Stiffness Analysis of Corrugated Flexure Beam Used in Compliant Mechanisms

Conventional flexible joints generally have limited range of motion and high stress concentration. To overcome these shortcomings, corrugated flexure beam（CF beam） is designed because of its large flexibility obtained from longer overall length on the same span. The successful design of compliant mechanisms using CF beam requires manipulation of the stiffnesses as the design variables. Empirical equations of the CF beam stiffness components, except of the torsional stiffness, are obtained by curve-fitting method. The application ranges of all the parameters in each empirical equation are also discussed. The ratio of off-axis to axial stiffness is considered as a key characteristic of an effective compliant joint. And parameter study shows that the radius of semi-circular segment and the length of straight segment contribute most to the ratio. At last, CF beam is used to design translational and rotational flexible joints, which also verifies the validity of the empirical equations. CF beam with large flexibility is presented, and empirical equations of its stiffness are proposed to facilitate the design of flexible joint with large range of motion.

Analysis of Frequency Characteristics and Sensitivity of Compliant Mechanisms

Based on a modified pseudo-rigid-body model,the frequency characteristics and sensitivity of the large-deformation compliant mechanism are studied.Firstly,the pseudo-rigid-body model under the static and kinetic conditions is modified to enable the modified pseudo-rigid-body model to be more suitable for the dynamic analysis of the compliant mechanism.Subsequently,based on the modified pseudo-rigid-body model,the dynamic equations of the ordinary compliant four-bar mechanism are established using the analytical mechanics.Finally,in combination with the finite element analysis software ANSYS,the frequency characteristics and sensitivity of the compliant mechanism are analyzed by taking the compliant parallel-guiding mechanism and the compliant bistable mechanism as examples.From the simulation results,the dynamic characteristics of compliant mechanism are relatively sensitive to the structure size,section parameter,and characteristic parameter of material on mechanisms.The results could provide great theoretical significance and application values for the structural optimization of compliant mechanisms,the improvement of their dynamic properties and the expansion of their application range.

Analysis of fluoxetine-induced plasticity mechanisms as a strategy for understanding plasticity related neural disorders

Fluoxetine hydrochloride,better known for its commercial name Prozac,is one of the most widely prescribed antidepressant drugs all over the world.This drug was considered a＂breakthrough drug＂for the treatment of depression because of its very high selectivity as a serotonin reuptake inhibitor and because it presented a lower side-effectprofile than previous drugs （Wong et al., 2005）.

AUTOMATIC DISPLACEMENT ANALYSIS OF PLANAR MECHANISMS WITH MATCHING BASIC KINEMATIC CHAINS METHOD

A simple, efficient, automatic and universal method to fulfill displacementanalysis of a great deal of mechanisms regenerated by Yan's mechanism creative theory has beendeveloped. For a regenerated mechanism, at first, the method identifies its type and structure andchanges it into a rigid structure by fixing the ground link and the input link. And then this rigidstructure is decomposed into a set of basic kinematic chains (BKCs). By matching the type of BKC,the displacement analysis equations can be set up, and all possible configurations, in whichpositions of all movable links are considered, can be given out.

Experimental Study and Failure Criterion Analysis of Rubber Fibre Reinforced Concrete under Biaxial Compression-Compression

In order to examine the biaxial compression-compression properties of rubber fibre reinforced concrete(RFRC),an experimental study on RFRC under different lateral compressive stresses was carried out by considering different rubber replacement rates and polypropylene fibre contents.The failure modes and mechanical property parameters of different RFRC working conditions were obtained from the experiment to explore the effects of rubber replacement rate and polypropylene fibre content on the biaxial compression-compression properties of RFRC.The following conclusions were drawn.Under the influence of lateral compressive stress,the biaxial compression-compression failure mode gradually developed from a columnar pattern to a flaky pattern,suggesting that the incorporation of rubber and polypropylene fibres into the concrete resulted in a significant change in the development of cracks.For different rubber replacement rates and polypropylene fibre contents,the vertical compressive stress exhibited the same developing trend under the influence of lateral compressive stress.Specifically,the lateral compressive stress imposed the minimum effect on the vertical compressive stress when the rubber replacement rate and polypropylene fibre content were 20%and 0.4%,respectively,and imposed the maximum effect when the rubber replacement rate and polypropylene fibre content were 20%and 0%,respectively.With the increase of rubber replacement rate,the vertical peak stress was significantly reduced,which implies that an appropriate amount of polypropylene fibres can increase the vertical peak stress to a certain extent.Then,the biaxial compression-compression mechanism of RFRC was analysed from the microscopic level by using scanning electron microscope(SEM).Meanwhile,based on Kupfer’s biaxial compression-compression failure criterion and the octahedral stress space,a biaxial compression-compression failure criterion for RFRC was proposed,which was proven to have good applicability.The research results of this study provide important theoretical basis for the engineering application and development of RFRC.

Wellbore Cleaning Degree and Hydraulic Extension in Shale Oil Horizontal Wells

The efficient development and exploitation of shale oil depends on long-distance horizontal wells. As the degreeof cleaning of the wellbore plays a key role in these processes, in this study, this problem is investigated experimentallyby focusing on the dimensionless cuttings bed height. A method is proposed to calculate the horizontalwellhydraulic extension taking into account the influence of the wellbore cleaning degree on the wellborepressure distribution and assess the effect of a variety of factors such as the bottom hole pressure, the circulatingpressure drop, the drilling pump performance and the formation properties. The analysis shows that the hydraulicextension of horizontal wells decreases with an increase in the cuttings bed height, and the higher the displacementof drilling fluid, the faster the hydraulic extension declines. The annular pressure drop of the horizontalsection increases with the increase of the cuttings bed height, resulting in a higher bottom-hole pressure. Severalarguments are provided to guide the safe drilling of shale oil horizontal wells and overcome the limits of currenttechnological approaches.

A Procedure for Trisecting an Acute Angle (Method 2)

This paper presents an alternate graphical procedure (Method 2), to that presented in earlier publications entitled, “A Procedure for Trisecting an Acute Angle” and “A Key to Solving the Angle Trisection Problem”. The procedure, when applied to the 30˚ and 60˚ angles that have been “proven” to be nottrisectable and the 45˚ benchmark angle that is known to be trisectable, in each case produced a construction having an identical angular relationship with Archimedes’ Construction, as in Section 2 on THEORY of this paper, where the required trisection angle was found to be one-third of its respective angle (i.e. DE’MA = 1/3 DE’CG). For example, the trisection angle for the 30˚, 45˚ and 60˚ angles were 10.00000˚, 15.00000˚, and 20.00000˚, respectively, and Section 5 on PROOF in this paper. Therefore, based on this identical angular relationship and the numerical results (i.e. to five decimal places), which represent the highest degree of accuracy and precision attainable by The Geometer’s Sketch Pad software, one can only conclude that not only the geometric requirements for arriving at an exact trisection of the 30˚ and 60˚ angle (which have been “proven” to be not-trisectable) have been met, but also, the construction is valid for any arbitrary acute angle, despite theoretical proofs to the contrary by Wantzel, Dudley, and others.

Preparation and Performance Study of Cementitious Capillary Crystalline Waterproof Materials

Cementitious capillary crystalline waterproof materials(CCCW for short)offer durability and excellent waterproofing properties,making them a popular option for building waterproofing.Some scholars have studied the proportioning of such materials.However,these studies lack the relationship between the impermeability pressure of mortar and the components,and the mechanism of action is somewhat debatable.Therefore,we adopted a two-step method in our experiments.Firstly,we screened out the components that significantly impact impermeability from a variety of active components by orthogonal test.We then optimized the design of the active group ratio using the simplex lattice method.Lastly,we conducted a performance test of the optimal ratio and explored the waterproofing mechanism of homemade CCCW.

INTEGRATED ANALYSIS APPROACHES TO ROCK MECHANICS PROBLEMS

In order to effectively cope with exponent increase of the complexity faced to the rock mechanics analysis problems and the large incompatibility existing between the information level required to model the rock mass and engineering and our obtainable information level at hand,the integrated approaches with intelligent characters are proposed. Many previous standard methods,such as precedent type analysis,rock classification,analytic method stress-based,basic numerical methods (BEM,FEM,DEM,hybrid),and their extended numerical methods (fully coupled) to be developed,can be selected respectively or integrated accordingly. It is alternative to develop basic/fully integrated system,and internet-based approaches. These novel methods can also be selected or integrated each other or with the standard methods to perform rock mechanics analysis. Some key techniques to develop these alternative methods are discussed. It may focus in future on developing fully integrated systems and internet-based approaches. Developing an environmental,virtual facility/space shall be firstly done for this collaborative research on internet.

MECHANISM DESIGN AND MOTION ANALYSIS OF A SPHERICAL MOBILE ROBOT

A new spherical mobile robot BHQ-1 is designed. The spherical robot is driven by two internally mounted motors that induce the ball to move straight and turn around on a fiat surface. A dynamic model of the robot is developed with Lagrange method and factors affecting the driving torque of two motors are analyzed. The relationship between the turning radius of the robot and the length of two links is discussed in order to optimize its mechanism design. Simulation and experimental results demonstrate the good controllability and motion performance of BHQ-1.

Mechanical Analysis and Measurements of a Multicomponent NbTi/Cu Superconducting Magnets Structure for the Fully Superconducting Electron Cyclotron Resonance Ion Source

A fully superconducting electron cyclotron resonance （ECR） ion source （SECRAL ID is currently being built in the Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Its key components are three superconducting solenoids （Nb-Ti/Cu） and six superconducting sextupoles （Nb-Ti/Cu）. Different from the conventional supercon- ducting ECR magnetic structure, the SEC17AL Ⅱ includes three superconducting solenoid coils＇ that are located inside the superconducting sextupoles. The SECRAL Ⅱ can significantly reduce the interaction forces between the sextupole and the solenoids, and the magnets can also be more compact in size. For this multi-component SECRAL Ⅱ generating its self field of -8 T and being often exposed to the high self field, the mechanical analysis has become the main issue to keep their stress at 〈200 MPa on coils. The analytical and experimental results in mechanics are presented in the SECRAL Ⅱ structure. To improve the accuracy and efficiency of analysis, according to the composite rule of micromechanics, the equivalent uniform windings are used to simulate the epoxy-impregnated Nb-Ti/Cu coils. In addition, using low temperature strain gauges and a wireless fast strain acquisition system, a fundamental experiment on the based on our analysis, the stresses and deformations optimized. strains developments of a sextupole is reported. Finally, for its assembly of each SECRAL Ⅱ coil will be further

Mechanical Analysis and Optimization of ITER Upper ELM Coil & Feeder

International thermonuclear experimental reactor （ITER） edge localized mode （ELM） coils are used to mitigate or suppress ELMs. The location of the coils in the vacuum vessel and behind the blankets exposes them to high radiation levels and high temperatures. The feeders provide the power and cooling water for ELM coils. They are located in the chinmey ports and experience lower radiation and temperature levels. These coils and feeders work in a high magnetic field environment and are subjected to alternating electromagnetic force due to the interaction between high magnetic field and alternating current （AC） current in the coils. They are also subjected to thermal stresses due to thermal expansion. Using the ITER upper ELM coil and feeder as an example, mechanical analyses are performed to verify and optimize the updated design to enhance their structural performance. The results show that the conductor, jacket and bracket can meet the static, fatigue and crack threshold criteria. The optimization indicates that adding chamfers to the bracket can reduce the high stress of the bracket, and removing two rails can reduce the peak reaction force on the two rails arising from thermal expansion.

Mechanism Analysis of Stiffness Improvement by Waterborne Epoxy Resin Surface Sizing Agent

Low-basis-weight paper lacks normal strength and stiffness. Waterborne epoxy resin could be employed with oxidized starch to improve paper stiffness through surface sizing. In this study,the mechanism of enhancing stiffness by adding waterborne epoxy resin was fully investigated. The results indicated that through surface sizing with epoxy resin,the paper thickness was preserved,whereas the elastic modulus increased significantly and the epoxy resin had positive impact on single fiber strength. A rigid resin layer and interpenetrating polymer network formed on the surface and in the inner layer of the paper,respectively. The formed resin layer and interpenetrating polymer network strongly supported the paper,leading to the improvement of the elastic modulus and stiffness. The stiffness improvement through surface sizing was mainly due to the formation of a fibrous composite layer and penetration of the sizing agent into the inner layers of the paper. The better the combination between fiber and sizing agent,the higher were the elastic modulus and the stiffness of the whole paper.

Analysis of Mechanical Properties of Injection Molded Short Glass Fibre (SGF)/Calcite/ABS Composites

Acrylonitrile-butadiene-Styrene (ABS), with and without calcium carbonate (calcite) particles,was used as the matrix for reinforcement with as-received short-glass fibres (were originallytreated by the manufacturer) and sized short-glass fibres with two amino-silane coupling agents.The calcite particle content is 0, 11.7 and 23.5 vol. pct for the matrices. The glass fiber contentis 0, 10 and 15 vol. pct. The matrix materials and corresponding composites were compoundedusing a twin screw extruder and dumbbell-shaped tensile bars were prepared with an injectionmolding process. The tensile and flexural properties as well as the unnotched and notchedCharpy impact energies of short glass fibre/calcite/ABS composites were studied in this paper.The effects of fibres, fibre surface treatments and particles on these mechanical properties ofthe composites were discussed in detail. An importarit information was obtained, which is thatthe tensile and flexural strengths of hybrid SGF/calcite/ABS composites are the same as thoseof corresponding fibre composites when the ratio of the interfacial adhesion strength betweenparticles and matrix to that between fibres and matrix is higher than certain value. otherwise theformer are lower than the latter.

Position, Singularity and Workspace Analysis of 3-PSR-O Spatial Parallel Manipulator

Although the parallel mechanisms have the advantages of high accuracy, velocity, stiffness, and payload capacity, the shortcomings of the space utilization and workspace limit the applications in the confined space. A novel 3 degrees of freedom spatial parallel manipulator 3-PSR-O（prismatic-spherical-revolute） is proposed, which possesses a compact architecture and extended workspace while maintaining the inherent advantages of the parallel mechanisms. The direct-inverse position, singularity and workspace are investigated. The mapping method is adopted in the position analysis, and the closed form solution is derived in the form of a six order equation. The singularity analysis of the mechanism is also carried out based on the geometrical constraints, including six singularity boundaries. A feature boundary, which is independent of the prismatic joints＇ stroke limit, is obtained by integrating the six singularity boundaries. According to the formation of the reachable workspace, a concept of basic workspace is also introduced and presented in the analytical way. By demarcating the basic workspace along the central height with the feature boundary, the reachable workspace can be derived and analyzed more efficiently. Finally, a comparative study on the space utilization between the 3-PSP parallel mechanism and the new mechanism is also presented. The area of feature boundary of the new mechanism is about 140% of the 3-PSP parallel mechanism, while its installation radius is only 1/2 of the 3-PSP parallel mechanism. The proposed parallel mechanism shows great space utilization, and is ideally suited for applications in confined space occasions such as immersion lithography, nano-imprint etc.

Improved Reliability Analysis Method Based on the Failure Assessment Diagram

With the uncertainties related to operating conditions,in-service non-destructive testing（NDT） measurements and material properties considered in the structural integrity assessment,probabilistic analysis based on the failure assessment diagram（FAD） approach has recently become an important concern.However,the point density revealing the probabilistic distribution characteristics of the assessment points is usually ignored.To obtain more detailed and direct knowledge from the reliability analysis,an improved probabilistic fracture mechanics（PFM） assessment method is proposed.By integrating 2D kernel density estimation（KDE） technology into the traditional probabilistic assessment,the probabilistic density of the randomly distributed assessment points is visualized in the assessment diagram.Moreover,a modified interval sensitivity analysis is implemented and compared with probabilistic sensitivity analysis.The improved reliability analysis method is applied to the assessment of a high pressure pipe containing an axial internal semi-elliptical surface crack.The results indicate that these two methods can give consistent sensitivities of input parameters,but the interval sensitivity analysis is computationally more efficient.Meanwhile,the point density distribution and its contour are plotted in the FAD,thereby better revealing the characteristics of PFM assessment.This study provides a powerful tool for the reliability analysis of critical structures.

FORWARD KINEMATICS ANALYSIS FOR A NOVEL 5-DOF PARALLEL MECHANISM USING TETRAHEDRON CONFIGURATIONS

Forward kinematics analysis of a novel 5-DOF parallel mechanism using tetrahedron configurations is presented. Such mechanism is suitable to many tasks requiring less than 6 DOFs. It consists of a movable platform connected to the base by five identical 6-DOF active limbs plus one active limb with its DOF being exactly the same as the specified DOF of the movable platform, which leads to its legs＇ topology 4-UPS/UPU. Based on the tetmhedron geometry, both closed-form solution with an extra sensor and numerical method using iterative algorithm are employed to obtain the forward kinematics solutions of the mechanism. Compared with the conventional methods, the proposed closed-form solution has the advantages in automatically avoiding unnecessary complex roots and getting a unique solution for the forward kinematics. Finally, an example shows that the proposed numerical algorithm is so effective that it enables a real-time forward kinematics solution to be achieved and the initial value can be chosen easily.

Analysis of Dissociation Mechanism of CO_2 in a Micro-Hollow Cathode Discharge

Considering the feature of distributions of parameters within the micro-hollow cathode discharge, we use a simple method to separate the sheath region characterized by drastic changes of plasma parameters and the bulk plasma region characterized by smooth changes of plasma parameters. A zero-dimensional chemical kinetic model is used to analyze the dissociation mechanism of CO2 in the bulk plasma region of a micro-hollow cathode discharge and is validated by comparisons with previous modeling and experimental results. The analysis of the chemical kinetic processes has shown that the electron impact dissociation and heavy species impact dissociation are dominant in different stages of the rnicro-hollow cathode discharge process for a given applied voltage. The analysis of energy consumption distributions under different applied voltages reveals that the main reason of the conversion improvement with the increase of the applied voltage is that more input energy is distributed to the heavy species impact dissociation.

Analysis and Design of the Globoidal Indexing Cam Mechanism

We first design and analyze the contour surface of the globoidal indexing cam with the aid of computer, and then do optimum design according to the requirements of dynamics. Finally, we discuss the problem of the pressure angle of the globoidal indexing cam mechanism in detail and put forward a new concept of equivalent pressure angle.

Analysis and Inverse Substructuring Computation on Dynamic Quality of Mechanical Assembly

Mechanical assembly has its own dynamic quality directly affecting the dynamic quality of whole product and should be considered in quality inspection and estimation of mechanical assembly. Based on functional relations between dynamic characteristics involved in mechanical assembly, the effects of assembling process on dynamic characteristics of substructural components of an assembly system are investigated by substructuring analysis. Assembly-coupling dynamic stiffness is clarified as the dominant factor of the effects and can be used as a quantitative measure of assembly dynamic quality. Two computational schemes using frequency response functions（FRFs） to determine the stiffness are provided and discussed by inverse substructuring analysis, including their applicable conditions and implementation procedure in application. Eigenvalue analysis on matrix-ratios of FRFs before and after assembling is employed and well validates the analytical outcomes and the schemes via both a lumped-parameter model and its analogic experimental counterpart. Applying the two schemes to inspect the dynamic quality provides the message of dynamic performance of the assembly system, and therefore improves conventional quality inspection and estimation of mechanical assembly in completeness.