Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Kinematic Synthesis Of Deployable-Foldable Truss Structures Using Graph Theory, Dirk B. Warnaar

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A graph theoretic approach is applied to the conceptual design of deployable truss structures. The characteristics that relate to the inter-connectivity of the elements of a deployable truss structure can be captured in a schematic representation, called a graph. A procedure is presented that enables the exhaustive generation of these graphs for structures of any given number of nodes and links and which are foldable onto a plane or onto a line.

A special type of truss structures, called truss modules, is presented. Graphs of this class of structures form a subset of the graphs of truss structures. Two procedures …

Prediction And Control Of Asymmetric Vortical Flows Around Slender Bodies Using Navier-Stokes Equations, Tin-Chee Wong

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Steady and unsteady vortex-dominated flows around slender bodies at high angles of attack are solved using the unsteady, compressible Navier-Stokes equations. An implicit upwind, finite-volume scheme is used for the numerical computations.

For supersonic flows past pointed bodies, the locally-conical flow assumption has been used. Asymmetric flows past five-degree semiapex cones using the thin-layer Navier-Stokes equations at different angles of attack, freestream Mach numbers, Reynolds numbers, grid fineness, computational domain size, sources of disturbances and cross-section shapes have been studied. The onset of flow asymmetry occurs when the relative incidence of pointed forebodies exceeds certain critical values. At these critical …

Transient Heat Transfer Measurements On A Film Cooled Flat Plate In A Shock Tube, Rakhman Gul

Theses and Dissertations

During this study a simple model of a flat plate was chosen to determine heat flux from a high speed flow behind a shock wave into the film cooled flat plate. An electrical analog was used to convert the output of the heat flux gages into heat flux. Free stream turbulence within the flow behind the shock wave and that generated by a turbulence generator was determined and its effects on the heat transfer data were then studied for comparison with previous experimental work. The thin-film heat flux gages were calibrated and their calibration constants were then used to determine …

Decoupled Dynamics For Control And Estimation, S. N. Balakrishnan

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Decoupling of the dynamical equations in polar coordinates is used to develop a control scheme for use in target-intercept problems with passive measurements. By defining a pseudo control variable in the radial coordinate, the radial dynamics is made independent of the transverse dynamics. After solving for the radial control, the transverse control is determined through solutions to a two-point boundary value problem. Numerical results from a six degree-of-freedom simulation which used the decoupled control indicate that it is better than the completely Cartesian coordinate control for most of the cases considered. Decoupled control, though, is obtained iteratively through a two-point …

Impact On Laminated Composite Materials, Serge Abrate

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Laminated composite materials are used extensively in aerospace and other applications. With their high specific modulus, high specific strength, and the capability of being tailored for a specific application, these materials offer definite advantages compared to more traditional materials. However, their behavior under impact is a concern, since impacts do occur during manufacture, normal operations, or maintenance. The situation is critical for impacts which induce significant internal damage, undetectable by visual inspection, that cause large drops in the strength and stability of the structure. Impact dynamics, including the motion of both the impactor and the target and the force developed …

Matrix Cracking In Laminated Composites: A Review, Serge Abrate

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This article presents an overview of the problem of matrix cracking in laminated composite materials. The parameters governing the onset and accumulation of internal damage under several types of loadings are reviewed. The analysis of laminates with matrix cracks can be performed using a shear-lag model, variational, elasticity, finite element or finite difference approaches. Prediction of further cracking is based on either a fracture mechanics approach or a probabilistic failure strength theory. Continuum damage mechanics are used by some investigators to model the behavior of the cracked laminate. Recent developments in this area are summarized here, and suggestions for future …

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

Mechanical and Aerospace 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 neural system participates in the delineation of the robot arm workspace and coordinates transformation and the motion decision-making process. The lower one provides the correct sequence of control actions. The capabilities, including speed, adaptability, and computational efficiency, of the developed architecture are illustrated by an example.

Petri Net Modeling Of A Flexible Assembly Station For Printed Circuit Boards, M. Zhou, Ming-Chuan Leu

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Petri net modeling approaches are presented for a flexible workstation for automatic assembly of printed circuit boards. In order to improve the productivity of such a system, the building of mathematical models is a crucial step. Concentrating on the operational aspects, the authors construct ordinary and temporal Petri net models for the AT&T FWS-200 physical flexible workstation. Three outcomes follow from such models. First, designers can have a better understanding of concurrency, synchronization, mutual exclusion, and sequential relations involved in the system control from the graphical representations of Petri nets. Second, the performance analysis of system operations under different settings …

Intelligent Control Of A Robotic Arm Using Hierarchical Neural Network Systems, Xavier J. R. Avula, Luis C. Rabelo

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Two artificial neural network systems are considered in a hierarchical fashion to plan the trajectory and control of a robotic arm. At the higher level of the hierarchy the neural system consists of four networks: a restricted Coulomb energy network to delineate the robot arm workspace; two standard backpropagation (BP) networks for coordinates transformation; and a fourth network which also uses BP and participates in the trajectory planning by cooperating with other knowledge sources. The control emulation process which is developed using a second neural system at a lower hierarchical level provides the correct sequence of control actions. An example …

Analysis Of Shear Banding In Plane Strain Compression Of A Bimetallic Thermally Softening Viscoplastic Body Containing An Elliptical Void, Z. G. Zhu, R. C. Batra

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

We study plane strain thermomechanical deformations of a prismatic viscoplastic body of square cross-section and deformed at a nominal strain-rate of 5000 s-1. The body has two thin layers placed symmetrically about the horizontal centroidal axis and an elliptical void at the center. The major axis of the void coincides with the vertical centroidal axis and also with the direction of loading. The layer material differs from that of the body in only the value of the yield stress in a quasistatic simple compression test. The yield stress for the layer material is taken to be either one-fifth or five …

Dynamic Adiabatic Shear Band Development In A Bimetallic Body Containing A Void, R. C. Batra, Z. G. Zhu

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

We study the problem of the initiation and subsequent growth of a shear band in a thermally softening viscoplaslic prismatic body of square cross-section and containing two symmetrically placed thin layers of a different viscoplastic material and an elliptical void at the center. The yield stress of the material of the thin layer in a quasistatic simple compression test is taken to be either five times or one-fifth that of the matrix material. The body is deformed in plane strain compression at a nominal strain rate of 5.000 s '. These deformations are assumed to be symmetrical about the centroidal …

Composite Structure Ultimate Strength Prediction From Acoustic Emission Amplitude Data, James Lewis Walker Ii

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

The acoustic emission (AE) given off by a structure as it is stressed provides a passive means to characterize flaw growth activity in complex structures. This thesis demonstrates how the qualitative analysis of AE data can be refined to provide a quantitative tool for predicting the ultimate strength of composite tensile test specimens. From an original sample set of only six specimens, a multivariate statistical analysis was used to generate an ultimate strength prediction equation. The variables of the multivariate statistical analysis were obtained through the mathematical modeling of the specimen’s AE amplitude distributions produced during proof testing. Ultimate strengths …

Damping Of Layered Beams With Mixed Boundary Conditions, Eugene T. Cottle

Theses and Dissertations

For many years, viscoelastic materials have been used in damping treatments to control vibration. In order to optimize a damping treatment for maximum damping, a design engineer must be able to predict frequencies of vibration of damped normal modes and loss factors as a function of the design parameters. Theoretical models of layered beams have been developed, but to date, exact solutions have assumed boundary conditions to be the same for all layers. In this thesis, equations of motion for a damped, layered beam are solved for the longitudinal displacement of both elastic layers, as well as the lateral displacement …

Development Of A Perturbation Generator For Vortex Stability Studies, John Edward Riester Jr.

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Theory predicts vortex instability when subjected to certain types of disturbances. It was desired to build a device which could introduce controlled velocity perturbations into a trailing line vortex in order to study the effects on stability. A perturbation generator has been designed and manufactured which can be attached to the center-body of an airfoil type vortex generator. Details of design tests and manufacturing of the perturbation generator are presented. The device produced controlled perturbations with frequencies in excess of 250 Hz. Preliminary testing and evaluation of the perturbation generator performance was conducted in a 4 inch cylindrical pipe. Observations …

Integrated Control Of Thermally Distorted Large Space Antennas, Robert H. Tolson

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Studies on controlling the thermal distortion of large space antennae have generally investigated a single orbital position and have optimized actuator locations based on minimizing the RMS surface deviation from the original parabolic shape. One study showed the benefits of directly using far zone electric field characteristics as the performance measure; but, this approach resulted in a nonlinear programming problem. The objective of the current study is to develop an approach to designing a control system that (1) recognizes the time dependence of the distortion and (2) controls variables that are directly related to far field performance in a quadratic …

Navier-Stokes Simulations Of Flows About Complex Configurations Using Domain Decomposition Techniques, Kamran Fouladi-Semnani

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

An algorithm is developed to obtain numerical simulations of flows about complex configurations composed of multiple and nonsimilar components with arbitrary geometries. The algorithm uses a hybridization of the domain decomposition techniques for grid generation and to reduce the computer memory requirement. Three dimensional, Reynolds-averaged, unsteady, compressible, and complete Navier-Stokes equations are solved on each of the subdomains by a fully-vectorized, finite-volume, upwind-biased, approximately-factored, and multigrid method. The effect of Reynolds stresses is incorporated through an algebraic turbulence model with several modifications for interference flows. The present algorithm combines the advantages of an efficient, geometrically conservative, minimally and automatically dissipative …

Grid Generation And Flow Computation About A Martian Entry Vehicle, John Edward Stewart

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A number of vehicles are currently being proposed for a manned mission to Mars. One of these vehicles has a modified blunt-nosed cone configuration. Experimental results have been obtained for this vehicle in 1968. These results show lift-over-drag ratios comparable to those needed for Mars entry. Computations are performed here to verify the earlier results and to further describe the flight characteristics of this vehicle.

An analytical method is used to define the surface of this vehicle. A single-block volume grid is generated around the vehicle using an algebraic Two-Boundary Grid Generation algorithm (TBGG) and transfinite interpolation. Euler solutions are …

Parallel Implementation Of A Recursive Least Squares Neural Network Training Method On The Intel Ipsc/2, James Edward Steck, Bruce M. Mcmillin, K. Krishnamurthy, M. Reza Ashouri, Gary G. Leininger

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

An algorithm based on the Marquardt-Levenberg least-square optimization method has been shown by S. Kollias and D. Anastassiou (IEEE Trans. on Circuits Syst. vol.36, no.8, p.1092-101, Aug. 1989) to be a much more efficient training method than gradient descent, when applied to some small feedforward neural networks. Yet, for many applications, the increase in computational complexity of the method outweighs any gain in learning rate obtained over current training methods. However, the least-squares method can be more efficiently implemented on parallel architectures than standard methods. This is demonstrated by comparing computation times and learning rates for the least-squares method implemented …

Thermoelastic Problems Of Multilayered Cylinders, Victor Birman

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Thermoelastic problems of long multilayered cylinders manufactured from isotropic materials are considered. The steady-state thermal field corresponding to a constant difference between temperature outside and inside the assembly is used in the analysis. Both the case of a hollow cylinder and that of a solid multilayered assembly are discussed. A closed-form exact solution is shown for an arbitrary number of layers if the properties of constituent materials remain unaffected by temperature. Various strategies leading to an analytical solution are proposed for the case where material properties depend on temperature. The stresses in a dual-coated optical fiber subject to a uniform …

The Influence Of Payload Dynamics On Trajectory Tracking Performance Of Robot Manipulator, Atul G. Kelkar

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Future space mission plans call for extensive use of remote manipulator systems for tasks such as assembly of lunar vehicles or space station modules, servicing of satellites, etc. These tasks demand very high precision end-effector motion control. Methods for compensating manipulator dynamics to achieve better trajectory tracking performance have been investigated by many researchers. Still, it is not always clear whether the added complexity of dynamic compensation is warranted for a given system. As an aid in evaluating when dynamic compensation is required, this thesis presents a method for the determination of maximum endpoint tracking error due to uncompensated inertial …

An Experimental Study Of An Axisymmetric Turbulent Boundary Layer Disturbed By A Periodic Freestream, Chithrabhanu Koodalattupuram

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Behavior of an axisymmetric equilibrium turbulent boundary layer disturbed by a propeller wake in the freestream was investigated experimentally. Tests were conducted in a low speed wind tunnel and measurements of turbulence quantities were made using an X wire probe and a constant temperature anemometer. The boundary layer flow on a cylindrical body was characterized by measuring its gross parameters and comparing them with classical values. Propeller speed was measured using an electronic circuit whose output signal was also used to trigger hot wire probe. Gross boundary later characteristics of the disturbed boundary layer did not deviate appreciably from the …

Control And Mechanism Interaction For Ground-Based Testing Of Space Structures, Li-Farn Yang

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

In the ground-based validation testing, the adverse effect of terrestrial conditions such as a gravitational force interferes with the dynamic behavior of space structures. A suspension system is developed to assess the structural characteristics in a simulated zero-gravity environment. Using a mechanisms approach, the synthesis of a noncircular disk with a torsional spring at its rotational axis is designed to counteract the gravitational force of test structures during the testing.

The multibody dynamics of a flexible steel beam carried on a rigid trolley has been investigated. The system is constructed in such a way that the rapid and large-angle slewing …

Eigensensitivity Analysis For Space Structures With Applications In Design Optimization, Sean Patrick Kenny

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Eigensensitivity analysis is concerned with the rates of changes of eigenvalues and eigenvectors with respect to design variables. Eigensolutions of space structures are found to display four distinct characteristics, three of which are related to various types of repeated eigenvalues. This study will address three cases of the real symmetric structural eigenvalue problem. The three cases that will be considered are: distinct eigenvalues, repeated eigenvalues with distinct first eigenvalue derivatives, and repeated eigenvalues with infinitely repeating eigenvalue derivatives. Analytic formulations for eigenvalue/ vector derivatives will be presented for each of the three cases. The directional differentiability of eigenvalues for the …

Robust Nonlinear Control Of Brushless Dc Motors In The Presence Of Magnetic Saturation, N. Hemati, J. S. Thorp, Ming-Chuan Leu

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A robust control law is derived and examined for a direct-drive robot arm driven by a brushless DC motor (BLDCM). The complete dynamics of the motor and its interaction with the robot arm are accounted for. This is important, since in a direct-drive servo system the torque generated by the motor is directly transmitted to the load. Effects of magnetic saturation as well as reluctance variations are accounted for, in order to ensure accuracy. The effectiveness of the method is examined through computer simulations. The computational complexity of the overall control scheme is such that it can be readily used …

Use Of Energy In Data-Track Association And State Estimation In Multitarget-Multisensor Problems, S. N. Balakrishnan, H. Park

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A coarse test and a fine test have been formulated for use in multiple sensor-multiple target data-track association. Various forms of energies are used in these tests to pick the proper data to be associated with any target. Numerical experiments which involve the use of a decentralized Kalman filter scheme are presented. The experiments show the effectiveness of the two tests

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

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The modeling problem associated with brushless DC motors (BLDCMs) with nonuniform air gaps which operate in a range where magnetic saturation may exist is addressed. The mathematical model, includes the effects of reluctance variations and 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 this class of BLDCM can be formulated in terms of mathematically modeling a set of multidimensional surfaces corresponding to the electromagnetic torque …

A Study Of The Hydration Properties Of Selected Laser Dye Aerosols Including Continuous-Flow Parallel Plate And Alternating-Gradient Thermal Diffusion Cloud Chamber Measurements In The High Supersaturation Regime, Donald E. Hagen, Max B. Trueblood, Darryl J. Alofs

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Hydration Behavior of Aerosols made Up of Various Fluorescent Dyes when Exposed to Water Saturation or Supersaturated Conditions Has Been Studied. Critical Supersaturation Spectra Are Reported. the Dyes Are Found to Behave as High Molecular Weight Ionic Compounds that Obey Kohler Theory. their Relevant Kohler Parameters Are Measured. This Study Makes Use of and Compares Results from the Isothermal Hazecontinuous-Flowand Alternating-Gradient Thermal Diffusion Cloud Chambers. the Ability of the Continuous-Flow Thermal Diffusion Chamber to Operate Correctly at High Supersaturations is Shown. © 1990 Elsevier Science Publishing Co., Inc.

Thermal Dynamic Problems Of Reinforced Composite Cylinders, Victor Birman

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Thermal dynamic problems of circular cylindrical composite shells reinforced in the axial and circumferential directions and subject to variations of temperature are considered. Nonlinear governing equations are formulated based on the extension of Donnell shell theory. These equations are used to determine the response of geometrically nonlinear and linear shells to a thermal loading represented by the Heaviside step function (thermal shock). The solution of the nonlinear problem obtained by the assumption that displacements are single-term functions of coordinates is discussed. The analysis of the linear problem illustrates different types of response to thermal shock. The condition of thermally induced …

Planning Optimal Robot Trajectories By Cell Mapping, W. H. Zhu, Ming-Chuan Leu

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A cell-mapping method is introduced for planning global trajectories of robotic manipulators in cases where the cell space is composed of combination pairs of plane cells. With the proposed method, optimal trajectory problems in the free field and in the obstacle-constrained field are studied. Two numerical examples are given to show the obtained optimal trajectories and controls.

Thermoelastic Problem Of A Thick Orthotopic Beam On Twodirectiooal Elastic Foundation, Victor Birman

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The thermoelastic problem of an orthotropic beam supported by an elastic foundation which resists lateral deformations as well as displacements parallel to the beam axis is considered. The solution for a relatively thick beam is obtained based on the first-order shear deformation theory. The problem is reduced to- the solution of an ordinary seventh-order differential equation which can be obtained in the closed form. The case of a slender beam is treated as a particular case of a more general solution for a shear deformable beam. © 1990 ASME.