Wave propagation in delaminated beam

The wave propagation model investigated herein is based on the known fact that material discontinuities affect the propagation of elastic waves in solids. The change in certain material characteristics, such as a local change in stiffness or inertia caused by a crack or the presence of material damage, will affect the propagation of transmitted elastic waves and will modify the received signal. Wave frequencies associated with the highest detection sensitivity depend, among other things, on the type of structure, the type of material, and the type of damage. This paper presents a method of wave propagation, which can be further used to detect small delaminations in beam-like structures. The considered beam is modelled by spectral finite elements.     

Successful adoption of macroergonomics in manufacturing: Using a multicriteria decision‐making methodology– analytic hierarchy process

The research presented in this paper aims to support the macroergonomics adoption improvement process by developing a broader understanding of relationships between key macroergonomics factors and management styles. The methodology involves knowledge acquisition, identifying, and categorizing a holistic set of key criteria about the macroergonomics adoption process. The Analytic Hierarchy Process is suggested as a multi‐attribute decision‐making methodology to effectively enhance adoption of macroergonomics and to improve management decision performance in measuring and comparing the overall performance of different management styles based on macroergonomical criteria. The study found that in terms of company culture, participation, human capability, and attitudes, the best management style in improving macroergonomics adoption is Management by Values. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Hum Factors Man 14: 353–377, 2004.     

Robust model predictive control using tubes

A form of feedback model predictive control (MPC) that overcomes disadvantages of conventional MPC but which has manageable computational complexity is presented. The optimal control problem, solved on-line, yields a ‘tube’ and an associated piecewise affine control law that maintains the controlled trajectories in the tube despite uncertainty; computational complexity is linear (rather than exponential) in horizon length. Asymptotic stability of the controlled system is established.     

Decentralized overlapping control of a formation of unmanned aerial vehicles

Decentralized overlapping feedback laws are designed for a formation of unmanned aerial vehicles. The dynamic model of the formation with an information structure constraint in which each vehicle, except the leader, only detects the vehicle directly in front of it, is treated as an interconnected system with overlapping subsystems. Using the mathematical framework of the inclusion principle, the interconnected system is expanded into a higher dimensional space in which the subsystems appear to be disjoint. Then, at each subsystem, a static state feedback controller is designed to robustly stabilize the perturbed nominal dynamics of the subsystem. The design procedure is based on the application of convex optimization tools involving linear matrix inequalities. As a final step, the decentralized controllers are contracted back to the original interconnected system for implementation.     

A recursive algorithm for generating the equations of motion of spatial mechanical systems with application to the five-point suspension

In this paper, a recursive formulation for generating the equations of motion of spatial mechanical systems is presented. The rigid bodies are replaced by a dynamically equivalent constrained system of particles which avoids introducing any rotational coordinates. For the open-chain system, the equations of motion are generated recursively along the serial chains using the concepts of linear and angular momenta. Closed-chain systems are transformed to open-chain systems by cutting suitable kinematic joints and introducing cut-joint constraints. The formulation is used to carry out the dynamic analysis of multi-link five-point suspension. The results of the simulation demonstrate the generality and simplicity of the proposed dynamic formulation.     

Study on residual stress in viscoelastic thin film using curvature measurement method

Using LSM (laser scanning method), the radius of curvature due to thermal deformation in polyimide film coated on Si substrate is measured. Since the polyimide film shows viscoelastic behavior, i.e., the modulus and deformation of the film vary with time and temperature, we estimate the relaxation modulus and the residual stresses of the polyimide film by measuring the radius of curvature and subsequently by performing viscoelastic analysis. The residual stresses relax by an amount of 10% at 100°C and 20% at 150°C for two hours.     

Characteristics of elastic waves generated by fatigue crack penetration and growth in an aluminum plate

The characteristics of elastic waves emanated from crack initiation in 6061 aluminum alloy subjected to fatigue loading are investigated through experiments. The objective of the study is to determine the differences in the properties of the signals generated from fatigue test and also to examine if the sources of the waves could be identified from the temporal and spectral characteristics of the acoustic emission (AE) waveforms. The signals are recorded using nonresonant, flat, broadband transducers attached to the surface of the alloy specimens. The time dependence and power spectra of the signals recorded during the tests were examined and classified according to their special features. Six distinct types of signals were observed. The waveforms and their power spectra were found to be dependent on the crack propagation stage and the type of fracture associated with the signals. The potential application of the approach in health monitoring of structural components using a network of surface mounted broadband sensors is discussed.     

A naphthalene sublimation study on heat/mass transfer for flow over a flat plate

It is important to completely understand heat/mass transfer from a flat plate because it is a basic element of heat/mass transfer. In the present study, local heat/mass transfer coefficient is obtained for two flow conditions to investigate the effect of boundary layer using the naphthalene sublimation technique. Obtained local heat/mass transfer coefficient is converted to dimensionless parameters such as Sherwood number, Stanton number and Colburnj-factor. These also are compared with correlations of laminar and turbulent heat/mass transfer from a flat plate. According to experimental results, local Sherwood number and local Stanton number are in much better agreement with the correlation of turbulent region rather than laminar region, which means analogy between heat/mass transfer and momentum transfer is more suitable for turbulent boundary layer. But average Sherwood number and average Colburnj-factor representing analogy between heat/mass transfer and momentum transfer are consistent with the correlation of laminar boundary layer as well as turbulent boundary layer.     

Slip control strategy for an automatic transmission vehicle

Modern automatic transmissions equip torque converters with lock-up clutches to reduce the energy loss of hydraulic systems. Instead of simply engaging the clutch disks, the new technology of clutch slip has been developed to improve the overall efficiency of power transmission. There are two major problems with the clutch slip system. The first is how to keep the slip between the two disks within a small range and the second is when to start or stop the slip. In this paper, the second problem is discussed in view of the vehicle economy. With a simple vehicle dynamic model, the fuel economy is calculated to determine the lock-up strategy. Then the lock-up strategy is developed for a slip schedule.     

Vortical flows over a delta wing at high angles of attack

The vortex flow characteristics of a sharp-edged delta wing at high angles of attack were studied using a computational technique. Three dimensional, compressible Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations were solved to understand the effects of the angle of yaw, angle of attack, and free stream velocity on the development and interaction of vortices and the relationship between suction pressure distributions and vortex flow characteristics. The present computations gave qualitatively reasonable predictions of vortical flows over a delta wing, compared with past wind tunnel measurements. With an increase in the angle of yaw, the symmetry of the pair of leading edge vortices was broken and the vortex strength was decreased on both windward and leeward sides. An increase in the free stream velocity resulted in stronger leading edge vortices with an outboard movement.