and automobile, etc, analysis of temperature filed and scuffing failure of tapered roller bearings are more important than ever, and the scuffing failure of elements of such rolling bearings under heavy load and high speed still cannot be effectively predicted yet. A simplified model of tapered roller bearings consisted of one inner raceway, one outer raceway and a tapered roller was established, in which the interaction of several heat sources is ignored. The contact mechanics model, temperature model and model of scuffing failure are synthesized, and the corresponding computer programs are developed to analyze the effects of bearings parameters, different material and operational conditions on thermal performance of bearings, and temperature distribution and the possibility of surface scuffing are obtained. The results show that load, speed, thermal conductivity and tapered roller materials influence temperature rise and scuffing failure of bearings. Ceramic material of tapered roller results in the decrease of scuffing possibility of bearings to a high extent than the conventional rolling bearing steel. Compared with bulk temperature, flash temperature on the surfaces of bearing elements has a little influence on maximum temperature rise of bearing elements. For the rolling bearings operated under high speed and heavy load, this paper proposes a method which can accurately calculate the possibility of scuffing failure of rolling bearings.     

Finite Element Analysis of the Dynamic Behaviour of Transmission Line Conductors Using MATLAB

The dynamic behaviour of power line cables have been a source of interest to researchers ever since the phenomenon was first noticed in the 1920s. Conductor oscillation is mostly caused by the dynamic forces of nature such as wind loading. This imposes a periodic force on the conductors which is highly undesirable. It is therefore important for engineers to account for the possible effect of the wind loading when designing the power line. Investigations have shown that modeling the exact dynamic behaviour of a conductor is very difficult. Based on this fact, getting the exact analytical solution to conductor vibration is difficult, which is almost impossible, hence the numerical approximation becomes an option. This paper presents the developed finite element method used to analyse the dynamic behaviour of transmission line conductors. The developed FEM （finite element method） is implemented on MATLAB. The numerical analysis using MATLAB that is presented in this paper is used to simulate the response of the conductor when subjected to external loading in the time domain. The simulation is used to analyse the transverse vibration of the conductor. The formulation of the stiffness matrix and load vector is done and the results obtained are used to evaluate the conductor＇s internal energy dissipation. This finite element solution is compared with the results documented in literature. This numerical simulation is also used to investigate the effects of varying the axial tension on energy dissipation within the strands. Hence, this evolved in physically appropriate energy characterization process that can be used to evaluate the conductor self-damping with respect to line contact.     

Effect of Spine Motion on Mobility in Quadruped Running

Most of current running quadruped robots have similar construction： a stiff body and four compliant legs. Many researches have indicated that the stiff body without spine motion is a main factor in limitation of robots’ mobility. Therefore, investigating spine motion is very important to build robots with better mobility. A planar quadruped robot is designed based on cheetahs’ morphology. There is a spinal driving joint in the body of the robot. When the spinal driving joint acts, the robot has spine motion; otherwise, the robot has not spine motion. Six group prototype experiments with the robot are carried out to study the effect of spine motion on mobility. In each group, there are two comparative experiments： the spinal driving joint acts in one experiment but does not in the other experiment. The results of the prototype experiments indicate that the average speeds of the robot with spine motion are 8.7%–15.9% larger than those of the robot without spine motion. Furthermore, a simplified sagittal plane model of quadruped mammals is introduced. The simplified model also has a spinal driving joint. Using a similar process as the prototype experiments, six group simulation experiments with the simplified model are conducted. The results of the simulation experiments show that the maximum rear leg horizontal thrusts of the simplified mode with spine motion are 68.2%–71.3% larger than those of the simplified mode without spine motion. Hence, it is found that spine motion can increase the average running speed and the intrinsic reason of speed increase is the improvement of the maximum rear leg horizontal thrust.     

Experimental model and analytic solution for real-time observation of vehicle’s additional steer angle

The current research of real-time observation for vehicle roll steer angle and compliance steer angle（both of them comprehensively referred as the additional steer angle in this paper） mainly employs the linear vehicle dynamic model, in which only the lateral acceleration of vehicle body is considered. The observation accuracy resorting to this method cannot meet the requirements of vehicle real-time stability control, especially under extreme driving conditions. The paper explores the solution resorting to experimental method. Firstly, a multi-body dynamic model of a passenger car is built based on the ADAMS/Car software, whose dynamic accuracy is verified by the same vehicle＇s roadway test data of steady static circular test. Based on this simulation platform, several influencing factors of additional steer angle under different driving conditions are quantitatively analyzed. Then ε-SVR algorithm is employed to build the additional steer angle prediction model, whose input vectors mainly include the sensor information of standard electronic stability control system（ESC）. The method of typical slalom tests and FMVSS 126 tests are adopted to make simulation, train model and test model＇s generalization performance. The test result shows that the influence of lateral acceleration on additional steer angle is maximal （the magnitude up to 1°）, followed by the longitudinal acceleration-deceleration and the road wave amplitude （the magnitude up to 0.3°）. Moreover, both the prediction accuracy and the calculation real-time of the model can meet the control requirements of ESC This research expands the accurate observation methods of the additional steer angle under extreme driving conditions.