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Articles 1 - 10 of 10

Full-Text Articles in Mechanical Engineering

Ortho-Planar Linear-Motion Springs, John J. Parise, Larry L. Howell, Spencer P. Magleby Nov 2001

Ortho-Planar Linear-Motion Springs, John J. Parise, Larry L. Howell, Spencer P. Magleby

Faculty Publications

This paper presents an ortho-planar spring design that operates by raising or lowering its platform relative to the base with no rotation. The compact nature of the design, and its non-rotating motion, eliminates the problem of rotation against adjoining surfaces and is less sensitive to variation in assemblies than many current compact springs. Nomenclature is presented to identify different configurations, mathematical equations are provided that accurately model the force-defection relationships, and a pneumatic valve positioner application is demonstrated.


Spline Based Path Planning For Unmanned Air Vehicles, Kevin B. Judd, Timothy W. Mclain Aug 2001

Spline Based Path Planning For Unmanned Air Vehicles, Kevin B. Judd, Timothy W. Mclain

Faculty Publications

A trajectory planning scheme that generates feasible flight routes for an unmanned air vehicle (UAV) is developed. A preliminary path is generated from a Voronoi diagram based on threat locations. This path consists of a series of straight-line segments that cannot be followed exactly by the UAV. Using a series of cubic splines to connect these straight-line segments, this path is refined into an optimum path that is flyable by the UAV. Utilizing a decomposition strategy, both the full path (coarse detail) to the target and the proximate optimum path (fine detail) near the UAV can be quickly computed. The …


Fuel-Saving Strategies For Dual Spacecraft Interferometry Missions, Christopher A. Bailey, Timothy W. Mclain, Randal W. Beard Jul 2001

Fuel-Saving Strategies For Dual Spacecraft Interferometry Missions, Christopher A. Bailey, Timothy W. Mclain, Randal W. Beard

Faculty Publications

Separated spacecraft interferometry missions will require that spacecraft move in a coordinated fashion to ensure minimal and balanced consumption of fuel. This paper develops strategies for determining interferometry mission plans that result in significant fuel savings over standard approaches. Simulation results demonstrate that valuable reductions in fuel consumption can be realized by combining the retargeting and imaging maneuvers required to image multiple stellar sources. Fuel-optimal imaging strategies have been developed for two-spacecraft interferometry missions similar to the proposed StarLight mission using chained local optimization methods. Based on these strategies, sampling-pattern guidelines for space-borne interferometry missions have been developed.


Increasing Power Density Of Lsgm-Based Solid Oxide Fuel Cells Using New Anode Materials, Kevin Huang, Jen-Hau Wan, John B. Goodenough Jun 2001

Increasing Power Density Of Lsgm-Based Solid Oxide Fuel Cells Using New Anode Materials, Kevin Huang, Jen-Hau Wan, John B. Goodenough

Faculty Publications

Chemical reactions between the superior perovskite oxide-ion conductor Sr- and Mg-doped LaGaO3 (LSGM), CeO2, and NiO have been studied by powder X-ray diffraction. The results showed that an extensive reactivity occurs as a result of La migration driven by a gradient of La chemical activity. La migration across the LSGM/electrode interfaces in a fuel cell leads to the formation of resistive phases at the interface, either LaSrGa3O7 or LaSrGaO4. Use of 40 mol % La2O3 -doped CeO2 as an interlayer between anode and electrolyte as well as in …


Cooperative Control Of Uav Rendezvous, Timothy W. Mclain, Phillip R. Chandler, Steven Rasmussen, Meir Pachter Jun 2001

Cooperative Control Of Uav Rendezvous, Timothy W. Mclain, Phillip R. Chandler, Steven Rasmussen, Meir Pachter

Faculty Publications

The cooperative control of timing and synchronization of tasks of multiple unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) represents a valuable capability for a wide range of potential multi-UAV missions. This research addresses the specific problem of cooperative rendezvous in which multiple UAVs are to arrive at their targets simultaneously. The development of a rendezvous manager state machine and a cooperative control decomposition approach are described. Simulation results demonstrating the feasibility of the approach are presented.


Oxygen Permeation Through Cobalt-Containing Perovskites: Surface Oxygen Exchange Vs. Lattice Oxygen Diffusion, Kevin Huang, John B. Goodenough May 2001

Oxygen Permeation Through Cobalt-Containing Perovskites: Surface Oxygen Exchange Vs. Lattice Oxygen Diffusion, Kevin Huang, John B. Goodenough

Faculty Publications

The oxygen permeation fluxes from p′O2 to pnO2 (p′O2>pnO2) across cobalt-containing perovskite ceramic membranes La1−xSrxCoO3−δ and SrCo0.8Fe0.2O3−δ were measured by gas chromatography as functions of oxygen chemical potential gradient, temperature, thickness, and catalytic activity on the surface. Power indexes 0.5>n>0 for uncatalyzed La1−xSrxCoO3−δ and 1>n>0.5 for SrCo0.8Fe0.2O3−δ were obtained when JO2 vs. p′nO2p'′nO2 …


Reduced-Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells Fabricated By Screen Printing, Changrong Xia, Fanglin Chen, Meilin Liu Mar 2001

Reduced-Temperature Solid Oxide Fuel Cells Fabricated By Screen Printing, Changrong Xia, Fanglin Chen, Meilin Liu

Faculty Publications

Electrolyte films of samaria-doped ceria (SDC, Sm0.2Ce0.8O1.9) are fabricated onto porous NiO-SDC substrates by a screen printing technique. A cathode layer, consisting of Sm0.5Sr0.5CoO3 and 10 wt % SDC, is subsequently screen printed on the electrolyte to form a single cell, which is tested at temperatures from 400 to 600°C. When humidified (3% H2O) hydrogen or methane is used as fuel and stationary air as oxidant, the maximum power densities are 188 (or 78) and 397 (or 304) mW/cm2 at 500 and 600°C, respectively. Impedance analysis …


Bistable Operation Of A Two-Section 1.3-Mm Inas Quantum Dot Laser—Absorption Saturation And The Quantum Confined Stark Effect, Xiaodong Huang, A. Stintz, Hua Li, Audra Rice, G. T. Liu, L.F. Lester, Julian Cheng, K.J. Malloy Mar 2001

Bistable Operation Of A Two-Section 1.3-Mm Inas Quantum Dot Laser—Absorption Saturation And The Quantum Confined Stark Effect, Xiaodong Huang, A. Stintz, Hua Li, Audra Rice, G. T. Liu, L.F. Lester, Julian Cheng, K.J. Malloy

Faculty Publications

Room temperature, continuous-wave bistability was observed in oxide-confined, two-section, 1.3- m quantum-dot (QD) lasers with an integrated intracavity quantum-dot saturable absorber. The origin of the hysteresis and bistability were shown to be due to the nonlinear saturation of the QD absorption and the electroabsorption induced by the quantum confined Stark effect.


Preparation Of Ordered Macroporous Sr0.5sm0.5coo3 As Cathode For Solid Oxide Fuel Cells, Fanglin Chen, Changrong Xia, Meilin Liu Jan 2001

Preparation Of Ordered Macroporous Sr0.5sm0.5coo3 As Cathode For Solid Oxide Fuel Cells, Fanglin Chen, Changrong Xia, Meilin Liu

Faculty Publications

Ordered macroporous Sr0.5Sm0.5CoO3 structrures with an average pore size of 140 nm have been prepared using closepacked arrangement of monodispersed polystyrene spheres as templates. A fuel cell using ordered macroporous Sr0.5Sm0.5CoO3 as the cathode, gadolinia-doped ceria (GDC) film as the electrolyte, and GDC–NiO as the anode generated maximum power densities of 150, 196 and 267 mW/cm2 at 500, 550 and 600 °C, respectively.


Microstructure-Sensitive Design Of A Compliant Beam, Brent L. Adams, Alisa J. Millar Henrie, B. Henrie, M. Lyon, H. Garmestani, Surya R. Kalidindi Jan 2001

Microstructure-Sensitive Design Of A Compliant Beam, Brent L. Adams, Alisa J. Millar Henrie, B. Henrie, M. Lyon, H. Garmestani, Surya R. Kalidindi

Faculty Publications

BA acknowledges financial support provided by the MRSEC Program of the National Science Foundation under Award Number DMR-9632556. SK acknowledges financial support from National Science Foundation under Award Number CMS-9732699. BA, SK and HG also acknowledge support from the NSF-CIRE program centered at Florida A&M University, facilitating collaborations. Support was also provided by the College of Engineering and Technology at BYU (AH, BH and ML). Computations were performed on the new SGI Origin 2000 supercomputer at Brigham Young University, donated by Ira Fulton. We show that mechanical design can be conducted where consideration of polycrystalline microstructure as a continuous design …