An investigation into the cause of loss of containment from the supply of mini-bulk lubricants

An Intermediate Bulk Container (IBC) was punctured during its handling, releasing oil onto soil at an environmentally-sensitive region of Australia. The telehandler did not pierce the plastic of the IBC directly (as was expected) but rather one of the tynes had caught on the underside of the metal base plate, despite numerous controls being in place at time of spill, revealing a previously unreported mechanism for a fluid spill from handling of petroleum hydrocarbons. The diverse investigation team used a root cause analysis (RCA) technique to identify the underlying cause: the inspection process was inadequate with contributing factors of not using a spotter and design of IBC did not anticipate conditions. Engineering controls were put in place as part of the change management process to help prevent spills from occurring from piercing from telehandler tynes on the current project site.     

Maneuverability modeling and trajectory tracking for fish robot

This study develops a 6-DOF mathematical model for a robotic fish that considers surge, sway, heave, roll, pitch, and yaw. The model considers the conditions of a fish swimming in ocean current perturbations similar to the ocean current perturbations of the slender-body autonomous underwater vehicles. For swimming and turning behaviors, a nonlinear, dynamic, carangiform locomotion model is derived by using a planar four-link model. A 2-DOF barycenter mechanism is proposed to provide body stabilization and to serve as an actuating device for active control design. A barycenter control scheme is developed to change the center of gravity of the robot fish body by moving balancing masses along two axes. The projected torque on x and y axes propel pitch and roll angles to the desired settings. A Stabilizing controller, fish-tail mechanism, rigid body dynamics, and kinematics are incorporated to enable the fish robot to move in three dimensional space. Simulation results have demonstrated maneuverability and control system performance of the developed controller which is proposed to conduct path tracking of the robot fish as it swims under current perturbations.     

A compliant-hull concept for planning craft wave-impact shock reduction

The subject of this paper is analysis of high-speed planing-craft wave impact, with the inclusion of hull-surface compliance. The analysis methods were extended in an effort to develop compliant-surface technology for wave-impact shock reduction. The practical outcome of this work, along with experimental cylinder drop-test evaluations, have been reported previously. The overall technology developed is composed of compliant plates over a sub-length of the boat hull. The plates are hinged at the boat keel and supported by vented air bags at the chines. Thus, the required analysis has coupled hydrodynamic, gas-dynamic, and structural-dynamic parts. Only the hydrodynamic part of the complete model is covered here. On the basis of the cylindrical geometry of the drop-test cylinder, two-dimensional theory has been used exclusively. The time history of the distribution of plating deflection predicted from the full analysis is imposed in the free-falling cylinder analysis to demonstrate execution of the hydrodynamic part of the complete coupled theory. The reductions in impact acceleration reported here are therefore the same as determined from the complete analysis.     

Repair evaluation of concrete cracks using surface and through-transmission wave measurements

Surface opening cracks are common defects in large civil structures like bridges. They allow penetration of water or other agents that result in loss of durability earlier than expected. Their repair can be conducted by the injection of epoxy material that seals the crack sides keeping out any aggressive substances in addition to the recovery of strength. In order to evaluate crack parameters before impregnation as well as to determine the final repair effectiveness, a combination of Rayleigh and longitudinal waves is applied. Rayleigh waves demonstrate the filling condition of the material into the shallow layer near the surface while tomography using longitudinal waves through the thickness yields information about the area inside the structure. Wave propagation dispersion features are exploited by the proposed tomography at different frequencies, demonstrating that higher frequencies lead to more accurate characterization.     

Enhanced Ruiz criterion for the evaluation of crack initiation in contact subjected to fretting fatigue

The fatigue-fretting damage parameter (FFDP) introduced by Ruiz is comprehensively discussed in this paper. Shortcomings and limitations of this criterion are presented resulting in a combined energetic-multiaxial enhancement (eFFDP). Specific frictional power was supposed to control the fretting damage and the critical plane approach is used to solve the multiaxial stress state in the fretting contact. The significance of the eFFDP is evaluated for the key–shaft–hub connection under combined torque and bend loading. Applying the analysis to recent fatigue tests, a comparison of stress and fretting parameters is made for different loading conditions including estimation of the fretting fatigue limit.     

Seam tracking control for mobile welding robot based on vision sensor

To solve the seam tracking problem of mobile welding robot, a new controller based on the dynamics of mobile welding robot was designed using the method of backstepping kinematics into dynamics. A self-turning fuzzy controller and a fuzzy-Gaussian neural network (FGNN) controller were designed to complete coordinately controlling of cross-slider and wheels. The fuzzy-neural control algorithm was described by applying the Gaussian function and back propagation (BP) learning rule was used to tune the membership function in real time by applying the FGNN controller. To make the tracking more quickly and smoothly, the neural network controller based on dynamic model was designed, which utilized self-learning and self-adaptive ability of the neural network to deal with the partial uncertainty and the disturbances of the parameters of the robot dynamic model and real-time compensate the dynamics coupling. The results show that the selected control input torques make the system globally and asymptotically stable based on the Lyapunov function selected out; the accuracy of the proposed controller tracing is within ±0.4 mm and can satisfy the requirements of practical welding project.     

钢骨超高强混凝土框架结构恢复力模型研究

鉴于目前缺乏钢骨超高强混凝土（ＳＲＵＨＳＣ）框架结构的恢复力计算模型,基于ＳＲＵＨＳＣ框架结构低周反复加载试验结果,提出了考虑加载循环退化效应的ＳＲＵＨＳＣ框架结构恢复力模型,运用ＭＡＴ- ＬＡＢ编写了相应的计算程序。通过对比Ｐ－Δ滞回环以及等效黏滞阻尼系数ｈｅｑ、耗能比ζ、功比指数Ｉｗ三个抗震耗能参数的模拟值与试验值,结果表明,滞回环及各参数的吻合度均较好,该恢复力模型可较为准确地反映ＳＲＵＨＳＣ框架结构的主要受力特征,可为ＳＲＵＨＳＣ框架结构的抗震性能研究提供一定的理论依据。     

Head Orientation Stability of Underwater Snake-Like Robot Swimming

In prior research,the orientation of head of the snake-like robot is changed according to the sinusoidal wave. To solve this problem,we propose Central Pattern Generator( CPG)-based control scheme with head-controller to stabilize the head of the underwater snake-like robot. The advantage of the CPG-based control scheme with head-controller is that the head of the underwater snake-like robot is direct to the target orientation during swimming. The relation between CPG parameters and orientation stability of head is discussed.The adaptation of the proposed method to environment changes is tested. The influences of CPG parameters and hydrodynamic forces on the orientation offset of head are investigated. The target orientation( the input of headcontroller) with an experimental optimization is calculated through a convenient method. To prove the feasibility of the proposed methodology,the different swimming modes have been implemented in our simulation platform.The results show that the oscillation of head’s orientation is inhibited effectively,and the proposed method has strong adaptation to environment and CPG parameters changes.     

用于混凝土结构探伤的PZT型钢筋的数值模拟

基于PZT的钢筋混凝土结构健康监测已经得到了广泛应用,为了研究基于导向波法的PZT型钢筋结构损伤监测机理,并进一步优化监测系统,使用有限元软件ANSYS对PZT型钢筋构件进行数值模拟和分析。选取合适的材料参数、单元类型和网格尺寸等,建立精细化的轴对称有限元模型进行机电耦合分析;将模拟结果与之前所做试验数据进行对比,精确的吻合度验证了有限元模拟的准确性,为损伤机理分析和试验优化奠定基础;改变模型中PZT与钢筋的接触方式,输出信号值是原模型信号的5倍左右,进而提出增强系统输出信号的优化方法。通过此研究,得出可通过数值模拟对PZT型钢筋探伤系统进行分析并得到改进系统以增加信号的方法。