New Paradigm of Data-Driven Smart Customisation through Digital Twin

Big data is one of the most important resources for the promotion of smart customisation. With access to data from multiple sources, manufacturers can provide on-demand and customised products. However, existing research of smart customisation has focused on data generated from the physical world, not virtual models. As physical data is constrained by what has already occurred, it is limited in the identification of new areas to improve customer satisfaction. A new technology called digital twin aims to achieve this integration of physical and virtual entities. Incorporation of digital twin into the paradigm of existing data-driven smart customisation will make the process more responsive, adaptable and predictive. This paper presents a new framework of data-driven smart customisation augmented by digital twin. The new framework aims to facilitate improved collaboration of all stakeholders in the customisation process. A case study of the elevator industry illustrates the efficacy of the proposed framework.     

A method for robot placement optimization based on two-dimensional manifold in joint space

This article addresses a method for placement determination of robotic drilling system on two-dimensional manifold in robot joint space. It has been proved that the feasibility of positioning error compensation on two-dimensional manifold, and that the continuity of the robot parameters in the two-dimensional space is the prerequisite to perform the compensation in previous study. It appears that there are bifurcations which might break the continuity of the robot parameters on the two-dimensional manifold due to improper placement. To avoid bifurcations, a performance index and a set of optimization procedure are proposed to achieve proper placement of robotic machining system. Experiments conducted on a KUKA robot have verified the effectiveness of the proposed placement optimization method. Experiment results indicated that positioning errors were significantly improved with the proposed method, which is beneficial for robotic machining accuracy.     

Study of the hinge thickness deviation for a 316L parallelogram flexure mechanism fabricated via selective laser melting

3D printing offers great potential for developing complex flexure mechanisms. Recently, thickness-correction factors (TCFs) were introduced to correct the thickness and stiffness deviations of powder-based metal 3D printed flexure hinges during design and analysis. However, the reasons for the different TCFs obtained in each study are not clear, resulting in a limited value of these TCFs for future design and fabrication. Herein, the influence of the porous layer of 3D printed flexure hinges on the hinge thickness is investigated. Samples of parallelogram flexure mechanisms (PFMs) were 3D printed using selective laser melting (SLM) and 316L stainless steel powder. A 3D manufacturing error analysis was completed for each PFM sample via 3D scanning, surface roughness measurement and morphological observation. The thickness of the porous layer of the flexure hinge was independent of the designed hinge thickness and remained close to the average powder particle diameter. The effective hinge thickness could be estimated by subtracting twice the value of the porous layer thickness from the designed value. Guidelines based on finite element analysis and stiffness experiments are proposed. The limitations of the presented method for evaluating the effective hinge thickness of flexure hinges 3D printed via SLM are also discussed.

     

Flexible and robust CAD models for design automation

This paper explores novel methodologies for enabling Multidisciplinary Design Optimization (MDO) of complex engineering products. To realize MDO, Knowledge Based Engineering (KBE) is adopted with the aim of achieving design reuse and automation. The aim of the ongoing research at Linköping University is to shift from manual modeling of disposable geometries to Computer Aided Design (CAD) automation by introducing generic high level geometry templates. Instead of repeatedly modeling similar instances of objects, engineers should be able to create more general models that can represent entire classes of objects. The proposed methodology enables utilization of commercial design tools, hence taking industrial feasibility into consideration. The concept of High Level CAD templates (HLCt) will be proposed and discussed as the building blocks of flexible and robust CAD models, which in turn enables high fidelity geometry in the MDO loop. Furthermore, quantification of the terms flexibility and robustness are presented, providing a means to measure the quality of the geometry models. Finally, application examples are presented in which the outlined framework is evaluated. The applications have been chosen from three ongoing research projects aimed at automating the design of transport aircraft, industrial robots, and micro air vehicles.     

A simple and cost-effective method for fabrication of integrated electronic-microfluidic devices using a laser-patterned PDMS layer

We report a simple and cost-effective method for fabricating integrated electronic-microfluidic devices with multilayer configurations. A CO₂ laser plotter was employed to directly write patterns on a transferred polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) layer, which served as both a bonding and a working layer. The integration of electronics in microfluidic devices was achieved by an alignment bonding of top and bottom electrode-patterned substrates fabricated with conventional lithography, sputtering and lift-off techniques. Processes of the developed fabrication method were illustrated. Major issues associated with this method as PDMS surface treatment and characterization, thickness-control of the transferred PDMS layer, and laser parameters optimization were discussed, along with the examination and testing of bonding with two representative materials (glass and silicon). The capability of this method was further demonstrated by fabricating a microfluidic chip with sputter-coated electrodes on the top and bottom substrates. The device functioning as a microparticle focusing and trapping chip was experimentally verified. It is confirmed that the proposed method has many advantages, including simple and fast fabrication process, low cost, easy integration of electronics, strong bonding strength, chemical and biological compatibility, etc.     

Robust multidisciplinary UAS design optimisation

There are many applications in aeronautical/aerospace engineering where some values of the design parameters/states cannot be provided or determined accurately. These values can be related to the geometry (wingspan, length, angles) and or to operational flight conditions that vary due to the presence of uncertainty parameters (Mach, angle of attack, air density and temperature, etc.). These uncertainty design parameters cannot be ignored in engineering design and must be taken into the optimisation task to produce more realistic and reliable solutions. In this paper, a robust/uncertainty design method with statistical constraints is introduced to produce a set of reliable solutions which have high performance and low sensitivity. Robust design concept coupled with Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithms (MOEAs) is defined by applying two statistical sampling formulas; mean and variance/standard deviation associated with the optimisation fitness/objective functions. The methodology is based on a canonical evolution strategy and incorporates the concepts of hierarchical topology, parallel computing and asynchronous evaluation. It is implemented for two practical Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) design problems; the first case considers robust multi-objective (single-disciplinary: aerodynamics) design optimisation and the second considers a robust multidisciplinary (aero-structures) design optimisation. Numerical results show that the solutions obtained by the robust design method with statistical constraints have a more reliable performance and sensitivity in both aerodynamics and structures when compared to the baseline design.     

Modelling of the mist formation in a segmented grinding wheel system

It has been found that using a segmented grinding wheel with a fluid chamber can significantly minimise the quantity of coolant while improving the ground surface integrity. The present investigation aims to explore the fluid flow mechanism in such a wheel system. To this end, the Weber theory for Newtonian jet instability was applied to quantitatively determine the contribution of coolant flow rate to mist and ligament modes. A semi-analytical model was then developed to predict the mist flow rate by taking into account both the grinding parameters and fluid properties. It was shown that the model prediction was in good agreement with experimental measurements. Because of the comprehensive integration of variables in the formulation, the model provides a good fundamental understanding of the mist formation and offers a practical guideline for the selection and use coolant in minimising the mist flow rate.     

Simulation of polycrystalline aluminum tensile test with crystal plasticity finite element method

The crystal plasticity was implemented in the finite element method（FEM） software ABAQUS through the user subroutine UMAT. By means of discretizing the space at the grain level with the Voronoi diagram method, a polycrystal model was built and used in the FEM analysis. The initial orientation of each grain was generated based on the orientation distribution function（ODF）. The developed model was successfully applied in simulation of polycrystalline aluminium samples deformed by the tensile tests. The theoretical strain--stress relation was in good agreement with the experimental result. The simulation results show that the grain size has significant effect on the deformation behavior. The initial plastic deformation usually occurs at grain boundaries, and multiple slip often results in an enhanced local hardening at grain boundaries.     

超大长径比双螺杆挤出机制备聚丙烯腈初生纤维

采用自主研发的超大长径比(136)双螺杆挤出机实现了PAN初生纤维的纺丝制备,研究了PAN粉料质量分数(16%、20%、24%)、双螺杆挤出机机筒温度(50、60、70℃)、循环挤出次数(0、1、2)对PAN初生纤维力学性能及表面形貌的影响。结果表明,PAN初生纤维的拉伸强度随质量分数、机筒温度和循环挤出次数的增加而增大;PAN初生纤维的断裂伸长率随质量分数和循环挤出次数的增加而减小,随机筒温度的升高而增大;随着循环挤出次数增加,纤维表面越来越规整,缺陷逐渐减少。研究结果为利用超大长径比双螺杆挤出机制备出性能更好的PAN初生纤维奠定了基础。     

New inverse method for identification of constitutive parameters

A new inverse method by coupling iSIGHT and ABAQUS was proposed to determine the constitutive parameters of Al2O3sf/LY12 composite deforming at elevated temperature. It combined the merits of the f＇mite element simulation and optimization technique. The direct model was simulated with finite element code ABAQUS. The inverse problem associated with the identification of the constitutive parameters was expressed as a least square optimization problem. The direct simulation and the parameters optimization were implemented in iSIGHT integrated environment. The aim was to match the output of the direct simulation with the experiment data. The capability of the proposed inverse method was demonstrated through the identification of constitutive parameters of Al2O3sf/LY12 composite. The proposed new inverse method is also applicable to other parameters identification which is hardly determined through experiments or direct analytical method.