Study on maximum power point tracking of photovoltaic array in irregular shadow

Traditional maximum power point tracking (MPPT) methods can hardly find global maximum power point (MPP) because output characteristics curve of photovoltaic (PV) array may have multi local maximum power points in irregular shadow, and thus easily fall into the local maximum power point. To address this drawback, Considering that sliding mode variable structure (SMVS) control strategy have such advantages as simple structure, fast response and strong robustness, and P&O method have the advantages of simple principle and convenient implementation, so a new algorithm combining SMVS control method and P&O method is proposed, besides, PI controller is applied to reduce system chattering caused by switching sliding surface. It is applied to MPPT control of PV array in irregular shadow to solve the problem of multi-peak optimization in partial shadow. In order to verity the rationality of the proposed algorithm, the experimental circuit is built, which achieves MPPT control by means of the proposed algorithm and P&O method. The experimental results show that compared with the traditional P&O algorithm, the proposed algorithm can fast track the global MPP, tracking speed increases by 60% and the relative error decreased by 20%. Moreover, the system becomes more stable near the MPP, the fluctuations of output power is greatly reduced, and thus make full use of solar energy.     

Tribological behaviour of a 3Y-TZP/Ta ceramic-metal biocomposite against ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE)

This study aims to evaluate the tribological behaviour of 3Y-TZP/Ta (20 vol%) ceramic-metal composites and 3Y-TZP monolithic ceramic prepared by spark plasma sintering (SPS) against ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE). According to the results of pin (UHMWPE)-on-flat wear test under dry conditions, the UHMWPE – 3Y-TZP/Ta system exhibited lower volume loss and friction coefficient than the UHMWPE – monolithic ceramic combination due to the presence of an autolubricating layer that provides sufficient lubrication for reducing the friction. Owing to the lubrication of the liquid media, under wet conditions obtained using simulated body fluid (SBF), similar behaviour is observed in both cases. Additionally, the ceramic and biocomposite materials were subjected to a low temperature degradation (LTD) process (often referred to as “ageing”) to evaluate the changes in the tribological behaviour after this treatment. In this particular case, the wear properties of the UHMWPE-biocomposite system were found to be less influenced by ageing in contrast to the case of the UHMWPE-zirconia monolithic material. In addition to their exceptional mechanical performance, 3Y-TZP/Ta composites also showed high resistance to low temperature degradation and good tribological properties, making them promising candidates for biomedical applications, especially for orthopaedic implants.     

Three dimensional boundary element analysis of internal cracks under sliding contact load with a spherical indenter

Using boundary element based three dimensional modelling for linear fracture mechanics, we present an analysis of cracking in a homogeneous medium subject to contact load. The proposed iterative solution procedure allows a simultaneous treatment of a reasonable number of partially closed cracks. It is shown that the most probable direction of propagation of a vertical internal crack is strongly dependent on its size compared to the contact radius and its location with respect to the axis of maximum normal load.     

Vibration control of a flexible structure using a hybrid mount

This paper presents vibration control of a flexible beam structure using a hybrid mount which consists of elastic rubber and piezoelectric stack actuator. After identifying stiffness and damping properties of the rubber and piezoelectric elements, a mechanical model of the hybrid mount is established. The mount model is then incorporated with the beam structure, and the governing equation of motion is obtained in a state space. A sliding mode controller is designed in order to actively attenuate the vibration of the beam structure subjected to high-frequency and small magnitude excitations. The controller is experimentally realized and measured control responses such as acceleration of the beam structure and force transmission through the hybrid mount are evaluated and presented in both frequency and time domains.     

Node-pair reliability of network systems with small distances between adjacent nodes

A new method for computing the node-pair reliability of network systems modeled by random graphs with nodes arranged in sequence is presented. It is based on a recursive algorithm using the “sliding window” technique, the window being composed of several consecutive nodes. In a single step, the connectivity probabilities for all nodes included in the window are found. Subsequently, the window is moved one node forward. This process is repeated until, in the last step, the window reaches the terminal node. The connectivity probabilities found at that point are used to compute the node-pair reliability of the network system considered. The algorithm is designed especially for graphs with small distances between adjacent nodes, where the distance between two nodes is defined as the absolute value of the difference between the nodes’ numbers. The maximal distance between any two adjacent nodes is denoted by Γ(G), where G symbolizes a random graph. If Γ(G)=2 then the method can be applied for directed as well as undirected graphs whose nodes and edges are subject to failure. This is important in view of the fact that many algorithms computing network reliability are designed for graphs with failure-prone edges and reliable nodes. If Γ(G)=3 then the method's applicability is limited to undirected graphs with reliable nodes. The main asset of the presented algorithms is their low numerical complexity—O(n), where n denotes the number of nodes.     

基于滑模观测器的永磁同步电机无位置传感器控制

本文提出了一种基于滑模变结构控制原理的无位置传感器控制方法。通过分析永磁同步电机的模型,应用滑模变结构控制原理,提出了一种针对永磁同步电机的无位置传感器控制策略。它利用电机中容易测得的定子电流、直流母线电压,通过滑模变结构控制原理来估算转子位置。利用Matlab／Simulink对系统进行了仿真,仿真结果表明,转子位置估算结果基本与实际位置一致。     

Memoryless SMC Design Methods for Stochastic Delay Systems

Recently, the sliding mode control (SMC) method has been extended to accommodate stochastic systems. Particularly, restrictive assumption on the structure of the control systems have been removed and a practical SMC design method for stochastic systems has been presented. This paper continues this line of research and studies the SMC methods for stochastic systems with state delay in diffusion. Both delay‐independent and delay‐dependent approaches are investigated. Essentially, this paper studies SMC design methods with memoryless controllers for time delay systems, which has been a problem in the past decades.     

A study on the wear behavior of hardened medium carbon steel

It is well known that the mechanical properties such as strength and hardness of structural steel are usually enhanced by the martensite-phase transformation method. In many industrial applications, hardness has always been used as an index to reflect the wear-resistance performance. As a result, steel is quenched to a large extent in order to increase the hardness and wear-resistance performance. In general, from the wear mechanism, no exact relationship between the hardness and wear resistance of materials can be formulated. Also there are few conclusive studies on the effects of running procedures on wear-resistance performance. Therefore, the friction behavior of S45C carbon steel with and without a quenching process was evaluated by a rotating tribometer under various test conditions. The experimental results show that the running conditions cause a great influence on the wear-resistance performance of the materials. Under low speed and light apparent pressure conditions, the quenched specimens have high wear-resistance performance. Contrarily, at high speed and heavy loading, the wear-resistance performance of hardened specimens decreases due to tempering effects at the rubbing surface when the contact temperature becomes increased. Therefore, this causes more severe wear to the hardened specimens than to the unhardened specimens.     

Cr3Si／Crl3Ni5Si2金属间化合物合金组织与高温滑动磨损性能的研究

利用水冷铜模激光熔炼炉制得了由初生枝晶Cr3Si和枝晶间Cr3Si／Crl3Ni5Si2共晶组成的金属间化合物合金。利用OM，SEM，TEM，EDS和XRD分析了该金属间化合物的显微组织，在400℃，500℃和600℃条件下测试了其耐磨性能。结果表明，由于Cr3Si和Crl3NisSi2硬度高、原子键合力强、组织细小、均匀，在高温滑动磨损条件下具有优良的耐磨性能。     

Characterization and wear behavior of modified silicon nitride

Silicon nitride-based materials are applied to many tribological components because of their superior thermal and mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. The purpose of this study is to investigate the wear performance of modified silicon nitride which contained 3 wt.% La₂O₃ and 3 wt.% Y₂O₃. The relationships between microstructure and mechanical properties have been also addressed. Vickers microhardness and toughness were measured, the later being determined by means of the direct crack measurement method (DCM). Scanning electron microscopy technique (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) was used for the morphological characterization of the samples as well as for the characterization of the wear scars. Wear properties were studied under a load of 10 N by using the ball-on-disk tribometer. AISI 52100 steel balls and balls of WC + 6% Co (6 mm diameter) were used as static counterparts, respectively. Steady state friction coefficients of 0.66 and 0.62 were measured for the tribological pairs WC + 6 % Co/Si₃N₄ and AISI 52100/Si₃N₄, respectively. The wear mechanism was determined in each case, and comparison between the wear performance of the traditional and modified silicon nitride is also presented.