Application of reliability-based optimization to earth-moving machine: hydraulic cylinder components design process

Reliability-based design optimization (RBDO) incorporates probabilistic analysis into optimization process so that an optimum design has a great chance of staying in the feasible design space when the inevitable variability in design variables/parameters is considered. One of the biggest drawbacks of applying RBDO to practical problem is its high computational cost that is often impractical to industries. In search of the most suitable RBDO method for industrial applications, we first evaluated several existing RBDO approaches in details such as the double-loop RBDO, the sequential optimization and reliability assessment, and the response surface method. Then, based on industry needs, a platform incorporating/integrating the existing algorithm of optimization and reliability analysis is built for a practical RBDO problem. Effectiveness of the proposed RBDO approach is demonstrated using a simple cantilever beam problem and a more complicated industry problem.     

What is the optimal architecture for visual information routing?

Analyzing the design of networks for visual information routing is an underconstrained problem due to insufficient anatomical and physiological data. We propose here optimality criteria for the design of routing networks. For a very general architecture, we derive the number of routing layers and the fanout that minimize the required neural circuitry. The optimal fanout l is independent of network size, while the number k of layers scales logarithmically (with a prefactor below 1), with the number n of visual resolution units to be routed independently. The results are found to agree with data of the primate visual system.     

Geometry-dependent lighting

In this paper, we introduce geometry-dependent lighting that allows lighting parameters to be defined independently and possibly discrepantly over an object or scene based on the local geometry. We present and discuss light collages, a lighting design system with geometry-dependent lights for effective feature-enhanced visualization. Our algorithm segments the objects into local surface patches and places lights that are locally consistent but globally discrepant to enhance the perception of shape. We use spherical harmonics for efficiently storing and computing light placement and assignment. We also outline a method to find the minimal number of light sources sufficient to illuminate an object well with our globally discrepant lighting approach.     

Recovery of magnetic ionic liquid [bmim]FeCl<Subscript>4</Subscript> using electromagnet

Recovery of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrachloroferrate ([bmim]FeCl₄) from its mixture with water was investigated. The [bmim]FeCl₄ rich phase in the mixture forming two-phase was successfully separated, while homogeneous mixtures could not be separated. However, the concentration of the homogeneous mixture varied as a function of the magnetic field strength. Therefore, a combination of magnetic field and conventional methods to recover magnetic ILs from reaction mixtures will be very useful and have great potential.     

Design of small-area and high-efficiency DC-DC converter for 1 T SRAM

The direct current-direct current (DC-DC) converter is designed for 1 T static random access memory (SRAM) used in display driver integrated circuits (ICs), which consists of positive word-line voltage (V _PWL), negative word-line voltage (V _NWL) and half-V _DD voltage (V _HDD) generator. To generate a process voltage temperature (PVT)-insensitive V _PWL and V _NWL, a set of circuits were proposed to generate reference voltages using bandgap reference current generators for respective voltage level detectors. Also, a V _PWL regulator and a V _NWL charge pump were proposed for a small-area and low-power design. The proposed V _PWL regulator can provide a large driving current with a small area since it regulates an input voltage (VCI) from 2.5 to 3.3 V. The V _NWL charge pump can be implemented as a high-efficiency circuit with a small area and low power since it can transfer pumped charges to V _NWL node entirely. The DC-DC converter for 1 T SRAM were designed with 0.11 μm mixed signal process and operated well with satisfactory measurement results.     

浅析小电流接地系统暂态选线新方法

文章介绍了国内小电流接地系统故障选线方法的的发展简况,在分析小电流接地故障暂态特征的基础上对近几年提出的几种较新的基于暂态特征信息的选线方法进行了简单的评述,同时筒略说明了不足之处.文章最后提出了一种基于暂态能量函数的小电流接地选线方法,并有待于进一步研究.     

Quaternary Ammonium Salts (QAS) Modified Polysiloxane Biocide Supported on Silica Materials

Three types of silica particles modified with vinyl groups were obtained: (i) xerogel formed by hydrolytic polycondensation of the mixture of tetramethoxysilane (TMOS) and 1,1,1,7−tetramethoxy-3,5,7-trimethyl-3,5,7-trivinyltetrasiloxane, (ii) mesoporous silica obtained from the same precursors in the presence of the cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), and (iii) commercial Fluka silica gel 60A with a vinyltriethoxysilane-treated surface. Vinyl groups on these silica materials were transformed into silyl chloride by hydrosilylation with HMe₂SiCl. These groups were used to graft living polysiloxane that was synthesized by anionic ring-opening polymerization of 2,4,6-tri(3-chloropropyl)-2,4,6-trimethylcyclotrisiloxane and initiated by BuLi. Chloropropyl groups on the grafted polymer were used to quaternize N,N-dimethyl-n-octylamine. Silica particles with grafted polysiloxane having quaternary ammonium salt (QAS) groups pendant to polymer chains were obtained. Silica material with QAS groups directly attached to the surface were generated by the action of N,N-dimethyl-n-octylamine on particles obtained by the sol–gel process involving tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) with 3-chloropropyltriethoxysilane. The bacteriocidal properties of all these materials were tested in water suspension against five representative strains for Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Some of the silica–polysiloxane hybrid materials have good antibacterial properties against Gram-positive strains, but not as good as the non-tethered QAS-substituted polysiloxane in water solution. The QAS groups that are directly bonded to the silica material surface are inactive.     

Unconventional Field Dependence of Magnetoresistance of (TMTSF)2ClO4 Studied by 46-T Pulsed Magnetic Field System

A new TTP donor, Me-DH-TTP (2-methyl-5-(1,3-dithiolan-2-yliden)-1,3,4,6-tetrathiapentalene), was designed to realize a system with large on-site Coulomb repulsion as compared with the previously known bis-fused type TTP donors. Probably as a consequence, (Me-DH-TTP)₂AsF₆ exhibits semiconducting behavior from room temperature to liquid helium temperature. By increasing pressure, metallic behavior appears below 300 K, and with distinct metal-insulator (M-I) transition up to 2.2 GPa. This M-I transition suddenly disappears beyond 2.5 GPa, and metallic state is stabilized down to 2.6 K. We discuss the possibility of quantum critical point around 2.4 GPa.