Stability analysis and stabilization of wireless networked control systems based on deadband control scheduling

The stability analysis and stabilization problems of the wireless networked control systems(WNCSs) with signal transmission deadbands were considered. The deadbands were respectively set up at the sensor to the controller and the controller to the actor sides in the WNCS, which were used to reduce data transmission, furthermore, to decrease the network collision and node energy consumption. Under the consideration of time-varying delays and signal transmission deadbands, the model for the WNCS was presented. A novel Lyapunov functional which took full advantages of the network factors was exploited. Meanwhile, new stability analysis and stabilization conditions for the WNCS were proposed, which described the relationship of the delay bounds, the transmission deadband bounds and the system stability. Two examples were used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods. The results show that the proposed approach can guarantee asymptotical stability of the system and reduce the data transmission effectively.

Alleviating Bottlenecks in Power Interconnectors by Means of FACTS

Power interconnections are becoming increasingly important in various parts of the world, as incentives for power exchange between countries are growing. A current example is that the Baltic Energy Market Interconnection Plan is launched by the European Council. For a variety of reasons, it is desirable to keep transmission corridors as slender as possible, i.e. keeping the number of lines as limited as possible, while still keeping adequate stability and power transmission capacity over the corridor. This is true, no matter whether it concerns a green-field project, or if it is a question of expanding an existing transmission corridor into higher power transmission capability. To achieve this, FACTS （flexible AC transmission systems）, based on state of the art high power electronics, is a highly useful option, from technical, economical and environmental points of view, to increase the utilization and stability of a transmission system or intertie. The paper presents salient design features as well as benefits of recently installed FACTS devices, more specifically SVC （static var compensators） and series capacitors, for enabling or improving cross-border as well as interregional power transfer in a cost-effective and environmentally friendly way.

Structural Modification of Al65Cu16.5Ti18.5 Amorphous Powder through Annealing and Post Milling： Improving Thermal Stability

To improve thermal stability of the Al65Cu16.5Ti18.5 amorphous powder,structural modification of the amorphous powder was performed through annealing and post milling.Annealing above the crystallization temperature（Tx） not only induced nanoscale intermetallics to precipitate in the amorphous powder,but also increased Cu atomic percentage within the residual amorphous phase.Post milling induced the amorphization of the nanocrystal intermetallics and the formation of Cu9Al4 from the residual amorphous phase.Thus,a mixed structure consisting of amorphous phase and Cu9Al4 was obtained in the powder after annealing and post milling（the APMed powder）.The phase constituent in the APMed powder did not change during the post annealing,which exhibited significantly improved thermal stability in comparison with the as-milled amorphous powder.

Geometrical design of variable ratio tooth profile based on Boolean subtraction operation and a novel modification method

Variable transmission ratio racks show great potential in rice transplanters as a key component of variable transmission ratio steering to balance steering portability and sensitivity.The objective of this study was to develop a novel geometrical design method to achieve quick,high-quality modeling of the free curvilinear tooth profile of a variable transmission ratio rack.First,a discrete envelope motion 3D model was established between the pinion-sector and the variable transmission ratio rack blank based on the mapping relationship between the rotation angle of the pinion-sector and the displacement of the rack,according to the variable transmission ratio function.Based on the loop Boolean subtraction operation,which removed the pinion-sector from the rack blank during all moments of the discrete motion process,the final complex changing tooth shape of the variable transmission ratio rack was enveloped.Then,since Boolean cutting residues made the variable ratio tooth surface fluctuant and eventually affected the precision of the model,this study proposed a modification method for establishing a smooth and continuous tooth profile.First,a novel fitting algorithm used approximate variable ratio tooth profile points extracted from the Boolean cutting marks and generated a series of variable ratio tooth profiles by utilizing B-spline with different orders.Next,based on a transmission stability simulation,the variable ratio tooth profile with optimal dynamic performance was selected as the final design.Finally,tests contrasting the transmission stability of the machining samples of the initial variable ratio tooth profile and the final variable ratio tooth profile were conducted.The results indicated that the final variable ratio tooth profile is more effective than the initial variable ratio tooth profile.Therefore,the proposed variable ratio tooth profile modeling and modification method for eliminating Boolean cutting residues and improving surface accuracy is proved to be feasible.