Research status and challenges in the manufacturing of IR conformal optics

The infrared conformal window is one of the most critical components in aircraft.Conformal windows with high performance bring low aberrations,high aerodynamic performance,reliability in extreme working environments,and added value for aircraft.Through the past decades,remarkable advances have been achieved in manufacturing technologies for conformal windows,where the machining accuracy approaches the nanometer level,and the surface form becomes more complex.These advances are critical to aircraft development,and these manufacturing technologies also have significant reference values for other directions of the ultra-precision machining field.In this review,the infrared materials suitable for manufacturing conformal windows are introduced and compared with insights into their performances.The remarkable advances and concrete work accomplished by researchers are reviewed.The challenges in manufacturing conformal windows that should be faced in the future are discussed.

A Hybrid Approach for Predicting the Remaining Useful Life of Bearings Based on the RReliefF Algorithm and Extreme Learning Machine

Accurately predicting the remaining useful life(RUL)of bearings in mining rotating equipment is vital for mining enterprises.This research aims to distinguish the features associated with the RUL of bearings and propose a prediction model based on these selected features.This study proposes a hybrid predictive model to assess the RUL of rolling element bearings.The proposed model begins with the pre-processing of bearing vibration signals to reconstruct sixty time-domain features.The hybrid model selects relevant features from the sixty time-domain features of the vibration signal by adopting the RReliefF feature selection algorithm.Subsequently,the extreme learning machine(ELM)approach is applied to develop a predictive model of RUL based on the optimal features.The model is trained by optimizing its parameters via the grid search approach.The training datasets are adjusted to make them most suitable for the regression model using the cross-validation method.The proposed hybrid model is analyzed and validated using the vibration data taken from the public XJTU-SY rolling element-bearing database.The comparison is constructed with other traditional models.The experimental test results demonstrated that the proposed approach can predict the RUL of bearings with a reliable degree of accuracy.

Dynamic Modeling and Experimental Verification of an RPR Type Compliant Paralle Mechanism with Low Orders

Efficiency of calculating a dynamic response is an important point of the compliant mechanism for posture adjustment.Dynamic modeling with low orders of a 2R1T compliant parallel mechanism is studied in the paper.The mechanism with two out-of-plane rotational and one lifting degrees of freedom(DoFs)plays an important role in posture adjustment.Based on elastic beam theory,the stiffness matrix and mass matrix of the beam element are established where the moment of inertia is considered.To improve solving efficiency,a dynamic model with low orders of the mechanism is established based on a modified modal synthesis method.Firstly,each branch of the RPR type mechanism is divided into a substructure.Subsequently,a set of hypothetical modes of each substructure is obtained based on the C-B method.Finally,dynamic equation of the whole mechanism is established by the substructure assembly.A dynamic experiment is conducted to verify the dynamic characteristics of the compliant mechanism.

Adaptive Robust Control with Leakage-Type Control Law for Trajectory Tracking of Exoskeleton Robots

This paper investigates the trajectory following problem of exoskeleton robots with numerous constraints. However, as a typical nonlinear system with variability and parameter uncertainty, it is difficult to accurately achieve the trajectory tracking control for exoskeletons. In this paper, we present a robust control of trajectory tracking control based on servo constraints. Firstly, we consider the uncertainties (e.g., modelling errors, initial condition deviations, structural vibrations, and other unknown external disturbances) in the exoskeleton system, which are time-varying and bounded. Secondly, we establish the dynamic model and formulate a close-loop connection between the dynamic model and the real world. Then, the trajectory tracking issue is regarded as a servo constraint problem, and an adaptive robust control with leakage-type adaptive law is proposed with the guaranteed Lyapunov stability. Finally, we conduct numerical simulations to verify the performance of the proposed controller.

Effects of pre-aging on microstructure evolution and deformation mechanisms of hot extruded Mg–6Zn–1Gd–1Er Mg alloys

The influence of pre-aging treatment on the microstructure,texture and mechanical properties of the Mg–6Zn–1Gd–1Er(wt.%)alloy was investigated.The microstructure analysis shows that the presence of pre-aging is beneficial to{1012}twin nucleation at the early stage of extrusion and inhibits the growth of twins and promotes the formation of[1010]-fiber texture components,thus accelerating the complex process of recrystallization.In the middle stage of extrusion,the extruded samples under the condition of solid solution were subjected to dynamic precipitation during severe shear deformation.The precipitation of the second phase particles followed the particle stimulating nucleation(PSN)mechanism,which increased the volume fraction of DRX grains during extrusion.In the extruded samples under the peak-aged condition,the particles appear dissolved during the severe shear deformation strain,which slows down the DRX process.In the later stage of extrusion,the small rod-shaped particles followed the PSN mechanism,and finally formed the strong fiber texture.The extruded alloy exhibits the strongest mechanical properties under the peak-aged state,with ultimate tensile strength(UTS)of 346 MPa,tensile yield strength(TYS)of 217 MPa,and elongation to failure(EL)of 13.6%.The improvement of mechanical properties is mainly attributed to the existence of strong fiber texture,small rod-shaped and block-shaped phases.

Rapid printing of 3D porous scaffolds for breast reconstruction

Prosthesis implantation and fat transplantation are common breast reconstructionmethods.In general,prosthesis implantation alone does not achieve a realistic enough appearance,and fat transplantation alone is difficult to achieve in the correct capacity.To date,no reports have focused on methods of combining fat with implanted prostheses for breast reconstruction.Using a newly designed bionic ink(i.e.,polyether F127 diacrylate(F127DA)&poly(ethylene glycol)diacrylate(PEGDA))and projection-based three-dimensional bioprinting(PBP),we report the development of a new method for printing porous prostheses.PEGDA was used to improve the printing precision of the prosthesis by increasing the gel point of F127DA and reducing the impact of external temperature.The compression modulus of the printed prosthesis was very close to that of prostheses currently used in clinical practice and to that of natural breasts.Finally,stromal vascular fraction gel(SVF-gel),a human fat extract,was injected into the pores of the synthesized prostheses to prepare a prosthesis mixed with adipose tissue.These were implanted subcutaneously in nude mice to observe their biological performance.After 14 and 28 days of observation,the prosthesis showed good biocompatibility,and adipose tissues grew well in and around the prosthesis.This result shows that a porous prosthesis containing pre-placed adipose tissues is a promising breast reconstruction material.

Computational and experimental investigations of a microfluidic mixer for efficient iodine extraction using carbon tetrachloride enhanced with gas bubbles

Numerous studies have been conducted on microfluidic mixers in various microanalysis systems, which elucidated the manipulation and control of small fluid volumes within microfluidic chips. These studies have demonstrated the ability to control fluids and samples precisely at the microscale. Microfluidic mixers provide high sensitivity for biochemical analysis due to their small volumes and high surface-to-volume ratios. A promising approach in drug delivery is the rapid microfluidic mixer-based extraction of elemental iodine at the micro level, demonstrating the versatility and the potential to enhance diagnostic imaging and accuracy in targeted drug delivery. Micro-mixing inside microfluidic chips plays a key role in biochemical analysis. The experimental study describes a microfluidic mixer for extraction of elemental iodine using carbon tetrachloride with a gas bubble mixing process. Gas bubbles are generated inside the microcavity to create turbulence and micro-vortices resulting in uniform mixing of samples. The bubble mixing of biochemical samples is analyzed at various pressure levels to validate the simulated results in computational fluid dynamics(CFD). The experimental setup includes a high-resolution camera and an air pump to observe the mixing process and volume at different pressure levels with time. The bubble formation is controlled by adjusting the inert gas flow inside the microfluidic chip. Microfluidic chip-based gas bubble mixing effects have been elaborated at various supplied pressures.

Multi-Parameter Influence Analysis of Interaction Between Internal Solitary Wave and Fixed Submerged Body

To obtain the interaction characteristics between Internal solitary waves(ISWs)and submerged bodies,a three-dimensional numerical model for simulating ISWs was established in the present study based on the RANS equation.The velocity entrance method was adopted to generate the ISWs.First,the reliability of this numerical model was validated by comparing it with theoretical and literature results.Then,the influence of environmental and navigation parameters on interactions between ISWs and a fixed SUBOFF-submerged body was studied.According to research,the hydrodynamic performance of the submerged body has been significantly impacted by the ISWs when the body is nearing the central region of the wave.Besides,the pitching moment(y')will predominate when the body encounters the ISWs at a certain angle between 0°and 180°,and the lateral force is larger than the horizontal force.Additionally,the magnitude of the force acting on the body is mostly affected by the wave amplitude.The variation of the vertical force is the main way that ISWs affect the hydrodynamic performance of the bodies.The investigations and findings discussed above can serve as a guide to forecast how ISWs will interact with submerged bodies.

Calculation and Analysis of Acoustic Characteristics of Straight-Through Perforated Pipe Muffler Based on Multilayer Sound Absorbing Material

Using the multi-physical field simulation software COMSOL,the acoustic characteristics of the multilayer sound absorbing material straight-through perforated pipe muffler are studied by the finite element method.The results show that the finite element calculation of the multilayer sound absorbing material straight-through the perforated pipe muffler agrees well with the experimental measurement results.The reliability of the finite element method for studying the acoustic performance of the straight-through perforated pipe muffler with multilayer sound absorbing materials is shown.Furthermore,the influence of some structural parameters of porous sound absorbing material and micro-perforated plate on the acoustic performance of the multilayer sound absorbing material straight-through perforated pipe muffler is analyzed.The muffler based on multilayer sound absorbing material is different from the traditional muffler.After applying the multilayer sound absorbing material to the straight-through perforated pipe muffler,the transmission loss value greatly increases,which provides new ideas and directions for future research on the muffler.

Numerical Investigation of the Multiphase Flow Originating from the Muzzle of Submerged Parallel Guns

A two-dimensional model,employing a dynamic mesh technology,is used to simulate numerically the transient multiphaseflowfield produced by two submerged parallel guns.After a grid refinement study ensuring grid inde-pendence,five different conditions are considered to assess the evolution of cavitation occurring in proximity to the gun muzzle.The simulation results show thatflow interference is enabled when the distance between the par-allel barrels is relatively small;accordingly,the generation and evolution of the vapor cavity becomes more com-plex.By means of the Q criterion for vorticity detection,it is shown that cavitation causes the generation of vorticity and the evolution of the vapor cavity can result in an asymmetric distribution of vorticity for a certain distance of the barrels.In particular,the evolution of the vapor cavity can hinder the expansion of the gas and force it toflow outward,while an asymmetric distribution of vorticity can lead to a gas jetflowing outward and rotating simultaneously.

CPG Human Motion Phase Recognition Algorithm for a Hip Exoskeleton with VSA Actuator

Due to the dynamic stiffness characteristics of human joints, it is easy to cause impact and disturbance on normal movements during exoskeleton assistance. This not only brings strict requirements for exoskeleton control design, but also makes it difficult to improve assistive level. The Variable Stiffness Actuator (VSA), as a physical variable stiffness mechanism, has the characteristics of dynamic stiffness adjustment and high stiffness control bandwidth, which is in line with the stiffness matching experiment. However, there are still few works exploring the assistive human stiffness matching experiment based on VSA. Therefore, this paper designs a hip exoskeleton based on VSA actuator and studies CPG human motion phase recognition algorithm. Firstly, this paper puts forward the requirements of variable stiffness experimental design and the output torque and variable stiffness dynamic response standards based on human lower limb motion parameters. Plate springs are used as elastic elements to establish the mechanical principle of variable stiffness, and a small variable stiffness actuator is designed based on the plate spring. Then the corresponding theoretical dynamic model is established and analyzed. Starting from the CPG phase recognition algorithm, this paper uses perturbation theory to expand the first-order CPG unit, obtains the phase convergence equation and verifies the phase convergence when using hip joint angle as the input signal with the same frequency, and then expands the second-order CPG unit under the premise of circular limit cycle and analyzes the frequency convergence criterion. Afterwards, this paper extracts the plate spring modal from Abaqus and generates the neutral file of the flexible body model to import into Adams, and conducts torque-stiffness one-way loading and reciprocating loading experiments on the variable stiffness mechanism. After that, Simulink is used to verify the validity of the criterion. Finally, based on the above criterions, the signal mean value is removed using feedback structure to complete the phase recognition algorithm for the human hip joint angle signal, and the convergence is verified using actual human walking data on flat ground.

Development of practical postprocessor for 5-axis machine tool with non-orthogonal rotary axes

In order to develop a practical postprocessor for 5-axis machine tool,the general equations of numerically controlled(NC) data for 5-axis configurations with non-orthogonal rotary axes were exactly expressed by the inverse kinematics,and a windows-based postprocessor written with Visual Basic was developed according to the proposed algorithm.The developed postprocessor is a general system suitable for all kinds of 5-axis machines with orthogonal and non-orthogonal rotary axes.Through implementation of the developed postprocessor and verification by a cutting simulation and machining experiment,the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is confirmed.Compatibility is improved by allowing exchange of data formats such as rotational total center position(RTCP) controlled NC data,vector post NC data,and program object file(POF) cutter location(CL) data,and convenience is increased by adding the function of work-piece origin offset.Consequently,a practical post-processor for 5-axis machining is developed.

Metal Flowing of Involute Spline Cold Roll-beating Forming

The present research on involute spline cold roll-beating forming is mainly about the principles and motion relations of cold roll-beating,the theory of roller design,and the stress and strain field analysis of cold roll-beating,etc.However,the research on law of metal flow in the forming process of involute spline cold roll-beating is rare.According to the principle of involute spline cold roll-beating,the contact model between the rollers and the spline shaft blank in the process of cold roll-beating forming is established,and the theoretical analysis of metal flow in the cold roll-beating deforming region is proceeded.A finite element model of the spline cold roll-beating process is established,the formation mechanism of the involute spline tooth profile in cold roll-beating forming process is studied,and the node flow tracks of the deformation area are analyzed.The experimental research on the metal flow of cold roll-beating spline is conducted,and the metallographic structure variation,grain characteristics and metal flow line of the different tooth profile area are analyzed.The experimental results show that the particle flow directions of the deformable bodies in cold roll-beating deformation area are determined by the minimum moving resistance.There are five types of metal flow rules of the deforming region in the process of cold roll-beating forming.The characteristics of involute spline cold roll-beating forming are given,and the forming mechanism of involute spline cold roll-beating is revealed.This paper researches the law of metal flow in the forming process of involute spline cold roll-beating,which provides theoretical supports for solving the tooth profile forming quality problem.

Influence of Magnetic Reluctances of Magnetic Elements on Servo Valve Torque Motors

The current research of electro-hydraulic servo valves mainly focuses on the vibration, pressure oscillating and source of noise. Unfortunately, literatures relating to the study of the influence of the magnetic reluctances of the magnetic elements are rarely available. This paper aims to analyze the influence of the magnetic reluctances of the magnetic elements on torque motor. Considering these magnetic reluctances ignored in previous literatures, a new mathematical model of servo valve torque motor is developed and proposed based on the fundamental laws of electromagnetism. By using this new mathematical model and the previous models, electromagnetic torque constant and magnetic spring stiffness are evaluated for a given set of torque motor parameters. A computer simulation by using AMESim software is also performed for the same set of torque motor parameters to verify the proposed model. The theoretical results of electromagnetic torque constant and magnetic spring stiffness evaluated by the proposed model render closer agreement with the simulation results than those evaluated by the previous models. In addition, an experimental measurement of the magnetic flux densities in the air-gaps is carried out by using SFL218 servo valve torque motor. Compared with the theoretical results of the magnetic flux densities in the air-gaps evaluated by the previous models, the theoretical results evaluated by the proposed model also show better agreement with the experimental data. The proposed model shows the influence of the magnetic reluctances of the magnetic elements on the servo valve torque motor, and offers modified and analytical expressions to electromagnetic torque constant and magnetic spring stiffness. These modified and analytical expressions could provide guidance more accurately for a linear control design approach and sensitivity analysis on electro-hydraulic servo valves than the previous expressions.

Pinion Tooth Surface Generation Strategy of Spiral Bevel Gears

Aviation spiral bevel gears are often generated by spiral generated modified（SGM） roll method.In this style,pinion tooth surface modified generation strategy has an important influence on the meshing and contact performances.For the optimal contact pattern and transmission error function,local synthesis is applied to obtain the machine-tool settings of pinion.For digitized machine,four tooth surface generation styles of pinion are proposed.For every style,tooth contact analysis（TCA） is applied to obtain contact pattern and transmission error function.For the difference between TCA transmission error function and design objective curve,the degree of symmetry and agreement are defined and the corresponding sub-objective functions are established.Linear weighted combination method is applied to get an equivalent objective function to evaluate the shape of transmission error function.The computer programs for the process above are developed to analyze the meshing performances of the four pinion tooth surface generation styles for a pair of aviation spiral bevel gears with 38/43 teeth numbers.The four analytical results are compared with each other and show that the incomplete modified roll is optimal for this gear pair.This study is an expansion to generation strategy of spiral bevel gears,and offers new alternatives to computer numerical control（CNC） manufacture of spiral bevel gears.

Effect of spinning deformation on microstructure evolution and mechanical property of TA15 titanium alloy

Hot spinning of tubular workpiece of TA15 alloy was conducted on a CNC spinning machine, and the microstructure evolution during hot spinning and annealing was observed and mechanical properties of spun tubes were tested. The results show that with the increase of spinning pass, the fiber microstructure comes into being gradually in axial direction and the circumferential microstructure also stretches obviously along circumferential direction. At the same time, the tensile strength increases and elongation decreases not only in axial direction but also in circumferential direction. When the reduction ratio of wall thickness rises close to or over 40%, tensile strength increases and elongation decreases more rapidly, which means that tubular workpiece of titanium alloy can be strengthened bi-directionally by power spinning. The ductility of spun workpiece of TA15 alloy could be improved by annealing at the temperature no higher than recrystallization temperature with slight decrease of tensile strength.

Dynamic Stability Analysis of Cages in High-Speed Oil-Lubricated Angular Contact Ball Bearings

To investigate the cage stability of high-speed oil-lubricated angular contact ball bearings, a dynamic model of cages is developed on the basis of Gupta’s and Meeks’ work. The model can simulate the cage motion under oil lubrication with all six degrees of freedom. Particularly, the model introduces oil-film damping and hysteresis damping, and deals with the collision contact as imperfect elastic contact. In addition, the effects of inner ring rotational speed, the ratio of pocket clearance to guiding clearance and applied load on the cage stability are investigated by simulating the cage motion with the model. The results can provide a theoretical basis for the design of ball bearing parameters.

Effect analysis of friction and damping on anti-backlash gear based on dynamics model with time-varying mesh stiffness

A nonlinear model of anti-backlash gear with time-varying friction and mesh stiffness was proposed for the further study on dynamic characteristics of anti-backlash gear. In order to improve the model precision, applied force analysis was completed in detail, and single or double tooth meshing states of two gear pairs at any timing were determined according to the meshing characteristic of anti-backlash gear. The influences of friction and variations of damping ratio on dynamic transmission error were analyzed finally by numerical calculation and the results show that anti-backlash gear can increase the composite mesh stiffness comparing with the mesh stiffness of the normal gear pair. At the pitch points where the frictions change their signs, additional impulsive effects are observed. The width of impulsive in the same value of center frequency is wider than that without friction, and the amplitude is lower. When gear pairs mesh in and out, damping can reduce the vibration and impact.

DEVELOPMENT AND MOTION ANALYSIS OF MINIATURE WHEEL-TRACK-LEGGED MOBILE ROBOT

A miniature wheel-track-legged mobile robot to carry out military and civilian missions in both indoor and outdoor environments is presented. Firstly, the mechanical design is discussed, which consists of four wheeled and four independently controlled tracked arms, embedded control system and teleoperation. Then the locomotion modes of the mobile robot and motion analysis are analyzed. The mobile robot can move using wheeled, tracked and legged modes, and it has the characteristics of posture-recovering, high mobility, small size and light weight. Finally, the effectiveness of the deve-loped mobile robot is confirmed by experiments such as posture recovering when tipped over, climb-ing stairs and traversing the high step.

Development of a Drilling and Coring Test-bed for Lunar Subsurface Exploration and Preliminary Experiments

Drill sampling has been widely employed as an effective way to acquire deep samples in extraterrestrial exploration. A novel sampling method, namely, flexible-tube coring, was adopted for the Chang＇e mission to acquire drilling cores without damaging stratification information. Since the extraterrestrial environment is uncertain and different from the terrestrial environment, automated drill sampling missions are at risk of failure. The principles of drilling and coring for the lunar subsurface should be fully tested and verified on earth before launch. This paper proposes a test-bed for conducting the aforementioned experiments on earth. The test-bed comprises a rotary-percussive drilling mechanism, penetrating mechanism, drilling medium container, and signal acquisition and control system. For granular soil, coring experiments indicate that the sampling method has a high coring rate greater than 80%. For hard rock, drilling experiments indicate that the percussive frequency greatly affects the drilling efficiency. A multi-layered simulant composed of granular soil and hard rock is built to test the adaptability of drilling and coring. To tackle complex drilling media, an intelligent drilling strategy based on online recognition is proposed to improve the adaptability of the sampling drill. The primary features of this research are the proposal of a scheme for drilling and coring a test-bed for validation on earth and the execution of drilling experiments in complex media.