Four-dimensional(4D)printing represents a groundbreaking advancement in manufacturing,yet a persistent challenge is the limited number of stable configurations achievable through spontaneous shape reconstruction.Herei...Four-dimensional(4D)printing represents a groundbreaking advancement in manufacturing,yet a persistent challenge is the limited number of stable configurations achievable through spontaneous shape reconstruction.Herein,we present a novel 4D printing mechanism that utilizes self-adjustable gas pressure to facilitate a wide range of spontaneous and stable multi-shape transformations.The gas is precisely released at designated spatial locations through strategic temperature-controlled degradation of a solid material,which is printed and distributed as needed at the voxel level within a specially designed multi-material structure,consisting of a low degradation temperature material(LDTM),a high degradation temperature soft material(HDTSM),and a high degradation temperature hard material(HDTHM).Each shape configuration is determined and locked in by the maximum temperature experienced during its thermal history.Notably,this shape retains its form robustly,independently of subsequent temperature changes,until a higher temperature threshold is reached,at which point a new shape configuration is triggered.These shapes exhibit a remarkable temperature memory effect,permanently recording the peak temperature reached in their thermal history.Our study comprehensively investigates the underlying principles and key parameters that influence deformation.We present a series of examples demonstrating complex multi-shape transformations modulated by temperature,supported by finite element simulations.This advance in 4D printing has the potential to significantly enhance its functional capabilities,performance,and applicability,opening up new horizons in additive manufacturing and design.展开更多
In the field of flexible polishing,the accuracy of contact force control directly affects processing quality and material removal uniformity.However,the complex dynamic contact model and inherent strong hysteresis of ...In the field of flexible polishing,the accuracy of contact force control directly affects processing quality and material removal uniformity.However,the complex dynamic contact model and inherent strong hysteresis of pneumatic systems can significantly impact the force control accuracy of pneumatic polishing system end-effectors.To enhance responsiveness and control precision during the flexible polishing process,this study proposes an observer-based fuzzy adaptive control(OBFAC)scheme.To ensure control accuracy under an uncertain dynamic contact model,a fuzzy state observer is designed to estimate unmeasured states,while fuzzy logic approximates the uncertain nonlinear functions in the model to improve control performance.Additionally,the integral barrier Lyapunov function is employed to ensure that all states remain within predefined constraints.The stability of the proposed control scheme is analyzed using the Lyapunov function,and a pneumatic polishing experimental platform is constructed to conduct polishing contact force control experiments under multiple scenarios.Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed OBFAC scheme achieves superior tracking control performance compared to existing control schemes.展开更多
Background The middle ear pneumatic system(MEPS)supports pressure balance,essential for sound conduction.Its volume and surface area are key indicators of pneumatization and ventilation,yet their specific contribution...Background The middle ear pneumatic system(MEPS)supports pressure balance,essential for sound conduction.Its volume and surface area are key indicators of pneumatization and ventilation,yet their specific contributions to pressure regulation need further exploration.Objective To evaluate the accuracy and sensitivity of parameters characterizing the MEPS,including volume(V),surface area(S),and surface-area-to-volume ratio(S/V),in normal ears.Materials and Methods We collected CT images of the temporal bone from 63 normal ears for this study.The volume(V),surface area(S),and surface-area-to-volume ratio(S/V)of the MEPS were measured and calculated using three-dimensional reconstruction technology.Statistical methods were used to process the data and determine the 95%reference range for the S,V,and S/V of the MEPS in the normal ear.At the same time,we analyzed the impact of differences in gender and the left and right sides on the measurements.Results The 95%reference values for the S,V,and S/V of the MEPS in normal ears were 1057.10~18239.16 mm²,609.16~9854.11 mm^(3),and 1.39~2.52 mm^(-1) respectively.There were no significant differences in the measurements between genders and between the left and right sides.Conclusions and Significance This study has established the 95%reference values for the S,V,and S/V of the MEPS in normal ears,which were 1057.10-18239.16 mm²,609.16-9854.11 mm^(3),and 1.39-2.52 mm^(-1) respectively.We found that while there is a wide variation in the V values among normal ears,there is less variability in the S/V values.This structural characteristic suggests that changes in the S/V value may have a more significant impact on the balance of middle ear pressure,and it provides important reference data for the construction and functional reconstruction of three-dimensional models of the MEPS.These findings may aid in diagnosing middle ear disorders,such as otitis media with effusion,and guide interventions to restore pressure balance.展开更多
Continuum robots have been a hot topic in recent years due to their intrinsic features of agility,flexibility,and safety.To successfully deploy continuum robots in practical applications,further enhancements in variab...Continuum robots have been a hot topic in recent years due to their intrinsic features of agility,flexibility,and safety.To successfully deploy continuum robots in practical applications,further enhancements in variable stiffness,decoupled motion,and embedded sensing are highly desirable.Since continuum robots are usually composed of multiple joints assembled in series,their mechanical properties and performance will certainly rely on the connected joints.This paper proposes a motion-decoupled variable stiffness-decoupled pneumatic rigid-flexible hybrid joint(RFHJ),which is modular designed and integrated with a rigid hinge,a stiffness-tuning module,and soft actuators.The soft pneumatic muscle actuators are pre-stretched during assembly,ensuring the stable initial state of RFHJ.A novel musculature-mounting configuration is also presented,which enables RFHJs to achieve independent motions in two orthogonal planes.Furthermore,the variable stiffness module is embedded in the RFHJ’s structure to offer real-time and independent stiffness tunability across multiple scales in two perpendicular directions.The proposed RFHJ makes most of the advantages of soft continuum robots and conventional rigid serial robots by introducing a hybrid structure to provide both safe human-robot interaction(HRI),accurate control and reliable stiffness variation,presenting promising potentials for robotic systems,which have been theoretically proved and experimentally verified on the physical prototype.The experimental results also indicate that the developed RFHJ can work with variable stiffness ranging in[1.2,49.9]N·m/rad.A variable stiffness rigid-flexible hybrid continuum arm(RFHA)is designed with three RFHJs in series.Primary tests on the developed RFHA prototype demonstrate that it has the characteristics of decoupled driving,bidirectional stiffness tunability and self-stability.展开更多
Pneumatic artificial muscles(PAMs)can generate multimodal movements,e.g.,linear contraction/extension,spiral torsion,and bending motions.Among these motions,contraction and extension movements can be achieved using li...Pneumatic artificial muscles(PAMs)can generate multimodal movements,e.g.,linear contraction/extension,spiral torsion,and bending motions.Among these motions,contraction and extension movements can be achieved using linear PAMs(LPAMs)designed to mimic human skeletal muscle.LPAMs have considerable potential for wearable applications and can be integrated into soft wearable robotic systems.Due to their inherent compliance,excellent human-robot interaction,safety,and low cost,LPAMs are considered potential alternatives as actuator components in the construction of wearable robots.This review presents a comprehensive overview of the bio-inspired design of LPAMs and their wearable applications.The biomechanics of human skeletal muscle,including anatomy,morphology,and biomechanical characterization,is analyzed to provide design inspirations for LPAMs and determine the assistance requirements of LPAM-based wearable robots.Herein,LPAMs are classified into four categories based on their structural shapes,including cylindrical-shaped muscles,flat-shaped muscles,fold-shaped muscles,and muscles with other shapes.In addition,this review provides an overview of the diverse physical interfaces utilized in wearable robots and presents a comparative analysis of the actuation characteristics of LPAMs and the assistance performance of LPAM-based wearable robots.This analysis was conducted in consideration of several key metrics,including the contraction ratio,maximum force,specific force,response frequency,assistive torque/bodyweight,and net metabolic cost.Finally,this review summarizes the ongoing challenges and future research directions.展开更多
The complex dense-phase pneumatic conveying of pulverized coal process was studied using an electrical capacitance tomography(ECT) signal that represented the motion characteristics of gas-solid two-phase flow. The fl...The complex dense-phase pneumatic conveying of pulverized coal process was studied using an electrical capacitance tomography(ECT) signal that represented the motion characteristics of gas-solid two-phase flow. The fluctuation characteristics of conveying process signals are inseparable from the flow pattern. The denoised ECT signal and noise signal were obtained by db2 wavelet analysis. It was found that all noise signals were white Gaussian noise. Based on the assumption of the equal probability distribution of pulverized coal concentration, this paper proved that the time series distribution of pulverized coal concentration in the pipeline should obey the normal distribution. Furthermore, through the analysis of the distribution characteristics of the power spectral density function of denoised ECT signals of four flow patterns, they were α-dimensional fractal Brownian motion(fBm) signals, and the parameter α was estimated by the detrended fluctuation analysis. Based on the fBm characteristics of denoised ECT signals and white Gaussian noise, this paper proposed a method for calculating the pulverized coal concentration in the dense-phase pneumatic conveying. In addition to the method of concentration estimation with the significance of engineering guidance, this research can help people to further understand essential characteristics of ECT signals in the dense-phase pneumatic conveying.展开更多
The analysis of the characteristics of the cushion process of the pneumatic cushion cylinder is presented, and the nonlinear model of pneumatic cushion cylinders is built in the form of nonlinear differential equation...The analysis of the characteristics of the cushion process of the pneumatic cushion cylinder is presented, and the nonlinear model of pneumatic cushion cylinders is built in the form of nonlinear differential equations. Besides, through the simulation of the pressure in the cushion chamber, the characteristics of the pneumatic cushion cylinder are obtained, which helps to understand the performance of the pneumatic cushion cylinder and improve or design the better cushion structure.展开更多
This study was conducted to further classify threshed strips, so as to broaden the usable range of raw material and facilitate the effective utilization of to- bacco resource. During the threshing and redwing process,...This study was conducted to further classify threshed strips, so as to broaden the usable range of raw material and facilitate the effective utilization of to- bacco resource. During the threshing and redwing process, various process param- eters including the rotating speeds of threshing drums of threshing machioe, draught fans and fling drums were scientifically and rationally set according to the actual quality of the raw material. According to the characteristic that strips with close in- herent quality have basically the same specific gravity and leaf thickness, the strips from each discharge hole were accurately evaluated, and classified, followed by redrying and packaging. The results showed that the threshing and separating pro- cedure could improve the separating effect and precision according to tobacco qual- ity, so as to satisfy the separation and classification requirements for tobacco.展开更多
Vibrations or dither's are features of the PWM servo control system in their steady outputs. On the grounds of analyses and experiments of a PWM pneumatic servo control system, the paper puts forward four varietie...Vibrations or dither's are features of the PWM servo control system in their steady outputs. On the grounds of analyses and experiments of a PWM pneumatic servo control system, the paper puts forward four varieties of PWM modulation methods, and concludes on the relationship between dithers and the different methods, and then discusses the influence of friction to the dithers. Results from experiments regarding the dynamic and static responses on the given system support the theories presented.展开更多
Experiments of dense-phase pneumatic conveying of pulverized coal using nitrogen are carded out in an experimental test facility with the conveying pressure up to 4. 0 MPa and the gas-solid ratio up to 450 kg/m^3. The...Experiments of dense-phase pneumatic conveying of pulverized coal using nitrogen are carded out in an experimental test facility with the conveying pressure up to 4. 0 MPa and the gas-solid ratio up to 450 kg/m^3. The influences of different conveying differential pressures, coal moisture contents, gas volume flow rates and superficial velocities on the solid-gas ratios are investigated. Shannon entropy analysis of pressure fluctuation time series is developed to reveal the flow characteristics. Through investigation of the distribution of the Shannon entropy under different conditions, the flow stability and the evolutional tendency of the Shannon entropy in different regimes and regime transition processes are discovered, and the relationship between the Shannon entropy and the flow regimes is also established. The results indicate that the solid-gas ratio and the Shannon entropy rise with the increase in conveying differential pressure. The solid-gas ratio and the Shannon entropy reveal preferable regularity with gas volume flow rates. The Shannon entropy is different for different flow regimes, and can be used to identify the flow regimes. Both mass flow rate and the Shannon entropy decrease with the increase in moisture contents. The Shannon entropy analysis is a feasible approach for researching the characteristics of flow regimes, flow stability and flow regime transitions in dense-phase pneumatic conveying under high pressure.展开更多
Pneumatic muscles with similar characteristics to biological muscles have been widely used in robots, and thus are promising drivers for frog inspired robots. How- ever, the application and nonlinearity of the pneumat...Pneumatic muscles with similar characteristics to biological muscles have been widely used in robots, and thus are promising drivers for frog inspired robots. How- ever, the application and nonlinearity of the pneumatic system limit the advance. On the basis of the swimming mechanism of the frog, a frog-inspired robot based on pneumatic muscles is developed. To realize the indepen- dent tasks by the robot, a pneumatic system with internal chambers, micro air pump, and valves is implemented. The micro pump is used to maintain the pressure difference between the source and exhaust chambers. The pneumatic muscles are controlled by high-speed switch valves which can reduce the robot cost, volume, and mass. A dynamic model of the pneumatic system is established for the sim- ulation to estimate the system, including the chamber, muscle, and pneumatic circuit models. The robot design is verified by the robot swimming experiments and the dynamic model is verified through the experiments and simulations of the pneumatic system. The simulation results are compared to analyze the functions of the source pressure, internal volume of the muscle, and circuit flow rate which is proved the main factor that limits the response of muscle pressure. The proposed research provides the application of the pneumatic muscles in the frog inspired robot and the pneumatic model to study muscle controller.展开更多
The process of DTH（down-the-hole） hammer drilling has been characterized as a very complex phenomenon due to its high nonlinearity,large deformation and damage behaviors.Taking brittle materials（concrete,granite an...The process of DTH（down-the-hole） hammer drilling has been characterized as a very complex phenomenon due to its high nonlinearity,large deformation and damage behaviors.Taking brittle materials（concrete,granite and sandstone） as impact specimens,the explicit time integration nonlinear finite element code LS-DYNA was employed to analyze the impact process and the penetration boundary conditions of DTH hammer percussive drilling system.Compared with previous studies,the present model contains several new features.One is that the 3D effects of DTH hammer drilling system were considered.Another important feature is that it took the coupling effects of brittle materials into account to the bit-specimen boundary of the drilling system.This distinguishes it from the traditional approaches to the bit-rock intersection,in which nonlinear spring models are usually imposed.The impact forces,bit insert penetrations and force-penetration curves of concrete,granite and sandstone under DTH hammer impact have been recorded;the formation of craters and fractures has been also investigated.The impact loads of piston-bit interaction appear to be relatively sensitive to piston impact velocity.The impact between piston-bit interaction occurs at two times larger forces,whereas the duration of the first impact doesn＇t change with respect to the piston velocity.The material properties of impact specimen do not affect the first impact process between the piston and bit.However,the period between the two impacts and the magnitudes of the second impact forces greatly depend on the specimen material properties.It is found that the penetration depth of specimen is dependent on the impact force magnitude and the macro-mechanical properties of the brittle materials.展开更多
A mathematic model is built up to analyze the influences of a pilot valve'sleakage on the performances of pneumatic pressure proportional valve, and the performances aresimulated by using MATLAB. The results indic...A mathematic model is built up to analyze the influences of a pilot valve'sleakage on the performances of pneumatic pressure proportional valve, and the performances aresimulated by using MATLAB. The results indicate that using slide pilot valve in the valve system isfeasible, but the leakage's influences can not be neglected, especially it may induce instability ina low output pressure situation. A pilot valve using too large throttle window will cause the valveoscillate. To improve the working condition of pilot valve, a method adopting different widths oftwo throttle window is proposed. According to our simulation, this method balances the pressure dropbetween the two stage throttle ports, and reduces the influences of pilot valve's leakage.展开更多
The high pressure pneumatic system has been applied to special industries. It may cause errors when we analyze high pressure pneumatics under ideal gas assumption. However, the real gas effect on the performances of h...The high pressure pneumatic system has been applied to special industries. It may cause errors when we analyze high pressure pneumatics under ideal gas assumption. However, the real gas effect on the performances of high pressure pneumatics is seldom investigated. In this paper, the real gas effects on air enthalpy and internal energy are estimated firstly to study the real gas effect on the energy conversion. Under ideal gas assumption, enthalpy and internal energy are solely related to air temperature. The estimation result indicates that the pressure enthalpy and pressure internal energy of real pneumatic air obviously decrease the values of enthalpy and internal energy for high pressure pneumatics, and the values of pressure enthalpy and pressure internal energy are close. Based on the relationship among pressure, enthalpy and internal energy, the real gas effects on charging and discharging processes of high pressure pneumatics are estimated, which indicates that the real gas effect accelerates the temperature and pressure decreasing rates during discharging process, and decelerates their increasing rates during charging process. According to the above analysis, and for the inconvenience in building the simulation model for real gas and the difficulty of measuring the detail thermal capacities of pneumatics, a method to compensate the real gas effect under ideal gas assumption is proposed by modulating the thermal capacity of the pneumatic container in simulation. The experiments of switching expansion reduction （SER） for high pressure pneumatics are used to verify this compensating method. SER includes the discharging process of supply tanks and the charging process of expansion tank. The simulated and experimental results of SER are highly consistent. The proposed compensation method provides a convenient way to obtain more realistic simulation results for high pressure pneumatics.展开更多
Pneumatic system has been widely used throughout industry, and it consumes more than billions kW h of electricity one year all over the world. So as to improve the efficiency of pneumatic system, its power evaluation ...Pneumatic system has been widely used throughout industry, and it consumes more than billions kW h of electricity one year all over the world. So as to improve the efficiency of pneumatic system, its power evaluation as well as measurement methods should be proposed, and their applicability should be validated. In this paper, firstly, power evaluation and measurement methods of pneumatic system were introduced for the first time. Secondly, based on the proposed methods, power distributions in pneumatic system was analyzed. Thirdly, through the analysis on pneumatic efficiencies of typical compressors and pneumatic components, the applicability of the proposed methods were validated. It can be concluded that, first of all, the proposed methods to evaluation and measurement the power of pneumatic system were efficient. Furthermore, the pneumatic power efficiencies of pneumatic system in the air production and cleaning procedure are respectively about 35%–75% and 85%–90%. Moreover, the pneumatic power efficiencies of pneumatic system in the transmission and consumption procedures are about 70%–85% and 10%–35%. And the total pneumatic power efficiency of pneumatic system is about 2%–20%, which varies largely with the system configuration. This paper provides a method to analyze and measure the power of pneumatic system, lay a foundation for the optimization and energy-saving design of pneumatic system.展开更多
Structural stabilization by a pressurized fluid is very common in nature, however hardly found in technology. Car tires, hot air balloons, airships and airhouses are among the few technical exceptions, which are stab...Structural stabilization by a pressurized fluid is very common in nature, however hardly found in technology. Car tires, hot air balloons, airships and airhouses are among the few technical exceptions, which are stabilized by a compressed medium, typically air. Restricted by simple geometries and a very limited load bearing capacity these pneumatic structures could succeed only in very specialized applications. Nevertheless, prospective concepts ag has systematically investigated pneumatic structures during the last few years. As a major result, it was demonstrated that almost any shape can be made with pneumatic structures and that astonishing structures such as the pneumatic airplane Stingray can be realized even with low air pressure. On top of that, Airlight Ltd. in close collaboration with prospective concepts ag has recently developed the fundamental new structural concept Tensairity. The synergetic combination of an inflated structure with conventional structural elements such as cables and struts yields pneumatic light-weight structures with the load bearing capacity of steel girders. Thus, complex forms and high strength open up many new opportunities for pressure induced stability in technology. An overview of these recent developments is presented and the close relationship of pneumatic structures with biology is outlined.展开更多
基金support from the Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Commission(Grant No.JCYJ20200109115439775 and JCYJ20230807140459034)Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation(Grant No.2022A1515012645)National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.11872369).
文摘Four-dimensional(4D)printing represents a groundbreaking advancement in manufacturing,yet a persistent challenge is the limited number of stable configurations achievable through spontaneous shape reconstruction.Herein,we present a novel 4D printing mechanism that utilizes self-adjustable gas pressure to facilitate a wide range of spontaneous and stable multi-shape transformations.The gas is precisely released at designated spatial locations through strategic temperature-controlled degradation of a solid material,which is printed and distributed as needed at the voxel level within a specially designed multi-material structure,consisting of a low degradation temperature material(LDTM),a high degradation temperature soft material(HDTSM),and a high degradation temperature hard material(HDTHM).Each shape configuration is determined and locked in by the maximum temperature experienced during its thermal history.Notably,this shape retains its form robustly,independently of subsequent temperature changes,until a higher temperature threshold is reached,at which point a new shape configuration is triggered.These shapes exhibit a remarkable temperature memory effect,permanently recording the peak temperature reached in their thermal history.Our study comprehensively investigates the underlying principles and key parameters that influence deformation.We present a series of examples demonstrating complex multi-shape transformations modulated by temperature,supported by finite element simulations.This advance in 4D printing has the potential to significantly enhance its functional capabilities,performance,and applicability,opening up new horizons in additive manufacturing and design.
基金Supported by National Key Research and Development Program of China(Grant No.2022YFB3403402)National Natural Science Foundation of China Basic Research Programme for PhD Students(Grant No.524B2049)。
文摘In the field of flexible polishing,the accuracy of contact force control directly affects processing quality and material removal uniformity.However,the complex dynamic contact model and inherent strong hysteresis of pneumatic systems can significantly impact the force control accuracy of pneumatic polishing system end-effectors.To enhance responsiveness and control precision during the flexible polishing process,this study proposes an observer-based fuzzy adaptive control(OBFAC)scheme.To ensure control accuracy under an uncertain dynamic contact model,a fuzzy state observer is designed to estimate unmeasured states,while fuzzy logic approximates the uncertain nonlinear functions in the model to improve control performance.Additionally,the integral barrier Lyapunov function is employed to ensure that all states remain within predefined constraints.The stability of the proposed control scheme is analyzed using the Lyapunov function,and a pneumatic polishing experimental platform is constructed to conduct polishing contact force control experiments under multiple scenarios.Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed OBFAC scheme achieves superior tracking control performance compared to existing control schemes.
基金supported by the[National Natural Science Foundation of China]under Grant[number 12172082][Catch up with and surpass technology projects]under Grant[number 2022LCJSGC24]。
文摘Background The middle ear pneumatic system(MEPS)supports pressure balance,essential for sound conduction.Its volume and surface area are key indicators of pneumatization and ventilation,yet their specific contributions to pressure regulation need further exploration.Objective To evaluate the accuracy and sensitivity of parameters characterizing the MEPS,including volume(V),surface area(S),and surface-area-to-volume ratio(S/V),in normal ears.Materials and Methods We collected CT images of the temporal bone from 63 normal ears for this study.The volume(V),surface area(S),and surface-area-to-volume ratio(S/V)of the MEPS were measured and calculated using three-dimensional reconstruction technology.Statistical methods were used to process the data and determine the 95%reference range for the S,V,and S/V of the MEPS in the normal ear.At the same time,we analyzed the impact of differences in gender and the left and right sides on the measurements.Results The 95%reference values for the S,V,and S/V of the MEPS in normal ears were 1057.10~18239.16 mm²,609.16~9854.11 mm^(3),and 1.39~2.52 mm^(-1) respectively.There were no significant differences in the measurements between genders and between the left and right sides.Conclusions and Significance This study has established the 95%reference values for the S,V,and S/V of the MEPS in normal ears,which were 1057.10-18239.16 mm²,609.16-9854.11 mm^(3),and 1.39-2.52 mm^(-1) respectively.We found that while there is a wide variation in the V values among normal ears,there is less variability in the S/V values.This structural characteristic suggests that changes in the S/V value may have a more significant impact on the balance of middle ear pressure,and it provides important reference data for the construction and functional reconstruction of three-dimensional models of the MEPS.These findings may aid in diagnosing middle ear disorders,such as otitis media with effusion,and guide interventions to restore pressure balance.
基金Supported by Shenzhen Municipal Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.U2013212)National Key R&D Program of China(Grant No.2020YFB1313001)National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.U23 A20328).
文摘Continuum robots have been a hot topic in recent years due to their intrinsic features of agility,flexibility,and safety.To successfully deploy continuum robots in practical applications,further enhancements in variable stiffness,decoupled motion,and embedded sensing are highly desirable.Since continuum robots are usually composed of multiple joints assembled in series,their mechanical properties and performance will certainly rely on the connected joints.This paper proposes a motion-decoupled variable stiffness-decoupled pneumatic rigid-flexible hybrid joint(RFHJ),which is modular designed and integrated with a rigid hinge,a stiffness-tuning module,and soft actuators.The soft pneumatic muscle actuators are pre-stretched during assembly,ensuring the stable initial state of RFHJ.A novel musculature-mounting configuration is also presented,which enables RFHJs to achieve independent motions in two orthogonal planes.Furthermore,the variable stiffness module is embedded in the RFHJ’s structure to offer real-time and independent stiffness tunability across multiple scales in two perpendicular directions.The proposed RFHJ makes most of the advantages of soft continuum robots and conventional rigid serial robots by introducing a hybrid structure to provide both safe human-robot interaction(HRI),accurate control and reliable stiffness variation,presenting promising potentials for robotic systems,which have been theoretically proved and experimentally verified on the physical prototype.The experimental results also indicate that the developed RFHJ can work with variable stiffness ranging in[1.2,49.9]N·m/rad.A variable stiffness rigid-flexible hybrid continuum arm(RFHA)is designed with three RFHJs in series.Primary tests on the developed RFHA prototype demonstrate that it has the characteristics of decoupled driving,bidirectional stiffness tunability and self-stability.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.52475067).
文摘Pneumatic artificial muscles(PAMs)can generate multimodal movements,e.g.,linear contraction/extension,spiral torsion,and bending motions.Among these motions,contraction and extension movements can be achieved using linear PAMs(LPAMs)designed to mimic human skeletal muscle.LPAMs have considerable potential for wearable applications and can be integrated into soft wearable robotic systems.Due to their inherent compliance,excellent human-robot interaction,safety,and low cost,LPAMs are considered potential alternatives as actuator components in the construction of wearable robots.This review presents a comprehensive overview of the bio-inspired design of LPAMs and their wearable applications.The biomechanics of human skeletal muscle,including anatomy,morphology,and biomechanical characterization,is analyzed to provide design inspirations for LPAMs and determine the assistance requirements of LPAM-based wearable robots.Herein,LPAMs are classified into four categories based on their structural shapes,including cylindrical-shaped muscles,flat-shaped muscles,fold-shaped muscles,and muscles with other shapes.In addition,this review provides an overview of the diverse physical interfaces utilized in wearable robots and presents a comparative analysis of the actuation characteristics of LPAMs and the assistance performance of LPAM-based wearable robots.This analysis was conducted in consideration of several key metrics,including the contraction ratio,maximum force,specific force,response frequency,assistive torque/bodyweight,and net metabolic cost.Finally,this review summarizes the ongoing challenges and future research directions.
基金funding from Shanghai Sailing Program (22YF1417600)Guangxi Science and Technology Major Program (AA23062019)
文摘The complex dense-phase pneumatic conveying of pulverized coal process was studied using an electrical capacitance tomography(ECT) signal that represented the motion characteristics of gas-solid two-phase flow. The fluctuation characteristics of conveying process signals are inseparable from the flow pattern. The denoised ECT signal and noise signal were obtained by db2 wavelet analysis. It was found that all noise signals were white Gaussian noise. Based on the assumption of the equal probability distribution of pulverized coal concentration, this paper proved that the time series distribution of pulverized coal concentration in the pipeline should obey the normal distribution. Furthermore, through the analysis of the distribution characteristics of the power spectral density function of denoised ECT signals of four flow patterns, they were α-dimensional fractal Brownian motion(fBm) signals, and the parameter α was estimated by the detrended fluctuation analysis. Based on the fBm characteristics of denoised ECT signals and white Gaussian noise, this paper proposed a method for calculating the pulverized coal concentration in the dense-phase pneumatic conveying. In addition to the method of concentration estimation with the significance of engineering guidance, this research can help people to further understand essential characteristics of ECT signals in the dense-phase pneumatic conveying.
文摘The analysis of the characteristics of the cushion process of the pneumatic cushion cylinder is presented, and the nonlinear model of pneumatic cushion cylinders is built in the form of nonlinear differential equations. Besides, through the simulation of the pressure in the cushion chamber, the characteristics of the pneumatic cushion cylinder are obtained, which helps to understand the performance of the pneumatic cushion cylinder and improve or design the better cushion structure.
文摘This study was conducted to further classify threshed strips, so as to broaden the usable range of raw material and facilitate the effective utilization of to- bacco resource. During the threshing and redwing process, various process param- eters including the rotating speeds of threshing drums of threshing machioe, draught fans and fling drums were scientifically and rationally set according to the actual quality of the raw material. According to the characteristic that strips with close in- herent quality have basically the same specific gravity and leaf thickness, the strips from each discharge hole were accurately evaluated, and classified, followed by redrying and packaging. The results showed that the threshing and separating pro- cedure could improve the separating effect and precision according to tobacco qual- ity, so as to satisfy the separation and classification requirements for tobacco.
文摘Vibrations or dither's are features of the PWM servo control system in their steady outputs. On the grounds of analyses and experiments of a PWM pneumatic servo control system, the paper puts forward four varieties of PWM modulation methods, and concludes on the relationship between dithers and the different methods, and then discusses the influence of friction to the dithers. Results from experiments regarding the dynamic and static responses on the given system support the theories presented.
基金The National Basic Research Program of China(973 Program) (No2004CB217702-01)the Foundation of ExcellentPhDThesis of Southeast University
文摘Experiments of dense-phase pneumatic conveying of pulverized coal using nitrogen are carded out in an experimental test facility with the conveying pressure up to 4. 0 MPa and the gas-solid ratio up to 450 kg/m^3. The influences of different conveying differential pressures, coal moisture contents, gas volume flow rates and superficial velocities on the solid-gas ratios are investigated. Shannon entropy analysis of pressure fluctuation time series is developed to reveal the flow characteristics. Through investigation of the distribution of the Shannon entropy under different conditions, the flow stability and the evolutional tendency of the Shannon entropy in different regimes and regime transition processes are discovered, and the relationship between the Shannon entropy and the flow regimes is also established. The results indicate that the solid-gas ratio and the Shannon entropy rise with the increase in conveying differential pressure. The solid-gas ratio and the Shannon entropy reveal preferable regularity with gas volume flow rates. The Shannon entropy is different for different flow regimes, and can be used to identify the flow regimes. Both mass flow rate and the Shannon entropy decrease with the increase in moisture contents. The Shannon entropy analysis is a feasible approach for researching the characteristics of flow regimes, flow stability and flow regime transitions in dense-phase pneumatic conveying under high pressure.
基金Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.51675124)
文摘Pneumatic muscles with similar characteristics to biological muscles have been widely used in robots, and thus are promising drivers for frog inspired robots. How- ever, the application and nonlinearity of the pneumatic system limit the advance. On the basis of the swimming mechanism of the frog, a frog-inspired robot based on pneumatic muscles is developed. To realize the indepen- dent tasks by the robot, a pneumatic system with internal chambers, micro air pump, and valves is implemented. The micro pump is used to maintain the pressure difference between the source and exhaust chambers. The pneumatic muscles are controlled by high-speed switch valves which can reduce the robot cost, volume, and mass. A dynamic model of the pneumatic system is established for the sim- ulation to estimate the system, including the chamber, muscle, and pneumatic circuit models. The robot design is verified by the robot swimming experiments and the dynamic model is verified through the experiments and simulations of the pneumatic system. The simulation results are compared to analyze the functions of the source pressure, internal volume of the muscle, and circuit flow rate which is proved the main factor that limits the response of muscle pressure. The proposed research provides the application of the pneumatic muscles in the frog inspired robot and the pneumatic model to study muscle controller.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 50475056)
文摘The process of DTH（down-the-hole） hammer drilling has been characterized as a very complex phenomenon due to its high nonlinearity,large deformation and damage behaviors.Taking brittle materials（concrete,granite and sandstone） as impact specimens,the explicit time integration nonlinear finite element code LS-DYNA was employed to analyze the impact process and the penetration boundary conditions of DTH hammer percussive drilling system.Compared with previous studies,the present model contains several new features.One is that the 3D effects of DTH hammer drilling system were considered.Another important feature is that it took the coupling effects of brittle materials into account to the bit-specimen boundary of the drilling system.This distinguishes it from the traditional approaches to the bit-rock intersection,in which nonlinear spring models are usually imposed.The impact forces,bit insert penetrations and force-penetration curves of concrete,granite and sandstone under DTH hammer impact have been recorded;the formation of craters and fractures has been also investigated.The impact loads of piston-bit interaction appear to be relatively sensitive to piston impact velocity.The impact between piston-bit interaction occurs at two times larger forces,whereas the duration of the first impact doesn＇t change with respect to the piston velocity.The material properties of impact specimen do not affect the first impact process between the piston and bit.However,the period between the two impacts and the magnitudes of the second impact forces greatly depend on the specimen material properties.It is found that the penetration depth of specimen is dependent on the impact force magnitude and the macro-mechanical properties of the brittle materials.
基金This project is supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.50122115)the National 10th Five Years Plan Special Research Programs of China(No.2003BA408B14).
文摘A mathematic model is built up to analyze the influences of a pilot valve'sleakage on the performances of pneumatic pressure proportional valve, and the performances aresimulated by using MATLAB. The results indicate that using slide pilot valve in the valve system isfeasible, but the leakage's influences can not be neglected, especially it may induce instability ina low output pressure situation. A pilot valve using too large throttle window will cause the valveoscillate. To improve the working condition of pilot valve, a method adopting different widths oftwo throttle window is proposed. According to our simulation, this method balances the pressure dropbetween the two stage throttle ports, and reduces the influences of pilot valve's leakage.
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 50575202)
文摘The high pressure pneumatic system has been applied to special industries. It may cause errors when we analyze high pressure pneumatics under ideal gas assumption. However, the real gas effect on the performances of high pressure pneumatics is seldom investigated. In this paper, the real gas effects on air enthalpy and internal energy are estimated firstly to study the real gas effect on the energy conversion. Under ideal gas assumption, enthalpy and internal energy are solely related to air temperature. The estimation result indicates that the pressure enthalpy and pressure internal energy of real pneumatic air obviously decrease the values of enthalpy and internal energy for high pressure pneumatics, and the values of pressure enthalpy and pressure internal energy are close. Based on the relationship among pressure, enthalpy and internal energy, the real gas effects on charging and discharging processes of high pressure pneumatics are estimated, which indicates that the real gas effect accelerates the temperature and pressure decreasing rates during discharging process, and decelerates their increasing rates during charging process. According to the above analysis, and for the inconvenience in building the simulation model for real gas and the difficulty of measuring the detail thermal capacities of pneumatics, a method to compensate the real gas effect under ideal gas assumption is proposed by modulating the thermal capacity of the pneumatic container in simulation. The experiments of switching expansion reduction （SER） for high pressure pneumatics are used to verify this compensating method. SER includes the discharging process of supply tanks and the charging process of expansion tank. The simulated and experimental results of SER are highly consistent. The proposed compensation method provides a convenient way to obtain more realistic simulation results for high pressure pneumatics.
基金Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grants Nos.51675020,51375028)Open Foundation of the State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems
文摘Pneumatic system has been widely used throughout industry, and it consumes more than billions kW h of electricity one year all over the world. So as to improve the efficiency of pneumatic system, its power evaluation as well as measurement methods should be proposed, and their applicability should be validated. In this paper, firstly, power evaluation and measurement methods of pneumatic system were introduced for the first time. Secondly, based on the proposed methods, power distributions in pneumatic system was analyzed. Thirdly, through the analysis on pneumatic efficiencies of typical compressors and pneumatic components, the applicability of the proposed methods were validated. It can be concluded that, first of all, the proposed methods to evaluation and measurement the power of pneumatic system were efficient. Furthermore, the pneumatic power efficiencies of pneumatic system in the air production and cleaning procedure are respectively about 35%–75% and 85%–90%. Moreover, the pneumatic power efficiencies of pneumatic system in the transmission and consumption procedures are about 70%–85% and 10%–35%. And the total pneumatic power efficiency of pneumatic system is about 2%–20%, which varies largely with the system configuration. This paper provides a method to analyze and measure the power of pneumatic system, lay a foundation for the optimization and energy-saving design of pneumatic system.
文摘Structural stabilization by a pressurized fluid is very common in nature, however hardly found in technology. Car tires, hot air balloons, airships and airhouses are among the few technical exceptions, which are stabilized by a compressed medium, typically air. Restricted by simple geometries and a very limited load bearing capacity these pneumatic structures could succeed only in very specialized applications. Nevertheless, prospective concepts ag has systematically investigated pneumatic structures during the last few years. As a major result, it was demonstrated that almost any shape can be made with pneumatic structures and that astonishing structures such as the pneumatic airplane Stingray can be realized even with low air pressure. On top of that, Airlight Ltd. in close collaboration with prospective concepts ag has recently developed the fundamental new structural concept Tensairity. The synergetic combination of an inflated structure with conventional structural elements such as cables and struts yields pneumatic light-weight structures with the load bearing capacity of steel girders. Thus, complex forms and high strength open up many new opportunities for pressure induced stability in technology. An overview of these recent developments is presented and the close relationship of pneumatic structures with biology is outlined.
