Hierarchical multi-reservoir optimization modeling for real-world complexity with application to the Three Gorges system

High dimensionality in real-world multi-reservoir systems greatly hinders the application and popularity of evolutionary algorithms, especially for systems with heterogeneous units. An efficient hierarchical optimization framework is presented for search space reduction, determining the best water distributions, not only between cascade reservoirs, but also among different types of hydropower units. The framework is applied to the Three Gorges Project (TGP) system and the results demonstrate that the difficulties of multi-reservoir optimization caused by high dimensionality can be effectively solved by the proposed hierarchical method. For the day studied, power output could be increased by 6.79 GWh using an optimal decision with the same amount of water actually used; while the same amount of power could be generated with 2.59 × 10⁷ m³ less water compared to the historical policy. The methodology proposed is general in that it can be used for other reservoir systems and other types of heterogeneous unit generators.     

Measuring changing strain fields in composites with Distributed Fiber-Optic Sensing using the optical backscatter reflectometer

Background/purposeMeasurements of strains in critical components are often required in addition to finite element calculations when evaluating a structure.MethodsThis paper describes how standard optical fibers, bonded to the surface or embedded in a laminate, can measure strain fields along the entire length of the fiber, using the optical backscatter reflectometer.ResultsA strain field measurement can be much better compared to simulations than the more common single point measurements with strain gauges or Bragg Gratings. Changes of the strain field can be related to damage development and can be used for structural health monitoring. Practical aspects of using the fibers are also discussed.ConclusionDistributed Fiber-Optic Sensing was successfully embedded and bonded to a composite joint. Adhesive damage was identified and the strain field agreed well with FE-Analysis.     

ANN inverse analysis based on stochastic small-sample training set simulation

A new approach of inverse analysis is proposed to obtain parameters of a computational model in order to achieve the best agreement with experimental data. The inverse analysis is based on the coupling of a stochastic simulation and an artificial neural network (ANN). The identification parameters play the role of basic random variables with a scatter reflecting the physical range of potential values. A novelty of the approach is the utilization of the efficient small-sample simulation method Latin Hypercube Sampling (LHS) used for the stochastic preparation of the training set utilized in training the artificial neural network. Once the network has been trained, it represents an approximation consequently utilized to solve the key task: To provide the best possible set of model parameters for the given experimental data. The efficiency of the approach is shown using numerical examples from civil engineering computational mechanics.     

Singular Trajectories in Multi-Input Time-Optimal Problems: Application to Controlled Mechanical Systems

This paper deals with the time-optimal control problem for a class of control systems which includes controlled mechanical systems with possible dissipation terms. The Lie algebras associated with such mechanical systems have certain special properties. These properties are explored and used in conjunction with the Pontryagin maximum principle to determine the structure of singular extremals and, in particular, time-optimal trajectories. The theory is illustrated by an application to a time-optimal problem for a class of underwater vehicles.     

Detecting delaminations in a composite beam using anti-optimization

The present study proposes a detection technique for delaminations in a laminated beam. The proposed technique optimizes the spatial distribution of harmonic excitation so as to magnify the difference in response between the delaminated and intact beam. The technique is evaluated by numerical simulation of two-layered aluminum beams. Effects of measurement and geometric noise are included in the analysis. A finite element model for a delaminated composite, based on a layer-wise laminated plate theory is used in conjunction with a step function to simulate delaminations     

Noble metal water gas shift catalysis: Kinetics study and reactor design

Based on the water gas shift (WGS) catalytic mechanism on precious metal catalyst, a Langmuir–Hinshelwood (LH) kinetics model was derived for the operating conditions of syngas from natural gas reforming at near-ambient pressure. A power law kinetics model was also presented for comparative purpose. These two kinetics models were integrated in a dynamic distributed reactor model for design of full-scale WGS reactors for a natural gas fuel processing system. Modeling results indicated that the LH kinetics model gives predictions of reactor performance closer to the experimental data. Using the LH kinetics model, optimization of operating conditions for the high-temperature shift (HTS) and low-temperature shift (LTS) reactors was also attempted.     

Minimal-drift heading measurement using a MEMS gyro for mobile robots: Fused with odometry

To achieve the goal of low-cost MEMS gyros for the precise self-localization of mobile robots, this paper presents a simple, yet effective method to minimize drifts on the heading angle by combining measurements from a gyro with measurements from wheel encoders (odometry). The main idea of the proposed approach is to estimate the accuracy of both sensors as a function of the actual maneuver being carried out, and then the output of both sensors are fused by the complementary filter taking into account the maneuvering conditions. The proposed method is applied to a mobile robot and the experimental data demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach.     

Constitutive model for shape memory alloy torsion actuator

Shape memory alloy ( SMA) torsion actuator is one of the key approaches realizing adaptive wings in airplanes. In this paper,the actuator is made up of SMA wires and a thin-walled tube,in which the SMA wires are twisted and affixed around the surface of the tube at an angle referenced to the center axis of the tube. A thermo-mechanical constitutive model is developed to predict the thermo-mechanical behaviors of the SMA torsion actuator based on the knowledge of solid mechanics. The relationship between the torsion-angle and tem- perature is numerically calculated by using the thermo-mechanical constitutive model coupled with the SMA phase transformation model developed by Zhou and Yoon. The numerical results are compared with the relative experimental results finished by Xiong and Shen. Influences of the twist-angle of SMA wires and geometrical factors on the primary actuation performances of the SMA torsion actuator are also numerically investigated based on the thermo-mechanical constitutive model coupled with the SMA phase transformation model developed by Zhou and Yoon. Results show that the thermo-mechanical constitutive model can well predict the thermo-mechanical behaviors of the SMA torsion actuator.     

PolSAR快速贝叶斯非局部均值相干斑抑制方法

从单极化合成孔径雷达(SAR)贝叶斯非局部均值算法出发,推导了极化相干矩阵在复Wishart分布下的块相似性度量函数,给出了无先验知识下的极化SAR贝叶斯非局部均值模型,并采用积分图实现了该算法的快速计算.最后,通过机载合成孔径雷达实测旧金山地区的极化SAR数据进行了验证.实验结果表明,文中方法能够有效抑制相干斑的同时,保持了极化特征,并大幅提升了运算效率.