Numerical Modeling of a New Flight Simulator Enabling Continuous 360⁃Degree Spinning and Translational Motion

This paper presents a new nine⁃degree⁃of⁃freedom parallel mechanism,which can be applied as a flight simulator.The mechanism is composed by Stewart turntable and another three⁃axis turntable.The Stewart platform can realize six⁃degree⁃of⁃freedom movement in space,but the working space is limited.After the three⁃axis turntable is installed,the rotation space can be increased to simulate more realistic flight conditions.This paper analyzes the new flight simulator from kinematics and dynamics aspects.In addition,the flight simulator is simulated and analyzed based on the MATLAB/Simulink simulation system.The results obtained from the numerical simulations is planned to be used for the practical manufacturing and applications of the new platform.

Long-Term Effect of TMD on Vibration Control of An MDOF Offshore Fixed Platform

A three-dimensional fixed offshore platform in deep water modeled by the finite element method is studied in this paper. Analysis of the dynamic response of the MDOF structure is realized taking the non-linearity of the wave drag force and the wave-structure interaction into account. The structural response statistics, which have Gaussian distributions, are used to evaluate the vibration effect of the structure without TMD and with TMD. And an optimal method to design TMD controlling the first mode of the multi-mode structure is proposed. Moreover, the probabilities of occurrence of sea states at the platform site are considered for prediction of the long-term effect of a TMD. Simulation results demonstrate that the long-term effect of a well-designed TMD is good and the practical use is possible due to the good stability of its optimal parameters under different sea states.

Hydrodynamic Response and Power Performance of A Heave and Pitch Buoy Wave Energy Converter Under Bimodal Ochi-Hubble Wave Spectrum

In coastal sea areas with the bimodal Ochi-Hubble wave spectrum, such as parts of the China Sea and Indian Ocean,wave energy is the superposition of wind wave and swell. Traditional heaving buoy wave energy converters developed with narrowband wave spectrums suffer from big energy loss in these areas, leading to lower power absorption efficiency and higher generating costs. In contrast, multi-freedom buoy has different resonant frequencies and maximal power capture wave frequencies in different degrees of freedom(DOFs). Therefore, this study proposed using two DOFs to capture the energy of wind wave and swell correspondingly. A heave and pitch buoy model was established by potential flow theory and validated by experimental data. Coupling effect on the motion and power absorption, power capture frequency distribution and power absorption with different linear power takeoff system damping coefficients were analyzed to reveal the hydrodynamic response and the power performance of the two DOFs. The results indicate that by using heave and pitch DOFs, the wave energy components of wind wave and swell were captured in a targeted manner. It demonstrates that the 2-DOF buoy is an effective tool to avoid the energy loss and realize the efficient power absorption in coastal sea areas with bimodal Ochi-Hubble waves.