Design of A Hydraulic Power Take-off System for the Wave Energy Device with An Inverse Pendulum

This paper describes a dual-stroke acting hydraulic power take-off （PTO） system employed in the wave energy converter （WEC） with an inverse pendulum. The hydraulic PTO converts slow irregular reciprocating wave motions to relatively smooth, fast rotation of an electrical generator. The design of the hydraulic PTO system and its control are critical to maximize the generated power. A time domain simulation study and the laboratory experiment of the full-scale beach test are presented. The results of the simulation and laboratory experiments including their comparison at full-scale are also presented, which have validated the rationality of the design and the reliability of some key components of the prototype of the WEC with an inverse pendulum with the dual-stroke acting hydraulic PTO system.

Modeling of Carrier-based Aircraft Ski Jump Take-off Based on Tensor

A general mathematical model of carrier-based aircraft ski jump take-off is derived based on tensor. The carrier, the aircraft body and the movable parts of the landing gears are treated as independent entities. These entities are assembled into a multi-rigid-body system with flexible links. Dynamical equations of each entity are derived on the basis of the Newton law and the Euler transformation. Using the invariance property of the tensor, the dynamical and kinematical equations are converted to tensor forms which are invariant under time-dependent coordinate transformations. Then the tensor-formed equations are expressed by the matrix operation. Differential equation group of the matrix form is formulated for the programming. The closure of the model is discussed, and the simulation results are given.

An Oscillating Wave Energy Converter with Nonlinear Snap-Through Power-Take-Off Systems in Regular Waves

Floating oscillating bodies constitute a large class of wave energy converters, especially for offshore deployment. Usually the Power-Take-Off（PTO） system is a directly linear electric generator or a hydraulic motor that drives an electric generator. The PTO system is simplified as a linear spring and a linear damper. However the conversion is less powerful with wave periods off resonance. Thus, a nonlinear snap-through mechanism with two symmetrically oblique springs and a linear damper is applied in the PTO system. The nonlinear snap-through mechanism is characteristics of negative stiffness and double-well potential. An important nonlinear parameter γ is defined as the ratio of half of the horizontal distance between the two springs to the original length of both springs. Time domain method is applied to the dynamics of wave energy converter in regular waves. And the state space model is used to replace the convolution terms in the time domain equation. The results show that the energy harvested by the nonlinear PTO system is larger than that by linear system for low frequency input. While the power captured by nonlinear converters is slightly smaller than that by linear converters for high frequency input. The wave amplitude, damping coefficient of PTO systems and the nonlinear parameter γ affect power capture performance of nonlinear converters. The oscillation of nonlinear wave energy converters may be local or periodically inter well for certain values of the incident wave frequency and the nonlinear parameter γ, which is different from linear converters characteristics of sinusoidal response in regular waves.

Biomechanical and dynamic mechanism of locust take-off

The biomimetic locust robot hopping vehicle has promising applications in planet exploration and reconnaissance. This paper explores the bionic dynamics model of locust jumping by using high-speed video and force analysis. This paper applies hybrid rigid-flexible mechanisms to bionic locust hopping and studies its dynamics with emphasis laid on the relationship between force and jumping performance. The hybrid rigid-flexible model is introduced in the analysis of locust mechanism to address the principles of dynamics that govern locust joints and mechanisms during energy storage and take-off. The dynamic response of the biomimetic mechanism is studied by considering the flexi- bility according to the locust jumping dynamics mechanism. A multi-rigid-body dynamics model of locust jumping is established and analyzed based on Lagrange method; elastic knee and tarsus mechanisms that were proposed in previous works are analyzed alongside the original bionic joint configurations and their machinery principles. This work offers primary theories for take-off dynamics and establishes a theoretical basis for future studies and engineering applications.

Capture Performance of A Multi-Freedom Wave Energy Converter with Different Power Take-off Systems

Among the wave energy converters (WECs), oscillating buoy is a promising type for wave energy development in offshore area. Conventional single-freedom oscillating buoy WECs with linear power take-off (PTO) system are less efficient under off-resonance conditions and have a narrow power capture bandwidth. Thus, a multi-freedom WEC with a nonlinear PTO system is proposed. This study examines a multi-freedom WEC with 3 degrees of freedom: surge, heave and pitch. Three different PTO systems (velocity-square, snap through, and constant PTO systems) and a traditional linear PTO system are applied to the WEC. A time-domain model is established using linear potential theory and Cummins equation. The kinematic equation is numerically calculated with the fourth-order Runge–Kutta method. The optimal average output power of the PTO systems in all degrees of freedom are obtained and compared. Other parameters of snap through PTO are also discussed in detail. Results show that according to the power capture performance, the order of the PTO systems from the best to worst is snap through PTO, constant PTO, linear PTO and velocity-square PTO. The resonant frequency of the WEC can be adjusted to the incident wave frequency by choosing specific parameters of the snap through PTO. Adding more DOFs can make the WEC get a better power performance in more wave frequencies. Both the above two methods can raise the WEC’s power capture performance significantly.

Research of Power Take-off System for “Sharp Eagle Ⅱ” Wave Energy Converter

The " Sharp Eagle” device is a wave energy converter of a hinged double floating body. The wave-absorbing floating body hinges on the semi-submerged floating body structure. Under the action of wave, the wave-absorbing floating body rotates around the hinge point, and the wave energy can be converted into kinetic energy. In this paper, the power take-off system of " Sharp Eagle Ⅱ” wave energy converter (the second generation of " Sharp Eagle”) was studied, which adopts the hydraulic type power take-off system. The 0-1 power generation mode was applied in this system to make the " Sharp Eagle Ⅱ” operate under various wave conditions. The principle of power generation was introduced in detail, and the power take-off system was simulated. Three groups of different movement period inputs were used to simulate three kinds of wave conditions, and the simulation results were obtained under three different working conditions. In addition, the prototype of " Sharp Eagle Ⅱ” wave energy converter was tested on land and in real sea conditions. The experimental data have been collected, and the experimental data and simulation results were compared and validated. This work has laid a foundation for the design and application of the following " Sharp Eagle” series of devices.

Space range estimate for battery-powered vertical take-off and landing aircraft

A novel method for estimating the space range of battery-powered vertical take-off and landing(VTOL) aircraft is presented. The method is based on flight parameter optimization and numerical iteration. Subsystem models including required thrust, required power and battery discharge models are presented. The problem to be optimized is formulated, and then case study simulation is conducted using the established method for quantitative analysis. Simulation results show that the space range of battery-powered VTOL aircraft in a vertical plane is an oblate curve, which appears horizontally long but vertically short, and the peak point is not located on the vertical climb path. The method and results are confirmed by parameter analysis and validations.

Problems and Barriers Impeding the Implementation of MagLev Assisted Aircraft Take-Off and Landing Concept

Nowadays, the success of the new technology development and deployment process depends not only on technical, technological solutions, but also on solving the non-technological problems and crossing the societal and psychological barriers. A large international European projects, GABRIEL1 had developed a maglev assisted aircraft take-off and landing, that was applied to conceptual design of aircraft and required on-board and ground systems, had analysed all impacts (effects of concept deployment on effectiveness, safety, security, noise, emissions) and had demonstrated the safe applicability by concept validation. The applied methodology, used methods and the results of the Gabriel projects had been described and discussed by 55 project deliverables. This paper has a special goal: investigating the problems and barriers of possible implementing of the radically new technology, aircraft MagLev assisted take-off and landing. The study was started by identification and classification of the problems and barriers. After it, the problems were systematically analysed by use of special methodology containing the understanding (description) of the problems, investigation of the possible solutions and discussing their applicability (mainly by use of the Gabriel project results). The paper has three major sections: 1) description of the Gabriel concept and project results, 2) introducing some related thoughts on general aspects of new technology developments, and 3) discussion on the problems and their solutions. The major classes of the problems are the 1) technical, technological problems as developing a radically new solution, landing the undercarriage-less aircraft on the magnetic tracks, 2) stakeholders’ problems as decision makers kicking against supporting the developments of so radically new technologies and 3) society barriers like society worrying on and fear of future passengers on flying by aircraft have not conventional undercarriage systems. The paper will show that these problems have safe and cost-effective solutions.

Power Absorption of A Two-Body Heaving Wave Energy Converter Considering Different Control and Power Take-off Systems

This study proposed a wave power system with two coaxial floating cylinders of different diameters and drafts.Wavebob’s conceptual design has been adopted in the wave power system.In this study,a basic analysis of the wave energy extraction by the relative motion between two floats is presented.The maximum power absorption was studied theoretically under regular wave conditions,and the effects of both linear and constant damping forces on the power take-off(PTO)were investigated.A set of dynamic equations describing the floats’displacement under regular waves and different PTOs are established.A time-domain numerical model is developed,considering the PTO parameter and viscous damping,and the optimal PTO damping and output power are obtained.With the analysis of estimating the maximum power absorption,a new estimation method called Power Capture Function(PCF)is proposed and constructed,which can be used to predict the power capture under both linear and constant PTO forces.Based on this,energy extraction is analyzed and optimized.Finally,the performance characteristics of the two-body power system are concluded.

The Influence of Climate Change and Variability on Aircraft Take-off and Landing Performance;a Case Study of the Abeid Amani Karume International Airport-Zanzibar

Climate change (CC) and variability have been world widely reported to pose number of risks in aviation industry including accidents, astray, and other operational difficulties. The impact of weather on landing and take-off performances has been several times experienced at Abeid Amani Karume International Airport (AAKIA);however, the influence of climate change and variability to the aircraft performance needs to be assessed. Thus, this study investigated the influence of climate change and variability on aircrafts take-off and landing performances. Specifically, the study investigated;i) the influence of climate change on Take-off Distance Required (TODR) and Maximum Take-off Mass (MTOM) for different types of aircraft;ii) the influence of climate variability to the aircraft landing performance on light, medium and heavy aircraft and lastly, iii) the study investigated the seasonal and annual variability on aircraft landing performance due to climate variability. The datasets used in this study include the eight years (2014-2021), aircraft operational records (diversion and missed approach events) and Aviation Routine Weather Reports (METAR) records which were utilized as the indicators for landing performance, the long-term (1990-2020) annual maximum temperatures (Tmax) which was used to determine the TODR and MTOM. Statistical tools including mean, percentage changes, correlations, regression, and the chi-square test were used for analysis and hypotheses testing. The results revealed that light and medium aircraft categories were significantly most affected on diversion events as compared to the heavy categories;however, for the missed approach events the impact was vice versa. Moreover, the seasonal and annual variability on diversion and missed approach events were significantly different (at p ≤ 0.001). As for the take-off performance, results show that the TODR and MTOM were significantly increasing and decreasing (at p ≤ 0.001), based on increasing air temperatures. Therefore, the study concludes that the changing climate has significantly affected aircraft by increasing the TODR and decreasing the MTOM, while the climate variability has significantly affected landing performance by influencing the diversion and missed approach events. Thus, the study recommends (i) further research works including the feasibility study on runway extension for the safety of future aircraft operations at the AAKIA and (ii) proper maintenance and improvement of the Instrumental Landing Systems (ILS) as an adaptation measures to the landing aircraft during bad weather events.

Hydraulic Power Take-off and Buoy Geometries Charac-terisation for a Wave Energy Converter

In the past few decades, world energy consumption grew considerably. Regarding this fact, wave energy should not be discarded as a valid alternative for the production of electricity. Devices suitable to harness this kind of renewable energy source and turn it into electricity are not yet commercially competitive. The work described in this paper aims to contribute to this field of research. It is focused on the design and construction of robust, simple and affordable hydraulic Power Take-Off using hydraulic commercial components.

REWARDING COOPERATION BETWEEN CAS AND YUNNAN TRIGGERS A SOCIO-ECONOMIC TAKE-OFF

Ⅰ. THE SUGGESTION OF THE STRATEGIC MEASURE Situated at the junction between the vast Eurasian landmass and the south Asian subcontinent, Yunnan Prov-

Rainfall during the night can trigger non-migratory take-off behavior of the white-backed planthopper, Sogatella furcifera

Take-off behavior is crucial to the overall success of insect migration.Although most high-altitude migratory flights commence with mass take-offs around dusk and dawn,little is known about nighttime take-off behavior.The take-off behavior of migratory Sogatella furcifera was investigated in field cages from 2017 to 2019.The species showed a bimodal take-off pattern at dusk and dawn on rainless nights,with mass flight at dusk more intense than dawn flight.However,a higher frequency of take-offs during the nighttime was observed on rainy nights,resulting in the absence of dawn take-offs.Most migratory take-off individuals at dusk and dawn landed on the cage top or the walls above 150 cm,while non-migratory individuals that took off during the nighttime due to rainfall mainly landed on the cage walls below 150 cm.Furthermore,it has been observed that migratory take-off individuals possess stronger sustained flight capabilities and exhibit more immature ovaries compared with non-migratory take-offs.These findings advance our understanding of the take-off behavior of S.furcifera and thus provide a basis for the accurate prediction and management of the migratory dynamics of this pest.

Development of a Bird-like Flapping-wing Aerial Vehicle with Autonomous Take-off and Landing Capabilities

The lack of autonomous take-off and landing capabilities of bird-like flapping-wing aerial vehicles(BFAVs)seriously restricts their further development and application.Thus,combined with the current research results on the autonomous take-off and landing technology of unmanned aerial vehicles,four types of technologies are studied,including jumping take-off and landing technology,taxiing take-off and landing technology,gliding take-off and landing technology,and vertical take-off and landing(VTOL)technology.Based on the analytic hierarchy process(AHP)-comprehensive evaluation method,a fuzzy comprehensive evaluation model for the autonomous take-off and landing scheme of a BFAV is established,and four schemes are evaluated concretely.The results show that under the existing technical conditions,the hybrid layout VTOL scheme is the best.Furthermore,the detailed design and development of the prototype of a BFAV with a four-rotor hybrid layout are carried out,and the vehicle performance is tested.The results prove that through the four-rotor hybrid layout design,the BFAV has good autonomous take-off and landing abilities.The power consumption analysis shows that for a fixed-point reconnaissance mission,when the mission radius is less than 3.38 km,the VTOL type exhibits longer mission duration than the hand-launched type.

A multi-strategy pigeon-inspired optimization approach to active disturbance rejection control parameters tuning for vertical take-off and landing fixed-wing UAV

In this paper.Active Disturbance Rejection Control(ADRC)is utilized in the pitch control of a vertical take-off and landing fixed-wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle(UAV)to address the problem of height fluctuation during the transition from hover to level flight.Considering the difficulty of parameter tuning of ADRC as well as the requirement of accuracy and rapidity of the controller,a Multi-Strategy Pigeon-Inspired Optimization(MSPIO)algorithm is employed.Particle Swarm Optimization(PSO),Genetic Algorithm(GA),the basic Pigeon-Inspired Optimization(PIO),and an improved PIO algorithm CMPIO are compared.In addition,the optimized ADRC control system is compared with the pure Proportional-Integral-Derivative(PID)control system and the non-optimized ADRC control system.The effectiveness of the designed control strategy for forward transition is verified and the faster convergence speed and better exploitation ability of the proposed MSPIO algorithm are confirmed by simulation results.

Power enhancement of pontoon-type wave energy convertor via hydroelastic response and variable power take-off system

Wave energy has gained its popularity in recent decades due to the vast amount of untapped wave energy resources.There are numerous types of wave energy convertor(WEC)being proposed and to be economically viable,various means to enhance the power generation from WECs have been studied and investigated.In this paper,a novel pontoon-type WEC,which is formed by multiple plate-like modules connected by hinges,are considered.The power enhancement of this pontoon-type WEC is achieved by allowing certain level of structural deformation and by utilizing a series of optimal variable power take-off(PTO)system.The wave energy is converted into useful electricity by attaching the PTO systems on the hinge connectors such that the mechanical movements of the hinges could produce electricity.In this paper,various structural rigidity of the interconnected modules are considered by changing the material Young’s modulus in order to investigate its impact on the power enhancement.In addition,the genetic algorithm optimization scheme is utilized to seek for the optimal PTO damping in the variable PTO system.It is observed that under certain condition,the flexible pontoon-type WEC with lesser connection joints is more effective in generating energy as compared to its rigid counterpart with higher connection joints.It is also found that the variable PTO system is able to generate greater energy as compared to the PTO system with constant/uniform PTO damping.

Prognostics for Lithium-ion batteries for electric Vertical Take-off andLanding aircraft using data-driven machine learning

The health management of batteries is a key enabler for the adoption of Electric Vertical Take-off and Landingvehicles (eVTOLs). Currently, few studies consider the health management of eVTOL batteries. One distinctcharacteristic of batteries for eVTOLs is that the discharge rates are significantly larger during take-off andlanding, compared with the battery discharge rates needed for automotives. Such discharge protocols areexpected to impact the long-run health of batteries. This paper proposes a data-driven machine learningframework to estimate the state-of-health and remaining-useful-lifetime of eVTOL batteries under varying flightconditions and taking into account the entire flight profile of the eVTOLs. Three main features are consideredfor the assessment of the health of the batteries: charge, discharge and temperature. The importance of thesefeatures is also quantified. Considering battery charging before flight, a selection of missions for state-ofhealth and remaining-useful-lifetime prediction is performed. The results show that indeed, discharge-relatedfeatures have the highest importance when predicting battery state-of-health and remaining-useful-lifetime.Using several machine learning algorithms, it is shown that the battery state-of-health and remaining-useful-lifeare well estimated using Random Forest regression and Extreme Gradient Boosting, respectively.

New stabilization design for planar vertical take-off and landing aircrafts

This paper presents a new stabilizing control law for a planar vertical take-off and landing aircraft.The model is first transformed into an equivalent form,and then a control law consisting of a linear term and a saturated term is given for a related subsystem,with the saturation levels being assigned as large as possible.Compared to the existing saturation scheme in which all states are restricted by saturations,the design brings about a relatively fast convergence.The effectiveness and advantage of the design are validated by numerical simulations.

Ski-jump trajectory based on take-off velocity

The theoretical method estimating ski-jump trajectory was paid attention to and modified. The present method is based on the effects of the take-off velocity and the angle in the sensitivity analysis of parameters. The experiments are conducted for a triangular-shaped flip bucket in order to reveal the relationships between the take-off velocity and its influencing factors. The results show that, the take-off velocity has a much larger effect on the impact point than the take-off angle. The take-off velocities of both upper and lower trajectories are all functions of the approach flow Froude number, the deflector height and the deflection angle, especially, the results of the deflection angle of 25° could be directly used when this angle is larger than 25° Meanwhile, this method is checked and the maximum relative errors of both U calx and L_（calx） are 5.1% and 5.6%, respectively.

Get Ready for a Take-Off to Meet the World——Prospects for Shanghai's Economy in the 1990s

Development has turned the past fortyyears of the largest economic center ofChina and the international city of influenceon the west pacific coast—Shanghai—into aperiod of great economic growth.Today,animportant decision has further been madeby the Party’s Central Committee and