Characteristic Model-based Discrete-time Sliding Mode Control for Spacecraft with Variable Tilt of Flexible Structures

In this paper, the finite-time attitude tracking control problem for the spacecrafts with variable tilt of flexible appendages in the conditions of exogenous disturbances and inertia uncertainties is addressed. First the characteristic modeling method is applied to the problem of the spacecraft modeling. Second, a novel adaptive sliding mode surface is designed based on the characteristic model. Furthermore, a discrete-time sliding mode control (DTSMC) law, which makes the tracking error converge into a predefined bound in finite time, is proposed by employing the parameters of characteristic model associated with the sliding mode surface to provide better performances, robustness, faster response, and higher control precision. The designed DTSMC includes the adaptive control architecture and is chattering-free. Finally, digital simulations of a sun synchronous orbit satellite (SSOS) are presented to illustrate effectiveness of the control strategies as well as to verify the practical feasibility of the rapid maneuver mission. © 2014 Chinese Association of Automation.

Statistical Analysis of Ship Impact Forces on Light Wharf Structures

In the present study,the formula calculating ship impact forces on light wharf structures is presented when the elastic deformation of the hull and the pier structures as well as the nonlinear deformation of the fender are taken into account. The ship impact forces are statistically analyzed with the Monte-Carlo method according to the known probability distribution types of random variables.Based on the simulated results, the distribution of ship impact forces which is characterized by bimodal distribution can be expressed as the combining probability density function of beta distribution and normal distribution. The corresponding parameters of the probability density function can be estimated with the maximum likelihood method. The results show that ship impact forces on light wharf structures follow the distribution of type I extreme value.The mean coefficient and variation coefficient are 1.11 and 0.008 respectively during 50 years of design reference period.

Design methods of rhombic tensegrity structures

As a special type of novel flexible structures, tensegrity holds promise for many potential applications in such fields as materials science, biomechanics, civil and aerospace engineering. Rhombic systems are an important class of tensegrity structures, in which each bar constitutes the longest diagonal of a rhombus of four strings. In this paper, we address the design methods of rhombic structures based on the idea that many tensegrity structures can be constructed by assembling one-bar elementary cells. By analyzing the properties of rhombic cells, we first develop two novel schemes, namely, direct enumeration scheme and cell-substitution scheme. In addition, a facile and efficient method is presented to integrate several rhombic systems into a larger tensegrity structure. To illustrate the applications of these methods, some novel rhombic tensegrity structures are constructed.

Local Joint Flexibility Multibrace Tubular Joints

The local joint flexibility matrix of multibrace tubular joints (uniplanar and multiplanar joints) is defined. The formulation for computing the elements of local flexibility factor matrix of multibrace tubular joints by semi-analytic method is presented in this paper. The stiffening effect of unloaded braces and cross-flexibility between braces are discussed. Using the local flexibility of unibrace joints instead of that of multibrace joints in conventional structural analysis will lead the result to an unsafe side.

Fluid-Structure Interaction Analysis of Flexible Plate with Partitioned Coupling Method

The development and rapid usage of numerical codes for fluid-structure interaction(FSI) problems are of great relevance to researchers in many engineering fields such as civil engineering and ocean engineering. This multidisciplinary field known as FSI has been expanded to engineering fields such as offshore structures, tall slender structures and other flexible structures applications. The motivation of this paper is to investigate the numerical model of two-way coupling FSI partitioned flexible plate structure under fluid flow. The adopted partitioned method and approach utilized the advantage of the existing numerical algorithms in solving the two-way coupling fluid and structural interactions. The flexible plate was subjected to a fluid flow which causes large deformation on the fluid domain from the oscillation of the flexible plate. Both fluid and flexible plate are subjected to the interaction of load transfer within two physics by using the strong and weak coupling methods of MFS and Load Transfer Physics Environment, respectively. The oscillation and deformation results have been validated which demonstrate the reliability of both strong and weak method in resolving the two-way coupling problem in contribution of knowledge to the feasibility field study of ocean engineering and civil engineering.

Influence of soil to structure stiffness on the accuracy of the pushover method for underground structures

The pushover method for underground structures is a seismic analysis method featured by high calculation accuracy and a simple implementation process.The method has been widely used in seismic design and other related scientific research;however,the influence of different soil-structure flexibility ratios on the accuracy of this method is still not well understood.In this study,we select the cross-section structures beneath the Daikai subway station as the research object and establish 12 finite element analysis models with different soil-structure flexibility ratios using ABAQUS.All models are computed by the dynamic time-history method or the pushover method.Furthermore,the dynamic time-history solution result is taken as the standard solution,and the precision and application of the pushover analysis method are discussed based on the parameters of peak interlayer displacement and peak internal force of the middle column section.The results show that the soil-structure flexibility ratio has a significant influence on the calculation accuracy of the pushover method,and the calculation accuracy of this method is the most ideal when the soil-structure flexibility is equal to 1.The research results can provide significant references for the seismic design of underground structures or the improvement of simplified seismic analysis methods.

Fluid-structure interaction simulation for multi-body flexible morphing structures

The multi-body flexible morphing airfoil can improve the aerodynamic characteristics based on different flight missions continuously.Recently researches have focused on the unsteady aerodynamic characteristics of flexible wings under passive actuation.However,the unsteady aerodynamic characteristics with the fluid-structure interaction effects in the multi-body active actuation process of morphing airfoil deserve further investigation.In this paper,a fluid-structure coupled simulation method for multi-body flexible morphing airfoil with active actuation subsystem was investigated,and the aerodynamic characteristics during deformation were compared with different skin flexibility,flow field environment,actuation mode and actuation time.The numerical results show that for the steady aerodynamic,the skin flexibility can improve the stability efficiency.In the unsteady process,the change trend of the transient lift coefficient and pitching moment are consistent with those of the active drive characteristics,while the instantaneous lift-drag ratio coefficient is greatly affected by the driving mode and can be improved by increasing the driving duration.

A Shape-Memory Deployable Subsystem with a Large Folding Ratio in China’s Tianwen-1 Mars Exploration Mission

Once China’s Tianwen-1 Mars probe arrived in a Mars orbit after a seven-month flight in the deep cold space environment,it would be urgently necessary to monitor its state and the surrounding environment.To address this issue,we developed a flexible deployable subsystem based on shape memory polymer composites(SMPC-FDS)with a large folding ratio,which incorporates a camera and two temperature telemetry points for monitoring the local state of the Mars orbiter and the deep space environment.Here,we report on the development,testing,and successful application of the SMPC-FDS.Before reaching its Mars remote-sensing orbit,the SMPC-FDS is designed to be in a folded state with high stiffness;after reaching orbit,it is in a deployed state with a large envelope.The transition from the folded state to the deployed state is achieved by electrically heating the shape memory polymer composites(SMPCs);during this process,the camera on the SMPC-FDS can capture the local state of the orbiter from multiple angles.Moreover,temperature telemetry points on the SMPC-FDS provide feedback on the environment temperature and the temperature change of the SMPCs during the energization process.By simulating a Mars on-orbit space environment,the engineering reliability of the SMPC-FDS was comprehensively verified in terms of the material properties,structural dynamic performance,and thermal vacuum deployment feasibility.Since the launch of Tianwen-1 on 23 July 2020,scientific data on the temperature environment around Tianwen-1 has been successfully acquired from the telemetry points on the SMPCFDS,and the local state of the orbiter has been photographed in orbit,showing the national flag of China fixed on the orbiter.

Amorphous Electrode:From Synthesis to Electrochemical Energy Storage

Electrochemical batteries and supercapacitors are considered ideal rechargeable technologies for next-generation energy storage systems.The key to further commercial applications of electrochemical energy storage devices is the design and investigation of electrode materials with high energy density and significant cycling stability.Recently,amorphous materials have attracted a lot of attention due to their more defects and structure flexibility,opening up a new way for electrochemical energy storage.In this perspective,we summarize the recent research regarding amorphous materials for electrochemical energy storage.This review covers the advantages and features of amorphous materials,the synthesis strategies to prepare amorphous materials,as well as the application and modification of amorphous electrodes in energy storage fields.Finally,the challenges and prospective remarks for future development in amorphous materials for electrochemical energy storage are concluded.

Vibration suppression for rotating space slender flexible structures based on novel deformation description and NNSMC controller with hyperbolic tangent function

Rotating Space Slender Flexible Structures(RSSFS)are extensively utilized in space operations because of their light weight,mobility,and low energy consumption.To realize the accurate space operation of the RSSFS,it is necessary to establish a precise mechanical model and develop a control algorithm with high precision.However,with the application of traditional control strategies,the RSSFS often suffers from the chattering phenomenon,which will aggravate structure vibration.In this paper,novel deformation description is put forward to balance modeling accuracy and computational efficiency of the RSSFS,which is better appropriate for real-time control.Besides,the Neural Network Sliding Mode Control(NNSMC)strategy modified by the hyperbolic tangent(tanh)function is put forward to compensate for modeling errors and reduce the chattering phenomenon,thereby improving the trajectory tracking accuracy of the RSSFS.Firstly,a mathematical model for the RSSFS is developed according to the novel deformation description and the vibration theory of flexible structure.Comparison of the deformation accuracy between different models proves that the novel modeling method proposed has high modeling accuracy.Next,the universal approximation property of the Radial Basis Function(RBF)neural network is put forward to determine and compensate for modeling errors,which consist of higher-order modes and the uncertainties of external disturbances.In addition,the tanh function is proposed as the reaching law in the conventional NNSMC strategy to suppress driving torque oscillation.The control law of modified NNSMC strategy and the adaptive law of weight coefficients are developed according to the Lyapunov theorem to guarantee the RSSFS stability.Finally,the simulation and physical experimental tests of the RSSFS with different control strategies are conducted.Experimental results show that the control law according to the novel deformation description and the modified NNSMC strategy can obtain accurate tracking of the rotation and reduce the vibration of the RSSFS simultaneously.

Study on Component Synthesis Active Vibration Suppression Method Using Zero-placement Technique

The component synthesis active vibration suppression method （CSVS） can be applied to suppress the vibration of flexible systems. By this method, several same or similar time-varying components are arranged according to certain rules along the time axis. The synthesized command can suppress the arbitrary unwanted vibration harmonic while achieving the desired rigid body motion. The number of the components increases rapidly when the number of harmonic vibration is growing. In this article, the CSVS based on zero-placement technique is used to construct the synthesized command to suppress the multi-harmonics simultaneously in the discrete domain. The nature of zero-placement method is to put enough zeros to cancel system poles at necessary points. The designed synthesized command has equal time intervals between each component and which is much easier to be implemented. Using this method, the number of components increases linearly with the increasing of the number of being suppressed harmonics. For the spacecraft with flexible appendages, CSVS based on zero-placement is used to design the time optimal large angle maneuver control strategy. Simulations have verified the validity and superiority of the proposed approach.

Analysis and Flexible Structural Modeling for Oscillating Wing Utilizing Aeroelasticity

Making use of modal characteristics of the natural vibration of flexible structure to design the oscillating wing aircraft is proposed. A series of equations concerning the oscillating wing of flexible structures are derived. The kinetic equation for aerodynamic force coupled with elastic movement is set up, and relevant formulae are derived. The unsteady aerodynamic one in that formulae is revised. The design principle, design process and range of application of such oscillating wing analytical method are elaborated. A flexible structural oscillating wing model is set up, and relevant time response analysis and frequency response analysis are conducted. The analytical results indicate that adopting the new-type driving way for the oscillating wing will not have flutter problems and will be able to produce propulsive force. Furthermore, it will consume much less power than the fixed wing for generating the same lift.

Design and Experiments of a Robotic Fish Imitating Cow-Nosed Ray

The cow-nosed ray is studied as natural sample of a flapping-foil robotic fish.Body structure, motion discipline, and dynamicfoil deformation of cow-nosed ray are analyzed.Based on the analysis results, a robotic fish imitating cow-nosed ray,named Robo-ray Ⅱ, mainly composed of soft body, flexible ribs and pneumatic artificial muscles, is developed.Structure andswimming morphology of the robotic prototype are as that of a normal cow-nosed ray in nature.Key propulsion parameters ofRobo-ray Ⅱ at normal conditions, including the St Number at linear swimming, thrust coefficient at towing are studied throughexperiments.The suitable driving parameters are confirmed considering the efficiency and swimming velocity.Swimmingvelocity of 0.16 m·s’and thrust coefficient of 0.56 in maximum are achieved in experiments.

Decentralized Sliding Mode Control for a Spacecraft Flexible Appendage Based on Finite Element Method

This paper is devoted to study the application of the decentralized sliding mode control method, which is used to reduce the vibration of large spacecraft flexible appendage. In the process of control design, the sliding surface of sliding mode control is determined by minimizing the optimal cost function, and the controller is the saturation controller. The controlled structure is subject to arbitrary, unmeasurable and uncertainty disturbance forces and initial displacement. The decentralized control method and the centralized control method are used to control vibration of the structure respectively. When the system is subjected to the initial displacement or external disturbance, the computer simulation shows that both of these control methods perform effectively, but the number of Riccati equation of the decentralized method is far smaller than that of centralized control method, especially in a large system.

Deep insights into the advancements and applications of perovskite based photovoltaic cells

The organometal halide perovskite materials have a blend of surprising optoelectronic properties, for example high value of absorption coefficient and abrupt optical retention edge, lifetime, long charge carrier diffusion length and many more. Brought in conjunction with the capacity for manufacturing at low temperature, likewise from the solution, devices based on perovskite, particularly solar cells have been contemplated seriously with striking advancements in performance, in the course of recent years. The amalgamation of minimal effort, high efficiency and extra applications gives incredible potential to commercialization of these cells. The applications and performance of perovskite cells frequently relate with the structures of the device. Numerous creative structures of the devices were produced, targeting for vast scale manufacture, diminishing creation cost, upgrading the PCE and subsequently expanding the prospective for future applications. This paper outlines the various advanced structures of PSC, challenges confronted by these PSCs and their future perspectives. The commercial applications of PSC are additionally talked about in this paper.

Design and applications of morphing aircraft and their structures

Morphing aircraft can adaptively regulate their aerodynamic layout to meet the demands of varying flight conditions,improve their aerodynamic efficiency,and reduce their energy consumption.The design and fabrication of high-performance,lightweight,and intelligent morphing structures have become a hot topic in advanced aircraft design.This paper discusses morphing aircraft development history,structural characteristics,existing applications,and future prospects.First,some conventional mechanical morphing aircraft are examined with focus on their morphing modes,mechanisms,advantages,and disadvantages.Second,the novel applications of several technologies for morphing unmanned aerial vehicles,including additive manufacturing for fabricating complex morphing structures,lattice technology for reducing structural weight,and multi-mode morphing combined with flexible skins and foldable structures,are summarized and categorized.Moreover,in consideration of the further development of active morphing aircraft,the paper reviews morphing structures driven by smart material actuators,such as shape memory alloy and macro-fiber composites,and analyzes their advantages and limitations.Third,the paper discusses multiple challenges,including flexible structures,flexible skins,and control systems,in the design of future morphing aircraft.Lastly,the development and application of morphing structures in the aerospace field are discussed to provide a reference for future research and engineering applications.

EXPLORATION OF SUBSTITUTION OF REPEATED MODE SUBSPACES FOR CLOSELY SPACED MODE SUBSPACES

A new quantitative concept is introduced in this paper, which may be used to facilitate the measurement of the controllability of a subspace similar to subspace controllability degree. Then the concrete form of the subspace controllability degree of a flexible structure is derived, and the errors of subspace controllability degree and dynamical response caused by the substitution of a repeated mode subspace for a closely spaced mode subspace are discussed. All the results show that this substitution is rational under some conditions.

Dynamic Analysis and Optimal Parameter Design of FlexibleComposite Structures via Absolute Nodal Coordinate Formulation

The composite structure with the dielectric elastomer and soft materials is the main form of theactuators in soft robots. However, the theoretical model is hard to obtain due to the nonlinear large deformationof materials. In this paper, a new composite element model is established based on the absolute nodal coordinateformulation. The consistent deformation conditions at the contact interface between two thin plates are deduced.The hyperelastic constitutive model and the dielectric elastomer constitutive model are introduced for the twothin plates. Then the dynamic model is established to study the dynamic behaviors of the composite flexiblestructure with various parameters. The results show that the nonlinear deformation appears obviously whenthe flexible composite plate structure is driven by various voltages, and the warping deformation becomes moreobvious with the increase of the voltage. The width and thickness of the driven thin plate influence the stabilityof the whole structure. With the decrease of the width or thickness, the deformation of the structure is moreconsistent with obvious periodicity, and the control performance is improved. Finally, the structural parametersof the composite structures are optimized to improve the control performance based on the dynamic performance.Additionally, smaller width and thickness parameters are preferred to obtain better performance in the design offlexible actuator of soft robot.

Hydrodynamic Characteristics of the Biplane-Type Otter Board with the Canvas Through Flume−Tank Experiment

Hydrodynamic characteristics of a biplane-type otter board,equipped with nylon canvas of 2 mm in thickness was investigated through flume-tank experiment in this study.A series of predesigned structures with different gap-chord ratios G/c(0.75,0.90,1.05),stagger anglesθ(30°,45°,60°),and proportions of flexible area relative to the whole wing areaƒr(0,55%,65%,75%),at an aspect ratio of 2.0 and a camber ratio of 15%,were experimentally carried out.The results showed the solution referring to the usage of flexible canvas replacing part of rigid structure for the biplane-type otter board was efficient for the trawling in the middle or shallow water area.The improvement of lift and stability for the biplane-type otter board was concluded,and drag of the structure was reduced by 1.9%atƒr=55%.In addition,the coefficient of variation of the lift and drag coefficient at different current velocities were 2.69%and 2.28%,respectively,which was smaller than those at relatively large proportion of the flexible area.Compared with the other tested structures,the frame-type flexible structure with the gap-chord ratio of 0.9 and a stagger angle of 45°and the proportion of the flexible area of 55%,performed best,and its drag was reduced by 5.72%and lift increased by 4.8%,compared with the rigid biplane-type otter board at the angles of attack from 18°to 28°.

A dual-band flexible frequency selective surface with miniaturized elements and maximally flat (Butterworth) response

A dual-band flexible frequency selective surface （FSS） with miniaturized elements and maximally flat （Butterworth） response is presented in this paper. It is composed of three metallic layers, which are fabricated on thin flexible polyimide substrates and bonded together using thin bonding films. The overall thickness of the proposed structure is only about 0.3 mm, making it an attractive choice for conformal FSS applications. All the three layers can constitute a miniaturized- element FSS （MEFSS） and produce the first pass-band with miniaturization property, while the up and bottom layers can constitute a symmetric biplanar FSS and produce the second pass-band with maximally fiat （Butterworth） response. The two pass-bands are independent and there is a wide band spacing up to 30 GHz between them. The principles of operation, the simulated results by using the vector modal matching method, and the experimental values of the fabricated prototype are also presented and discussed.