A 6-DOF humanoid wall-climbing robot with flexible adsorption feet based on negative pressure suction

A wide range of dangerous and special tasks have witnessed the applications of wall-climbing robots, but they still cannot adapt well torough or sloping walls. This paper proposes a 6-DOF (degree of freedom) humanoid wall-climbing robot (HWCR) based on the principle of negative pressure suction. HWCR has the advantages of flexible adsorption feet, strong adaptability, strong anti-subversion performance, and high friction to the wall. We deduce mechanics formulas and carry out a parametric design of the foot structure so that it can meet the requirement of robot wall climbing. We use Fluent to analyze the flow field of the adsorption foot and determine the motor speed that can provide a reliable adsorption force. Using the D-H matrix to plan gait, we also design a compound cycloid-based foot trajectory to reduce the impact between the HWCR and the wall. Experiments on the uneven wall and sloping wall show that the vehicle can walk with an ideal gait, and the resistance value of the servo on each joint is much lower than the critical value, which ensures the smooth movement of the HWCR.     

Study on vapour dispersion and explosion from compressed hydrogen spill: Risk assessment on a hydrogen plant

Hydrogen produced from renewable resources is one of the cleanest fuels and could be used to store intermittent solar, wind and other energies. The main concern about using hydrogen is its hazards, such as high storage pressure, wide-range flammability, low mass density, and high diffusion. This study investigated the hazards of compressed hydrogen storage by developing a CFD model to understand the gas dispersion behaviour. The model was validated using the past experimental data and showed a good agreement, which could demonstrate the diffusion characteristics and gas stratification of a buoyant gas. A case study of an accidental release of compressed hydrogen from a storage tank was investigated to evaluate the risk of a hydrogen plant. A mathematical model of the jet spill was used to account for the choking effect from a high-pressure release to ensure the input velocity in CFD simulation is suitable for modelling gas dispersion using verified spatial and temporal scales, then the simulation results were used as inputs of vapour cloud explosions (VCEs) to investigate the potential overpressure effect. It was found the CFD model could predict a more reasonable flammable gas amount in cloud than using the bulk hydrogen release rate. The safety distance based on the overpressure prediction was reduced by 35%. The method proposed in this study can provide more validity for the consequence analysis as part of risk assessment.     

Combined effect of channel to rib width ratio and gas diffusion layer deformation on high temperature – Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell performance

The present study investigates the combined influence of Channel to Rib Width (CRW) ratio and clamping pressure on the structure and performance of High Temperature-Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell (HT-PEMFC) using a three-dimensional numerical model developed previously. It also considers the impact of interfacial contact resistance between the Gas Diffusion Layer (GDL) and Bipolar Plate (BPP). The structural analysis of the single straight channel HT-PEMFC geometry shows that the von-Mises stress greatly increases in the GDL under the ribs as the CRW ratio increases resulting in considerably high deformation. The cell performance analysis depicts the significance of ohmic resistance and concentration polarization for different CRW ratios, particularly at higher operating current densities. However, in low to medium current density regions, the CRW ratio has little influence on cell performance. A substantial impact on the species, overpotential, and current distributions is observed. The findings also reveal that the CRW ratio significantly affects the temperature distribution in the cell.     

有砟轨道路基翻浆冒泥模型试验系统的研发与应用

为研究既有线有砟轨道路基的翻浆冒泥机理，自主研发了一套能够模拟循环荷载–湿化耦合作用的模型试验系统。模型试样直径500 mm，由厚度分别为350 mm的路基土和200 mm的道砟组成，整个试样在高强度透明有机玻璃模型筒中制备完成。模型试验系统配备有监测荷载、位移、体积含水率和孔隙水压力的4种传感器，并通过高清相机对颗粒迁移过程进行图像捕捉。基于所研发的试验系统，针对辛泰铁路典型翻浆冒泥病害路段土样，开展翻浆冒泥模型试验。试验结果表明：动孔隙水压力是导致翻浆冒泥病害产生的关键因素。随着体积含水率的增加，动孔隙水压力引起的颗粒迁移量逐渐增加；在饱和状态下，会引起大量颗粒迁移，翻浆冒泥现象显著。试验结束时，道砟污染指数达到25%，在实际工程中已严重影响铁路的正常运营，有必要对污染道砟进行换填。     

两种混合单元混合机理的数值模拟

为了研究SV型和SX型混合单元在全静态乳化器的混合机理,使用群体平衡模型对乳化器内部流场进行模拟分析。结果表明,SV型与SX型混合单元的混合机理是油相与水相材料通过混合单元时其空间流动方向改变,在流场内形成大量的漩涡,从而达到乳化的目的;通过比较流体在经过SV型和SX型混合单元后的水相索特平均直径(d_(32)),得出SV型混合单元的乳化效果更强,但同时消耗更多的能量,压降更大。     

“三软”煤层沿空掘巷围岩力学环境及支护体承载性能分析

为应对"三软"煤层综放沿空掘巷围岩稳定性差的问题,通过数值模拟分析、揭示"三软"煤层中锚杆、锚索载荷变化规律及其与围岩变形相互作用关系,为"三软"煤层沿空掘巷锚网支护参数优化提供理论依据,改善了巷道支护状况,降低相邻工作面间保护煤柱压煤率,提高矿井经济效益和社会效益。     

Effect of coral sand powders and seawater salinity on the impact mechanical properties of cemented coral sand

Coral sand is one kind of the important building materials in coral reef engineering practice. The use of cement as a stabilizing agent can significantly improve the mechanical properties of coral sands and is widely applied in the subbase engineering construction in coral reef islands. Cement-stabilized coral sand structures may contain high contents of fine coral particles and salinity because of the high crushability of coral sands and the existence of seawater surrounding them. In this study, the effects of coral sand powders and seawater salinity on the dynamic mechanical properties of cemented coral sand (CCS) were investigated through the split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) tests and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) analysis. It was found that the strength (i.e., the peak stress) of CCS specimens increased firstly and then decreased with the increase of powder content. The specimens reached the maximum peak stress when 3% powder content was included. The initial improvement of CCS strength was attributed to the pore-filling effect of coral powders, namely, the micro pores of the CCS specimens could be more effectively filled with higher percentages of coral powders being used in the experiments. However, excessive coral powders resulted in the reduction of specimen strength because these powders could easily be cemented into agglomerates by absorbing water from the specimens. These agglomerates could reduce the cementation strength between the coarse coral particles and the cement. Meanwhile, the peak stress of CCS specimens was found to be negatively correlated with the average strain rate and the ultimate strain. The degree of specimen fracture was found to be correlated with the amount of specific energy absorption during the tests. Furthermore, the “sulfate attack” caused by the inclusion of salinity of water had different influences on the CCS specimens with different coral powder contents. The ettringite and gypsum produced in “sulfate attack” could fill the pores and lead to cracking of the specimens, significantly affecting the specimen strength.     

Liquefaction behavior of fiber-reinforced calcareous sands in unidirectional and multidirectional simple shear tests

A study on the liquefaction resistance of calcareous sands reinforced with polypropylene fibers was reported. Stress-controlled cyclic simple shear tests were conducted on specimens prepared at a relative density of 50%, with and without fiber reinforcements. The liquefaction behavior was investigated by considering the effects of fiber contents ranging from 0% to 1%, fiber lengths varying from 3 mm to 12 mm and loading patterns. The results indicated that increasing fiber content and fiber length resulted in a decrease in the deformation, a reduction in pore pressure accumulation rate, and improved the liquefaction resistance of calcareous sands. Additionally, the risk of soil liquefaction could be significantly reduced when the fiber content was greater than 0.8%. The multidirectional loading had a considerable effect in reducing the liquefaction resistance compared to unidirectional loading. Further, the stiffness degradation of calcareous sands decreased with increasing fiber content and fiber length. The pore pressure generated in the cyclic tests was analyzed and was found to be affected by fiber content. A pore pressure prediction model was proposed to obtain the pore pressure characteristics of fiber-reinforced calcareous sands under various fiber content conditions.     

汉江上游干支流沉积物细菌群落多样性和影响因素

为了解汉江上游干支流沉积物细菌多样性以及确定性过程和随机性过程在沉积物细菌群落构建过程中的相对重要性,基于Illumina高通量测序技术,分析了环境因子对细菌群落组成的影响,采用非度量多维尺度(NMDS)排序探究了季节之间沉积物细菌群落的差异,并结合中性群落模型和标准化随机率量化了确定性过程和随机过程对群落构建的影响。结果表明:汉江上游及其支流细菌群落主要由变形菌门(Proteobacteria)、拟杆菌门(Bacteroidetes)、蓝藻门(Cyanophyta)、浮霉菌门(Planctomycetes)和酸杆菌门(Acidobacteria)等组成；细菌群落在不同季节有显著差异；地理距离和环境因子对细菌群落结构影响较小,确定性过程并未在细菌群落组成中起到主导作用；随机过程很大程度上影响了群落在秋季和春季的组成,是沉积物细菌群落构建的主导因素。