Solución de la cinemática directa de la plataforma Gough-Stewart general usando un algoritmo híbrido de optimización

The direct kinematics problem for parallel robots can be stated as follows: given values of the joint variables, the corresponding Cartesian variable values, the pose of the end-effector, must be found. Most of the times the direct kinematics problem involves the solution of a system of non-linear equations. The most efficient methods to solve such kind of equations assume convexity in a cost function which minimum is the solution of the non-linear system. In consequence, the capacity of such methods depends on the knowledge about an starting point which neighboring region is convex, hence the method can find the global minimum. This article propose a method based on probabilistic learning about an adequate starting point for the Dogleg method which assumes local convexity of the function. The proposed method efficiently avoids the local minima, without need of human intervention or apriori knowledge, thus it shows a more robust performance than the simple Dogleg method or other gradient based methods. To demonstrate the performance of the proposed hybrid method, numerical experiments and the respective discussion are presented. The proposal can be extended to other structures of closed-kinematics chains, to the general solution of systems of non-linear equations, and to the minimization of non-linear functions.     

Fórmulas para el cálculo del factor de impacto de estructuras semienterradas en líneas de ferrocarril de alta velocidad

Underpasses are common in modern railway lines. Wildlife corridors and drainage conduits often fall into this category of partially buried structures. Their dynamic behavior has received far less attention than that of other structures such as bridges, but their large number makes their study an interesting challenge from the viewpoint of safety and cost savings. The bridge design rules in accordance with the Eurocode involve checks on stresses according to dynamic loading. In the case of underpasses, those checks may be as much as those for bridges. Therefore, simplified design rules may align the design effort with their cost. Such a set of rules may provide estimations of response parameters based on the key parameters influencing the result. This paper contains a proposal based on a parametric study.     

Cálculo de la función distancia para el método Level Set usando la formulación estabilizada USFEM/Rothe

In this work we use the Unusual Stabilized Finite Element Method (USFEM) associated to Rothe's method for solving the redistancing problem in the Level Set Method. Rothe's method is used first for advancing the solution in (pseudo)time and USFEM for solving the resulting steady advective–reaction problem in each time step. Several 2D problems are solved and results compared with SUPG scheme supplemented with a nonlinear discontinuity–capturing operator.     

Estudio de la estabilidad y dispersión del problema de propagación de ondas sísmicas en 2-D utilizando el método de diferencias finitas generalizadas

This paper shows the solution to the problem of seismic wave propagation in 2-D using generalized finite difference (GFD) explicit schemes. Regular and irregular meshes can be used with this method.As we are using an explicit method, it is necessary to obtain the stability condition by using the von Neumann analysis. We also obtained the star dispersion formulas for the phase velocities for the P and S waves, as well as the ones for the group velocities.As the control over the irregularity in the mesh is very important in the application of this method, we have defined an index of irregularity for the star (IIS) and another for the cloud (IIC), analyzing its relationship with the dispersion and time step used in the calculations.     

Modelación del funcionamiento hidráulico de los dispositivos de aireación de desagües de fondo de presas mediante el método de partículas y elementos finitos

Dam bottom are key elements to control the water surface elevation below the spillway crest level. As a consequence, they are essential in reservoir management, and play a vital role in dam safety.The convenience of installing an aeration system in dam bottom outlets is well known nowadays. Otherwise, damages due to cavitation and vibration are frequently serious, as could be observed in several dams built in the beginning of the 20th century.The intrinsic features of the phenomenon make it hard to analyze either in situ or in full scaled experimental facilities. As a consequence, most of the previous studies have been carried out in small-scale physical models. The results of these works have been used to develop empirical formulas which provide an estimation of the maximum air demand of the aeration system.The progress in the development of numerical methods allows addressing this problem using numerical modeling. The Particle Finite Element Method (PFEM) had been previously applied and validated for the analysis of the performance of other hydraulic structures. In this work, it has been used to simulate air-water interaction in free-flowing gated conduits. The objective is to avoid the scale effects of physical modeling and to study in detail the key parameters. The results clarify the behaviour of the involved fluids (air and water) and provide information about the influence of the main variables that affect their circulation.     

Discusión sobre el artículo «Evaluación numérica del efecto del espesor de la placa de contacto en la acción de palanca en conexión de acero tipo T» de L.M. Bezerra,C.S. de Freitas,W.T. Matias y J.E. Carmona

A discussion is proposed on the paper “Evaluación numérica del efecto del espesor de la placa de contacto en la acción de palanca en conexión de acero tipo T” by L.M. Bezerra, C.S. de Freitas, W.T. Matias and J.E. Carmona. The topics to be discussed are the definition of the T-stub model, the bibliographic references used in the work and the finite element analysis assumptions adopted in the modeling of the components.