A semi-spring and semi-edge combined contact model in CDEM and its application to analysis of Jiweishan landslide

Continuum-based discrete element method(CDEM)is an explicit numerical method used for simulation of progressive failure of geological body.To improve the efficiency of contact detection and simplify the calculation steps for contact forces,semi-spring and semi-edge are introduced in calculation.Semispring is derived from block vertex,and formed by indenting the block vertex into each face(24semisprings for a hexahedral element).The formation process of semi-edge is the same as that of semi-spring(24semi-edges for a hexahedral element).Based on the semi-springs and semi-edges,a new type of combined contact model is presented.According to this model,six contact types could be reduced to two,i.e.the semi-spring target face contact and semi-edge target edge contact.By the combined model,the contact force could be calculated directly(the information of contact type is not necessary),and the failure judgment could be executed in a straightforward way(each semi-spring and semi-edge own their characteristic areas).The algorithm has been successfully programmed in C++program.Some simple numerical cases are presented to show the validity and accuracy of this model.Finally,the failure mode,sliding distance and critical friction angle of Jiweishan landslide are studied with the combined model.

A robot simulation system with virtual force display and feedback based on master manipulator

This paper describes a virtual environment, which can present dynamic force transformation during the control of objects. A 5-DOF haptic interface with the capability to generate kinesthetic effect is combined. In this system, the operator manipulates an object in a virtual environment by using the 5-DOF master arm. When contacting with the virtual object, the contact force can be calculated and shown in the graphic interface. The contact response and deformation of the virtual object, which are usually called haptic rendering, also can be performed. The study supplies an approach to improve the operator’s immersion and can be used in many tele-robot control fields.

Static and dynamic stability analysis using 3D-DDA with incision body scheme

Discontinuous deformation analysis （DDA） provides a powerful numerical tool for the analysis of discontinuous media. This method has been widely applied to the 2D analysis of discontinuous deformation. However, it is hindered from analyzing 3D rock engineering problems mainly due to the lack of reliable 3D contact detection algorithms for polyhedra. Contact detection is a key in 3-D DDA analysis. The limitations and advantages of existing contact detection schemes are discussed in this paper, and a new approach, called the incision body （IB）, is proposed, taking into account the advantages of the existing methods. A computer code 3DIB, which uses the IB scheme as a 3D contact detection algorithm, was programmed with Visual C^＋＋. Static and dynamic stability analysis for three realistic engineering problems has been carried out. Furthermore, the focus is on studying the stability of a gravity dam on jointed rock foundation and dynamic stability of a fractured gravity dam subject to earthquake shaking. The simulation results show that the program 3DIB and incision body scheme are capable of detecting 3D block contacts correctly and hence simulating the open-close and slide process of jointed block masses. In addition, the code 3DIB could provide an effective tool for evaluating the safety of 3D dam structures, which is quite important for engineering problems.

Contact detection with multi-information fusion for quadruped robot locomotion under unstructured terrain

Reliable foot-to-ground contact state detection is crucial for the locomotion control of quadruped robots in unstructured environments.To improve the reliability and accuracy of contact detection for quadruped robots,a detection approach based on the probabilistic contact model with multi-information fusion is presented to detect the actual contact states of robotic feet with the ground.Moreover,a relevant control strategy to address unexpected early and delayed contacts is planned.The approach combines the internal state information of the robot with the measurements from external sensors mounted on the legs and feet of the prototype.The overall contact states are obtained by the classification of the model-based predicted probabilities.The control strategy for unexpected foot-to-ground contacts can correct the control actions of each leg of the robot to traverse cluttered environments by changing the contact state.The probabilistic model parameters are determined by testing on the single-leg experimental platform.The experiments are conducted on the experimental prototype,and results validate the contact detection and control strategy for unexpected contacts in unstructured terrains during walking and trotting.Compared with the body orientation under the time-based control method regardless of terrain,the root mean square errors of roll,pitch,and yaw respectively decreased by 60.07%,54.73%,and 64.50%during walking and 73.40%,61.49%,and 61.48%during trotting.