Optimization Study on Expansion Energy Used Air-Powered Vehicle with Pneumatic-Hydraulic Transmission

Pneumatic-hydraulic transmission has been developed for years. However, its dynamic properties are not good enough for application. In this paper, in order to increase the output characteristics, a late-model air-powered vehicle using expansion energy is proposed which can boost energy through a pneumatic-hydraulic transmission. The dynamic characteristics of the air-powered vehicle is modeled and verified by conducting experiment. In addition,the influence of the key parameters of the air-powered vehicle is researched for the optimization of the system performance. Through the results, the author got the conclusion that, firstly, comparison of the results of model and experiment proves the built model to be effective; secondly, input air pressure should be set according to the request of the practical loads, and range of 0.65 to 0.75 MPa can be chosen; thirdly, as a key structure parameter of the airpowered vehicle, ratio of the areas is considered to be set to approximate 8; what’s more, a bigger orifice with a limit will promote the system dynamic characteristic property, and the limit is about 3.5 mm; last but not the least, not too farther position of the rings will increase the quality of output dynamic characteristics. This paper can be a reference for system design of air-powered vehicle and dynamic improvement.

Design and dynamic characteristic prediction of air-powered twin-rotor piston engine

A novel air-powered twin-rotor piston engine(ATPE) utilizing a differential velocity driving mechanism to achieve a high output torque was proposed.The ATPE had eight separated rotary cylinders which can dynamically enlarge the engine displacement as a result of the special driving mechanism,which was named dynamic volume expansion.The mathematical model of ATPE comprising a dynamic model and a thermodynamic model was established under the assumption of no mechanical friction.The model was numerically simulated in Matlab.The results show that shortage of low output torque confusing traditional air-powered engines can be overcome.The average output torque sharply increases to 100 N·m,which is about three times that of traditional air-powered engines with equal cylinder displacement under the pressure of 0.6 MPa at 480 r/min.ATPE can be used to drive vehicles directly without transmission box,therefore the energy transfer efficiency of ATPE can be increased.Furthermore,benefitting from the novel gas distribution system,the engine shows an ability in self-adjusting under different loads.The arrangements of air ports automatically adjust the open interval of air ports according to the load,which may simplify the speed control system.

Regardless of the Puncture Angle, a Tuohy Needle with Sand-Blasted Steel at the Tip of the Bevel Is a Valid Needle on the Ultrasonic Images

Background: A high ability to visualize the needle on the ultrasonic images is necessary to perform the ultrasound-guided nerve block safely. The Rafa Tuohy needleR (Vygon, Paris, France, Rafa) is a non-stimulating Tuohy needle with sand-blasted steel at the tip of the bevel. We examined the degree to which the Rafa enhanced the visibility of ultrasonic images compared with the non-coated Tuohy needle. Methods: We punctured the Blue Phantom. The dimensions of both the Rafa and the non-coated Tuohy needles were 18 G × 80 mm. The puncture angle is 30 degrees and 45 degrees from the Blue Phantom. We measured the intensity of the tip of the bevel at a depth of 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 cm for the puncture angle of 30 degrees, and 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5 and 3.0 cm for the puncture angle of 45 degrees. Six anesthesiologists with more than seven years of experience performed three punctures using each needle. Results: As an outcome, we concluded that at a puncture angle of both 30 degrees and 45 degrees, the intensity of the non-coated Tuohy needle decreased with the depth. On the other hand, at an angle of 30 degrees, the intensity of the Rafa needle did not decrease, and at an angle of 45 degrees the intensity only decreased very slightly as the depth increased. Conclusions: The Tuohy needle with sand-blasted steel at the tip of the bevel provided greater visualization than the non-coated Tuohy needle on the ultrasound images.