Oxygen functionalization-assisted anionic exchange toward unique construction of flower-like transition metal chalcogenide embedded carbon fabric for ultra-long life flexible energy storage and conversion

The metal-organic framework(MOF)derived Ni–Co–C–N composite alloys(NiCCZ)were“embedded”inside the carbon cloth(CC)strands as opposed to the popular idea of growing them upward to realize ultrastable energy storage and conversion application.The NiCCZ was then oxygen functionalized,facilitating the next step of stoichiometric sulfur anion diffusion during hydrothermal sulfurization,generating a flower-like metal hydroxysulfide structure(NiCCZOS)with strong partial implantation inside CC.Thus obtained NiCCZOS shows an excellent capacity when tested as a supercapacitor electrode in a three-electrode configuration.Moreover,when paired with the biomass-derived nitrogen-rich activated carbon,the asymmetric supercapacitor device shows almost 100%capacity retention even after 45,000 charge–discharge cycles with remarkable energy density(59.4 Wh kg^(-1)/263.8μWh cm^(–2))owing to a uniquely designed cathode.Furthermore,the same electrode performed as an excellent bifunctional water-splitting electrocatalyst with an overpotential of 271 mV for oxygen evolution reaction(OER)and 168.4 mV for hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)at 10 mA cm−2 current density along with 30 h of unhinged chronopotentiometric stability performance for both HER and OER.Hence,a unique metal chalcogenide composite electrode/substrate configuration has been proposed as a highly stable electrode material for flexible energy storage and conversion applications.

Design of Human Adaptive Mechatronics Controller for Upper Limb Motion Intention Prediction

Human Adaptive Mechatronics(HAM)includes human and computer system in a closed loop.Elderly person with disabilities,normally carry out their daily routines with some assistance to move their limbs.With the short fall of human care takers,mechatronics devices are used with the likes of exoskeleton and exosuits to assist them.The rehabilitation and occupational therapy equipments utilize the electromyography(EMG)signals to measure the muscle activity potential.This paper focuses on optimizing the HAM model in prediction of intended motion of upper limb with high accuracy and to increase the response time of the system.Limb characteristics extraction from EMG signal and prediction of optimal controller parameters are modeled.Time and frequency based approach of EMG signal are considered for feature extraction.The models used for estimating motion and muscle parameters from EMG signal for carrying out limb movement predictions are validated.Based on the extracted features,optimal parameters are selected by Modified Lion Optimization(MLO)for controlling the HAM system.Finally,supervised machine learning makes predictions at different points in time for individual sensing using Support Vector Neural Network(SVNN).This model is also evaluated based on optimal parameters of motion estimation and the accuracy level along with different optimization models for various upper limb movements.The proposed model of human adaptive controller predicts the limb movement by 96%accuracy.

Gait Analysis of a Subject with Tarsometatarsal Prosthesis

Introduction: Gait analysis of an adult man after trans-metatarsal unilateral amputation is described. Objective: Instrumental gait analysis of a subject 15 years after trans-metatarsal unilateral amputation in two footwear conditions: while walking barefoot and with prosthesis. Materials and Methods: In a movement analysis laboratory, locomotion studies were carried out at freely chosen walking speed by a 65-year-old subject, obtaining kinematic, kinetic and surface electromyographic data in time and space. Gait analysis was performed using instrumental technologies from a digital eco-system applying walking protocols. Results: When the patient wore the prosthesis, several positive improvements were observed in various aspects of gait. These included enhancements in the base of support, gait speed, and joint range of movements. Additionally, there was a slight improvement in the vertical ground reaction forces pattern, indicating a positive effect of the assistive technology. Furthermore, the use of the prosthesis led to a more organized pattern of muscle activity, which further supports its beneficial impact. However, it is worth noting that some challenges still persisted, particularly regarding stabilizing the body during the double support phase. Despite this difficulty, the overall findings suggest that the use of the prosthesis offers valuable improvements to the patient’s gait dynamics. Conclusions: After conducting a thorough analysis of the parameters related to the gait of a subject who underwent a trans-metatarsal unilateral amputation fifteen years ago, it was found that the use of prosthesis had a positive impact. This study demonstrated important improvements in some kinematic and kinetic parameters, including muscle activation patterns, indicating an increase in comfort and confidence while utilizing the prosthetic device.

Effect of Nano Clay Reinforcement on Thermal Conductivity of Epoxy/CNT Composite Material

Epoxy is one of the most important polymers preferred in various technological applications thanks to its good mechanical properties and lightness. However, their low thermal conductivity limits their usage areas. Increasing the thermal conductivity of epoxy is an important research topic. One of the most ideal ways to achieve this is to improve the thermal conductivity of epoxy without increasing its weight, thanks to nanoparticles. Carbon nanotubes (CNT) and clays are among the materials used for this purpose. In this study, the thermal conductivities of hybrid polymer composites reinforced separately and together in an epoxy matrix were investigated. The aim of the study is to find out how CNT and nano clay affect the thermal conductivity of the epoxy matrix, separately and together, and reveal the synergistic effect of these nanoparticles.

Unknown Environment Measurement Mapping by Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Using Kalman Filter-Based Low-Cost Estimated Parallel 8-Beam LIDAR

The measurement and mapping of objects in the outer environment have traditionally been conducted using ground-based monitoring systems,as well as satellites.More recently,unmanned aerial vehicles have also been employed for this purpose.The accurate detection and mapping of a target such as buildings,trees,and terrains are of utmost importance in various applications of unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs),including search and rescue operations,object transportation,object detection,inspection tasks,and mapping activities.However,the rapid measurement and mapping of the object are not currently achievable due to factors such as the object’s size,the intricate nature of the sites,and the complexity of mapping algorithms.The present system introduces a costeffective solution for measurement and mapping by utilizing a small unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV)equipped with an 8-beam Light Detection and Ranging(LiDAR)system.This approach offers advantages over traditional methods that rely on expensive cameras and complex algorithm-based approaches.The reflective properties of laser beams have also been investigated.The system provides prompt results in comparison to traditional camerabased surveillance,with minimal latency and the need for complex algorithms.The Kalman estimation method demonstrates improved performance in the presence of noise.The measurement and mapping of external objects have been successfully conducted at varying distances,utilizing different resolutions.

A review:On path planning strategies for navigation of mobile robot

This paper presents the rigorous study of mobile robot navigation techniques used so far.The step by step investigations of classical and reactive approaches are made here to understand the development of path planning strategies in various environmental conditions and to identify research gap.The classical approaches such as cell decomposition(CD),roadmap approach(RA),artificial potential field(APF);reactive approaches such as genetic algorithm(GA),fuzzy logic(FL),neural network(NN),firefly algorithm(FA),particle swarm optimization(PSO),ant colony optimization(ACO),bacterial foraging optimization(BFO),artificial bee colony(ABC),cuckoo search(CS),shuffled frog leaping algorithm(SFLA)and other miscellaneous algorithms(OMA)are considered for study.The navigation over static and dynamic condition is analyzed(for single and multiple robot systems)and it has been observed that the reactive approaches are more robust and perform well in all terrain when compared to classical approaches.It is also observed that the reactive approaches are used to improve the performance of the classical approaches as a hybrid algorithm.Hence,reactive approaches are more popular and widely used for path planning of mobile robot.The paper concludes with tabular data and charts comparing the frequency of individual navigational strategies which can be used for specific application in robotics.

Thermal deformation of aluminum alloy casting materials for tire mold by numerical analysis

Thermal deformation of aluminum alloy casting materials for manufacturing the tire mold was numerically investigated.The AC7A and AC4C casting material was selected as casting material and the metal casting device was used in order to manufacture the mold product of automobile tire in the actual industrial field.The temperature distribution and the cooling time of casting materials were numerically calculated by finite element analysis (FEA).Also,the thermal deformation such as displacement and stress distribution was calculated from the temperature results.The thermal deformation was closely related to the temperature difference between the surface and inside of the casting.The numerical analysis results reveal that the thermal deformation of AC7A casting material is higher than that of AC4C casting material.Also,the thermal deformation results at the central part are larger than that on the side of casting because of the shrinkage caused by the cooling speed difference.

Role of friction stir welding parameters on tensile strength of AA6061-B_4C composite joints

Friction stir welding（FSW） is a solid state joining technique developed to join high strength aluminum alloys and various ceramic reinforced metal matrix composites（MMCs）.FSW produces sound welds in MMCs without any deleterious reaction between reinforcement and matrix.The present work focused on the effect of FSW parameters on the tensile strength of Al-B4C composite joints.The central composite design of four factors and five levels was used to control the number of experiments.A mathematical model was developed to analyze the influence of FSW parameters.The results indicated that the joint fabricated using rotational speed of 1000 r/min,welding speed of 1.3 mm/s,axial force of 10 kN and the reinforcement of 12% showed larger tensile strength compared with the other joints.The developed model was optimized to maximize the tensile strength using generalized reduced gradient method.The metallographic analysis of the joints showed the presence of various zones such as weld nugget（WN） zone,thermo mechanically affected zone（TMAZ） and heat affected zone（HAZ）.The substantial grain refinement of aluminum matrix as well as significant size reduction of B4C particles was observed in the weld nugget.TMAZ was plastically deformed,thermally affected and exhibited elongated aluminum grains.

Kriging Surrogate-Based Genetic Algorithm Optimization for Blade Design of a Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine

Horizontal axis wind turbines are some of the most widely used clean energy generators in the world.Horizontal axis wind turbine blades need to be designed for optimization in order to maximize efficiency and simultaneously minimize the cost of energy.This work presents the optimization of new MEXICO blades for a horizontal axis wind turbine at the wind speed of 10 m/s.The optimization problem is posed to maximize the power coefficient while the design variables are twist angles on the blade radius and rotating axis positions on a chord length of the airfoils.Computational fluid dynamics was used for the aerodynamic simulation.Surrogate-assisted optimization was applied to reduce computational time.A surrogate model called a Kriging model,using a Gaussian correlation function along with various regression models,was applied while a genetic algorithm was used as an optimizer.The results obtained in this study are discussed and compared with those obtained from the original model.It was found that the Kriging model with linear regression gives better results than the Kriging model with second-order polynomial regression.The optimum blade obtained in this study showed better performance than the original blade at a low wind speed of 10 m/s.

Measurement on Morphology and Kinematics of Crucian Vertebral Joints

In order to provide data for joints control of our recently designed crucian hke biomlmetlc robot fish, an A-ray photograph technology was adopted to determine the number and length of vertebral joints. A frame-by-frame analysis of high-speed videotapes was conducted to quantify the kinematics of crucian at four speeds （12.651 cm·s^-1, 18.201 cm·s^-1, 21.901 cm·s^-1, 24.368cm·s^-1） during cruising. In addition to a brief introduction to experimental conditions and methods, we analyzed the influence of individual diversity on the absolute length as well as the non-dimensional length of vertebral joints. We also presented the maximal angular velocity and acceleration of vertebral joints under four swimming speeds, and provided the change of relative rotation angle, angular difference, angular velocity and angular acceleration of the rear vertebral joints with time at a certain swimming speed of 12.651 cm·s^-1. At last, we presented the maximal lateral displacement of each mark at that speed. The study found that the influence of individual diversity on the non-dimensional length of vertebral joints is not significant; the maximal angular velocity and acceleration of vertebral joints increase with swimming speed; angular difference, angular velocity and angular acceleration exhibit two maximal values over one period at a certain swimming speed.

Effect of Process Parameters on Tensile Strength of Friction Stir Welded Cast LM6 Aluminium Alloy Joints

This paper reports the effect of friction stir welding （FSW） process parameters on tensile strength of cast LM6 aluminium alloy. Joints were made by using different combinations of tool rotation speed, welding speed and axial force each at four levels. The quality of weld zone was investigated using macrostructure and microstructure analysis. Tensile strength of the joints were evaluated and correlated with the weld zone hardness and microstructure. The joint fabricated using a rotational speed of 900 r/min, a welding speed of 75 mm/min and an axial force of 3 kN showed superior tensile strength compared with other joints. The tensile strength and microhardness of the welded joints for the optimum conditions were 166 MPa and 64.8 Hv respectively.

Nanofluid Applications in Future Automobiles: Comprehensive Review of Existing Data

In recent years fluids containing suspension of nanometer sized particles have been an active area of research due to their enhanced thermo physical properties over the base fluids like water,oil etc.Nanofluids possess immense potential applications to improve heat transfer and energy efficient in several areas including automobile,micro electronics,nuclear,space and power generation.Nowadays most of the researchers are trying to use the nanofluids in automobile for various applications such as coolant,fuel additives,lubricant,shock absorber and refrigerant.The goal of this paper is to create the awareness on the promise of nanofluids and the impact it will have on the future automotive industry.This paper also presents a comprehensive data of nanofluids application in automobile for various aspects.

Effect of cavitation bubble collapse on hydraulic oil temperature

Cavitation bubble collapse has a great influence on the temperature of hydraulic oil. Herein, cone-type throttle valve experiments are carried out to study the thermodynamic processes of cavitation. First, the processes of growth and collapse are analysed, and the relationships between the hydraulic oil temperature and bubble growth and collapse are deduced. The effect of temperature is then considered on the hydraulic oil viscosity and saturated vapour pressure. Additionally, an improved form of the Rayleigh–Plesset equation is developed. The effect of cavitation on the hydraulic oil temperature is experimentally studied and the effects of cavitation bubble collapse in the hydraulic system are summarised. Using the cone-type throttle valve as an example, a method to suppress cavitation is proposed.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of rutile-reinforced AA6061 matrix composites produced via stir casting process

A novel process of fabricating aluminium matrix composites(AMCs)with requisite properties by dispersing rutile particles in the aluminum matrix was studied.A novel bi-stage stir casting method was employed to prepare composites,by varying the mass fractions of the rutile particles as 1%,2%,3%and 4%in AA6061 matrix.The density,tensile strength,hardness and microstructures of composites were investigated.Bi-stage stir casting method engendered AMCs with uniform distribution of the reinforced rutile particles in the AA6061 matrix.This was confirmed by the enhancement of the properties of AMCs over the parent base material.Rutile-reinforced AMCs exhibited higher tensile strength and hardness as compared with unreinforced parent material.The properties of the composites were enhanced with the increase in the mass fraction of the rutile particles.However,beyond 3 wt.%of rutile particles,the tensile strength decreased.The hardness and tensile strength of the AMCs reinforced with 3 wt.%of rutile were improved by 36%and 14%respectively in comparison with those of matrix alone.

Easy calibration method of vision system for in-situ measurement of strain of thin films

An easy calibration method was presented for in-situ measurement of displacement in the order of nanometer during micro-tensile test for thin films by using CCD camera as a sensing device. The calibration of the sensing camera in the system is a central element part to measure displacement in the order of nanometer using images taken with the camera. This was accomplished by modeling the optical projection through the camera lens and relative locations between the object and camera in 3D space. A set of known 3D points on a plane where the film is located on is projected to an image plane as input data. These points, known as a calibration points, are then used to estimate the projection parameters of the camera. In the measurement system of the micro-scale by CCD camera, the calibration data acquisition and one-to-one matching steps between the image and 3D planes need precise data extraction procedures and repetitive user's operation to calibrate the measuring devices. The lack of the robust image feature extraction and easy matching prevent the practical use of these methods. A data selection method was proposed to overcome these limitations and offer an easy and convenient calibration of a vision system that has the CCD camera and the 3D reference plane with calibration marks of circular type on the surface of the plane. The method minimizes the user's intervention such as the fine tuning of illumination system and provides an efficient calibration method of the vision system for in-situ axial displacement measurement of the micro-tensile materials.

Web Tension Regulation of Multispan Roll-to-Roll System using Integrated Active Dancer and Load Cells for Printed Electronics Applications

The mass production of primed electronics can be achieved by roll-to-roll（R2R） printing system, so highly accurate web tension is required that can minimize the register error and keep the thickness and roughness of printed devices in limits. The web tension of a R2R system is regulated by the use of integrated load cells and active dancer system for printed electronics applications using decentralized multi-input-single-output（MISO） regularized variable learning rate backpropagation artificial neural networks. The active dancer system is used before printing system to reduce disturbances in the web tension of process span. The classical PID control result in tension spikes with the change in roll diameter of winder and unwinder rolls. The presence of dancer in R2R system shows that improved web tension control in printing span and the web tension can be enhanced from 3.75 N to 4.75 N. The overshoot of system is less than ±2.5 N and steady state error is within ± 1 N where load cells have a signal noise of ±0.7 N. The integration of load cells and active dancer with self-adapting neural network control provide a solution to the web tension control of multispan roll-to-roll system.

Synthesis and optimization of high surface area mesoporous date palm fiber-based nanostructured powder activated carbon for aluminum removal

Date palm fiber(DPF)derived from agrowaste was utilized as a new precursor for the optimized synthesis of a costeffective,nanostructured,powderactivated carbon(nPAC)for aluminum(Al3+)removal from aqueous solutions using carbonization,KOH activation,response surface methodology(RSM)and central composite design(CCD).The optimum synthesis condition,activation temperature,time and impregnation ratio were found to be 650℃,1.09 hour and 1:1,respectively.Furthermore,the optimum conditions for removal were 99.5%and 9.958 mgg 1 in regard to uptake capacity.The optimum conditions of nPAC was analyzed and characterized using XRD,FTIR,FESEM,BET,TGA and Zeta potential.Moreover,the adsorption of the Al3+conditions was optimized with an integrated RSMCCD experimental design.Regression results revealed that the adsorption kinetics data was well fitted by the pseudosecond order model,whereas the adsorption isotherm data was best represented by the Freundlich isotherm model.Optimum activated carbon indicated that DPF can serve as a costeffective precursor adsorbent for Al^(3+)removal.

Inverse displacement analysis of the general six degree-of-freedom serial robot based on optimization method

The paper presents a new solution of inverse displacement analysis of the general six degree-of-freedom serial robot.The inverse displacement analysis of the general serial robot is transformed into a minimization problem and then the optimization method is adopted to solve the nonlinear least squares problem with the analytic form of new Jacobian matrix.In this way,joint variables of the general serial robot can be searched out quickly under the desired precision when positions of the three non-collinear end effector points are given.Compared with the general Newton iterative method,the proposed algorithm can search out the solution when the robot is at the singular configuration and the initial configuration used in the optimization method may also be the singular configuration.So the convergence domain is bigger than that of the general Newton iterative method.Another advantage of the proposed algorithm is that positions of the three non-collinear end effector points are usually much easier to be measured than the orientation of the end effector.The inverse displacement analysis of the general 6R(six-revolute-joint) serial robot is illustrated as an example and the simulation results verify the efficiency of the proposed algorithm.Because the three non-collinear points can be selected at random,the method can be applied to any other types of serial robots.

Work characteristic analysis of single-rod symmetric cylinders

Hydraulic cylinders are divided into single-rod asymmetric cylinders and double-rod symmetric cylinders. The single-rod asymmetric cylinder has the advantages of small size and simple structure,but its speed characteristic is not symmetric. The double rod symmetric cylinder has the characteristic of symmetric speed,but it cannot be used in some special occasions. In this paper,one special hydraulic cylinder,a single-rod symmetric cylinder,is developed. Firstly,characters of this type of cylinder are introduced. Then,the system model is constructed by using one software which is Simulation X. Moreover,one single rod asymmetric cylinder is designed and the test rig using the symmetric valve to control single-rod symmetric or asymmetric cylinder is constructed. Both of the simulation and experimental results show that the symmetric valve control single-rod symmetric cylinder servo system is of symmetric speed characteristic,which can be used in practical occasion.

Design of adaptive intuitionistic fuzzy controller for synchronisation of uncertain chaotic systems

This study presents the synchronisation between two non-linear Lorenz chaotic systems using an adaptive intuitionistic fuzzy controller(AIFC).This problem is solved in the presence of external disturbances and uncertainties.Two classes of Lorenz systems have been formulated one as the master and the other as the slave.The master and slave systems have different initial conditions.Under different initial conditions,both systems diverge.This is called the butterfly effect that rules the behaviour of chaotic systems.AIFC is chosen as a different method that has not been used before to synchronise the chaotic systems.The scaling factors of the inputs and the output of the intuitionistic fuzzy controller(IFC)are tuned using the artificial bee colony(ABC)algorithm depending on a specified objective function.Then IFC stability is studied when it is applied to synchronise the Lorenz system.The simulation results achieved to assess the adequacy of the proposed control and to exhibit its dependability to synchronise the Lorenz system.