Vibration control of a flexible structure using a hybrid mount

This paper presents vibration control of a flexible beam structure using a hybrid mount which consists of elastic rubber and piezoelectric stack actuator. After identifying stiffness and damping properties of the rubber and piezoelectric elements, a mechanical model of the hybrid mount is established. The mount model is then incorporated with the beam structure, and the governing equation of motion is obtained in a state space. A sliding mode controller is designed in order to actively attenuate the vibration of the beam structure subjected to high-frequency and small magnitude excitations. The controller is experimentally realized and measured control responses such as acceleration of the beam structure and force transmission through the hybrid mount are evaluated and presented in both frequency and time domains.     

Modal analysis of constrained multibody systems undergoing constant accelerated motions

The modal characteristics of constrained multibody systems undergoing constant accelerated motions are investigated in this paper. Relative coordinates are employed to derive the equations of motion, which are generally nonlinear in terms of the coordinates. The dynamic equilibrium position of a constrained multibody system needs to be obtained from the nonlinear equations of motion, which are then linearized at the dynamic equilibrium position. The mass and the stiffness matrices for the modal analysis can be obtained from the linearized equations of motion. To verify the effectiveness and the accuracy of the proposed method, two numerical examples are solved and the results obtained by using the proposed method are compared with those obtained by analytical and other numerical methods. The proposed method is found to be accurate as well as effective in predicting the modal characteristics of constrained multibody systems undergoing constant accelerated motions.     

Initial design domain reset method for genetic algorithm with parallel processing

The Genetic Algorithm (GA), an optimization technique based on the theory of natural selection, has proven to be a relatively robust means of searching for global optimum. It converges to the global optimum point without auxiliary information such as differentiation of function. In the case of a complex problem, the GA involves a large population number and requires a lot of computing time. To improve the process, this research used parallel processing with several personal computers. Parallel process technique is classified into two methods according to subpopulation’s size and number. One is the fine-grained method (FGM), and the other is the coarse-grained method (CGM). This study selected the CGM as a parallel process technique because the load is equally divided among several computers. The given design domain should be reduced according to the degree of feasibility, because mechanical system problems have constraints. The reduced domain is used as an initial design domain. It is consistent with the feasible domain and the infeasible domain around feasible domain boundary. This parallel process used the Message Passing Interface library.     

Molecular dynamics study on external field induced crystallization of amorphous argon structure

A molecular dynamics study has been conducted on an external-force-field-induced isothermal crystallization process of amorphous structures as a new low-temperature athermal crystallization process. An external cyclic-force field with a dc bias is imposed on molecules selected randomly in an amorphous-phase of argon. Multiple peaks smoothed out in the radial distribution functions for amorphous states appear very clearly during the crystallization process that cannot be achieved otherwise. When the amorphous material is locally exposed to an external force field, crystallization starts and propagates from the interfacial region and crystallization growth rates can be estimated.     

Development and comparative study on tire models in the AutoDyn7 program

In this paper, several tire models (Magic formula, Carpet plot, UA tire, DADS tire and STI tire) are implemented and compared. Since the STI (System Technology Inc.) tire model in the AutoDyn7 program is in a good agreement to NADSdyna STI tire model and experiment, it is selected as a reference tire model for the comparison. To compare tire models, input parameters of each tire model are extracted from the STI tire model to preserve the same tire properties. Several simulations are carried out to compare performances of tire models, i. e., bump simulation, lane change simulation, and pulse steering simulation. The performances in vehicle maneuverability are also compared with the four parameter evaluation method.     

Analysis of human neck loads during isometric voluntary ramp efforts: EMG-Assisted optimization modeling approach

Neck muscle forces and spinal loads at the C4/5 level were estimated that result from isometric voluntary ramp efforts gradually developing to maximums in flexion, extension, left lateral bending and right lateral bending. Electromyographic (EMG) activities, a three-dimensional anatomic data of the neck and a hybrid model, EMG-assisted optimization (EMGAO) model, were used. The model computed the cervical loads at 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% of peak moments. The highest model-predicted C4/5 joint compressive forces occured during flexion; 361 (±164) N, 811 (±288), N, 1207 (±491) N and 1674 (±319) N in 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% of peak moment respectively. Variations in load distribution among the agonistic muscles and co-contractions of antagonistic muscles were estimated during ramp effors. Results suggest that higher C4/5 joint loads than previously reported are possible during isometric, voluntary muscle contractions. These higher physiological loads at C4/5 level must be considered possible during orthopedic reconstruction at this level.     

A new flame-stabilization technology for lean mixtures

The development of a low-pollution burner is important for saving energy and preserving the environment. A low-pollution burner can be produced by lean-mixture combustion and general combustion technology. The flammable limit of premixed flame is narrower than that of diffusion flame. Producing a lean mixture of fuel results in an effective combustion condition, which in turn produces high load and low pollution. In this study, it was found that the influx of Q₂ had an effect on extending the lean flammable limits and flame stabilization in a doubled jet burner. And the flame, consisting of small eddies, can be stabilized by the nozzle neck phenomena.     

Simulation of smoke plumes from agricultural burns: application to the San Luis/Rio Colorado airshed along the U.S./Mexico border

Vegetation fires emit a number of air pollutants, thus impacting air quality at local, regional and global scales. One such pollutant is the particulate matter (PM) that is known to trigger adverse health effects. In this study, the CALPUFF/CALMET/MM5 modeling system is employed to simulate PM(10) dispersion (PM with aerodynamic diameter less than 10 microm) from agricultural fires in the Yuma/San Luis area along the U.S./Mexico border, with the aim of investigating local and regional air quality impacts of fires. To the extent possible the data collected from and observations made in the study area were employed to infer inputs to the modeling system, but insufficient information available on burning practices and input parameters, such as the duration of fire, PM(10) emission rate and plume rise, necessitated relying on some previously published research as well as the Fire Emission Production Simulator (FEPS) model to provide necessary inputs. Under the simulated conditions the fire plumes did not disperse much, and thus mostly affected the area near the sources. The PM impact of fires on populated (receptor) areas in Yuma/San Luis was less than 15 microg/m(3), calculated on the basis of EPA-recommended 24-hr averaged PM(10). If the formation of secondary particles is considered, the impacts could have been greater. In order to conduct more realistic fire plume simulations, it is imperative to have accurate fire-activity records such as the firing technique applied, fuel condition, time of burning as well as some model updates. In all, this paper presents a methodology for calculating agricultural-burns introduced PM, while identifying critical improvements that need to be made in future work.     

Source tracking of microbial intrusion in water systems using artificial neural networks

A "what-if" scenario where biological agents are accidentally or deliberately introduced into a water system was generated, and artificial neural network (ANN) models were applied to identify the pathogenic release location to isolate the contaminated area and minimize its hazards. The spatiotemporal distribution of Escherichia coli 15597 along the water system was employed to locate pollutants by inversely interpreting transport patterns of E. coli using ANNs. Results showed that dispersion patterns of E. coli were positively correlated to pH, turbidity, and conductivity (R2=0.90-0.96), and the ANN models successfully identified the source location of E. coli introduced into a given system with 75% accuracy based on the pre-programmed relationships between E. coli transport patterns and release locations. The findings in this study will enable us to assess the vulnerability of essential water systems, establish the early warning system and protect humans and the environment.     

Chemisorption of oxygen onto activated carbon can enhance the stability of biological perchlorate reduction in fixed bed biofilm reactors

Fixed bed biofilm reactors with granular activated carbon (GAC) or glass beads as support media were used to evaluate the influence of short-term (12h) and long-term (23 days) increases of influent dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations on biological perchlorate removal. The goal was to evaluate the extent by which chemisorption of oxygen to GAC can enhance the stability of biological perchlorate reduction. Baseline influent concentrations were 50 microg/L of perchlorate, 2 mg/L of acetate as C, and 1mg/L of DO. Perchlorate removal in the glass bead reactor seized immediately after increasing influent DO concentrations from 1 to 4 mg/L since glass beads have no sorptive capacity. In the biologically active carbon (BAC) reactor, chemisorption of oxygen to GAC removed a substantial fraction of the influent DO, and perchlorate removal was maintained during short-term increases of influent DO levels up to 8 mg/L. During long-term exposure to influent DO concentrations of 8.5mg/L, effluent perchlorate and DO concentrations increased slowly. Subsequent exposure of the BAC reactor bed to low DO concentrations partially regenerated the capacity for oxygen chemisorption. Microbial analyses indicated similar microbial communities in both reactors, which confirmed that the differences in reactor performance during dynamic loading conditions could be attributed to the sorptive properties of GAC. Using a sorptive biofilm support medium can enhance biological perchlorate removal under dynamic loading conditions.