Ultralight X-type lattice sandwich structure (II): Micromechanics modeling and finite element analysis

The methods of homogenization and finite elements are employed to predict the effective elastic constants and stress-strain responses of a new type of lattice structure, the X-structure proposed by the authors in a companion paper. It is shown that in most cases the predictions by the equivalent homogenization theory agree well with the experimental and 3-dimensional finite element calculated results. The theoretical and numerical study supports the argument that the X-structure is superior to the pyramid lattice structure in terms of mechanical strength. Supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (“973” Project) (Grant No. 2006CB601202), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 10632060, 10825210), the National “111” Project of China (Grant No. B06024) and the National High-Tech Research and Development Program of China (“863” Project) (Grant No. 2006AA03Z519)     

Ultralight X-type lattice sandwich structure (I): Concept,fabrication and experimental characterization

A new type of ultra-lightweight metallic lattice structure (named as the X-type structure) is reported. This periodic structure was formed by two groups of staggered struts in the traditional pyramid structure, and fabricated by folding expanded metal sheet along rows of offset nodes and then brazing the folded structure (as the core) with top and bottom facesheets to form sandwich panels. The out-of-plane compressive and shear properties of the X-type lattice sandwich structure were investigated experimentally and compared to those of the sandwich having a pyramidal truss core. It is found that the formation of the 2-dimensional staggered nodes can effectively make the X-type structure more resistant to inelastic and plastic buckling under both compression and shear loading than the pyramidal lattice truss. Obtained results show that the compressive and shear peak strengths of the X-type lattice structure are about 30% higher than those of the pyramidal lattice truss having the same relative density. Supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (“973” Project) (Grant No. 2006CB601202), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 10632060,10825210), the National “111” Project of China (Grant No. B06024) and the National High-Tech Research and Development Program of China (“863” Project) (Grant No. 2006AA03Z519)     

The solidification of two-phase heterogeneous materials: Theory versus experiment

The solidification behavior of two-phase heterogeneous materials such as close-celled aluminum foams was analytically studied. The proposed analytical model can precisely predict the location of solidification front as well as the full solidification time for a two-phase heterogeneous material composed of aluminum melt and non-conducting air pores. Experiments using distilled water simulating the aluminum melt to be solidified (frozen) were subsequently conducted to validate the analytical model for two selected porosities (ɛ), ɛ=0 and 0.5. Full numerical simulations with the method of finite difference were also performed to examine the influence of pore shape on solidification. The remarkable agreement between theory and experiment suggests that the delay of solidification in the two-phase heterogeneous material is mainly caused by the reduction of bulk thermal conductivity due to the presence of pores, as this is the sole mechanism accounted for by the analytical model for solidification in a porous medium. Supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (“973” Project) (Grant Nos. 2006CB601202, 2006CB601203), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 10572111, 10632060), the National 111 Project of China (Grant No. B06024) and the National High-Tech Research and Development Program of China (“863” Project) (Grant No. 2006AA03Z519).     

Development of ecohydrological assessment tool and its application

The development of Hydro-Informatic Modelling System (HIMS) provides an integrated platform for hydrological simulation. To extend the application of HIMS, an ecohydrological modeling system named ecohydrological assessment tool (EcoHAT) has been developed. Integrating parameter-management tools, RS (remote sensing) inversion tools, module-design tools and GIS analysis tools, the EcoHAT provides an integrated tool to simulate ecohydrological processes on regional scale, which develops a new method on sustainable use of water. EcoHAT has been applied to several case studies, such as, the Yellow River Basin, the acid deposition area in Guizhou province and the riparian catchment of Guanting reservoir in Beijing. Results prove that EcoHAT can efficiently simulate and analysis the ecohydrological processes on regional scale and provide technical support to integrated water resources management on basin scale. Supported by the National Key Technology R&D Program in the 11th Five-year Plan of China (Grant No. 2006BAB06B07), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 40671123), the National Basic Research Program of China (“973” Project) (Grant Nos. 2005CB422207, G19990436), and the National Hi-Tech Research and Development Program of China (“863” Project) (Grant No. 2006AA12Z145)     

Optimization model and algorithm for mixed traffic of urban road network with flow interference

In this paper, the problem of interferences between motors and non-motors in urban road mixed traffic network is considered and the corresponding link impedance function is presented based on travel demand. On the base of this, the main factors that influence travelers’ traffic choices are all considered and a combined model including flow-split and assignment problem is proposed. Then a bi-level model with its algorithm for system optimization of urban road mixed traffic network is proposed. Finally the application of the model and its algorithm is illustrated with a numerical example. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 70631001) and the National Basic Research Program of China (“973”) (Grant No. 2006CB705500)     

A new method for nondestructive damage identification of lattice materials

This paper proposes vibration-based damage identification method, termed as substructure potential energy (SPE) method, which is capable of accurately estimating the damage magnitudes of multiple members. While other existing damage severity estimation methods require the information of several unabridged modes of the structure, the new method utilizes only a few lower mode shapes of substructures measured from the damaged solid. The performance of the proposed method is compared with one existing damage detection method, using a set of numerical simulations on a lattice material beam based on synthetic data generated from finite element models. Supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (“973”) (Grant No. 2006CB601206)     

Step kinematic calibration of a 3-DOF planar parallel kinematic machine tool

This paper presents a novel step kinematic calibration method for a 3 degree-of-freedom (DOF) planar parallel kinematic machine tool, based on the minimal linear combinations (MLCs) of error parameters. The method using mapping of linear combinations of parameters in error transfer multi-parameters coupling system changes the modeling, identification and error compensation of geometric parameters in the general kinematic calibration into those of linear combinations of parameters. By using the four theorems of the MLCs, the sets of the MLCs that are respectively related to the relative precision and absolute precision are determined. All simple and feasible measurement methods in practice are given, and identification analysis of the set of the MLCs for each measurement is carried out. According to the identification analysis results, a step calibration including step measurement, step identification and step error compensation is determined by taking into account both measurement costs and observability. The experiment shows that the proposed method has the following merits: (1) the parameter errors that cannot influence precision are completely avoided; (2) it reflects the mapping of linear combinations of parameters more accurately and enhances the precision of identification; and (3) the method is robust, efficient and effective, so that the errors in position and orientation are kept at the same order of the measurement noise. Due to these merits, the present method is attractive for the 3-DOF planar parallel kinematic machine tool and can be also applied to other parallel kinematic machine tools with weakly nonlinear kinematics. Supported by the “863” High-Tech Program of China (Grant Nos. 2006AA04Z204 and 2006AA04Z227), National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 50775118 and 50605041), the “973” Basic Research Project of China (Grant Nos. 2006CB705406 and 2007CB714000), and Tsinghua Basic Research Foundation (Grant No. JC200701)     

A luminescence enhancement approach through Si/O nanostructure

An Si/O patterned shell array was fabricated by a technique utilizing nanosphere self assembly and reactive pressure pulsed laser deposition. The nanostructure produced by this technique enhanced the luminescence intensity by a factor of three compared with that of a flat film. The amount of enhancement observed coincided well with the expected enhancement by simulation. The technique in this paper provided a flexible, designable and compatible approach to luminescence enhancement. Supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (“973” Project) (Grant No. 2002CB613505) and the National Nature Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 90206046)     

The coalbed methane transport model and its application in the presence of matrix shrinkage

Based on the theories of surface physical chemistry, theoretical formulations for permeability and porosity are presented which include both stress effect and matrix shrinkage in a single equation. Then, a three-dimensional, dual porosity, nonequilibrium adsorption, pseudosteady state mathematical model for gas and water is established and solved by the fully implicit method and the block preconditioning orthomin algorithm. A history matching for the Qinshui Well TL003 is done. From the results, it is shown that the obvious enhancement of permeability occurs along with the passing time but the reservoir pressure of 15# coal seam cannot fulfill the critical adsorption pressure as a result of the water recharge of the aquifer. Hence, it is suggested to plug the 15# coal seam. Supported by the National High Tech Research and Development Program of China (“863” Project) (Grant No. 2006AA06Z236) and the National Basic Research Program (“973” Project) (Grant No. 2002CB11708)     

The event-driven constant volume method for particle coagulation dynamics

Monte Carlo (MC) method, which tracks small numbers of the dispersed simulation particles and then describes the dynamic evolution of large numbers of real particles, constitutes an important class of methods for the numerical solution of population balance modeling. Particle coagulation dynamics is a complex task for MC. Event-driven MC exhibits higher accuracy and efficiency than time-driven MC on the whole. However, these available event-driven MCs track the “equally weighted simulation particle population” and maintain the number of simulated particles within bounds at the cost of “regulating” computational domain, which results in some constraints and drawbacks. This study designed the procedure of “differently weighted fictitious particle population” and the corresponding coagulation rule for differently weighted fictitious particles. And then, a new event-driven MC method was promoted to describe the coagulation dynamics between differently weighted fictitious particles, where “constant number scheme” and “stepwise constant number scheme” were developed to maintain the number of fictitious particles within bounds as well as the constant computational domain. The MC is named event-driven constant volume (EDCV) method. The quantitative comparison among several popular MCs shows that the EDCV method has the advantages of computational precision and computational efficiency over other available MCs. Supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (“973” Project) (Grant No. 2006CB705800), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 20606015) and the Fok Ying Tong Education Foundation (Grant No. 114017)     

Uncertainty in magnetic activity indices

Magnetic activity indices are widely used in theoretical studies of solar-terrestrial coupling and space weather prediction. However, the indices suffer from various uncertainties, which limit their application and even mislead to incorrect conclusion. In this paper we analyze three most popular indices, Kp, AE and Dst. Three categories of uncertainties in magnetic indices are discussed: “data uncertainty” originating from inadequate data processing, “station uncertainty” caused by incomplete station covering, and “physical uncertainty” stemming from unclear physical mechanism. A comparison between magnetic disturbances and related indices indicate that the residual Sq will cause an uncertainty of 1–2 in K measurement, the uncertainty in saturated AE is as much as 50%, and the uncertainty in Dst index caused by the partial ring currents is about a half of the partial ring current. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 40436016), the National Basic Research Program of China (“973”) (Grant No. 2006CB806305), and the KIP Pilot Project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. kzcx3-sw-144)     

Dynamics of conductive and nonconductive particles under high-voltage electrostatic coupling fields

With the high-voltage electrostatic theory and numerical analysis, the dynamics of conductive and nonconductive particles under high-voltage electrostatic coupling fields was studied. The oscillation behavior of the conductive particle between the corona electrode and ground electrode was analyzed and its oscillation amplitude was Sm=(ta+ts)·νm/2. It was found that there was the "lift-off voltage (Ulo)" for the conductive particle between the electrostatic electrode and ground electrode. The concepts of "cr...     

Numerical modeling of concrete hydraulic fracturing with extended finite element method

The extended finite element method (XFEM) is a new numerical method for modeling discontinuity. Research about numerical modeling for concrete hydraulic fracturing by XFEM is explored. By building the virtual work principle of the fracture problem considering water pressure on the crack surface, the governing equations of XFEM for hydraulic fracture modeling are derived. Implementation of the XFEM for hydraulic fracturing is presented. Finally, the method is verified by two examples and the advan- tages of ...     

Classification of lying states for the humanoid robot SJTU-HR1

The humanoid robot SJTU-HR1’s concept is introduced and its characteristics tree is given. The basic states for SJTU-HR1 are proposed, including lying, sitting, standing and handstanding, abstracted from the daily exercises of human beings. The G _F (generalized function) set theory is exploited to achieve the kinematic characteristics of the interested EEs (end-effectors) of SJTU-HR1 for the lying states. Finally, the results show that the large amounts of states can be described using the abbreviations in a systematic manner. Although we have focused on the application of the G _F set theory to humanoid robots, particularly the SJTU-HR1, this methodology can also be applied to quadruped robots and hexapedal robots, especially when the desired tasks are complex. Supported by the Natural Basic Research Program of China (“973”) (Grant No. 2006CB705400), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 60534020, 30770538), Joint Research Fund for Young Scholars in China and Abroad (Grant No. 50728503), and the Graduate Innovation Foundation of Shanghai Jiao Tong University     

Performance improvement of <Emphasis Type="Italic">n-i-p</Emphasis> μc-Si:H solar cells by gradient hydrogen dilution technique

High pressure radio frequency plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (RF-PECVD) process was adopted to investigate the effect of constant hydrogen dilution technique and gradient hydrogen dilution technique on the structural evolution of intrinsic films and the performance of n-i-p microcrystalline silicon solar cells. The experiment results demonstrated that the grain size and crystalline volume fraction along the growth direction of intrinsic films can be controlled and the performance of solar cells can be greatly improved by gradient hydrogen dilution technique. An initial active-area efficiency of 5.7% (V _oc=0.47 V, J _sc=20.2 mA/cm², FF=60%) for the μc-Si:H single-junction n-i-p solar cells and an initial active-area efficiency of 10.12% (V _oc=1.2 V, J _sc=12.05 mA/cm², FF=70%) for the a-Si:H/μc-Si:H tandem n-i-p solar cells has been achieved. Supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (“973” Program) (Grant Nos. 2006CB202602, 2006CB202603) and the Tianjin Assistant Foundation for the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 07QTPTJC29500)     

Transient pressure analysis in porous and fractured fractal reservoirs

Fluid flow in porous and fractured fractal reservoirs is studied in the paper. The basic formulae of seepage velocity, permeability and porosity in both porous and fractured fractal media are developed. The pressure diffusion equation of slightly compressible fluid in fractal reservoirs is derived. The analytical solutions of the transient pressure are given for the line-source well and the well with well-bore storage and skin factor. The typical curves of pressure and the derivative of pressure are established, along with the interpretation of the well-testing method via type-curve matching. In addition, 3-D pressure diffusion equations for anisotropic fractal media are given in both Cartesian coordinates and Cylindrical coordinates. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 10672159, 10702069) and National Basic Research Program of China (“973”) (Grant No. 2006CB705805)     

Down-scaling LUCC based on the histo-variogram

In remote sensing applications, accurate extraction of land type area after classification is very important. But for images of land use/cover change (LUCC) obtained from the special spatial resolution remote sensing data, it will be of great significance to obtain the land type area information with higher resolution by making use of spatial distribution characteristcs information of the land type itself first and further scaling-down in a given scale threshold on the basis of the existing spatial resolution data. An explicit expression of the relationship between the measurement scale, global fractal dimension and the land type area corresponding to different measurement scales is obtained on the research basis of the authors’ histo-variogram using the standardized area index (SAI). A good attempt has been made to obtain the land type area information with higher resolution by merely using the spatial distribution characteristcs information of the land type in the image itself and further scaling-down in a given scale threshold on the basis of the existing spatial resolution data. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 40601068), the National Basic Research Program of China (“973” Project) (Grant No. 2007CB714402) and the Key Science and Technology R&D Program of Qinghai Province (Grant No. 2006-6-160-01)     

An e-quality control model for multistage machining processes of workpieces

To track and control the changes of process quality attributes in multistage machining processes (MMPs), an e-quality control (e-QC) model is proposed. The e-QC model is defined as a quality information service node with e-formalizing technology, whose input/output and intermediate process (that is IPO) are known to other nodes, and its implemention in MMPs is provided. In order to establish the e-QC model, a measuring network is constructed to acquire the original quality data, and the changes of process quality attributes are monitored and diagnosed by the integrated quality analysis tools attached to the e-QC, which can be tracked by information template network in real time. Furthermore, a hierarchical control method is adopted to coordinate e-QCs, in which the quality loss and adjusting cost are used to quantify the opportunities for e-QCs to improve process quality. At last, a prototype is developed to verify the proposed methods. Supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (“973”) (Grant No. 2005CB724106) and the National High-Tech Research and Development Program of China (“863”) (Grant No. 2007AA00Z108)     

Photocatalytic performance of TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> thin films connected with Cu micro-grid

Aiming at reducing the recombination of photo-induced carriers in semiconductor photocatalytic process, we prepared TiO₂ thin film with its surface modified by a connected Cu micro-grid via a microsphere lithography strategy, which showed higher photocatalytic activity than the pure TiO₂ film. The improvement of photocatalytic activity of Cu micro-grid to the TiO₂ film is due to the charge carrier separation and electron transfer by the conducting metal grid. The photocatalytic activity was improved as metal loading increased, which obtained the best performance at a certain loading amount, and then decreased at higher loading amount. This phenomenon was attributed to the metal’s bulk effect which could be explained by the relationship between the energetic positions and the metal cluster size. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 50672003, 50872005) and the National Basic Research Program of China (“973” Project) (Grant No. 2007CB613302) and the Fok Ying Tong Education Foundation (Grant No. 111050)     

Numerical study of successive CMEs during November 4–5, 1998

We present the solar-terrestrial transit process of three successive coronal mass ejections (CMEs) of November 4–5, 1998 originating from active region 8375 by using a time-dependent three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) simulation. These CMEs interacted with each other while they were propagating in interplanetary space and finally formed a “complex ejecta”. A newly developed SIP-CESE MHD model was applied to solve MHD equations numerically. The quiet solar wind was started from Parker-like 1D solar wind solution and the magnetic field map was calculated from the solar photospheric magnetic field data. In our simulation, the ejections were initiated using pulse in the real active region 8375. The interplanetary disturbance parameters, such as speed, direction and angular size of the expanding CME, were determined from the SOHO/LASCO data with the cone-model. We discussed the three-dimensional aspects of the propagation, interaction and merging of the three ejections. The simulated interplanetary shocks were compared with the nearby-Earth measurement. The results showed that our simulation could reproduce and explain some of the general features observed by satellite for the “complex ejecta”. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40536029, 40621003, 40504020 and 40523006), the National Basic Research Program of China (“973”) (Grant No. 2006CB806304), and the CAS International Partnership Program for Creative Research Teams