Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Computer Simulation Of Three-Dimensional Mechanical Assemblies: Part I - General Formulation, Yong Fang, Frank W. Liou

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In Part I of this paper, a dynamic modeling system for the simulation of three-dimensional mechanical assemblies is presented. With this simulation tool, a designer can interactively create an assembly of mechanical components ready for dynamic analysis. The modeling system presented in this paper include» the derivation of the equations of motion of spatial multi-body systems, and the formulation of the equations to model the associated collision detection and collision responses. Part II of this paper is to introduce the geometry modeling and computer simulation of 3D systems.

Computer Simulation Of Three-Dimensional Mechanical Assemblies: Part Ii - Computer Simulation, T. C. Chou, Frank W. Liou

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Computer simulation of the kinematic and dynamic behaviors of mechanical assemblies has become a very important tool in design and manufacturing, because the designer can foresee how a product is going to perform before the product is actually fabricated. However, up to now, the most current simulation modules are based on analysis from another kinematic or dynamic module by specifying the mating conditions between components, and then displaying the motion on the screen. This computer simulation actually performs similarly to a movie and can only provide visual checking. The drawback of this simulation approach is that designers are forced to …

On The Use Of Levy's Method For Symmetrically Laminated Composite Plates, Serge Abrate

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

For rectangular plates with two opposite edges simply supported and no bending twisting coupling, Levy's method can yield exact solutions for static deflections, free vibrations and buckling loads. However, three distinct solutions are obtained, depending on the relative magnitude of the plate rigidities, which in turn are functions of material properties, laminate thickness and lay-up. In this communication a stiffness invariant formulation is used to identify those laminates which fall under the three cases defined. © 1993.

Procase: A Prototype Of Intelligent Case-Based Process Planning System With Simulation Environment, Hao Yang, Wen F. Lu

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

An intelligent case-based process planning system with interactive graphic simulation environment, PROCASE, is developed lo demonstrate an integrated methodology of case-based process planning system. In PROCASE, both the mechanical part features and the machining operations are represented with a frame-based scheme. PROCASE contains a retriever, a modifier, a simulator and a repairer. It distinguishes itself from traditional rule-based process planning systems by representing the process planning knowledge through previous process planning cases instead of production rules. It therefore can overcome some problems in the traditional rule-based expert systems. PROCASE currently resides in IRIS Indigo workstation. With a user-friendly graphic environment, …

Second Law Analysis Of Active Magnetic Regenerative Hydrogen Liquefiers, L. Zhang, S. A. Sherif, T. N. Veziroglu, John W. Sheffield

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Recent published work in the area of magnetic refrigeration reports on its potential for greater efficiency and high reliability. This paper presents an exergy analysis of a three-stage active magnetic regenerative (AMR) hydrogen liquefier which cools a hydrogen gas stream at 77 K and 1 atm to hydrogen liquid at 20 K. Ortho - para conversion of hydrogen is accomplished in a heat exchanger employing a 10 atm helium fluid that cycles in the refrigerator. The performance of the system is described in terms of the cooling capacity and exergy losses as functions of the magnetic material type, magnetic bed …

Observations On Higher-Order Beam Theory, A. Bhimaraddi, K. Chandrashekhara

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A parabolic shear-deformation beam theory assuming a higher-order variation for axial displacement has been recently presented. In this theory, the axial displacement variation can be selected so that it results in a suitable admissible transverse shear-strain variation across the depth of the beam. This paper examines several transverse shear-strain variations that can go with the aforementioned higher-order theory. Apart from the usual simple parabolic variation, six other shear-strain variations are considered: the sinusoidal variation, cubic, quartic, quintic, and sixth-order polynomials. All these variations for transverse shear-strain satisfy the requirement that the shear strain be zero at the extreme fibers (z …

Effect Of Transverse Vibration On The Capillary Limit Of A Wrapped Screen Wick Copper/Water Heat Pipe, Mark C. Charlton

Theses and Dissertations

The effect of transverse vibration on the capillary limit of a copper/water heat pipe with a tightly wrapped screen wick was investigated. The capillary limit was measured over a range of operating temperatures under static conditions. A bench-top shaker was used to provide vibration normal to the longitudinal axis of the pipe, and the capillary limit was measured at vibration frequencies of 30, 250, and 1000 Hz. At each of these frequencies, tests were run at vibration levels of 1.0, 2.5, and 5.0 G. The pipe was maintained at a zero degree inclination angle and power throughput was increased until …

Passive Damping Of A Solar Array, Mark A. Scharpen

Theses and Dissertations

This study was an attempt to conceptualize, design, build, and test a constrained layer damping device that uses mechanical advantage for the purpose of increasing the damping of transient vibration of a five-bay planar truss. The aluminum truss was clamped to a fixed support and simulated a solar array. A conventional constrained layer treatment was designed, built, and tested to serve as a benchmark for comparison. For the conventional treatment, Plunkett and Lee's segmented constraining layer technique was used. The improved device, two three-layer sandwich beams spanning the two bays nearest the built-in end, were supported several inches away from …

Vibration Suppression In Large Flexible Space Structures Using Active Control Techniques, Chad T. Matheson

Theses and Dissertations

This report investigates the use of active vibration control techniques applied to the PACOSS Dynamic Test Article as an experimental structure. In the course of the research, a mathematical model of the lightly damped experimental structure was created based on experimental data. This model was used in the design of two classes of controllers. The first class is pure rate feedback of the structure's measured states such that global stability is insured. The second type of controller investigated was an optimal controller (LQG) that was created using the truncated mathematical model. The rate feedback controller showed significant improvements in the …

Shape Sensitivity Analysis And Optimization Of Skeletal Structures And Geometrically Nonlinear Solids, Ching-Hung Chuang

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Formulations and computational schemes for shape design sensitivity analysis and optimization have been developed for both skeletal structures and geometrically nonlinear elastic solids. The continuum approach, which is based on the weak variational form of the governing differential equation and the concept of the material derivative, plays a central role in such a development.

In the first part of this work, the eigenvalue and eigenvector sensitivity equations for skeletal structures are derived with respect to configuration variables of joint and support locations. This derivation is done by the domain method as well as the boundary method. The discrete approach for …

Unsteady Euler And Navier-Stokes Computations Around Oscillating Delta Wing Including Dynamics, Ahmed Abd-El-Bar Ahmed Salman

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Unsteady flows around rigid or flexible delta wings with and without oscillating leading-edge flaps are considered. These unsteady flow problems are categorized under two classes of problems. In the first class, the wing motion is prescribed a priori and in the second class, the wing motion is obtained as a part of the solution. The formulation of the first class includes either the unsteady Euler or unsteady Navier-Stokes equations for the fluid dynamics and the unsteady linearized Navier-displacement (ND) equations for the grid deformation.

The problem of unsteady transonic flow past a bicircular-arc airfoil undergoing prescribed thickening-thinning oscillation is studied …

Control Of Low-Speed Turbulent Separated Flow Over A Backward-Facing Ramp, John C. Lin

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The relative performance and flow phenomena associated with several devices for controlling turbulent separated flow were investigated at low speeds. Relative performance of the devices was examined for flow over a curved, backward-facing ramp in a wind tunnel, and the flow phenomena were examined in a water tunnel using dye-flow visualization. Surface static pressure measurements and oil-flow visualization results from the wind tunnel tests indicated that transverse grooves, longitudinal grooves, submerged vortex generators, vortex generator jets (VGJ’s), Viets’ fluidic flappers, elongated arches +a + a (positive angle of attack), and large-eddy breakup devices (LEBU’s) +a + a placed near the …

Preliminary Structural Design Of A Lunar Transfer Vehicle Aerobrake, Lance B. Bush

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

An aerobrake concept for a Lunar transfer vehicle was weight optimized through the use of the Taguchi design method, structural finite element analyses and structural sizing routines. Six design parameters were chosen to represent the aerobrake structural configuration. The design parameters included honeycomb core thickness, diameter-to-depth ratio, shape, material, number of concentric ring frames, and number of radial frames. Each parameter was assigned three levels. The minimum weight aerobrake configuration resulting from the study was approximately half the weight of the average of all twenty seven experimental configurations. The parameters having the most significant impact on the aerobrake structural weight …

Moving Object Recognition And Guidance Of Robots Using Neural Networks, Abhijit Neogy, S. N. Balakrishnan, Cihan H. Dagli

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The design of a robust guidance system for a robot is discussed. The two major tasks for this guidance system are the online recognition of a moving object invariant to rotation and translation, and tracking the moving object using a neural-network-driven vision system. This system included computer software ported to the IBM PC and interfaced with an IBM 7535 robot. The operation of this guidance system involved recognition of a moving object and the ability to track it till the robot and effector was in close proximity of the object. It was found that the robot was able to track …

Hydration Behavior Of Laser Dye Aerosols Of Mixed Composition Having High Critical Supersaturations, Max B. Trueblood, Donald E. Hagen, Darryl J. Alofs

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This Study Concerns Aerosol Particles of Mixed Composition. the Particles Contain a Water Insoluble Core (Polystyrene Latex), Surrounded by a Water Soluble Shell (Various Fluorescent Dyes). a Collison Nebulizer and an Electrostatic Aerosol Classifier Are Used to Prepare the Aerosol; its Critical Supersaturation Spectrum is Measured with a Diffusion Cloud Chamber. Experiments Were Done using Four Different Dyes (Disodium Fluorescein, Sulforhodamine 640, Sulforhodamine B and Rhodamine 560 Chloride) with Five Different Polystyrene Latex Sphere Sizes. the Results Indicate that a Kohler-Type Behavior is Obeyed. This Technique of Putting a Soluble Coating Onto an Insoluble Core is Found to Be a …

Consideration Of Phase Transformations In The Study Of Shear Bands In A Dynamically Loaded Steel Block, Z. G. Zhu, R. C. Batra

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

We study plane strain thermomechanical deformations of a square block made of steel and model a material defect in it by a rigid non-heat-conducting ellipsoidal inclusion located at the center of the block. The boundaries of the block are presumed to be thermally insulated, and its top and bottom surfaces compressed vertically at a prescribed rate. The loading pulse is assumed to be made up of three parts; an initial segment in which the speed increases from zero to the steady value, the steady part, and the third part in which the speed decreases gradually to zero and is maintained …

Machining Of Composite Materials. Part Ii: Non-Traditional Methods, Serge Abrate, D. Walton

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Machining of composite materials is difficult due to the heterogeneity and heat sensitivity of the material and the high abrasiveness of the reinforcing fibers. This results in damage being introduced into the workpiece and very high tool wear. The use of traditional machining methods was reviewed in Part I of this paper. Here new methods are considered: laser, waterjet, electro-discharge, electro-chemical spark, and ultrasonic machining. These various techniques have been applied to organic matrix composites with aramid, glass, graphite fiber reinforcement but also to metal matrix and ceramic matrix composites. © 1992.

Use Of Time Varying Dynamics In Neural Network To Solve Multi-Target Classification, S. N. Balakrishnan, J. Rainwater

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Several types of solutions exist for multiple target tracking. These techniques are computation-intensive and in some cases very difficult to operate online. The authors report on a backpropagation neural network which has been successfully used to identify multiple moving targets using kinematic data (time, range, range-rate and azimuth angle) from sensors to train the network. Preliminary results from simulated scenarios show that neural networks are capable of learning target identification for three targets during the time period used during training and a time period shortly after. This effective classification period can be extended by the use of networks in coordination …

Genericity And Singularities Of Robot Manipulators, Ming-Chuan Leu, D. K. Pai

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The kinematic singularities of robot manipulators are studied from the point of view of the theory of singularities. The notion of a "generic'' kinematic map, whose singularities form smooth manifolds of prescribed dimension in the joint space of the manipulator, is examined. For three-joint robots, an equivalent algebraic condition for genericity using the Jacobian determinants is derived. This condition lends itself to symbolic computation and is sufficient for the study of decoupled manipulators. Orientation and translation singularities of manipulators are studied in detail. A complete characterization of orientation singularities of robots with any number of joints is given. The translation …

Hierarchical Neurocontroller Architecture For Robotic Manipulation, Xavier J. R. Avula, Luis C. Rabelo

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A hierarchical neurocontroller architecture consisting of two artificial neural network systems for the manipulation of a robotic arm is presented. The higher-level network system participates in the delineation of the robot arm workspace and coordinates transformation and the motion decision-making process. The lower-level network provides the correct sequence of control actions. A straightforward example illustrates the architecture''s capabilities, including speed, adaptability, and computational efficiency

Planning And Control Of A Robotic Manipulator Using Neural Networks, Xavier J. R. Avula, Heng Ma, Anil Malkani, Jay-Shinn Tsai, Luis C. Rabelo

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

An architecture which utilizes two artificial neural systems for planning and control of a robotic arm is presented. The first neural network system participates in the trajectory planning and the motion decision-making process. The second neural network system provides the correct sequence of control actions with a high accuracy due to the utilization of an unsupervised/supervised neural network scheme. The utilization of a hybrid hierarchical/distributed organization, supervised/unsupervised learning models, and forward modeling yielded an architecture with capabilities of high level functionality.

Extension Of Vlasov’S Semi-Membrane Theory To Reinforced Composite Shells, Victor Birman

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Governing equations for the statics and dynamics of reinforced composite shells are developed based on Vlasov's semi-membrane shell theory. These equations have closed-form solutions illustrated for buckling and free vibration problems. The buckling solution converges to the known result for unstiffened isotropic shells. © 1992 by ASME.

Machining Of Composite Materials. Part I: Traditional Methods, Serge Abrate, D. A. Walton

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Composite materials are more difficult to machine than metals mainly because they are anisotropic, non-homogeneous and their reinforcing fibers are very abrasive. During machining, defects are introduced into the workpiece, and tools wear rapidly. Traditional machining techniques such as drilling or sawing can be used with proper tool design and operating conditions. A review of traditional machining methods applied to organic and metal matrix composites is presented in this article. The use of non-traditional machining methods such as waterjet, laser and ultrasonic machining will be discussed in the second part. © 1992.

Effect Of Temperature On The Ultimate Strength And Modulus Of Whisker‐Reinforced Ceramics, Douglas R. Carroll, Lokeswarappa R. Dharani

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Whiskers are a very attractive means of reinforcing a ceramic material. It has been shown that the whiskers dramatically improve the ultimate strength and modulus of the materials at room temperature. However, recent studies indicate that at high temperatures the improvement is less pronounced, or there is no improvement at all. In this paper a model is developed to explain why the properties are degraded at high temperature. The parameters which seem most important for high‐temperature performance are the coefficients of thermal expansion and Poisson's ratios for the constituents, the heat treatment temperature, and the coefficient of friction between the …

Analysis Of Shear Bands In Simple Shearing Deformations Of Nonpolar And Dipolar Viscoplastic Materials, R. C. Batra

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

During the past few years, we have studied numerically the initiation and growth of shear bands in nonpolar and dipolar viscoplastic materials being deformed in simple shear, and in nonpolar materials undergoing plane strain deformations. We summarize here our work for the former problem. © 1992 American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

A Complete Model Characterization Of Brushless Dc Motors, N. Hemati, Ming-Chuan Leu

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The authors address the modeling problem associated with brushless DC motors (BLDCMs) with nonuniform air gaps that operate in a range where magnetic saturation may exist. The mathematical model includes the effects of reluctance variations as well as magnetic saturation to guarantee proper modeling of the system. An experimental procedure is developed and implemented in a laboratory environment to identify the electromagnetic characteristics of a BLDCM in the presence of magnetic saturation. It is demonstrated that the modeling problem associated with the class of BLDCMs can be formulated in terms of mathematically modeling a set of multidimensional surfaces corresponding to …

Finite Element Frequency Domain Solution Of Nonlinear Panel Flutter With Temperature Effects And Fatigue Life Analysis, David Yongxiang Xue

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A frequency domain solution method for nonlinear panel flutter with thermal effects using a consistent finite element formulation has been developed. The von Karman nonlinear strain-displacement relation is used to account for large deflections, the quasi-steady first-order piston theory is employed for aerodynamic loading and the quasi-steady thermal stress theory is applied for the thermal stresses with a given change of the temperature distribution, ΔΤ (x, y, z). The equation of motion under a combined thermal-aerodynamic loading can be mathematically separated into two equations and then solved in sequence: (1) thermal-aerodynamic postbuckling and (2) limit-cycle oscillation. The Newton-Raphson iteration technique …

Integrated System Identification And Adaptive State Estimation For Control Of Flexible Space Structures, Chung-Wen Chen

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Accurate state information is crucial for control of flexible space structures in which the state feedback strategy is used. The performance of a state estimator relies on accurate knowledge about both the system and its disturbances, which are represented by system model and noise covariances respectively. For flexible space structures, due to their great flexibility, obtaining good models from ground testing is not possible. In addition, the characteristics of the systems in operation may vary due to temperature gradient, reorientation, and deterioration of material, etc. Moreover, the disturbances during operation are usually not known. Therefore, adaptive methods for system identification …

An Experimental And Analytical Investigation Of Wing Flutter On A Trial Rotor V/Stol Aircraft, David L. Soistmann

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A wind tunnel model based on a trail rotor vehicle concept was tested for wing flutter in the subsonic flow regime. The wind tunnel model was flutter tested in the forward flight mode only. From this test it was determined that this conceptual vehicle may be susceptible to wing flutter. However, the flutter encountered was not catastrophic but was of the limited amplitude type. The trailing rotor blades were found to have a positive aerodynamic damping effect on flutter. The flutter mechanism for each flutter point was due to a coupling of the first wing bending and first wing torsion …

Maximum Likelihood Estimation For Distributed Parameter Models Of Large Beam-Like Structures, Ji Yao Shen

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Proposed large space structures have many characteristics that give an advantage to modeling their structural dynamics by a set of partial differential equations (PDE's). By far, the most effort put forth in studying system identification and control to date has been based on finite element models. Despite its acceptability, such lumped parameter models have inevitable deficiencies primarily because of their complexity. Both approaches are complementary and each should be used where it is most effective. But the fact is that the distributed parameter approach has not been developed to the level of maturity as for the lumped parameter approach.

Motivated …