Robust single machine scheduling problem with uncertain job due dates for industrial mass production

The single machine scheduling problem which involves uncertain job due dates is one of the most important issues in the real make-to-order environment. To deal with the uncertainty, this paper establishes a robust optimization model by minimizing the maximum tardiness in the worst case scenario over all jobs. Unlike the traditional stochastic programming model which requires exact distributions, our model only needs the information of due date intervals. The worst case scenario for a given sequence that belongs to a set containing only n scenarios is proved, where n is the number of jobs. Then, the model is simplified and reformulated as an equivalent mixed 0-1 integer linear programming(MILP) problem. To solve the MILP problems efficiently, a heuristic approach is proposed based on a robust dominance rule. The experimental results show that the proposed method has the advantages of robustness and high calculating efficiency, and it is feasible for large-scale problems.

Theoretical model for elliptical tube laterally impacted by two parallel rigid plates

An analytical model is developed to study the crushing behavior and energy absorption capability of a single elliptical tube impacted by two parallel rigid plates, with and without consideration of the strain hardening effect. The four-hinge collapse mechanism is used, and the governing equation is derived from Lagrange equations of the second kind. The numerical simulation of the dynamic response of the elliptical tube under impact using the finite element explicit code LS-DYNA is performed. The reaction force-displacement curve and displacement-time curve of the plate obtained from the two methods are in good agreement.

Experimental investigation on the plasma morphology of ablative pulsed plasma thruster with tongue-shaped and flared electrodes

Ablative pulsed plasma thrusters(APPTs)are considered as an attractive propulsion option for station-keeping and drag makeup purposes for mass-and power-limited satellites.In order to understand the physical mechanism of APPTs,high-speed camera and optical emission spectroscopy are utilized to investigate the plasma characteristics including the spatial distribution and composition between the electrodes.The plume images and spectra at different times and positions are experimentally recorded,and the spatial distribution,composition,and trajectory of plasmas can be concluded through analyzing them.With the increase of the distance from the ablation surface,two clusters of plasmas near the anode and cathode meet downstream,and the species and density of plasmas tend to be uniform.

An adaptive time-frequency filtering method for nonstationary signals based on the generalized S-transform

Aiming at the serious interference of the cross term existing in the time-frequency(TF) filtering method,an adaptive TF filtering method for nonstationary signals based on the generalized S-transform is proposed.Firstly the time-frequency distribution spectrum of the signal is got by the generalized S-transform,then the clustered energy of the signal on the timefrequency plane is identified by the TF region extraction algorithm,thirdly the TF filtering factor is constructed based on the distribution characteristic of the effective signal and noise,and finally the random noise is removed from the original signal and the effective signal is remained.Simulation results demonstrate that this method has satisfactory performance in denoising and improving the signal-to-noise ratio.