Mechanical properties of cross-ply and quasi-isotropic composite laminates processed using aligned multi-walled carbon nanotube/epoxy prepreg

This study examined the processing and mechanical properties of cross-ply and quasi-isotropic composite laminates processed using aligned multi-walled carbon nanotube/epoxy prepreg sheets. Three kinds of CNT/epoxy laminates, ([0°/90°]s, [60°/0°/?60°]s, [0°/45°/90°/?45°]s) were successfully fabricated using aligned CNT/epoxy prepreg sheets. The CNT volume fraction was approximately 10%. No visible void or delamination was observed in composite laminates, and the thickness of each layer was almost equal to that of the prepreg. To evaluate the elastic moduli, E₁₁, E₂₂, and G₁₂, of each ply in the laminates, on-axis and off-axis tensile tests (0°, 45°, 90°) were conducted of aligned CNT/epoxy lamina specimens. The Young’s modulus of CNT/epoxy cross-ply and quasi-isotropic laminates agreed with the theoretical values, which were calculated using classical laminate theory and elastic moduli of CNT/epoxy lamina. The respective failure strains of [0°/90°]s, [60°/0°/?60°]s, and [0°/45°/90°/?45°]s laminates are 0.65, 0.92, 0.63%, which are higher than that of 0° composite lamina (0.5%). Results suggest that the failure strain of 0° layer in composite laminates is improved because of the other layers.     

Hardening non-linear behaviour in longitudinal tension of unidirectional carbon composites

Uniaxial tensile tests of unidirectional carbon-epoxy coupons are conducted in the longitudinal direction. It is observed that the longitudinal modulus increases with axial stress or strain up to the intermediate level of tension. A fractional constitutive relation with a quadratic denominator is derived by the method of the theory of non-linear elasticity. This equation adopting the estimated higher-order compliance coefficients exhibits an excellent agreement with the experimental results. An empirical strain-based equation is also proposed as a simpler alternative. Averaging formulae for both types of relation are provided for a practical application. The present phenomenon includes the behaviour in a low-stress region discovered by some early work. The consideration of the present non-linear behaviour improves the correlation between theory and experiments in stress-strain relationships of fabric composites with carbon fibres.     

A voltage-source PWM rectifier-inverter with feedforward control of instantaneous power

In general, diode rectifiers with electrolytic capacitors on the dc side have been used as dc power supplies for voltage-source inverters. Rectifiers of this type, however, cause many problems such as poor power factor and harmonics. Recently, voltage-source PWM rectifier-inverters have been studied to provide the following advantages: (1) harmonic-free on both ac sides; (2) unity power factor on the input ac side; (3) power flow of either direction or power regeneration; (4) reduction of the dc capacitor. However, it is difficult for a conventional voltage-source PWM rectifier-inverter to regulate the capacitor voltage on transient states because it has only a voltage feedback loop. This paper describes a voltage-source PWM rectifier-inverter with feedforward control of instantaneous power. Based on the pq theory, the instantaneous power which is calculated in the control circuit of the inverter is fed forward to the control circuit of the rectifier. The feedforward control of instantaneous power contributes greatly to sufficiently suppress voltage fluctuation of the dc capacitor on transient states. Transient characteristics are discussed, and some interesting experimental results of a laboratory model are shown.     

Modular manufacturing

This paper discusses requirements to be satisfied by future manufacturing systems and proposes a new concept of modular manufacturing to integrate intelligent and complex machines. In large-scale systems such as manufacturing systems, modularization is indispensable for clarifying logical structure and assuring a high degree of ease of construction. The parts, products and manufacturing equipments as well as the design and operating activities themselves are all described in units called modules. A manufacturing system is constructed and operated by combining these in building-block style. The creation of this manufacturing system relies on construction and operating systems that enable design and simulation in the virtual world, and production and control in the real world, in a unified approach. Hardware modules and software modules are compiled flexibly and hierarchically to fulfil specified tasks. A system in which modular manufacturing as a concept of system integration is applied to manufacturing robots is called a modular robot system. The robots are embedded in manufacturing systems as the highest application of model-based robotics.     

Fine motion strategy in three-dimensional space using skill-based backprojection

The motion of manipulation in a task can be decomposed into several motion primitives called “skills.” Skill-based motion planning gives the possibility of performing tasks as skillfully as human beings do. On the other hand, the backprojection method performed in configuration space has often been used in fine-motion planning. This paper describes fine-motion planning in three-dimensional space using skill-based backprojection. Now that skill-based planning in three-dimensional space has been developed, it becomes possible to plan manipulation motions like the behavior of the human hand. This work was presented, in part, at the Second International Symposium on Artificial Life and Robotics, Oita, Japan, February 18–20, 1997.     

A novel PWM scheme of voltage source inverters based on space vector theory

Contents A novel PWM scheme which can considerably reduce harmonic currents is proposed. It is explained analytically that the harmonic currents depend on the amplitude and phase angle of the reference voltage vector, the inverter output voltage vectors used in a switching period, and the sequence of these output voltage vectors. In the novel PWM scheme, the switching sequence is selected so that the harmonic currents are minimum. An experimental system which generates the PWM patterns by software at real time is constructed. Compared with the conventional sinusoidal PWM scheme, it is confirmed that the current ripple is decreased and the spectrum is shifted and dispersed to a higher frequency region.

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Ein neues Modulationskonzept für Wechselrichter mit eingeprägter Spannung

Übersicht Es wird ein neues Modulationskonzept vorgeschlagen, mit dem die Oberschwingungsströme beträchtlich herabgesetzt werden können. Wie analytisch gezeigt wird, hängen diese von Amplitude und Phasenwinkel des Zeigers der Referenzspannung, der Wechselrichter-Ausgangsspannung in einer Schaltperiode und der Abfolge der Zeiger dieser Ausgangsspannung ab. Nach dem neuen Konzept wird die Schaltfolge so gewählt, daß sich ein Minimum der Oberschwingungsströme ergibt. In einer Versuchseinrichtung wird das Pulsmuster durch Software in Echtzeit generiert. Im Vergleich mit der konventionellen Sinusbewertung bestätigt sich eine Verminderung der Welligkeit und eine Verschiebung des Oberschwingungsspektrums in den Bereich höherer Frequenzen.

     

Efficiency enhancement in the conversion into the magnetostatic mode utilising a specially designed coiled transducer

The letter describes a specially designed coiled transducer for the magnetostatic mode. The conversion loss of the magneto-static-mode delay line provided with the proposed transducer has been found reduced down to 10.5 dB at L band.     

In vivo evidence for non-universal usage of the codon CUG in Candida maltosa

An alkane-assimilating yeast Candida maltosa had been studied in order to establish systems suitable for biotransformation of hydrophobic compounds. However, functional expression of heterologous genes tested for this purpose had not been successful in several cases. On the other hand, it had been reported that the codon CUG, a universal leucine codon, is read as serine in C. cylindracea. The same altered codon usage had also been suggested by in vitro experiments in some Candida yeasts which are phylogenetically closely related to C. maltosa. In this study we have shown that the failure in functional expression of a heterologous gene is due to the fact that the codon CUG is read as serine in C. maltosa. This conclusion was drawn from the following experimental results: (1) when a cytochrome P450 gene of C. maltosa containing a CTG codon was expressed in C. maltosa, the corresponding amino acid was found to be serine, and not leucine; (2) a tRNA gene with an almost identical structure to that of the tRNA ^SerCAG gene of C. albicans could be isolated from the genome of C. maltosa; (3) the Saccharomyces cerevisiae URA3 gene, which has one CTG codon, could not complement the ura3 mutation of C. maltosa as itself, but when the CTG codon was changed to another leucine codon, CTC, the mutated gene could complement the ura3 mutation. The last result is the first example of succeeding in functional expression of a heterologous gene in Candida species having an altered codon usage by changing the CTG codon in the gene to another codon. The nucleotide sequence datum reported in this paper will appear in the GSDB, DDBJ, EMBL and NCBI nucleotide sequence databases with the Accession Number D26074.     

Grain-size effects on microwave ferrite magnetic properties

This paper presents a review of polycrystalline microwave ferrites with specific reference made to the grain size. Fine-grained ferrites and large-grained ferrites as referred to in this article stand for the ferrites with an average grain size of 2 μm or less and those of 100 μm or larger, respectively. Fine-graining of ferrites is one of the state-of-the-arts techniques for obtaining high-power ferrites. Large-graining is a newly developed technique for further improving the family of narrow resonance linewidth garnet materials. Starting with some ceramics-oriented topics including the definition of the average grain-size and so forth, the present review covers the grain-size dependence of initial permeability and the grain-size dependence of microwave properties (ΔH, ΔHeff, and ΔHk) both in the theoretical and in the experimental phases. Successful device applications of newly developed "single-crystal-like" large-grained ferrites are also reviewed.