A case study of socio-cultural and technical factors in automobile design: Discourses between designers and potential users on a new electric vehicle in Africa

Technological artifacts emerge and develop within social contexts, inextricably interconnecting technology and society. This article addresses this interconnection empirically, analyzing the implementation of an electric vehicle designed and built by students of automotive engineering at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) in Germany. The students created this vehicle to address problems of mobility for rural populations in Africa, aiming to provide local residents with better access to necessities of life such as healthcare, education, and transportation. The article examines African perceptions of and responses to the vehicle, as well as specific suggestions for future improvement. It discusses not only African reactions to the vehicle and its potential social impact on African societies, but also the concepts and ideas of the designers behind this automotive construction. It also acknowledges the ways in which the engineers based their work on assumptions about African needs rather than on substantial ethnographic research, which diminished their ability to succeed.     

Experience-Based Cognition for Driving Behavioral Fingerprint Extraction

Abstract

With the rapid progress of information technologies, cars have been made increasingly intelligent. This allows cars to act as cognitive agents, i.e., to acquire knowledge and understanding of the driving habits and behavioral characteristics of drivers (i.e., driving behavioral fingerprint) through experience. Such knowledge can be then reused to facilitate the interaction between a car and its driver, and to develop better and safer car controls. In this paper, we propose a novel approach to extract the driver’s driving behavioral fingerprints based on our conceptual framework Experience-Oriented Intelligent Things (EOIT). EOIT is a learning system that has the potential to enable Internet of Cognitive Things (IoCT) where knowledge can be extracted from experience, stored, evolved, shared, and reused aiming for cognition and thus intelligent functionality of things. By catching driving data, this approach helps cars to collect the driver’s pedal and steering operations and store them as experience; eventually, it uses obtained experience for the driver’s driving behavioral fingerprint extraction. The initial experimental implementation is presented in the paper to demonstrate our idea, and the test results show that it outperforms the Deep Learning approaches (i.e., deep fully connected neural networks and recurrent neural networks/Long Short-Term Memory networks).     

水下循迹航行器水动力学性能数值研究

为了研究低速水下循迹监测航行器的水动力学性能数值计算问题,采用FLUENT软件和SST剪切应力输运模型,通过雷诺时均N-S方程分析流速一定的情况下,取不同攻角、不同水平舵角作为来流条件,研究未安装推进器以及安装推进器且其安装位置不同时,航行器的升力系数、俯仰力矩系数、表面压力分布和流场速度的变化规律。结果表明:在未安装推进器以及推进器的安装位置不同时,随着攻角的变化,升力系数呈线性变化,俯仰力矩系数呈非线性变化;随着水平舵角的变化,升力系数和俯仰力矩系数呈线性变化。当推进器安装在航行器头部时,对航行器流场压力和流场速度变化影响最大;当安装在航行器尾部时,对二者影响最小。对于低速航行器,应尽量将推进器安装在中间靠后位置,以提高航行器的水动力性能。升力系数的试验结果与数值仿真结果之间最大相差7. 51%,阻力系数的试验结果与数值仿真结果最大相差5. 84%,均吻合较好。研究结果可以为低速水下循迹航行器的优化设计和发展提供理论参考。     

高湿黏性颗粒在聚四氟乙烯微孔膜滤料表面沉积特性的数值模拟

基于聚四氟乙烯(PTFE)微孔膜滤料扫描电镜(SEM)图像，建立PTFE微孔膜滤料微观结构模型，采用计算流体力学和离散单元法(CFD?DEM)耦合的方法对黏性颗粒在微孔膜滤料表面沉积特性进行模拟，引入液桥力模型，忽略范德华力的作用，统计计算域内颗粒的受力情况，分析了不同表面能条件下3~6 ?m粒径颗粒在微孔膜滤料表面的沉积特性，将模拟结果与黏附效率的经验公式进行对比。结果表明，黏附效率与经验值、颗粒受力与液桥力模型的相对误差均在6%以内，CFD?DEM耦合计算方法可用于模拟不同环境湿度条件下的颗粒沉积；过滤风速、粒径与黏性是影响沉积形态的重要因素，提高过滤风速及增大颗粒粒径与黏性，颗粒更易在滤料表面形成稳定的树突结构，黏附效率及含尘压降增加。环境相对湿度影响两物体间液桥体积，接触力影响颗粒沉积，当增加表面能与液桥体积时，接触力及液桥力均相应增加，根据受力平衡原理，环境相对湿度对颗粒沉积影响很大。     

Thermodynamic analysis of ethanol synthesis from hydration of ethylene coupled with a sequential reaction

Coal-based ethanol production by hydration of ethylene is limited by the low equilibrium ethylene conversion at elevated temperature. To improve ethylene conversion, coupling hydration of ethylene with a potential ethanol consumption reaction was analyzed thermodynamically. Five reactions have been attempted and compared: (1) dehydration of ethanol to ethyl ether ({\mathrm{2C}}_{\mathrm{2}}{\mathrm{H}}_{\mathrm{5}}\mathrm{OH}\iff{\mathrm{C}}_{\mathrm{2}}{\mathrm{H}}_{\mathrm{5}}{\mathrm{OC}}_{\mathrm{2}}{\mathrm{H}}_{\mathrm{5}}{\mathrm{+H}}_{\mathrm{2}}\mathrm{O}), (2) dehydrogenation of ethanol to acetaldehyde ({\mathrm{C}}_{\mathrm{2}}{\mathrm{H}}_{\mathrm{5}}\mathrm{OH}\iff {\mathrm{CH}}_{\mathrm{3}}{\mathrm{CHO+H}}_{\mathrm{2}}), (3) esterification of acetic acid with ethanol ({\mathrm{C}}_{\mathrm{2}}{\mathrm{H}}_{\mathrm{5}}{\mathrm{OH+CH}}_{\mathrm{3}}\mathrm{COOH}\iff {\mathrm{CH}}_{\mathrm{3}}{\mathrm{COOC}}_{\mathrm{2}}{\mathrm{H}}_{\mathrm{5}}{\mathrm{+H}}_{\mathrm{2}}\mathrm{O}), (4) dehydrogenation of ethanol to ethyl acetate ({\mathrm{2C}}_{\mathrm{2}}{\mathrm{H}}_{\mathrm{5}}\mathrm{OH}\iff {\mathrm{CH}}_{\mathrm{3}}{\mathrm{COOC}}_{\mathrm{2}}{\mathrm{H}}_{\mathrm{5}}{\mathrm{+2H}}_{\mathrm{2}}), and (5) oxidative dehydrogenation of ethanol to ethyl acetate ({\mathrm{2C}}_{\mathrm{2}}{\mathrm{H}}_{\mathrm{5}}{\mathrm{OH+O}}_{\mathrm{2}}\iff {\mathrm{CH}}_{\mathrm{3}}{\mathrm{COOC}}_{\mathrm{2}}{\mathrm{H}}_{\mathrm{5}}{\mathrm{+2H}}_{\mathrm{2}}\mathrm{O}). The equilibrium constants and equilibrium distributions of the coupled reactions were calculated and the effects of feed composition, temperature and pressure upon the ethylene equilibrium conversion were examined. The results show that dehydrogenation of ethanol to acetaldehyde has little effect on ethylene conversion, whereas for dehydrogenation of ethanol to acetaldehyde and ethyl acetate, ethylene conversion can be improved from 8% to 12.8% and 18.5%, respectively, under conditions of H₂O/C₂H₄ = 2, 10 atm and 300°C. The esterification of acetic acid with ethanol can greatly enhance the ethylene conversion to 22.5%; in particular, ethylene can be actually completely converted to ethyl acetate by coupling oxidative dehydrogenation of ethanol.     

电永磁吸盘在石油套管接箍切断机下料工序中的应用

针对石油套管生产过程中接箍切断岗位人员搬运接箍劳动强度大、存在安全隐患的问题，对生产工艺过程、电磁吸盘的原理和性能进行分析，采用电永磁吸盘设计了一种接箍自动下料装置。该装置可以根据设定进行电磁吸盘的充/退磁，实现整层接箍的抓取和卸料，整个过程实现一键自动下料，全程不需人工干预。现场生产应用表明，使用电永磁吸盘进行整层接箍下料，能大幅降低岗位员工的劳动强度，生产效率提高5%以上，减少了安全隐患，达到了预期目的。     

两种多层穿梭车系统的性能比较分析

物流配送中心订单响应速度的加快,对订单拣选系统提出了更高的要求。多层穿梭车系统因其柔性强、效率高等特点,近年来得到了广泛应用。多层穿梭车系统具有两种形式--基于转载车和基于环形输送线,二者均可实现货物的快速拣选,但在系统吞吐量和订单完成周期方面存在差异,致使企业决策者难以进行系统选择。基于上述原因,本文比较两种多层穿梭车系统的性能差异。建立两个系统的开环排队网络模型,然后求解系统吞吐量、订单完成周期,通过仿真验证了排队论模型的准确性,通过试验对两种系统的性能进行对比分析。结果表明,系统吞吐量与层数、巷道数相关,层数越多,巷道数越少,转载车系统相对于环线系统优势越显著;订单完成周期与层数、订单到达率相关,层数越多,订单到达率越低,转载车系统相对于环线系统越具优势。     

考虑行走弹性影响下的车辆换挡过程分析

为研究行走弹性对工程车辆行走换挡过程的影响，建立了考虑驱动轮轮胎变形引起的车辆行走弹性影响的整车行走动力学模型，该模型适用于换挡过程分析。计算与分析了典型装载机动力换挡过程，将考虑或不考虑行走弹性时计算得到的整车加速度和瞬时冲击度的变化过程分别进行了对比，利用实车试验对单一换挡过程进行了验证；并将考虑行走弹性时升挡过程中变速箱输入输出转速变化过程、离合器滑摩功率特性的计算结果与不考虑行走弹性时换挡过程的计算结果进行了对比。研究结果表明：与不考虑行走弹性的情况相比，行走弹性变形使得换挡过程中整车加速度的变化更加平缓；换入挡离合器有两次滑摩过程，冲击度更小，换挡时间更长；离合器接合时的冲击度与其接入时间有关；滑摩功更小。     

Environmental Control of Triplet Emission in Donor–Bridge–Acceptor Organometallics

Carbene‐metal‐amides (CMAs) are a promising family of donor–bridge–acceptor molecular charge‐transfer (CT) emitters for organic light‐emitting diodes. A universal approach is demonstrated to tune the energy of their CT emission. A blueshift of up to 210 meV is achievable in solid state via dilution in a polar host matrix. The origin of this shift has two components: constraint of thermally‐activated triplet diffusion, and electrostatic interactions between guest and polar host. This allows the emission of mid‐green CMA archetypes to be tuned to sky blue without chemical modifications. Monte‐Carlo simulations based on a Marcus‐type transfer integral successfully reproduce the concentration‐ and temperature‐dependent triplet diffusion process, revealing a substantial shift in the ensemble density of states in polar hosts. In gold‐bridged CMAs, this shift does not lead to a significant change in luminescence lifetime, thermal activation energy, reorganization energy, or intersystem crossing rate. These discoveries offer new insight into coupling between the singlet and triplet manifolds in CMA materials, revealing a dominant interaction between states of CT character. The same approach is employed using materials which have been chemically modified to alter the energy of their CT state directly, shifting the emission of sky‐blue chromophores into the practical blue range.     

Formulations and solution algorithms for dynamic assembly routing problem

We study a dynamic version of the assembly routing problem. The assembly lot sizing section deals with decisions concerning the production phase, whereas the routing section organises the collection of raw materials necessary for the production. Traditionally, these two problems are treated separately, and more specifically, in a hierarchical way. We propose three linear programming models: a non-vehicle index model, a two-commodity flow formulation and a logic-based benders decomposition. We develop aggregated rounded capacity constraints for non-vehicle index model and separated them dynamically during the Branch & Cut procedure. Logic-based benders decomposition algorithm solves the Dynamic Assembly Routing Problem iteratively and obtains a feasible solution at each iteration. The numerical tests show that, the two first models are particularly effective at finding the optimal solutions in a reasonable amount of time on instances with up to 50 components and 3 periods.