In an effort to investigate and quantify the patterns of local scour,researchers embarked on an in-depth study using a systematic experimental approach.The research focused on the effects of local scour around a set o...In an effort to investigate and quantify the patterns of local scour,researchers embarked on an in-depth study using a systematic experimental approach.The research focused on the effects of local scour around a set of four piles,each subjected to different hydromechanical conditions.In particular,this study aimed to determine how different attack angles—the angles at which the water flow impinges on the piles,and gap ratios—the ratios of the spacing between the piles to their diameters,influence the extent and nature of scour.A comprehensive series of 35 carefully designed experiments were orchestrated,each designed to dissect the nuances in how the gap ratio and attack angle might contribute to changes in the local scour observed at the base of pile groups.During these experimental trials,a wealth of local scour data were collected to support the analysis.These data included precise topographic profiles of the sediment bed around the pile groups,as well as detailed scour time histories showing the evolution of scour at strategic feature points throughout the test procedure.The analysis of the experimental data provided interesting insights.The study revealed that the interplay between the gap ratio and the attack angle had a pronounced influence on the scouring dynamics of the pile groups.One of the key observations was that the initial phases of scour,particularly within the first hour of water flow exposure,were characterized by a sharp increase in the scour depth occurring immediately in front of the piles.After this initial rapid development,the scour depth transitioned to a more gradual change rate.In contrast,the scour topography around the piles continuously evolved.This suggests that sediment displacement and the associated sculpting of the seabed around pile foundations are sustained and progressive processes,altering the underwater landscape over time.The results of this empirical investigation have significant implications for the design and construction of offshore multi-pile foundations,providing a critical reference for engineers and designers to estimate the expected scour depth around such structures,which is an integral part of decisions regarding foundation design,selection of structural materials,and implementation of scour protection measures.展开更多
Biomimetic design has recently received widespread attention.Inspired by the Terebridae structure,this paper provides a structural form for suppressing vortex-induced vibration(VIV)response.Four different structural f...Biomimetic design has recently received widespread attention.Inspired by the Terebridae structure,this paper provides a structural form for suppressing vortex-induced vibration(VIV)response.Four different structural forms are shown,including the traditional smooth cylinder(P0),and the Terebridae-inspired cylinder with the helical angle of 30°(P_(30)),60°(P_(60)),and 90°(P_(90)).Computational fluid dynamics(CFD)method is adopted to solve the flow pass the Terebridae-inspired structures,and the vibration equation is solved using the Newmark-βmethod.The results show that for P_(30),P_(60) and P_(90),the VIV responses are effectively suppressed in the lock-in region,and P_(60) showed the best VIV suppression performance.The transverse amplitude and the downstream amplitude can be reduced by 82.67%and 91.43%respectively for P_(60) compared with that for P0,and the peak of the mean-drag coefficient is suppressed by 53.33%.The Q-criterion vortices of P_(30),P_(60),and P_(90) are destroyed,with irregular vortices shedding.It is also found that the boundary layer separation is located on the Terebridae-inspired ribs.The twisted ribs cause the separation point to constantly change along the spanwise direction,resulting in the development of the boundary layer separation being completely destroyed.The strength of the wake flow is significantly weakened for the Terebridae-inspired cylinder.展开更多
It is inevitable to encounter fault zones in tunnel construction.These faults can lead to significant deformations and potential collapses of the surrounding rock in the tunnel.Therefore,it is crucial to study the inf...It is inevitable to encounter fault zones in tunnel construction.These faults can lead to significant deformations and potential collapses of the surrounding rock in the tunnel.Therefore,it is crucial to study the influence of different fault angles on tunnel deformation.The Tabaiyi Tunnel,located in Yunnan Province of China passes through a multi-stage fault zone.The dynamic response characteristics of the surrounding rock in the Tabaiyi Tunnel were studied under various fault dip angles and the most unfavorable angle was identified.Physical model tests were conducted using two types of anchor cables with specific parameters.Additionally,a relationship between the engineering rock mass and energy absorption by the anchor cables was established,demonstrating the advantages of negative Poisson's ratio(NPR)anchor cables.Experimental results indicate that stress concentration tends to occur at the junctions between faults and the surrounding rock mass.Tunnels supported by NPR anchor cables effectively mitigate amplification effects,achieving energy absorption increases of up to 87%compared to positive Poisson's ratio(PR)anchor cables.Furthermore,the highest acceleration amplification was observed at a fault dip angle of 45°,with peak acceleration reaching twice that of the original input wave,indicating that this angle should be avoided in tunnel design.These findings provide valuable insights for the safe management of tunnels traversing fault zones.展开更多
BACKGROUND Determination of platybasia and basilar kyphosis are significant parts of routine cranial magnetic resonance(MR)interpretations.These situations may explain a patient’s symptoms or may be associated with o...BACKGROUND Determination of platybasia and basilar kyphosis are significant parts of routine cranial magnetic resonance(MR)interpretations.These situations may explain a patient’s symptoms or may be associated with other anomalies.AIM To indicate the interobserver and intraobserver reliability of the skull base angles(SBA)(Koenigsberg standard)and modified SBA(mSBA)measurement techniques.METHODS In total,391 patients who had undergone cranial MR imaging were re-assessed regarding the SBA measurements.The SBA and mSBA techniques were used on MR images.Two reviewers independently measured the same angles twice within a 15-day interval,using different monitors.Intraclass correlation coefficient(ICC)was calculated to reveal the intraobserver and interobserver agreements.RESULTS There was an excellent agreement between reviewers regarding both angle measurements(ICC was 0.998 for SBA and mSBA).Excellent agreement levels were also observed for intraobserver measurements.ICC was 0.998 for SBA and 0.999 for mSBA for reviewer 1.ICC was 0.997 for SBA and 0.999 for mSBA according to the measurement results of reviewer 2.Higher SBA and mSBA values were observed for females compared to males.There was no correlation between SBA and age for SBA.However,a negative and low-level correlation was observed between mSBA values and age for both reviewers.CONCLUSION SBA and mSBA measurements indicated excellent agreement regarding interobserver and intraobserver differences.The study results showed that SBA angles were reliable measurement techniques to be used on MR images.展开更多
A terminal ballistic analysis of the effects of 7.62 mm × 51 AP P80 rounds on inclined high-strength armor steel plates is the focus of the presented study.The findings of an instrumented ballistic testing combin...A terminal ballistic analysis of the effects of 7.62 mm × 51 AP P80 rounds on inclined high-strength armor steel plates is the focus of the presented study.The findings of an instrumented ballistic testing combined with 3D advanced numerical simulations performed using the IMPETUS Afea? software yielded the conclusions.The experimental verification proved that slight differences in the pitch-andyaw angles of a projectile upon an impact caused different damage types to the projectile’s core.The residual velocities predicted numerically were close to the experimental values and the calculated core deviations were in satisfactory agreement with the experimental results.An extended matrix of the core deviation angles with combinations of pitch-and-yaw upon impact angles was subsequently built on the basis of the numerical study.The presented experimental and numerical investigation examined thoroughly the influence of the initial pitch and yaw angles on the after-perforation projectile’s performance.展开更多
Modeling of unsteady aerodynamic loads at high angles of attack using a small amount of experimental or simulation data to construct predictive models for unknown states can greatly improve the efficiency of aircraft ...Modeling of unsteady aerodynamic loads at high angles of attack using a small amount of experimental or simulation data to construct predictive models for unknown states can greatly improve the efficiency of aircraft unsteady aerodynamic design and flight dynamics analysis.In this paper,aiming at the problems of poor generalization of traditional aerodynamic models and intelligent models,an intelligent aerodynamic modeling method based on gated neural units is proposed.The time memory characteristics of the gated neural unit is fully utilized,thus the nonlinear flow field characterization ability of the learning and training process is enhanced,and the generalization ability of the whole prediction model is improved.The prediction and verification of the model are carried out under the maneuvering flight condition of NACA0015 airfoil.The results show that the model has good adaptability.In the interpolation prediction,the maximum prediction error of the lift and drag coefficients and the moment coefficient does not exceed 10%,which can basically represent the variation characteristics of the entire flow field.In the construction of extrapolation models,the training model based on the strong nonlinear data has good accuracy for weak nonlinear prediction.Furthermore,the error is larger,even exceeding 20%,which indicates that the extrapolation and generalization capabilities need to be further optimized by integrating physical models.Compared with the conventional state space equation model,the proposed method can improve the extrapolation accuracy and efficiency by 78%and 60%,respectively,which demonstrates the applied potential of this method in aerodynamic modeling.展开更多
It is important to study the effect of hydrate production on the physical and mechanical properties of low-permeability clayey–silty reservoirs for the largescale exploitation of hydrate reservoirs in the South China...It is important to study the effect of hydrate production on the physical and mechanical properties of low-permeability clayey–silty reservoirs for the largescale exploitation of hydrate reservoirs in the South China Sea.In this study,a multiphysical-field coupling model,combined with actual exploration drilling data and the mechanical experimental data of hydrate cores in the laboratory,was established to investigate the physical and mechanical properties of low-permeability reservoirs with different slope angles during 5-year hydrate production by the depressurization method via a horizontal well.The result shows that the permeability of reservoirs severely affects gas production rate,and the maximum gas production amount of a 20-m-long horizontal well can reach186.8 m3/day during the 5-year hydrate production.Reservoirs with smaller slope angles show higher gas production rates.The depressurization propagation and hydrate dissociation mainly develop along the direction parallel to the slope.Besides,the mean effective stress of reservoirs is concentrated in the near-wellbore area with the on-going hydrate production,and gradually decreases with the increase of the slope angle.Different from the effective stress distribution law,the total reservoir settlement amount first decreases and then increases with the increase of the slope angle.The maximum settlement of reservoirs with a 0°slope angle is up to 3.4 m,and the displacement in the near-wellbore area is as high as2.2 m after 5 years of hydrate production.It is concluded that the pore pressure drop region of low-permeability reservoirs in the South China Sea is limited,and various slope angles further lead to differences in effective stress and strain of reservoirs during hydrate production,resulting in severe uneven settlement of reservoirs.展开更多
Aiming at the influence of blade pitch Angle on aerodynamic noise of wind turbines, the sound field and flow field distribution at 0˚, 5˚, 10˚ and 15˚ are calculated by numerical simulation. Then, through the distribu...Aiming at the influence of blade pitch Angle on aerodynamic noise of wind turbines, the sound field and flow field distribution at 0˚, 5˚, 10˚ and 15˚ are calculated by numerical simulation. Then, through the distribution of pressure field and velocity field calculated by flow field, the influence of different pitch angles on wind turbine blade aerodynamic noise and the reasons for its influence are analyzed. The results show that when the pitch Angle increases within 0˚ - 10˚, the aerodynamic noise pressure level of the blade decreases. However, the sound pressure level of aerodynamic noise increases in the range of 10˚ - 15˚. The changes of static pressure gradient and pressure pulsation on the blade surface make the aerodynamic noise change, and the changes of the two are positively correlated. At the same time, the fluid velocity and fluid motion state on the blade surface are closely related to the aerodynamic noise of the blade. The greater the fluid velocity, the more complex the fluid motion state and the greater the turbulent kinetic energy of the wind turbine blade, and the aerodynamic noise of the wind turbine blade will also increase.展开更多
The orchards usually have rough terrain,dense tree canopy and weeds.It is hard to use GNSS for autonomous navigation in orchard due to signal occlusion,multipath effect,and radio frequency interference.To achieve auto...The orchards usually have rough terrain,dense tree canopy and weeds.It is hard to use GNSS for autonomous navigation in orchard due to signal occlusion,multipath effect,and radio frequency interference.To achieve autonomous navigation in orchard,a visual navigation method based on multiple images at different shooting angles is proposed in this paper.A dynamic image capturing device is designed for camera installation and multiple images can be shot at different angles.Firstly,the obtained orchard images are classified into sky and soil detection stage.Each image is transformed to HSV space and initially segmented into sky,canopy and soil regions by median filtering and morphological processing.Secondly,the sky and soil regions are extracted by the maximum connected region algorithm,and the region edges are detected and filtered by the Canny operator.Thirdly,the navigation line in the current frame is extracted by fitting the region coordinate points.Then the dynamic weighted filtering algorithm is used to extract the navigation line for the soil and sky detection stage,respectively,and the navigation line for the sky detection stage is mirrored to the soil region.Finally,the Kalman filter algorithm is used to fuse and extract the final navigation path.The test results on 200 images show that the accuracy of visual navigation path fitting is 95.5%,and single frame image processing costs 60 ms,which meets the real-time and robustness requirements of navigation.The visual navigation experiments in Camellia oleifera orchard show that when the driving speed is 0.6 m/s,the maximum tracking offset of visual navigation in weed-free and weedy environments is 0.14 m and 0.24 m,respectively,and the RMSE is 30 mm and 55 mm,respectively.展开更多
This paper considers the regularity of solutions to mixed boundary value problems in small-angle regions for elliptic equations. By constructing a specific barrier function, we proved that under the assumption of suff...This paper considers the regularity of solutions to mixed boundary value problems in small-angle regions for elliptic equations. By constructing a specific barrier function, we proved that under the assumption of sufficient regularity of boundary conditions and coefficients, as long as the angle is sufficiently small, the regularity of the solution to the mixed boundary value problem of the second-order elliptic equation can reach any order.展开更多
Aim To describe a news system for measuring the and pitch angles of rocket during the launch phase Methods Optical system was to reflect the spot that represents the angular movement of rocket to the position sensitiv...Aim To describe a news system for measuring the and pitch angles of rocket during the launch phase Methods Optical system was to reflect the spot that represents the angular movement of rocket to the position sensitive detector that can convert analogue signal into digital one.Results Compared with conventional optical lever test system which had been applied to measure rocket attitude angle,the new system used the position sensitive detector to replace the screen and high-speed photographic instrumentation as grapher,which can avert photointerpretive data reduction and apply to field experiment more easily and pre- cisely .Conclusion Experimental results show that the test system can be used in measuring the yaw and pitch angles of rocket effectively.展开更多
In order to investigate the frequent occurrences of rock burst in gob-side entry during the mining process of the mining zone No. 7, the mechanical model of main roof of fully-mechanized caving mining before breaking ...In order to investigate the frequent occurrences of rock burst in gob-side entry during the mining process of the mining zone No. 7, the mechanical model of main roof of fully-mechanized caving mining before breaking was established by the Winkler foundation beam theory, and the stress evolution law of surrounding rock with different dip angles of the seam during the mining process was analyzed by using FLAC3 D. The results show that: with the dip angle changing from 45° to 0°, the solid-coal side of gobside entry begins to form an L-shaped stress concentration zone at a dip angle of 30°, and the stress concentration degree goes to higher and higher levels. However, the stress concentration degree of the coalpillar side goes to lower and lower levels; the influence range and peak stress of the abutment at the lateral strata of adjacent gob increase with dip angle decreasing and reach a maximum value at a dip angle of 0°, but the tailgate is not affected; the abutment pressure superposition of two adjacent gobs leads to stress concentration further enhancing in both sides of gob-side entry. With the influence of strong mining disturbance, rock burst is easily induced by dynamic and static combined load in the advanced segment of gob-side entry. To achieve stability control similar to that in the roadway, the key control strategy is to reinforce surrounding rock and unload both sides. Accordingly, the large-diameter drilling and high-pressure water injection combined unloading and reinforced support cooperative control technology was proposed and applied in field test. The results of Electromagnetic Emission(EME) and field observation showed that unloading and surrounding rock control effect was obvious.展开更多
It is well known that surface roughness has a very important effect on superhydrophobicity.The Wenzel and Cassie-Baxter models,which correspond to the homogeneous and heterogeneous wetting respectively,are currently p...It is well known that surface roughness has a very important effect on superhydrophobicity.The Wenzel and Cassie-Baxter models,which correspond to the homogeneous and heterogeneous wetting respectively,are currently primary instructions for designing superhydrophobic surfaces.However,the particular drop shape that a drop exhibits might depend on how it is formed. A water drop can occupy multiple equilibrium states,which relate to different local minimal energy.In some cases,both equilibrium states can even co-exist on a same substrate.Thus the apparent contact angles may vary and have different values.We discuss how the Wenzel and Cassie-Baxter equations determine the homogeneous and heterogeneous wetting theoretically. Contact angle analysis on hierarchical surface structure and contact angle hysteresis has been put specific attention.In particular, we study the energy barrier of transition from Cassie-Baxter state to Wenzel state,based on existing achievement by previous researchers,to determine the possibility of the transition and how it can be interpreted.It has been demonstrated that surface roughness and geometry will influence the energy required for a drop to get into equilibrium,no matter it is homogeneous or heterogeneous wetting.展开更多
Pressure fluctuation may cause high amplitude of vibration of double-suction centrifugal pumps, but the impact of impeller stagger angles is still not well understood. In this paper, pressure fluctuation experiments a...Pressure fluctuation may cause high amplitude of vibration of double-suction centrifugal pumps, but the impact of impeller stagger angles is still not well understood. In this paper, pressure fluctuation experiments are carried out for five impeller configurations with different stagger angles by using the same test rig system. Results show that the stagger angles exert negligible effects on the characteristics of head and efficiency. The distributions of pressure fluctuations are relatively uniform along the suction chamber wall, and the maximum pressure fluctuation amplitude is reached near the suction inlet tongue region. The pressure fluctuation characteristics are affected largely by impeller rotation, whose dominant frequencies include impeller rotation frequency and its harmonic frequencies, and half blade passage frequency. The stagger angle exerts a small effect on the pressure fluctuations in the suction chamber while a great effect on the pressure fluctuation in volute casing, especially on the aspect of decreasing the amplitude on blade passage frequency. Among the tested cases, the distribution of pressure fluctuations in the volute becomes more uniform than the other impeller configurations and the level of pressure fluctuation may be reduced by up to 50% when the impeller stagger angle is close to 24° or 360°.The impeller structure pattern needs to be taken into consideration during the design period, and the halfway staggered impeller is strongly recommended.展开更多
When characterizing flows in miniaturized channels, the determination of the dynamic contact angle is important. By measuring the dynamic contact angle, the flow properties of the flowing liquid and the effect of mate...When characterizing flows in miniaturized channels, the determination of the dynamic contact angle is important. By measuring the dynamic contact angle, the flow properties of the flowing liquid and the effect of material properties on the flow can be characterized. A machine vision based system to measure the contact angle of front or rear menisci of a moving liquid plug is described in this article. In this research, transparent flow channels fabricated on thermoplastic polymer and sealed with an adhesive tape are used. The transparency of the channels enables image based monitoring and measurement of flow variables, including the dynamic contact angle. It is shown that the dynamic angle can be measured from a liquid flow in a channel using the image based measurement system. An image processing algorithm has been developed in a MATLAB environment. Images are taken using a CCD camera and the channels are illuminated using a custom made ring light. Two fitting methods, a circle and two parabolas, are experimented and the results are compared in the measurement of the dynamic contact angles.展开更多
Intact rock-like specimens and specimens that include a single, smooth planar joint at various angles are prepared for split Hopkinson pressure bar(SHPB) testing. A buffer pad between the striker bar and the inciden...Intact rock-like specimens and specimens that include a single, smooth planar joint at various angles are prepared for split Hopkinson pressure bar(SHPB) testing. A buffer pad between the striker bar and the incident bar of an SHPB apparatus is used to absorb some of the shock energy. This can generate loading rates of 20.2-4627.3 GPa/s, enabling dynamic peak stresses/strengths and associated failure patterns of the specimens to be investigated. The effects of the loading rate and angle of load applied on the dynamic peak stresses/strengths of the specimens are examined. Relevant experimental results demonstrate that the failure pattern of each specimen can be classified as four types: Type A, integrated with or without tiny flake-off; Type B, slide failure; Type C, fracture failure; and Type D, crushing failure. The dynamic peak stresses/strengths of the specimens that have similar failure patterns increase linearly with the loading rate, yielding high correlations that are evident on semi-logarithmic plots. The slope of the failure envelope is the smallest for slide failure, followed by crushing failure, and that of fracture failure is the largest. The magnitude of the plot slope of the dynamic peak stress against the loading rate for the specimens that are still integrated after testing is between that of slide failure and crushing failure. The angle of application has a limited effect on the dynamic peak stresses/strengths of the specimens regardless of the failure pattern, but it affects the bounds of the loading rates that yield each failure pattern, and thus influences the dynamic responses of the single jointed specimen. Slide failure occurs at the lowest loading rate of any failure, but can only occur in single jointed specimen that allows sliding.Crushing failure is typically associated with the largest loading rate, and fracture failure may occur when the loading rate is between the boundaries for slide failure and crushing failure.展开更多
Three dimensional(3D)Multiple Input and Multiple Output(MIMO)is one of the most promising techniques for the 5th generation(5G)mobile communication system.To support its research,the property of elevation angle in 3D ...Three dimensional(3D)Multiple Input and Multiple Output(MIMO)is one of the most promising techniques for the 5th generation(5G)mobile communication system.To support its research,the property of elevation angle in 3D channel model should be accurately modeled.Conventionally,3D channel is modeled with an assumption that the mean elevation angle of multipaths is coincided with the line-of-sight(LOS)direction.In order to investigate its authenticity and give the reliable 3D channel model,extensive 3D multiple antenna field channel measurements with 100 MHz bandwidth are conducted in three typical scenarios,including outdoor to indoor(O2I),urban microcell(UMi)and urban macrocell(UMa).The statistical characteristics and parameters are extracted and analyzed based on the measurement data.It is found that the assumption holds in the LOS condition.However,for non-line-of-sight(NLOS)condition,a difference exists between the mean elevation angle and the direction connecting transmitter and receiver,which is defined as the elevation angle offset.Then,the eigenvalue distribution and capacity are compared between the reconstructed 3D channels with and without elevation angle offset.Results show that the performance of 3D channel with angle offset fits the measurement data better whereas that without angle offset is underestimated.展开更多
AIM: To evaluate dual Scheimpflug analyzer(Galilei) as a screening method for the diagnostic of gonioscopically narrow anterior chamber angles(ACA). METHODS: In 40 eyes of 40 patients with different ACA range, the ACA...AIM: To evaluate dual Scheimpflug analyzer(Galilei) as a screening method for the diagnostic of gonioscopically narrow anterior chamber angles(ACA). METHODS: In 40 eyes of 40 patients with different ACA range, the ACA, anterior chamber volume(ACV) and anterior chamber depth(ACD) were analyzed using the dual Scheimpflug analyzer(Galilei G6 system). Correspondence between these parameters and Shaffer's classification based on gonioscopy were studied. Receiving operator characteristic(ROC) curves and partition analysis were used to determine the efficacy of the Galilei system in screening for narrow angles. Agreement(Kappa statistics), sensitivity, and specificity for each eye, according to Galilei measures, were also assessed. RESULTS: Shaffer's grade(from 0 to 4) were significantly associated with each of the measurements(P<0.001). In screening eyes with narrow angles with the Galilei, the area under the ROC curve was largest(0.90) when ACD was used as the reference, and partition analysis demonstrated that those eyes were most adequately partitioned with an ACD of 2.86 mm with 100% sensitivity and 80% specificity. CONCLUSION: The Galilei is a secure, repeatable and noncontact screening method for narrow angles. However it does not provide sufficient information about the ACA anatomy to be considered a substitute for gonioscopy.展开更多
AIM: To investigate the difference in kappa angle between sitting and supine positions during laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis(LASIK).·METHODS: A retrospective study was performed on395 eyes from 215 pat...AIM: To investigate the difference in kappa angle between sitting and supine positions during laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis(LASIK).·METHODS: A retrospective study was performed on395 eyes from 215 patients with myopia that received LASIK. Low, moderate, and high myopia groups were assigned according to diopters. The horizontal and vertical components of kappa angle in sitting position were measured before the operation, and in supine position during the operation. The data from the two positions were compared and the relationship between kappa angle and diopters were analyzed.· RESULTS: Two hundred and twenty-three eyes(56.5%) in sitting position and 343 eyes(86.8%) in supine position had positive kappa angles. There were no significant differences in horizontal and vertical components of kappa angle in the sitting position or horizontal components of kappa angle in the supine position between the three groups(P 〉0.05). A significant difference in the vertical components of kappa angle in the supine position was seen in the three groups(P 〈0.01). Differences in both horizontal and vertical components of kappa angles were significant between the sitting and supine positions. Positive correlations in both horizontal and vertical components of kappa angles(P 〈0.05) were found and vertical components of kappa angle in sitting and supine positions were negatively correlated with the degree of myopia(sitting position: r =-0.109; supine position: r =-0.172; P 〈0.05).·CONCLUSION: There is a correlation in horizontal and vertical components of kappa angle in sitting and supine positions. Positive correlations in both horizontal and vertical components of kappa angle in sitting and supine positions till the end of the results. This result still needs further observation. Clinicians should take into account different postures when excimer laser surgery needs to be performed.展开更多
Optimizing the output power of a photovoltaic panel improves the efficiency of a solar driven energy system. The maximum output power of a photovoltaic panel depends on atmospheric conditions, such as (direct solar ra...Optimizing the output power of a photovoltaic panel improves the efficiency of a solar driven energy system. The maximum output power of a photovoltaic panel depends on atmospheric conditions, such as (direct solar radiation, air pollution and cloud movements), load profile and the tilt and orientation angles. This paper describes an experimental analysis of maximizing output power of a photovoltaic panel, based on the use of existing equations of tilt angles derived from mathematical models and simulation packages. Power regulation is achieved by the use of a DC-DC converter, a fixed load resistance and a single photovoltaic panel. A data logger is used to make repeated measurements which ensure reliability of the results. The results of the paper were taken over a four month period from April through July. The photovoltaic panel was set to an orientation angle of 0? with tilt angles of 16?, 26? and 36?. Preliminary results indicate that tilt angles between 26? and 36? provide optimum photovoltaic output power for winter months in South Africa.展开更多
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.51890913)the Natural Science Foundation of Sichuan Province of China(Grant No.2023YFQ0111)。
文摘In an effort to investigate and quantify the patterns of local scour,researchers embarked on an in-depth study using a systematic experimental approach.The research focused on the effects of local scour around a set of four piles,each subjected to different hydromechanical conditions.In particular,this study aimed to determine how different attack angles—the angles at which the water flow impinges on the piles,and gap ratios—the ratios of the spacing between the piles to their diameters,influence the extent and nature of scour.A comprehensive series of 35 carefully designed experiments were orchestrated,each designed to dissect the nuances in how the gap ratio and attack angle might contribute to changes in the local scour observed at the base of pile groups.During these experimental trials,a wealth of local scour data were collected to support the analysis.These data included precise topographic profiles of the sediment bed around the pile groups,as well as detailed scour time histories showing the evolution of scour at strategic feature points throughout the test procedure.The analysis of the experimental data provided interesting insights.The study revealed that the interplay between the gap ratio and the attack angle had a pronounced influence on the scouring dynamics of the pile groups.One of the key observations was that the initial phases of scour,particularly within the first hour of water flow exposure,were characterized by a sharp increase in the scour depth occurring immediately in front of the piles.After this initial rapid development,the scour depth transitioned to a more gradual change rate.In contrast,the scour topography around the piles continuously evolved.This suggests that sediment displacement and the associated sculpting of the seabed around pile foundations are sustained and progressive processes,altering the underwater landscape over time.The results of this empirical investigation have significant implications for the design and construction of offshore multi-pile foundations,providing a critical reference for engineers and designers to estimate the expected scour depth around such structures,which is an integral part of decisions regarding foundation design,selection of structural materials,and implementation of scour protection measures.
基金supported by the Joint Postdoc Scheme with Non-local Institutions of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University(Grant No.1-YY4P).
文摘Biomimetic design has recently received widespread attention.Inspired by the Terebridae structure,this paper provides a structural form for suppressing vortex-induced vibration(VIV)response.Four different structural forms are shown,including the traditional smooth cylinder(P0),and the Terebridae-inspired cylinder with the helical angle of 30°(P_(30)),60°(P_(60)),and 90°(P_(90)).Computational fluid dynamics(CFD)method is adopted to solve the flow pass the Terebridae-inspired structures,and the vibration equation is solved using the Newmark-βmethod.The results show that for P_(30),P_(60) and P_(90),the VIV responses are effectively suppressed in the lock-in region,and P_(60) showed the best VIV suppression performance.The transverse amplitude and the downstream amplitude can be reduced by 82.67%and 91.43%respectively for P_(60) compared with that for P0,and the peak of the mean-drag coefficient is suppressed by 53.33%.The Q-criterion vortices of P_(30),P_(60),and P_(90) are destroyed,with irregular vortices shedding.It is also found that the boundary layer separation is located on the Terebridae-inspired ribs.The twisted ribs cause the separation point to constantly change along the spanwise direction,resulting in the development of the boundary layer separation being completely destroyed.The strength of the wake flow is significantly weakened for the Terebridae-inspired cylinder.
基金funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.42377154).
文摘It is inevitable to encounter fault zones in tunnel construction.These faults can lead to significant deformations and potential collapses of the surrounding rock in the tunnel.Therefore,it is crucial to study the influence of different fault angles on tunnel deformation.The Tabaiyi Tunnel,located in Yunnan Province of China passes through a multi-stage fault zone.The dynamic response characteristics of the surrounding rock in the Tabaiyi Tunnel were studied under various fault dip angles and the most unfavorable angle was identified.Physical model tests were conducted using two types of anchor cables with specific parameters.Additionally,a relationship between the engineering rock mass and energy absorption by the anchor cables was established,demonstrating the advantages of negative Poisson's ratio(NPR)anchor cables.Experimental results indicate that stress concentration tends to occur at the junctions between faults and the surrounding rock mass.Tunnels supported by NPR anchor cables effectively mitigate amplification effects,achieving energy absorption increases of up to 87%compared to positive Poisson's ratio(PR)anchor cables.Furthermore,the highest acceleration amplification was observed at a fault dip angle of 45°,with peak acceleration reaching twice that of the original input wave,indicating that this angle should be avoided in tunnel design.These findings provide valuable insights for the safe management of tunnels traversing fault zones.
文摘BACKGROUND Determination of platybasia and basilar kyphosis are significant parts of routine cranial magnetic resonance(MR)interpretations.These situations may explain a patient’s symptoms or may be associated with other anomalies.AIM To indicate the interobserver and intraobserver reliability of the skull base angles(SBA)(Koenigsberg standard)and modified SBA(mSBA)measurement techniques.METHODS In total,391 patients who had undergone cranial MR imaging were re-assessed regarding the SBA measurements.The SBA and mSBA techniques were used on MR images.Two reviewers independently measured the same angles twice within a 15-day interval,using different monitors.Intraclass correlation coefficient(ICC)was calculated to reveal the intraobserver and interobserver agreements.RESULTS There was an excellent agreement between reviewers regarding both angle measurements(ICC was 0.998 for SBA and mSBA).Excellent agreement levels were also observed for intraobserver measurements.ICC was 0.998 for SBA and 0.999 for mSBA for reviewer 1.ICC was 0.997 for SBA and 0.999 for mSBA according to the measurement results of reviewer 2.Higher SBA and mSBA values were observed for females compared to males.There was no correlation between SBA and age for SBA.However,a negative and low-level correlation was observed between mSBA values and age for both reviewers.CONCLUSION SBA and mSBA measurements indicated excellent agreement regarding interobserver and intraobserver differences.The study results showed that SBA angles were reliable measurement techniques to be used on MR images.
文摘A terminal ballistic analysis of the effects of 7.62 mm × 51 AP P80 rounds on inclined high-strength armor steel plates is the focus of the presented study.The findings of an instrumented ballistic testing combined with 3D advanced numerical simulations performed using the IMPETUS Afea? software yielded the conclusions.The experimental verification proved that slight differences in the pitch-andyaw angles of a projectile upon an impact caused different damage types to the projectile’s core.The residual velocities predicted numerically were close to the experimental values and the calculated core deviations were in satisfactory agreement with the experimental results.An extended matrix of the core deviation angles with combinations of pitch-and-yaw upon impact angles was subsequently built on the basis of the numerical study.The presented experimental and numerical investigation examined thoroughly the influence of the initial pitch and yaw angles on the after-perforation projectile’s performance.
基金supported in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 12202363)。
文摘Modeling of unsteady aerodynamic loads at high angles of attack using a small amount of experimental or simulation data to construct predictive models for unknown states can greatly improve the efficiency of aircraft unsteady aerodynamic design and flight dynamics analysis.In this paper,aiming at the problems of poor generalization of traditional aerodynamic models and intelligent models,an intelligent aerodynamic modeling method based on gated neural units is proposed.The time memory characteristics of the gated neural unit is fully utilized,thus the nonlinear flow field characterization ability of the learning and training process is enhanced,and the generalization ability of the whole prediction model is improved.The prediction and verification of the model are carried out under the maneuvering flight condition of NACA0015 airfoil.The results show that the model has good adaptability.In the interpolation prediction,the maximum prediction error of the lift and drag coefficients and the moment coefficient does not exceed 10%,which can basically represent the variation characteristics of the entire flow field.In the construction of extrapolation models,the training model based on the strong nonlinear data has good accuracy for weak nonlinear prediction.Furthermore,the error is larger,even exceeding 20%,which indicates that the extrapolation and generalization capabilities need to be further optimized by integrating physical models.Compared with the conventional state space equation model,the proposed method can improve the extrapolation accuracy and efficiency by 78%and 60%,respectively,which demonstrates the applied potential of this method in aerodynamic modeling.
基金China Postdoctoral Science Foundation,Grant/Award Number:2020M681768Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province,Grant/Award Number:BK20200653+1 种基金Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities,Grant/Award Number:2021GJZPY15National Natural Science Foundation of China,Grant/Award Number:42106210。
文摘It is important to study the effect of hydrate production on the physical and mechanical properties of low-permeability clayey–silty reservoirs for the largescale exploitation of hydrate reservoirs in the South China Sea.In this study,a multiphysical-field coupling model,combined with actual exploration drilling data and the mechanical experimental data of hydrate cores in the laboratory,was established to investigate the physical and mechanical properties of low-permeability reservoirs with different slope angles during 5-year hydrate production by the depressurization method via a horizontal well.The result shows that the permeability of reservoirs severely affects gas production rate,and the maximum gas production amount of a 20-m-long horizontal well can reach186.8 m3/day during the 5-year hydrate production.Reservoirs with smaller slope angles show higher gas production rates.The depressurization propagation and hydrate dissociation mainly develop along the direction parallel to the slope.Besides,the mean effective stress of reservoirs is concentrated in the near-wellbore area with the on-going hydrate production,and gradually decreases with the increase of the slope angle.Different from the effective stress distribution law,the total reservoir settlement amount first decreases and then increases with the increase of the slope angle.The maximum settlement of reservoirs with a 0°slope angle is up to 3.4 m,and the displacement in the near-wellbore area is as high as2.2 m after 5 years of hydrate production.It is concluded that the pore pressure drop region of low-permeability reservoirs in the South China Sea is limited,and various slope angles further lead to differences in effective stress and strain of reservoirs during hydrate production,resulting in severe uneven settlement of reservoirs.
文摘Aiming at the influence of blade pitch Angle on aerodynamic noise of wind turbines, the sound field and flow field distribution at 0˚, 5˚, 10˚ and 15˚ are calculated by numerical simulation. Then, through the distribution of pressure field and velocity field calculated by flow field, the influence of different pitch angles on wind turbine blade aerodynamic noise and the reasons for its influence are analyzed. The results show that when the pitch Angle increases within 0˚ - 10˚, the aerodynamic noise pressure level of the blade decreases. However, the sound pressure level of aerodynamic noise increases in the range of 10˚ - 15˚. The changes of static pressure gradient and pressure pulsation on the blade surface make the aerodynamic noise change, and the changes of the two are positively correlated. At the same time, the fluid velocity and fluid motion state on the blade surface are closely related to the aerodynamic noise of the blade. The greater the fluid velocity, the more complex the fluid motion state and the greater the turbulent kinetic energy of the wind turbine blade, and the aerodynamic noise of the wind turbine blade will also increase.
基金National Key Research and Development Program of China(2022YFD2202103)National Natural Science Foundation of China(31971798)+2 种基金Zhejiang Provincial Key Research&Development Plan(2023C02049、2023C02053)SNJF Science and Technology Collaborative Program of Zhejiang Province(2022SNJF017)Hangzhou Agricultural and Social Development Research Project(202203A03)。
文摘The orchards usually have rough terrain,dense tree canopy and weeds.It is hard to use GNSS for autonomous navigation in orchard due to signal occlusion,multipath effect,and radio frequency interference.To achieve autonomous navigation in orchard,a visual navigation method based on multiple images at different shooting angles is proposed in this paper.A dynamic image capturing device is designed for camera installation and multiple images can be shot at different angles.Firstly,the obtained orchard images are classified into sky and soil detection stage.Each image is transformed to HSV space and initially segmented into sky,canopy and soil regions by median filtering and morphological processing.Secondly,the sky and soil regions are extracted by the maximum connected region algorithm,and the region edges are detected and filtered by the Canny operator.Thirdly,the navigation line in the current frame is extracted by fitting the region coordinate points.Then the dynamic weighted filtering algorithm is used to extract the navigation line for the soil and sky detection stage,respectively,and the navigation line for the sky detection stage is mirrored to the soil region.Finally,the Kalman filter algorithm is used to fuse and extract the final navigation path.The test results on 200 images show that the accuracy of visual navigation path fitting is 95.5%,and single frame image processing costs 60 ms,which meets the real-time and robustness requirements of navigation.The visual navigation experiments in Camellia oleifera orchard show that when the driving speed is 0.6 m/s,the maximum tracking offset of visual navigation in weed-free and weedy environments is 0.14 m and 0.24 m,respectively,and the RMSE is 30 mm and 55 mm,respectively.
文摘This paper considers the regularity of solutions to mixed boundary value problems in small-angle regions for elliptic equations. By constructing a specific barrier function, we proved that under the assumption of sufficient regularity of boundary conditions and coefficients, as long as the angle is sufficiently small, the regularity of the solution to the mixed boundary value problem of the second-order elliptic equation can reach any order.
文摘Aim To describe a news system for measuring the and pitch angles of rocket during the launch phase Methods Optical system was to reflect the spot that represents the angular movement of rocket to the position sensitive detector that can convert analogue signal into digital one.Results Compared with conventional optical lever test system which had been applied to measure rocket attitude angle,the new system used the position sensitive detector to replace the screen and high-speed photographic instrumentation as grapher,which can avert photointerpretive data reduction and apply to field experiment more easily and pre- cisely .Conclusion Experimental results show that the test system can be used in measuring the yaw and pitch angles of rocket effectively.
基金supported by the Key Project of National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.51634001)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.51404269 and 51674253)+1 种基金the State Key Research Development Program of China (No.2016YFC0801403)the Key Research Development Program of Jiangsu Province,China (No.BE2015040)
文摘In order to investigate the frequent occurrences of rock burst in gob-side entry during the mining process of the mining zone No. 7, the mechanical model of main roof of fully-mechanized caving mining before breaking was established by the Winkler foundation beam theory, and the stress evolution law of surrounding rock with different dip angles of the seam during the mining process was analyzed by using FLAC3 D. The results show that: with the dip angle changing from 45° to 0°, the solid-coal side of gobside entry begins to form an L-shaped stress concentration zone at a dip angle of 30°, and the stress concentration degree goes to higher and higher levels. However, the stress concentration degree of the coalpillar side goes to lower and lower levels; the influence range and peak stress of the abutment at the lateral strata of adjacent gob increase with dip angle decreasing and reach a maximum value at a dip angle of 0°, but the tailgate is not affected; the abutment pressure superposition of two adjacent gobs leads to stress concentration further enhancing in both sides of gob-side entry. With the influence of strong mining disturbance, rock burst is easily induced by dynamic and static combined load in the advanced segment of gob-side entry. To achieve stability control similar to that in the roadway, the key control strategy is to reinforce surrounding rock and unload both sides. Accordingly, the large-diameter drilling and high-pressure water injection combined unloading and reinforced support cooperative control technology was proposed and applied in field test. The results of Electromagnetic Emission(EME) and field observation showed that unloading and surrounding rock control effect was obvious.
文摘It is well known that surface roughness has a very important effect on superhydrophobicity.The Wenzel and Cassie-Baxter models,which correspond to the homogeneous and heterogeneous wetting respectively,are currently primary instructions for designing superhydrophobic surfaces.However,the particular drop shape that a drop exhibits might depend on how it is formed. A water drop can occupy multiple equilibrium states,which relate to different local minimal energy.In some cases,both equilibrium states can even co-exist on a same substrate.Thus the apparent contact angles may vary and have different values.We discuss how the Wenzel and Cassie-Baxter equations determine the homogeneous and heterogeneous wetting theoretically. Contact angle analysis on hierarchical surface structure and contact angle hysteresis has been put specific attention.In particular, we study the energy barrier of transition from Cassie-Baxter state to Wenzel state,based on existing achievement by previous researchers,to determine the possibility of the transition and how it can be interpreted.It has been demonstrated that surface roughness and geometry will influence the energy required for a drop to get into equilibrium,no matter it is homogeneous or heterogeneous wetting.
基金Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos.51621061,51139007,51409247)National Science and Technology Support Project of China(Grant No.2015BAD20B01)
文摘Pressure fluctuation may cause high amplitude of vibration of double-suction centrifugal pumps, but the impact of impeller stagger angles is still not well understood. In this paper, pressure fluctuation experiments are carried out for five impeller configurations with different stagger angles by using the same test rig system. Results show that the stagger angles exert negligible effects on the characteristics of head and efficiency. The distributions of pressure fluctuations are relatively uniform along the suction chamber wall, and the maximum pressure fluctuation amplitude is reached near the suction inlet tongue region. The pressure fluctuation characteristics are affected largely by impeller rotation, whose dominant frequencies include impeller rotation frequency and its harmonic frequencies, and half blade passage frequency. The stagger angle exerts a small effect on the pressure fluctuations in the suction chamber while a great effect on the pressure fluctuation in volute casing, especially on the aspect of decreasing the amplitude on blade passage frequency. Among the tested cases, the distribution of pressure fluctuations in the volute becomes more uniform than the other impeller configurations and the level of pressure fluctuation may be reduced by up to 50% when the impeller stagger angle is close to 24° or 360°.The impeller structure pattern needs to be taken into consideration during the design period, and the halfway staggered impeller is strongly recommended.
基金This research was done as part of TEKES-funded PanFlow project and as part of a project OPTIMI funded by the Academy of Finland (grant number 117587) in Micro- and Nanosystems Research Group, Tampere University of Technology, Finland.
文摘When characterizing flows in miniaturized channels, the determination of the dynamic contact angle is important. By measuring the dynamic contact angle, the flow properties of the flowing liquid and the effect of material properties on the flow can be characterized. A machine vision based system to measure the contact angle of front or rear menisci of a moving liquid plug is described in this article. In this research, transparent flow channels fabricated on thermoplastic polymer and sealed with an adhesive tape are used. The transparency of the channels enables image based monitoring and measurement of flow variables, including the dynamic contact angle. It is shown that the dynamic angle can be measured from a liquid flow in a channel using the image based measurement system. An image processing algorithm has been developed in a MATLAB environment. Images are taken using a CCD camera and the channels are illuminated using a custom made ring light. Two fitting methods, a circle and two parabolas, are experimented and the results are compared in the measurement of the dynamic contact angles.
基金the Science and Technology authority of Taiwan, China, for financially supporting this research under Grant No.NSC 102-2221-E-027-071-MY3
文摘Intact rock-like specimens and specimens that include a single, smooth planar joint at various angles are prepared for split Hopkinson pressure bar(SHPB) testing. A buffer pad between the striker bar and the incident bar of an SHPB apparatus is used to absorb some of the shock energy. This can generate loading rates of 20.2-4627.3 GPa/s, enabling dynamic peak stresses/strengths and associated failure patterns of the specimens to be investigated. The effects of the loading rate and angle of load applied on the dynamic peak stresses/strengths of the specimens are examined. Relevant experimental results demonstrate that the failure pattern of each specimen can be classified as four types: Type A, integrated with or without tiny flake-off; Type B, slide failure; Type C, fracture failure; and Type D, crushing failure. The dynamic peak stresses/strengths of the specimens that have similar failure patterns increase linearly with the loading rate, yielding high correlations that are evident on semi-logarithmic plots. The slope of the failure envelope is the smallest for slide failure, followed by crushing failure, and that of fracture failure is the largest. The magnitude of the plot slope of the dynamic peak stress against the loading rate for the specimens that are still integrated after testing is between that of slide failure and crushing failure. The angle of application has a limited effect on the dynamic peak stresses/strengths of the specimens regardless of the failure pattern, but it affects the bounds of the loading rates that yield each failure pattern, and thus influences the dynamic responses of the single jointed specimen. Slide failure occurs at the lowest loading rate of any failure, but can only occur in single jointed specimen that allows sliding.Crushing failure is typically associated with the largest loading rate, and fracture failure may occur when the loading rate is between the boundaries for slide failure and crushing failure.
基金supported by National Science and Technology Major Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology (No. 2018ZX03001031)Key program of Beijing Municipal Natural Science Foundation (No. L172030)+1 种基金Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission Project (No. Z181100003218007)the Key Project of State Key Lab of Networking and Switching Technology (No. NST20180105)
文摘Three dimensional(3D)Multiple Input and Multiple Output(MIMO)is one of the most promising techniques for the 5th generation(5G)mobile communication system.To support its research,the property of elevation angle in 3D channel model should be accurately modeled.Conventionally,3D channel is modeled with an assumption that the mean elevation angle of multipaths is coincided with the line-of-sight(LOS)direction.In order to investigate its authenticity and give the reliable 3D channel model,extensive 3D multiple antenna field channel measurements with 100 MHz bandwidth are conducted in three typical scenarios,including outdoor to indoor(O2I),urban microcell(UMi)and urban macrocell(UMa).The statistical characteristics and parameters are extracted and analyzed based on the measurement data.It is found that the assumption holds in the LOS condition.However,for non-line-of-sight(NLOS)condition,a difference exists between the mean elevation angle and the direction connecting transmitter and receiver,which is defined as the elevation angle offset.Then,the eigenvalue distribution and capacity are compared between the reconstructed 3D channels with and without elevation angle offset.Results show that the performance of 3D channel with angle offset fits the measurement data better whereas that without angle offset is underestimated.
文摘AIM: To evaluate dual Scheimpflug analyzer(Galilei) as a screening method for the diagnostic of gonioscopically narrow anterior chamber angles(ACA). METHODS: In 40 eyes of 40 patients with different ACA range, the ACA, anterior chamber volume(ACV) and anterior chamber depth(ACD) were analyzed using the dual Scheimpflug analyzer(Galilei G6 system). Correspondence between these parameters and Shaffer's classification based on gonioscopy were studied. Receiving operator characteristic(ROC) curves and partition analysis were used to determine the efficacy of the Galilei system in screening for narrow angles. Agreement(Kappa statistics), sensitivity, and specificity for each eye, according to Galilei measures, were also assessed. RESULTS: Shaffer's grade(from 0 to 4) were significantly associated with each of the measurements(P<0.001). In screening eyes with narrow angles with the Galilei, the area under the ROC curve was largest(0.90) when ACD was used as the reference, and partition analysis demonstrated that those eyes were most adequately partitioned with an ACD of 2.86 mm with 100% sensitivity and 80% specificity. CONCLUSION: The Galilei is a secure, repeatable and noncontact screening method for narrow angles. However it does not provide sufficient information about the ACA anatomy to be considered a substitute for gonioscopy.
文摘AIM: To investigate the difference in kappa angle between sitting and supine positions during laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis(LASIK).·METHODS: A retrospective study was performed on395 eyes from 215 patients with myopia that received LASIK. Low, moderate, and high myopia groups were assigned according to diopters. The horizontal and vertical components of kappa angle in sitting position were measured before the operation, and in supine position during the operation. The data from the two positions were compared and the relationship between kappa angle and diopters were analyzed.· RESULTS: Two hundred and twenty-three eyes(56.5%) in sitting position and 343 eyes(86.8%) in supine position had positive kappa angles. There were no significant differences in horizontal and vertical components of kappa angle in the sitting position or horizontal components of kappa angle in the supine position between the three groups(P 〉0.05). A significant difference in the vertical components of kappa angle in the supine position was seen in the three groups(P 〈0.01). Differences in both horizontal and vertical components of kappa angles were significant between the sitting and supine positions. Positive correlations in both horizontal and vertical components of kappa angles(P 〈0.05) were found and vertical components of kappa angle in sitting and supine positions were negatively correlated with the degree of myopia(sitting position: r =-0.109; supine position: r =-0.172; P 〈0.05).·CONCLUSION: There is a correlation in horizontal and vertical components of kappa angle in sitting and supine positions. Positive correlations in both horizontal and vertical components of kappa angle in sitting and supine positions till the end of the results. This result still needs further observation. Clinicians should take into account different postures when excimer laser surgery needs to be performed.
文摘Optimizing the output power of a photovoltaic panel improves the efficiency of a solar driven energy system. The maximum output power of a photovoltaic panel depends on atmospheric conditions, such as (direct solar radiation, air pollution and cloud movements), load profile and the tilt and orientation angles. This paper describes an experimental analysis of maximizing output power of a photovoltaic panel, based on the use of existing equations of tilt angles derived from mathematical models and simulation packages. Power regulation is achieved by the use of a DC-DC converter, a fixed load resistance and a single photovoltaic panel. A data logger is used to make repeated measurements which ensure reliability of the results. The results of the paper were taken over a four month period from April through July. The photovoltaic panel was set to an orientation angle of 0? with tilt angles of 16?, 26? and 36?. Preliminary results indicate that tilt angles between 26? and 36? provide optimum photovoltaic output power for winter months in South Africa.