Robust energy-to-peak sideslip angle estimation with applications to ground vehicles

In this paper, the observer design problem for the sideslip angle of ground vehicles is investigated. The sideslip angle is an important signal for the vehicle lateral stability, which is not measurable by using an affordable physical sensor. Therefore, we aim to estimate the sideslip angle with the yaw rate measurements by employing the vehicle dynamics. The nonlinear lateral dynamics is modeled firstly. As the tyre model is nonlinear and the road adhesive coefficient is subject to a large variation, the nonlinear lateral dynamics is transformed into an uncertain model. Considering the variation of longitudinal velocity, an uncertain linear-parameter-varying (LPV) system is obtained. Based on the LPV model, a gain-scheduling observer is proposed and the observer gain can be determined with off-line computation and on-line computation. The off-line computation includes the calculation of a set of linear matrix inequalities and the on-line computation contains several algebraic operations. The proposed design methodology is applied to a four-wheel-independent-drive electric vehicle in simulation. It infers from different maneuvers that the designed observer has a good performance on estimating the sideslip angle.     

Multi-discharge EDM coring of single crystal SiC ingot by electrostatic induction feeding method

A new technique of EDM coring of single crystal silicon carbide (SiC) ingot was proposed in this paper. Currently single crystal SiC devices are still of high cost due to the high cost of bulk crystal SiC material and the difficulty in the fabrication process of SiC. In the manufacturing process of SiC ingot/wafer, localized cracks or defects occasionally occur due to thermal or mechanical causes resulted from fabrication processes which may waste the whole piece of material. To save the part of ingot without defects and maximize the material utilization, the authors proposed EDM coring method to cut out a no defect ingot from a larger diameter ingot which has localized defects. A special experimental setup was developed for EDM coring of SiC ingot in this study and its feasibility and machining performance were investigated. Meanwhile, in order to improve the machining rate, a novel multi-discharge EDM coring method by electrostatic induction feeding was established, which can realize multiple discharges in single pulse duration. Experimental results make it clear that EDM coring of SiC ingot can be carried out stably using the developed experimental setup. Taking advantage of the newly developed multi-discharge EDM method, both the machining speed and surface integrity can be improved.     

Effects of Smart Charging of Multiple Electric Vehicles in Reducing Power Generation Fuel Cost

The high penetration of variable sources of renewable power generation will lead to operational difficulties in supply/demand balancing in the entire power system. The mass deployment of electric vehicles (EVs) and plug‐in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) will also cause significant changes in electricity demand. Therefore, controlling and managing the charging time of EVs/PHEVs are effective approaches that are imperative for improving balancing in power system operation. We assumed travel patterns for EVs in a model of the future Tokyo power system and analyzed the power system loads, including the charging load of the EVs, under several charging control scenarios. We verified that charging time controls are substantially effective for reducing the fuel costs in the power system. Further, we found that load leveling under a multicar charging management scenario gave the best results in terms of the fuel costs in all cases.     

菌型叶根动叶片叶根叶冠内径向的加工

菌型叶根动叶片是一种新型的动叶片,采用数控铣加工叶根内径向面时留0.1~0.2mm余量,然后在进行叶根内径向磨削,叶冠直接加工到位,没有后序磨削加工,由于叶根叶冠在加工过程中不是一次装夹完成的,根冠存在一定的落差,在后续的装配中容易产生配合间隙,无法达到要求。文中介绍了一种新的加工工艺,解决了这一问题。     

Rectangular Section Control Technology for Silicon Steel Rolling

Rectangular section control technology(RSCT)was introduced to achieve high-precision profile control during silicon steel rolling.The RSCT principle and method were designed,and the whole RSCT control strategy was developed.Specifically,RSCT included roll contour design,rolling technology optimization,and control strategy development,aiming at both hot strip mills(HSMs)and cold strip mills(CSMs).Firstly,through the high-performance variable crown(HVC)work roll optimization design in the upper-stream stands and the limited shifting technology for schedule-free rolling in the downstream stands of HSMs,a hot strip with a stable crown and limited wedge,local spot,and single wave was obtained,which was suitable for cold rolling.Secondly,an approximately rectangular section was obtained by edge varying contact(EVC)work roll contour design,edge-drop setting control,and closed loop control in the upper-stream stands of CSMs.Moreover,complex-mode flatness control was realized by coordinating multiple shape-control methods in the downstream stands of CSMs.In addition,the RSCT approach was applied in several silicon-steel production plants,where an outstanding performance and remarkable economic benefits were observed.     

Abrasive waterjet micro-machining of channels in metals: Comparison between machining in air and submerged in water

Abrasive water jet technology can be used for micro-milling using recently developed miniaturized nozzles. Abrasive water jet (AWJ) machining is often used with both the nozzle tip and workpiece submerged in water to reduce noise and contain debris. This paper compares the performance of submerged and unsubmerged abrasive water jet micro-milling of channels in 316L stainless steel and 6061-T6 aluminum at various nozzle angles and standoff distances. The effect of submergence on the diameter and effective footprint of AWJ erosion footprints was measured and compared. It was found that the centerline erosion rate decreased with channel depth due to the spreading of the jet as the effective standoff distance increased, and because of the growing effect of stagnation as the channel became deeper. The erosive jet spread over a larger effective footprint in air than in water, since particles on the jet periphery were slowed much more quickly in water due to increased drag. As a result, the width of a channel machined in air was wider than that in water. Moreover, it was observed that the instantaneous erosion rate decreased with channel depth, and that this decrease was a function only of the channel cross-sectional geometry, being independent of the type of metal, the jet angle, the standoff distance, and regardless of whether the jet was submerged or in air, in either the forward or backward directions. It is shown that submerged AWJM results in narrower features than those produced while machining in air, without a decrease in centerline etch rate.     

Combination of heat treatment and chitosan coating to improve postharvest quality of wolfberry (Lycium barbarum)

The synergistic application of hot water dip at 42 °C for 30 min and 1% chitosan coating on differentiation in postharvest quality traits, microstructure as well as microbiological evolution of wolfberry fruits was investigated. Fresh wolfberry fruits were stored at 2 ± 0.5 °C and 90% relative humidity (RH) for 28 days. Results indicated the combination of prestorage heat treatment and chitosan coating maintained higher levels of ascorbic acid, total phenolic contents and antioxidant capacity as well as lower decay, compared with untreated wolfberry fruits. The possible mechanism was that the heat treatment almost sealed open stomata to limit the sites of pathogen penetration into fruits independently, followed by the biofilm formed by chitosan which controlled secondary infections as well as slowed changes in fruit respiration and metabolic activity in wolfberries. The synergistically treated fruit also exhibited a higher acceptability obtained by sensory analysis after cold storage. In this sense, the integrated application of heat treatment and chitosan coating could be regarded as an effective strategy to extend storage life and maintain the postharvest quality of wolfberry fruits.     

An improved adaptive unscented Kalman filter for estimating the states of in‐wheel‐motored electric vehicle

Vehicle state is essential for active safety stability control. However, the accurate measurement of some vehicle states is difficult to achieve without the use of expensive equipment. To improve estimation accuracy in real time, this paper proposes an estimator of vehicle velocity based on the adaptive unscented Kalman filter (AUKF) for an in‐wheel‐motored electric vehicle (IWMEV). Given the merits of an independent drive structure, the tire forces of the IWMEV can be directly calculated through a vehicle dynamic model. Additionally, by means of the normalized innovation square, the validity of vehicle velocity estimation can be detected, and the sliding window length can be adjusted adaptively; thus, the steady‐state error and the dynamic performance of the IWMEV are demonstrated to be simultaneously improved over an alternative approach in comparisons. Then, an adaptive adjustment strategy for the noise covariance matrices is introduced to overcome the impact of parameter uncertainties. The numerically simulated and experimental results prove that the proposed vehicle velocity estimator based on AUKF not only improves estimation accuracy but also possesses strong robustness against parameter uncertainties. The deployment of the estimation algorithm by using a single‐chip microcomputer verifies the strong real‐time performance and easy‐to‐implement characteristics of the proposed algorithm.     

Rheum rhaponticum Root Extract Improves Vasomotor Menopausal Symptoms and Estrogen-Regulated Targets in Ovariectomized Rat Model

Ovarian insufficiency and ovariectomy are characterized by deregulated heat loss mechanisms. Unlike hormone therapy, ERr 731 (a standardized botanical extract of Siberian rhubarb Rheum rhaponticum L. high in rhaponticin) acts like a selective estrogen receptor modulator for ERβ receptors and may offer a higher degree of safety while maintaining the desired efficacy profile. In this study, we examined the relationship between oral administration of ERr 731 and the underlying components of skin vasomotion responses in an ovariectomized (OVX) rat model. ERr 731 dose-dependently reduced tail skin temperature (T_skin) values by an average of 1 °C. The rapid onset of this effect was observed in 1 and 3 mg/kg/day ERr 731 groups as early as day 2 of administration, and remained in place for the duration of the treatment (2 weeks). Substituting ERr 731 after E₂ withdrawal helped maintain body temperature similarly to E₂ alone, suggesting the usefulness of ERr 731 for replacing existing hormonal therapy in humans. ERr 731 also acted as a highly selective agonist for ERβ in the hypothalamus of OVX rats, as well as in ERα/β cell-based reporter assays. These data validate the OVX/T_skin rat model as a suitable screening platform to evaluate botanical and pharmaceutical treatments of menopause, while providing further evidence for the efficacy of ERr 731 towards alleviating vasomotor menopausal symptoms and improving wellbeing during the menopausal transition.     

HLW8032计量芯片的双路电能测量与控制

针对现今高校集体宿舍的用电特点,研究了基于HLW8032计量芯片的双路电能测量与控制系统,对集体宿舍中空调和其他负载分别进行电能监测和管理。本系统具有测量精度高、通信电路简单、稳定性强等优点,可以实现现代化用电管理,保障集体宿舍用电安全。