Optimal Design of the Modular Joint Drive Train for Enhancing Cobot Load Capacity and Dynamic Performance

Automation advancements prompts the extensive integration of collaborative robot(cobot)across a range of industries.Compared to the commonly used design approach of increasing the payload-to-weight ratio of cobot to enhance load capacity,equal attention should be paid to the dynamic response characteristics of cobot during the design process to make the cobot more flexible.In this paper,a new method for designing the drive train parameters of cobot is proposed.Firstly,based on the analysis of factors influencing the load capacity and dynamic response characteristics,design criteria for both aspects are established for cobot with all optimization design criteria normalized within the design domain.Secondly,with the cobot in the horizontal pose,the motor design scheme is discretized and it takes the joint motor diameter and gearbox speed ratio as optimization design variables.Finally,all the discrete values of the optimization objectives are obtained through the enumeration method and the Pareto front is used to select the optimal solution through multi-objective optimization.Base on the cobot design method proposed in this paper,a six-axis cobot is designed and compared with the commercial cobot.The result shows that the load capacity of the designed cobot in this paper reaches 8.4 kg,surpassing the 5 kg load capacity commercial cobot which is used as a benchmark.The minimum resonance frequency of the joints is 42.70 Hz.

Valve Dynamic and Thermal Cycle Model in Stepless Capacity Regulation for Reciprocating Compressor

The existing researches of stepless capacity regulation system by depressing the suction valve for reciprocation compressor always adopt hypothesis that the compressor valves are open or close instantaneously, the valve dynamic has not been taken account into thermal cycle computation, the influence of capacity regulation system on suction valves dynamic performance and cylinder thermal cycle operation has not been considered. This paper focuses on theoretical and experimental analysis of the valve dynamic and thermal cycle for reciprocating compressor in the situation of stepless capacity regulation. The valve dynamics equation, gas forces for normal and back flow, and the cylinder pressure varying with suction valve unloader moment during compression thermal cycle are discussed. A new valve dynamic model based on L-K real gas state equation for reciprocating compressor is first deduced to reduce the calculation errors induced by the ideal gas state equation. The variations of valve dynamic and cylinder pressure during part of compression stroke are calculated numerically. The calculation results reveal the non-normal thermal cycle and operation condition of compressor in stepless capacity regulation situation. The numerical simulation results of the valve dynamic and thermal cycle parameters are also verified by the stepless capacity regulation experiments in the type of 3L-10/8 reciprocating compressor. The experimental results agree with the numerical simulation results, which show that the theoretical models proposed are effective and high-precision. The proposed theoretical models build the theoretical foundation to design the real stepless capacity regulation system.

System dynamics model of Suzhou water resources carrying capacity and its application

A model of Suzhou water resources carrying capacity （WRCC） was set up using the method of system dynamics （SD）. In the model, three different water resources utilization programs were adopted： （1） continuity of existing water utilization, （2） water conservation/saving, and （3） water exploitation. The dynamic variation of the Suzhou WRCC was simulated with the supply-decided principle for the time period of 2001 to 2030, and the results were characterized based on socio-economic factors. The corresponding Suzhou WRCC values for several target years were calculated by the model. Based on these results, proper ways to improve the Suzhou WRCC are proposed. The model also produced an optimized plan, which can provide a scientific basis for the sustainable utilization of Suzhou water resources and for the coordinated development of the society, economy, and water resources.

A simplified dynamic method for field capacity estimation and its parameter analysis

This paper presents a simplified dynamic method based on the definition of field capacity. Two soil hydraulic characteristics models, the Brooks-Corey （BC） model and the van Genuchten （vG） model, and four soil data groups were used in this study. The relative drainage rate, which is a unique parameter and independent of the soil type in the simplified dynamic method, was analyzed using the pressure-based method with a matric potential of -1/3 bar and the flux-based method with a drainage flux of 0.005 cm/d. As a result, the relative drainage rate of the simplified dynamic method was determined to be 3% per day. This was verified by the similar field capacity results estimated with the three methods for most soils suitable for cultivating plants. In addition, the drainage time calculated with the simplified dynamic method was two to three days, which agrees with the classical definition of field capacity. We recommend the simplified dynamic method with a relative drainage rate of 3% per day due to its simple application and clearly physically-based concept.

Dynamic Oxygen Storage Capacity Measurements on Ceria-Based Material

Dynamic oxygen storage and release capability （OSC） measurement apparatus was designed to evaluate the OSC performance of ceria-based oxygen storage material. The optimum measurement condition was at a frequency of 0.1 Hz with the inlet gas-flow sequence CO （5S）→O2（5S）→CO→O2 and a flow rate of 300 ml·min^-1. Under this condition, similar regular square wave in the inlet and outlet of the reactor was obtained to guarantee the reliability of the dynamic OSC results. The dynamic OSC performance of the CeO2 and Ce0.67Zr0.33O2 mixed oxide prepared using the citric sol-gel method was studied at the optimum measurement condition with focus on both quantitative and qualitative analyses, The results reveal distinctly that Ce0.67Zr0.33O2 had better dynamic OSC performance because of its higher oxygen migration rate than CeO2. Under dynamic conditions, two CO2 production peaks occurred corresponding to the CO pulse and the O2 pulse, respectively, during the entire cycle. The intensity and ratio between the two CO2 productions were highly influenced by temperature and frequency indicating complex surface phenomena during the oxygen storage/release process, As a result, this set-up can be applied to the evaluation of ceria-based material on the OSC performance.

Characteristic Analysis of DS18B20 Temperature Sensor in the High-voltage Transmission Lines’ Dynamic Capacity Increase

Dynamic capacity increase in high voltage electric power transmission line is currently the most economical method for solving electric power transmission bottleneck nowadays. DS18B20 temperature sensor is applied to the dynamic capacity increase of high voltage transmission lines to measure the conductor temperature and ambient temperature. The paper is focused on the experiment of DS18B20 both in the laboratory and outside. From the result of the lab temperature measurement data analysis, using 4 DS18B20’s is the most suitable plan, considering both accuracy and economical efficiency. In the experiment outside, we get four groups of conductor (uncharged) temperature and four groups of ambient temperature. The data proved that DS18B20 has good stability, and small measurement error. It is suitable for measuring the temperature of conductor and ambient in dynamic capacity increase, and helpful to improve the accuracy of the calculation of capacity increasing.

Application of System Dynamics in Analyzing the Cultivated Land-Water Resources Carrying Capacity in Bijie Prefecture,China

The cultivated land-water resources carrying capacity （CL-WRCC） with the method of system dynamics （SD） were analyzed. Bijie prefecture of Guizhou province served as a case in this study. Bijie prefecture is one of the least-developed areas in China. In Bijie, the physical and chemical characteristics of karst as well as the rapid economic development lead to the scarcities of cultivated land-water resources （CL-WR）. On the basis of analysis on the subsystems of Bijie CL.WRCC system, the fundamental feedback structure of CL-WRCC was presented by causal loop diagram. Considering the three alms （＂ poverty alleviation and development, ecological construction, and population control＂） of Bijie as the major goals, Bijie CL-WRCC SD model was developed. Three scenarios, resource-saving and environment-friendly development-oriented scenario （Scenario 1 ）, fast economic development-oriented scenario （ Scenario 2 ）, and coordinated development-oriented scenario （Scenario 3 ）, were investigated. Simulation results indicate that Scenario 3 which takes social economic development, environment protection, and cultivated land- water resources utilization into account, is the best alternative scenario. It can promote the coordination development of society, economy, cultivated land, water resources, and environment. In this study, the technological support and the decision-making for the rational use of CL-WR are provided not only in Bijie, but also in other similar regions of China.

Robust Optimization Method of Cylindrical Roller Bearing by Maximizing Dynamic Capacity Using Evolutionary Algorithms

Optimization of cylindrical roller bearings(CRBs)has been performed using a robust design.It ensures that the changes in the objective function,even in the case of variations in design variables during manufacturing,have a minimum possible value and do not exceed the upper limit of a desired range of percentage variation.Also,it checks the feasibility of design outcome in presence of manufacturing tolerances in design variables.For any rolling element bearing,a long life indicates a satisfactory performance.In the present study,the dynamic load carrying capacity C,which relates to fatigue life,has been optimized using the robust design.In roller bearings,boundary dimensions(i.e.,bearing outer diameter,bore diameter and width)are standard.Hence,the performance is mainly affected by the internal dimensions and not the bearing boundary dimensions mentioned formerly.In spite of this,besides internal dimensions and their tolerances,the tolerances in boundary dimensions have also been taken into consideration for the robust optimization.The problem has been solved with the elitist non-dominating sorting genetic algorithm(NSGA-II).Finally,for the visualization and to ensure manufacturability of CRB using obtained values,radial dimensions drawing of one of the optimized CRB has been made.To check the robustness of obtained design after optimization,a sensitivity analysis has also been carried out to find out how much the variation in the objective function will be in case of variation in optimized value of design variables.Optimized bearings have been found to have improved life as compared with standard ones.

A Model for Predictable Capacity of a Container Terminal State： A System Dynamics Approach

Low performance of operational practices and wrong perceptions on demand forecast cause improper investments on new facilities for containers terminals, without taking into account the best use of their available resources. Accordingly, it would be desirable to model dynamic behaviour among demand, capacity and productivity of container terminal services, like reception, storage and distribution, to forecast their performances faced to demand evolution with time. This paper presents a system dynamic model to evaluate impacts from demand variations on 18 container terminals associated to ABRATEC （Associa^do Brasileira dos Terminals de Cont^ineres de Uso P^blico （in English： Brazilian Association of Public Container Terminals）） and their response capability to compensate demand growth with increasing productivity. The behaviour of the developed dynamic models was demonstrated by means of simulations carried out with the Vensim Standard 5.6d system dynamics software.

NEW APPROACHES FOR COMPUTING DYNAMIC LOAD-CARRYING CAPACITY OF MULTIPLE COOPERATING ROBOTIC MANIPULATORS

A novel unified method for computing the dynamic load carrying capacity(DLCC) of multiple cooperating robotic manipulators is developed.In this method,the kinematic constraints and the governing dynamic equations of the multiple robot system are formulated in the joint space by using the method of transference of dependence from one set of generalized coordinates to another,and the virtual work principle,which includes the readily available dynamics and joint torques of individual manipulators,and the dynamic of payload.Based on this dynamic model,the upper limit of the DLCC at any points on a given trajectory is obtained by solving a small size linear programming problem.This method is conceptually straightforward,and it is applicable also to the cases of multi fingered robot hands and multi legged walking machines.

Effect of dynamic loading conditions on the dynamic performance of MP1 energy-absorbing rockbolts:Insight from laboratory drop test

Energy-absorbing rockbolts have been widely adopted in burst-prone excavation support, and their serviceability is closely related to the frequency and magnitude of seismic events. In this research, the splittube drop test with varying impact energy was conducted to reproduce the dynamic performance of MP1rockbolts under a wide range of seismic event magnitudes. The test results showed that the impact process could be subdivided into four distinct stages, i.e. mobilization, strain hardening, plastic flow(ductile), and rebound stage, of which strain hardening and plastic flow are the primary energy absorbing stages. As the impact energy per drop increases from 8.1 to 46.7 k J, the strain rate of the shank varies between 1.20 and 2.70 s^(-1), and the average impact load is between 240 and 270kN, which may be considered as constant. The MP1 rockbolt has a cumulative maximum energy absorption(CMEA) of 31.9–40.0 k J/m, with an average of 35.0 k J/m, and the elongation rate is 11.4%–14.7%, with an average of 12.7%, both of which are negatively correlated with the impact energy per drop. Regression analysis shows that energy absorption and shank elongation, as well as momentum input and impact duration,conform to the linear relationship. The complete dynamic capacity envelope of MP1 rockbolts is proposed, which reflects the dynamic bearing capacity, elongation, and distinct stages. This study is helpful to better understand the dynamic characteristics of energy-absorbing rockbolts and assist design engineers in robust reinforcement systems design to mitigate rockburst damage in seismically active underground excavations.

Analysis of Capacity Decay, Impedance, and Heat Generation of Lithium-ionBatteries Experiencing Multiple Simultaneous Abuse Conditions

Abuse of Lithium-ion batteries,both physical and electrochemical,can lead to significantly reduced operational capabilities.In some instances,abuse can cause catastrophic failure,including thermal runaway,combustion,and explosion.Many different test standards that include abuse conditions have been developed,but these generally consider only one condition at a time and only provide go/no-go criteria.In this work,different types of cell abuse are implemented concurrently to determine the extent to which simultaneous abuse conditions aggravate cell degradation and failure.Vibrational loading is chosen to be the consistent type of physical abuse,and the first group of cells is cycled at different vibrational frequencies.The next group of cells is cycled at the same frequencies,with multiple charge pulses occurring during each discharge.The final group of cells is cycled at the same frequencies,with a partial nail puncture occurring near the beginning of cycling.The results show that abusing cells with vibrational loading or vibrational loading with current pulses does not cause a significant decrease in operational capabilities while abusing cells with vibrational loading and a nail puncture drastically reduces operational capabilities.The cells with vibration only experience an increase in internal resistance by a factor of 1.09–1.26,the cells with vibration and current pulses experience an increase in internal resistance by a factor of 1.16–1.23,and all cells from each group reach their rated lifetime of 500 cycles without reaching their end-of-life capacity.However,the cells with vibration and nail puncture experience an increase in internal resistance by a factor of 6.83–22.1,and each cell reaches its end-of-life capacity within 50 cycles.Overall,the results show that testing multiple abuse conditions simultaneously provides a better representation of the extreme limitations of cell operation and should be considered for inclusion in reference test standards.

Estimation of Undrained Bearing Capacity for Offshore Soft Foundations with Cyclic Load

The degradation strength of soils under cyclic loading is studied and a method for determining the cyclic degradation strength with cyclic triaxial tests is given in the paper. Furthermore, a dum my static method for estimating the undrained bearing capacity for offshore soft foundation under wave loads is developed. It can consider the effect of the difference of cyclic stress for different parts of the foundation on both the degradation strength of the foundation soil and the bearing capacity so that the estimated result can better reflect the real condition of foundation under cyclic loading. The method can be applied to plane and space problem.

Geo-engineered buffer capacity of two-layered absorbing system under the impact of rock avalanches based on Discrete Element Method

Many rock avalanches were triggered by the Wenchuan earthquake on May 12, 2008 in southwest China. Protection galleries covered with a single soil layer are usually used to protect against rockfall. Since one-layer protection galleries do not have sufficient buffer capacity, a two-layered absorbing system has been designed. This study aims to find whether an expanded poly-styrol （EPS） cushion, which is used in the soil-covered protection galleries for shock absorption, could be positioned under dynamic loadings. The dynamic impacts of the two-layered absorbing system under the conditions of rock avalanches are numerically simulated through a 2D discrete dement method. By selecting reasonable parameters, a series of numerical experiments were conducted to find the best combination for the two- layered absorbing system. The values of the EPS layer area as a percentage of the total area were set as 0% （Sl）, 22~ （S2）, and 70% （$3）. 22~ of the area of the EPS layer was found to be a reasonable value, and experiments were conducted to find the best position of the EPS layer in the two-layered absorbing system. The numerical results yield useful conclusions regarding the interaction between the impacting avalanches and the two-layered absorbing system. The soil layer can absorb the shock energy effectively and S2 （0.4-m thick EPS cushion covered with soil layer） is the most efficient combination, which can reduce the impact force, compared with the other combinations.

Young and old forest in the boreal:critical stages of ecosystem dynamics and management under global change

The circumboreal forest encompasses diverse landscape structures, dynamics and forest age distributions determined by their physical setting, and historical and current disturbance regimes. However, due to intensifying forest utilisation, and in certain areas due to increasing natural disturbances, boreal forest age-class structures have changed rapidly, so that the proportion of old forest has substantially declined, while that of young post-harvest and post-natural-disturbance forest proportions have increased. In the future, with a warming climate in certain boreal regions, this trend may further be enhanced due to an increase in natural disturbances and large-scale use of forest biomass to replace fossil-based fuels and products.The major drivers of change of forest age class distributions and structures include the use of clearcut shortrotation harvesting, more frequent and severe natural disturbances due to climate warming in certain regions. The decline in old forest area, and increase in managed young forest lacking natural post-disturbance structural legacies,represent a major transformation in the ecological conditions of the boreal forest beyond historical limits of variability.This may introduce a threat to biodiversity, ecosystem resilience and long-term adaptive capacity of the forest ecosystem.To safeguard boreal forest biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, and to maintain the multiple services provided to societies by this forest biome, it is pivotal to maintain an adequate share and the ecological qualities of young postdisturbance stages, along with mature forest stages with old-growth characteristics. This requires management for natural post-disturbance legacy structures, and innovative use of diverse uneven-aged and continuous cover management approaches to maintain critical late-successional forest structures in landscapes.

Analysis on the capacity degradation mechanism of a series lithium-ion power battery pack based on inconsistency of capacity

The lithium-ion battery has been widely used as an energy source. Charge rate, discharge rate, and operating tem- perature are very important factors for the capacity degradations of power batteries and battery packs. Firstly, in this paper we make use of an accelerated life test and a statistical analysis method to establish the capacity accelerated degradation model under three constant stress parameters according to the degradation data, which are charge rate, discharge rate, and operating temperature, and then we propose a capacity degradation model according to the current residual capacity of a Li-ion cell under dynamic stress parameters. Secondly, we analyze the charge and discharge process of a series power battery pack and interpret the correlation between the capacity degradations of the battery pack and its charge/discharge rate. According to this cycling condition, we establish a capacity degradation model of a series power battery pack under inconsistent capacity of cells, and analyze the degradation mechanism with capacity variance and operating temperature difference. The comparative analysis of test results shows that the inconsistent operating temperatures of cells in the series power battery pack are the main cause of its degradation; when the difference between inconsistent temperatures is narrowed by 5 ℃, the cycle life can be improved by more than 50%. Therefore, it effectively improves the cycle life of the series battery pack to reasonably assemble the batteries according to their capacities and to narrow the differences in operating temperature among cells.

Incremental dynamic analysis of concrete gravity dams including base and lift joints

The growth in computer processing power has made it possible to use time-consuming analysis methods such as incremental dynamic analysis（IDA） with higher accuracy in less time.In an IDA study,a series of earthquake records are applied to a structure at successively increasing intensity levels,which causes the structure to shift from the elastic state into the inelastic state and finally into collapse.In this way,the limit-states and capacity of a structure can be determined.In the present research,the IDA of a concrete gravity dam considering a nonlinear concrete behavior,and sliding planes within the dam body and at the dam-foundation interface,is performed.The influence of the friction angle and lift joint slope on the response parameters are investigated and the various limit-states of the dam are recognized.It is observed that by introducing a lift joint,the tensile damage can be avoided for the dam structure.The lift joint sliding is essentially independent of the base joint friction angle and the upper ligament over the inclined lift joint slides into the upstream direction in strong earthquakes.

Sediment Transport Capacity Under the River–Tide Interaction in the Changjiang Estuary

Sediment transport capacity is a fundamental parameter in sediment transport theory and its accurate calculation is important from both theoretical and engineering viewpoints. The capacity of sediment transport has been studied extensively by many researchers in the last decades. Nevertheless, the underlying mechanism behind sediment transport capacity in estuaries remains poorly understood. The current study aims to explore the impact of the river–tide interaction on sediment transport and establish a formula of sediment transport capacity under the river–tide interaction. The impact of the river–tide interaction on the hydrodynamics and sediment dynamics in the Changjiang Estuary was analyzed, a practical method for describing the variation in tide-runoff ratio was established,and a formula of sediment transport capacity considering the impact of river–tide interaction was proposed by introducing the tide-runoff ratio. The new method bridged the gap between two well-known sediment transport capacity methods by considering the variation in the index a for the gravitational term and overcomes the drawback of distinguishing flood/dry season or spring/ebb tide in the calculation of estuarine sediment transport. A large amount of flow and sediment data obtained from the Changjiang Estuary were collected to verify the proposed formula. The effect of salt-fresh water mixture and the morphological evolution on sediment transport capacity of the Changjiang Estuary were discussed.

Assessment of buckling-restrained braced frame reliability using an experimental limit-state model and stochastic dynamic analysis

Buckling-restrained braces （BRBs） have recently become popular in the United States for use as primary members of seismic lateral-force-resisting systems. A BRB is a steel brace that does not buckle in compression but instead yields in both tension and compression. Although design guidelines for BRB applications have been developed, systematic procedures for assessing performance and quantifying reliability are still needed. This paper presents an analytical framework for assessing buckling-restrained braced frame （BRBF） reliability when subjected to seismic loads. This framework efficiently quantifies the risk of BRB failure due to low-cycle fatigue fracture of the BRB core. The procedure includes a series of components that： （1） quantify BRB demand in terms of BRB core deformation histories generated through stochastic dynamic analyses; （2） quantify the limit-state of a BRB in terms of its remaining cumulative plastic ductility capacity based on an experimental database; and （3） evaluate the probability of BRB failure, given the quantified demand and capacity, through structural reliability analyses. Parametric studies were conducted to investigate the effects of the seismic load, and characteristics of the BRB and BRBF on the probability of brace failure. In addition, fragility curves （i.e., conditional probabilities of brace failure given ground shaking intensity parameters） were created by the proposed framework. While the framework presented in this paper is applied to the assessment of BRBFs, the modular nature of the framework components allows for application to other structural components and systems.