Vibration energy harvesters(VEHs) can transform ambient vibration energy to electricity and have been widely investigated as promising self-powered devices for wireless sensor networks, wearable sensors, and applicati...Vibration energy harvesters(VEHs) can transform ambient vibration energy to electricity and have been widely investigated as promising self-powered devices for wireless sensor networks, wearable sensors, and applications of a micro-electro-mechanical system(MEMS). However, the ambient vibration is always too weak to hinder the high energy conversion efficiency. In this paper, the integrated frame composed of piezoelectric beams and mechanical amplifiers is proposed to improve the energy conversion efficiency of a VEH. First, the initial structures of a piezoelectric frame(PF) and an amplification frame(AF) are designed. The dynamic model is then established to analyze the influence of key structural parameters on the mechanical amplification factor. Finite element simulation is conducted to study the energy harvesting performance, where the stiffness characteristics and power output in the cases of series and parallel load resistance are discussed in detail. Furthermore, piezoelectric beams with variable cross-sections are introduced to optimize and improve the energy harvesting efficiency. Advantages of the PF with the AF are illustrated by comparison with conventional piezoelectric cantilever beams. The results show that the proposed integrated VEH has a good mechanical amplification capability and is more suitable for low-frequency vibration conditions.展开更多
A high sensitivity fiber Bragg grating pressure sensor by using mechanical amplifier is demonstrated. The measured pressure sensitivity is -1.80×10 -4 /MPa, which is about two orders of magnitude better than a si...A high sensitivity fiber Bragg grating pressure sensor by using mechanical amplifier is demonstrated. The measured pressure sensitivity is -1.80×10 -4 /MPa, which is about two orders of magnitude better than a simple monomode fiber with an in-fiber grating. The resolution of pressure measurement is 0.015 MPa based on interrogation using tunable fiber grating filter.展开更多
To satisfy the demand on dynamic performance and load characteristics of piezoelectric actuators in aeronautics and astronautics fields,a novel 2Dpiezo-nanopositioning stage utilizing a triangle amplifier mechanism is...To satisfy the demand on dynamic performance and load characteristics of piezoelectric actuators in aeronautics and astronautics fields,a novel 2Dpiezo-nanopositioning stage utilizing a triangle amplifier mechanism is proposed.The stage is driven by piezoelectric rhombic units in both X and Ydirections,which is composed of four piezoelectric stacks.Theoretical static model develops the relationships among output force,displacement,static stiffness and the structure parameters of the platform.The experimental results of the prototype show that the output performances in X and Ydirections are similar and both of them are within an 8% deviation from the theoretical values.The stroke of the stage reaches 41.6μm and 42.9μm in Xand Ydirections,respectively,and is directly proportional to the amplitude of the input sinusoidal voltage 10 Hz.Moreover,the nano-positioning stage is featured with bidirectional symmetrical output characteristic and millisecond starting characteristic,whose minimum output displacement step is 50 nm.展开更多
The impacts of solar activity on climate are explored in this two-part study. Based on the principles of atmospheric dynamics, Part I propose an amplifying mechanism of solar impacts on winter climate extremes through...The impacts of solar activity on climate are explored in this two-part study. Based on the principles of atmospheric dynamics, Part I propose an amplifying mechanism of solar impacts on winter climate extremes through changing the atmospheric circulation patterns. This mechanism is supported by data analysis of the sunspot number up to the predicted Solar Cycle 24, the historical surface temperature data, and atmospheric variables of NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis up to the February 2011 for the Northern Hemisphere winters. For low solar activity, the thermal contrast between the low- and high-latitudes is enhanced, so as the mid-latitude baroclinic ultra-long wave activity. The land-ocean thermal contrast is also enhanced, which amplifies the topographic waves. The enhanced mid-latitude waves in turn enhance the meridional heat transport from the low to high latitudes, making the atmospheric "heat engine" more efficient than normal. The jets shift southward and the polar vortex is weakened. The Northern Annular Mode (NAM) index tends to be negative. The mid-latitude surface exhibits large-scale convergence and updrafts, which favor extreme weather/climate events to occur. The thermally driven Siberian high is enhanced, which enhances the East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM). For high solar activity, the mid-latitude circulation patterns are less wavy with less meridional transport. The NAM tends to be positive, and the Siberian high and the EAWM tend to be weaker than normal. Thus the extreme weather/climate events for high solar activity occur in different regions with different severity from those for low solar activity. The solar influence on the mid- to high-latitude surface temperature and circulations can stand out after removing the influence from the E1 Nifio-Southern Oscillation. The atmospheric amplifying mechanism indicates that the solar impacts on climate should not be simply estimated by the magnitude of the change in the solar radiation over solar cycles when it is compared with other external radiative forcings that do not influence the climate in the same way as the sun does.展开更多
Soft machines are combinations of hard and soft active materials, thus the coupling and interaction between soft and hard components dictate the performance of soft machines. Structural optimization has been intensive...Soft machines are combinations of hard and soft active materials, thus the coupling and interaction between soft and hard components dictate the performance of soft machines. Structural optimization has been intensively used for design of conventional hard machines, while, to our best knowledge, few attempts have been made towards optimal design of soft machines. Here, we describe the sizing optimization problem of a dielectric elastomer(DE) actuated mechanical amplifier, and achieve the optimal design through combination of a commercial finite element method(FEM) software and an optimization automation software.We then design, fabricate and demonstrate a locomotive soft machine driven by DE actuator with amplified displacement output.The methodology and results present here open the door towards optimal designs of active materials based soft machines.展开更多
Based on 467 pairs ofδ^(18)O andδ^(13)C records and 8230 Th dates from a stalagmite(BF4)from Xiniu Cave,central China,we present a reconstruction of 9-yr resolution monsoon rainfall record for the past 4700 years.Ou...Based on 467 pairs ofδ^(18)O andδ^(13)C records and 8230 Th dates from a stalagmite(BF4)from Xiniu Cave,central China,we present a reconstruction of 9-yr resolution monsoon rainfall record for the past 4700 years.Ourδ^(18)O record shows good coherence with East Asian summer monsoon(EASM)rainfall proxies from adjacent regions during the overlapping intervals,suggesting thatδ^(18)O signal in BF4 can be interpreted as a monsoon rainfall proxy.Theδ^(13) C variations are related to changes in local processes at the cave site,and regional rainfall and temperature changes.Based on theδ18 O record,a series of dry periods can be identified at 4500-4200,3500-3200,2800-2500,1900-1600,1400-1200,700-500,and 400-200 yr BP,while a series of wet periods can be identified at 4200-3600,2400-2200,3200-2800,1100-900,600-400,and 200-100 yr BP.Power spectrum analysis on ourδ^(18) O record reveals significant cycles at 470 and 80 yr,coinciding with the typical solar periodic variations.This result suggests that changes in solar activity play a dominant role in driving centennial-decadal monsoon rainfall variation in central China.Due to minor changes in solar irradiance(less than 1.5 W m^(-2))over the past 4700 years,our record was further compared to the El Nino-Southern Oscillation(ENSO)and Pacific Decadal Oscillation(PDO)proxies,confirming that solar forcing on monsoon rainfall changes might be amplified by the ENSO and PDO variations.From 600 to 150 yr BP(the Little Ice Age,LIA),a positive shift of 2‰can be revealed in both theδ^(18)O andδ^(13)C records,indicating a cold/dry climatic pattern.By comparing ourδ^(18)O andδ^(13)C records with historical documents,we suggest that the climatic deteriorations between 450 and 250 yr BP may have caused serious social unrest at the end of the Ming Dynasty.展开更多
基金Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 11972051 and11672008)the Opening Project Foundation of the State Key Laboratory of Mechanical Behavior and System Safety of Traffic Engineering Structures (No. KF-2020-11)。
文摘Vibration energy harvesters(VEHs) can transform ambient vibration energy to electricity and have been widely investigated as promising self-powered devices for wireless sensor networks, wearable sensors, and applications of a micro-electro-mechanical system(MEMS). However, the ambient vibration is always too weak to hinder the high energy conversion efficiency. In this paper, the integrated frame composed of piezoelectric beams and mechanical amplifiers is proposed to improve the energy conversion efficiency of a VEH. First, the initial structures of a piezoelectric frame(PF) and an amplification frame(AF) are designed. The dynamic model is then established to analyze the influence of key structural parameters on the mechanical amplification factor. Finite element simulation is conducted to study the energy harvesting performance, where the stiffness characteristics and power output in the cases of series and parallel load resistance are discussed in detail. Furthermore, piezoelectric beams with variable cross-sections are introduced to optimize and improve the energy harvesting efficiency. Advantages of the PF with the AF are illustrated by comparison with conventional piezoelectric cantilever beams. The results show that the proposed integrated VEH has a good mechanical amplification capability and is more suitable for low-frequency vibration conditions.
基金The National Natural Science Foundation of China
文摘A high sensitivity fiber Bragg grating pressure sensor by using mechanical amplifier is demonstrated. The measured pressure sensitivity is -1.80×10 -4 /MPa, which is about two orders of magnitude better than a simple monomode fiber with an in-fiber grating. The resolution of pressure measurement is 0.015 MPa based on interrogation using tunable fiber grating filter.
基金supported partly by the Project on Integration of Industry,Education and Research of China Aviation Industry Corp.(No.CXY2013NH09)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.51375224)
文摘To satisfy the demand on dynamic performance and load characteristics of piezoelectric actuators in aeronautics and astronautics fields,a novel 2Dpiezo-nanopositioning stage utilizing a triangle amplifier mechanism is proposed.The stage is driven by piezoelectric rhombic units in both X and Ydirections,which is composed of four piezoelectric stacks.Theoretical static model develops the relationships among output force,displacement,static stiffness and the structure parameters of the platform.The experimental results of the prototype show that the output performances in X and Ydirections are similar and both of them are within an 8% deviation from the theoretical values.The stroke of the stage reaches 41.6μm and 42.9μm in Xand Ydirections,respectively,and is directly proportional to the amplitude of the input sinusoidal voltage 10 Hz.Moreover,the nano-positioning stage is featured with bidirectional symmetrical output characteristic and millisecond starting characteristic,whose minimum output displacement step is 50 nm.
基金provided by the LASG State Key Laboratory Special Fund for this research project
文摘The impacts of solar activity on climate are explored in this two-part study. Based on the principles of atmospheric dynamics, Part I propose an amplifying mechanism of solar impacts on winter climate extremes through changing the atmospheric circulation patterns. This mechanism is supported by data analysis of the sunspot number up to the predicted Solar Cycle 24, the historical surface temperature data, and atmospheric variables of NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis up to the February 2011 for the Northern Hemisphere winters. For low solar activity, the thermal contrast between the low- and high-latitudes is enhanced, so as the mid-latitude baroclinic ultra-long wave activity. The land-ocean thermal contrast is also enhanced, which amplifies the topographic waves. The enhanced mid-latitude waves in turn enhance the meridional heat transport from the low to high latitudes, making the atmospheric "heat engine" more efficient than normal. The jets shift southward and the polar vortex is weakened. The Northern Annular Mode (NAM) index tends to be negative. The mid-latitude surface exhibits large-scale convergence and updrafts, which favor extreme weather/climate events to occur. The thermally driven Siberian high is enhanced, which enhances the East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM). For high solar activity, the mid-latitude circulation patterns are less wavy with less meridional transport. The NAM tends to be positive, and the Siberian high and the EAWM tend to be weaker than normal. Thus the extreme weather/climate events for high solar activity occur in different regions with different severity from those for low solar activity. The solar influence on the mid- to high-latitude surface temperature and circulations can stand out after removing the influence from the E1 Nifio-Southern Oscillation. The atmospheric amplifying mechanism indicates that the solar impacts on climate should not be simply estimated by the magnitude of the change in the solar radiation over solar cycles when it is compared with other external radiative forcings that do not influence the climate in the same way as the sun does.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.11472210 and 11372239)
文摘Soft machines are combinations of hard and soft active materials, thus the coupling and interaction between soft and hard components dictate the performance of soft machines. Structural optimization has been intensively used for design of conventional hard machines, while, to our best knowledge, few attempts have been made towards optimal design of soft machines. Here, we describe the sizing optimization problem of a dielectric elastomer(DE) actuated mechanical amplifier, and achieve the optimal design through combination of a commercial finite element method(FEM) software and an optimization automation software.We then design, fabricate and demonstrate a locomotive soft machine driven by DE actuator with amplified displacement output.The methodology and results present here open the door towards optimal designs of active materials based soft machines.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(42071105,41571102,41931178,41672164,and 41172314)U.S.Nature Science Foundation(1702816)+1 种基金Project Funded by the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions(164320H116)111 Program of China(D19002)。
文摘Based on 467 pairs ofδ^(18)O andδ^(13)C records and 8230 Th dates from a stalagmite(BF4)from Xiniu Cave,central China,we present a reconstruction of 9-yr resolution monsoon rainfall record for the past 4700 years.Ourδ^(18)O record shows good coherence with East Asian summer monsoon(EASM)rainfall proxies from adjacent regions during the overlapping intervals,suggesting thatδ^(18)O signal in BF4 can be interpreted as a monsoon rainfall proxy.Theδ^(13) C variations are related to changes in local processes at the cave site,and regional rainfall and temperature changes.Based on theδ18 O record,a series of dry periods can be identified at 4500-4200,3500-3200,2800-2500,1900-1600,1400-1200,700-500,and 400-200 yr BP,while a series of wet periods can be identified at 4200-3600,2400-2200,3200-2800,1100-900,600-400,and 200-100 yr BP.Power spectrum analysis on ourδ^(18) O record reveals significant cycles at 470 and 80 yr,coinciding with the typical solar periodic variations.This result suggests that changes in solar activity play a dominant role in driving centennial-decadal monsoon rainfall variation in central China.Due to minor changes in solar irradiance(less than 1.5 W m^(-2))over the past 4700 years,our record was further compared to the El Nino-Southern Oscillation(ENSO)and Pacific Decadal Oscillation(PDO)proxies,confirming that solar forcing on monsoon rainfall changes might be amplified by the ENSO and PDO variations.From 600 to 150 yr BP(the Little Ice Age,LIA),a positive shift of 2‰can be revealed in both theδ^(18)O andδ^(13)C records,indicating a cold/dry climatic pattern.By comparing ourδ^(18)O andδ^(13)C records with historical documents,we suggest that the climatic deteriorations between 450 and 250 yr BP may have caused serious social unrest at the end of the Ming Dynasty.
