Adaptive control of unactuated dynamical systems through interconnections: Stability and performance guarantees

This article studies control and performance enforcement for a class of uncertain dynamical systems that consist of actuated and unactuated portions physically interconnected to each other. The proposed approach stabilizes the overall interconnected system in the presence of unknown physical interconnections as well as system uncertainties. Performance guarantees are enforced, individually, on the actuated as well as unactuated portions of the interconnected system via this approach. For enforcing these performance guarantees, a set-theoretic model reference adaptive control approach is used, in conjunction with linear matrix inequalities, to restrict the respective system error trajectories of the actuated and unactuated dynamics inside a priori, user-defined compact sets. The efficacy of the proposed approach is demonstrated using simulations.     

Investigation of the residual stress in UO2-Mo composites via a neutron diffraction method

UO₂-Mo composites with a core-shell structure have been considered candidates for the thermal conductivity (TC)-enhanced UO₂ pellets and have demonstrated commercial potential for use in novel high-level safety reactors. Nevertheless, UO₂-Mo composites tend to form micro-cracks that are caused by the presence of residual stress (RS) during manufacturing. In this work, neutron diffraction measurements were employed to analyse the RS in UO₂-Mo core-shell structured composites fabricated by spark plasma sintering (SPS) for the first time. It was found that in the UO₂-Mo composites, the RS state present in the UO₂ matrix was tensile in nature. The RS in the UO₂ matrix increased with increaseing Mo content. There was a maximum value of 148 ± 15 MPa in the UO₂-10 vol% Mo composite. The micro-cracks produced in the high-Mo content composites were explained by the results of the neutron diffraction measurements. These results could provide significant guidance for the manufacturing and improvement of the operational performance of UO₂-Mo composites as next-generation fuels.     

Optimization of self-regulated hydrogen production from photovoltaic energy

The use of photovoltaic energy (PV) for the production of hydrogen by using autonomous modular self-regulated systems is studied. Results are compared with those obtained for controlled systems. It was proved that for small and low-cost applications, it is possible to eliminate any control system with yields as high as 91.2% in the PV-electrolyzer interface for a sunny day. Self-regulated systems are thus an excellent, safe, cheap and environmentally friendly alternative for applications in isolated sites, especially in emerging countries.     

Deposition-environment-dependent structural and magnetic property modification of [111]-oriented epitaxial CoFe2O4 films

We examined the magnetic, structural, and chemical properties of CoFe₂O₄ films deposited on Al₂O₃ substrates using RF-magnetron sputtering under Ar and Ar + O₂ environments. Perpendicular magnetic anisotropy with large magnetization was observed in the case of the film deposited under the Ar + O₂ environment. However, no significant anisotropy appeared in the film deposited under the Ar environment. Interestingly, depth-dependent X-ray photoelectron spectra showed nearly identical stoichiometric ratios of Co/Fe and oxygen vacancies regardless of the deposition environment. Structurally, high-quality crystallinity with in-plane compressive strain, and lower surface and interfacial roughness were induced in the film deposited under the Ar + O₂ environment. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy and X-ray reflectivity measurements showed that oxygen not only suppressed the deposition rate but also increased the electron density of the film, resulting in better crystallinity. Hence, the presence of oxygen during deposition should be considered as one of the essential parameters for improving the structural and magnetic properties of ferrite films.     

配网工程建设时间控制

时间控制是运用科学的方法、工具,并综合运用现有资源,在规定时间内取得预期效果的一种控制手段。本文从工程时间管理的概念出发,研究了如何运用时间管理方法实现工程施工工期的管理,讨论了时间管理在工程建设中的重要性,为企业配网工程建设时间控制管理提供参考。     

肉桂特色资源加工利用产业发展现状

肉桂是我国特色经济林树种，我国肉桂种植面积和年产量均居世界首位。我国肉桂主要分布在两广地区，其中广西为14.9万hm²，广东为8.9万hm²，两地面积占全国肉桂分布总面积的95%以上。肉桂既是著名的香料又是传统的名贵中药，具有极高的经济价值，发展肉桂产业对于促进农民增收、维护健康中国有着重要的意义。本研究综述了肉桂资源量、分布情况及主要利用部位，介绍肉桂主要产品（如桂皮，桂枝，肉桂粉及肉桂油）及加工技术现状、产品质量控制及其分析检测方法，分析了产业未来的发展趋势，并提出了产业发展的对策和措施：加强肉桂标准化示范基地建设，提高优质资源供给能力；提高肉桂加工利用技术水平，延长产业链；培育肉桂龙头企业，提高产品市场竞争力。为我国肉桂特色资源加工利用产业的可持续发展提供一定的思路。     

Notch radius effect on fracture toughness of ceramics pertinent to grain size

Unlike fracture toughness, the notch fracture toughness of a ceramic is not a constant; rather, it increases with the notch-root radius ρ in a notched specimen. In this study, by analyzing the fracture measurements of eight different notched ceramics with an average grain size G of 3–40 μm, a simple model describing the relation between the notch fracture toughness and fracture toughness is proposed as a function of the relative notch-root radius ρ/G. The normal distribution is incorporated to consider the inevitable scatter in measurements where fracture mechanisms and errors are present. The results demonstrate that the model can effectively predict the quasi-brittle fracture variation trend for ceramics, including the upper and lower bounds, with 96% reliability, from a normal distribution; thus, it can address virtually all of the experimental data. We also determined that the notch fracture toughness approximates the fracture toughness if ρ ≤ G.     

A multilevel sampled‐data approach for resilient navigation and control of autonomous systems

Autonomous systems are rapidly becoming an integrated part of the modern life. Safe and secure navigation and control of these systems present significant challenges in the presence of uncertainties, physical failures, and cyber attacks. In this paper, we formulate a navigation and control problem for autonomous systems using a multilevel control structure, in which the high‐level reference commands are limited by a saturation function, whereas the low‐level controller tracks the reference by compensating for disturbances and uncertainties. For this purpose, we consider a class of nested, uncertain, multiple‐input–multiple‐output systems subject to reference command saturation, possibly with nonminimum phase zeros. A multirate output‐feedback adaptive controller is developed as the low‐level controller. The sampled‐data (SD) design of this controller facilitates the direct implementation on digital computers, where the input/output signals are available at discrete time instances with different sampling rates. In addition, stealthy zero‐dynamics attacks become detectable by considering a multirate SD formulation. Robust stability and performance of the overall closed‐loop system with command saturation and multirate adaptive control are analyzed. Simulation scenarios for navigation and control of a fixed‐wing drone under failures/attacks are provided to validate the theoretical findings.     

An interval observer for uncertain continuous‐time linear systems

To design robust interval observers for uncertain continuous‐time linear systems, a new set‐integration approach is proposed to compute trajectory tubes for the estimation error. Because this approach, the order‐preserving condition on the dynamics of the estimation error is no longer required. Therefore, synthesis methods can be used to compute observer gains that reduce the impact of the system uncertainties on the accuracy of the estimated state enclosures. The performance of the proposed approach is showcased through illustrative numerical examples.