Nonholonomic Mobile Manipulators: Kinematics, Velocities and Redundancies

We consider nonholonomic mobile manipulators built from an n _a joint robotic arm and a nonholonomic mobile platform with two independently driven wheels. Actually, there is no efficient kinematic formalism for these systems which are generally characterized by their high number of actuators. So, kinematic modelling is presented with particular emphasis on redundancy. Whereas kinematic redundancy is well known in the holonomic case, it is pointed out that it is necessary to define velocity redundancy in the case of nonholonomic systems. Reduced velocity kinematics based on quasi-velocities are shown to provide an efficient formalism. Two examples of mobile manipulators are presented. Finally, reduced velocity kinematics and velocity redundancy are shown to be adequate tools in order to realize operational task while optimizing criteria such as manipulability.     

Two-dimensional synthetic aperture images over a land surface scene

The Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) space mission is currently undergoing phase-B studies at the European Space Agency. The SMOS payload is an L-band interferometric radiometer based on a two-dimensional aperture synthesis concept. This paper presents the first images obtained by a demonstrator of the SMOS instrument over land surfaces at the Avignon test site in 1999     

A patient-mounted robotic platform for CT-scan guided procedures

In this paper, we present a novel robotic assistant dedicated to medical interventions under computed tomography scan guidance. This compact and lightweight patient-mounted robot is designed so as to fulfill the requirements of most interventional radiology procedures. It is built from an original 5 DOF parallel structure with a semispherical workspace, particularly well suited to CT-scan interventional procedures. The specifications, the design, and the choice of compatible technological solutions are detailed. A preclinical evaluation is presented, with the registration of the robot in the CT-scan.     

Mechanisms of Corosion and Oxidation of Metals and Alloys

Selected topics in field of the study of the mechanisms of corrosion and of oxidation of metals or alloys are presented. The first part reports a new model for the mechanism of the breakaway oxidation of ferritic stainless steels in water vapour. The second part is devoted to the physico‐chemical aspects of oxidation and presents experimental methods useful in the kinetic modelling applied to two alloys, the zircalloy‐4 and an AlMg5 % in the liquid state. In the third part the physical and numerical modelling of the stress corrosion cracking behaviour in face‐centered cubic (fcc) alloys is detailed, which enables the study of the influence of macroscopic parameters (such as the temperature or hydrogen activity) on the fracture process.     

Mechanical behaviour of porous lanthanide oxide microspheres: Experimental investigation and numerical simulations

Actinide oxide microspheres are considered as promising substituents to powder precursors for the production of ceramic pellets of nuclear fuel or targets. Porous microspheres of sub-millimetric size are synthesised using the Weak Acid Resin process. Controlling their microstructure and their mechanical properties is essential to predict the microstructure of green compacts and sintered pellets. Here, cerium and gadolinium are used to mimic actinides as metal cation. Single microspheres are crushed experimentally using a micropress in a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) to investigate their mechanical properties and visualise their fracture behaviour. The results are compared to numerical simulations based on the Discrete Element Method (DEM). In DEM, a microsphere is modelled as an assembly of bonded spheres representing aggregates. Bonds may fracture in tension or shear. A limited number of material parameters (aggregate elastic modulus, bond strength) are sufficient for the accurate simulation of the fracture behaviour of a microsphere.     

Structural studies of ideal organic-inorganic nanocomposites by high resolution diffractometry and NMR spectroscopy techniques

Hybrid organic-inorganic materials, silica-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) blends, were prepared by the sol-gel process from mixtures of tetraethoxysilane and PEG of low molecular mass. The synthesis scheme (acidic [HCl] or nucleophilic [NH₄F] catalysis) influences the structure of these materials and consequently their properties. Two different methods were used to investigate the structure of these blends: a) X-ray diffraction techniques; b) ²⁹Si NMR spectroscopy. A new x-ray diffractometry technique identifies precise interference functions and radial distribution functions of these blends. The comparison of predicted radial distribution functions of the Bell and Dean's physical model refined by Gaskell with the radial distribution function obtained from this technique is implemented to identify the structure of these blends. Analysis by amorphography has identified the existence of SiO₂ silica grains and provides only about the positional disorder of these grains in continuum random network. The NMR spectroscopy discriminates the different silicon sites and demonstrates the changes of the morphology and structure when the nature of the catalyst is modified. These results indicate that the structure of non-crystalline SiO₂ aggregates inside nanocomposites differs from fused glass by their compositional disorders. These nanocomposites could be described as an agglomerate of SiO₂ objects with the pores filled by disordered polymer chains. When these materials are obtained under acidic conditions, the polymer chains are linked to the SiO₂ grains forming an ideal composite.