Development of a new theory of thermal cutting processes 2. Temperature distribution over the chip thickness

The temperature distribution over the chip thickness in cutting is analyzed. For the first time, a mathematical explanation is offered for the types of temperature distribution observed, with illustrative examples.     

Development of a new theory of thermal cutting processes 4. Analysis of the basic thermophysical theories of cutting (Part 1)

The difficulties in constructing a theory of the thermal processes in cutting are illustrated by the analysis of theoretical work by Bobrik and his colleagues at Moscow Aviation Engineering Institute.     

Development of a new theory of thermal cutting processes 4. Analysis of the basic thermophysical theories of cutting (Part 3)

Further deficiencies are identified in theoretical work by Belousov regarding the theory of thermal cutting processes.     

Neutron-Capture Therapy with Thermal Neutrons at the Institute of Radiation Therapy at the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute

The results of the development of an irradiation base for neutron-capture therapy at the Institute of Radiation Therapy at the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute, the production and study of boron- and gadolinium-containing preparations, and preclinical investigations on large laboratory animals (dogs with spontaneous melanoma) are presented.     

The problem of boundary following by a unicycle-like robot with rigidly mounted sensors

We consider the problem of reactively navigating an unmanned Dubins-like robot along an equidistant curve of an environmental object based on the distance to its boundary measured perpendicularly to the robot centerline and the angle of incidence of this perpendicular to the boundary. Such a situation holds if e.g., the measurements are supplied by range sensors rigidly mounted to the vehicle body at nearly right angles, or by a single sensor scanning a nearly perpendicular narrow sector. A sliding mode control law is proposed that drives the robot at a pre-specified distance from the boundary and maintains this distance afterwards. This is achieved without estimation of the boundary curvature and holds for boundaries with both convexities and concavities. Mathematically rigorous analysis of the proposed control law is provided, including an explicit account for the global geometry of the boundary. Computer simulations and experiments with real wheeled robots confirm the applicability and performance of the proposed guidance approach.     

Node localization using mobile robots in delay-tolerant sensor networks

We present a novel scheme for node localization in a delay-tolerant sensor network (DTN). In a DTN, sensor devices are often organized in network clusters that may be mutually disconnected. Some mobile robots may be used to collect data from the network clusters. The key idea in our scheme is to use this robot to perform location estimation for the sensor nodes it passes based on the signal strength of the radio messages received from them. Thus, we eliminate the processing constraints of static sensor nodes and the need for static reference beacons. Our mathematical contribution is the use of a robust extended Kalman filter (REKF)-based state estimator to solve the localization. Compared to the standard extended Kalman filter, REKF is computationally efficient and also more robust. Finally, we have implemented our localization scheme on a hybrid sensor network test bed and show that it can achieve node localization accuracy within 1 m in a large indoor setting.     

Periodic and transient switched server schedules for FMS

Hybrid dynamical approach is an effective way of solving FMS scheduling problems. In this paper the mathematical model and processes determination are shortly reviewed. New results are outlined for the determination of time periods of periodic motions for simple (two part types) problems and for complex (multi-part types, multi-machine groups) cases, too. Having the time periods, all the significant planning parameters can be easily determined. As a consequence of the above, the idea of periodic and transient schedules is introduced. A planning procedure is developed. Based on the new prospects obtained, an important development of the mathematical model is proposed. This is to expand the mathematical model with buffer capacities constraints. These new constraints determine the final results of planning. Using a manipulation of set-up times (regularizibility) a future improvement of the processes can be realized. All this leads to a very simple, real-time scheduling of FMS.     

Method for tracking of environmental level sets by a unicycle-like vehicle

We consider a single Dubins-like vehicle traveling with a constant longitudinal speed in a planar region supporting an unknown field distribution. A sensor provides the distribution value at the vehicle location. We present a new sliding mode control method for tracking environmental level sets: the vehicle is steered to the set where the distribution assumes a pre-specified value and circulates along this set afterwards. The proposed control algorithm does not employ gradient estimation and is non-demanding with respect to both computation and motion. Its mathematically rigorous justification is provided. The effectiveness of the proposed guidance law is confirmed by computer simulations.