Energy harvesting from pendulum oscillations

In this work we analyse the possibility of energy harvesting from the vibration of the environment. The investigations are performed using experimental rig, which consists of a parametrically forced pendulum and an energy harvester, and the mathematical model developed based on the experimental rig. Numerical studies focus on the oscillating motion of pendulum in 2:1 resonance and show good agreement with experimental results. We present that the energy harvesting is possible and is more efficient for shorter reduced length of the pendulum, as proved numerically and experimentally.     

Approximations for period-1 rotation of vertically and horizontally excited parametric pendulum

Nonlinear Dynamics - We obtain analytical approximations for period-1 rotations of both vertically and horizontally excited pendulum using Galerkin projections with elliptic functions (GP),...     

Rotary motion of the parametric and planar pendulum under stochastic wave excitation

In this paper a rotary motion of a pendulum subjected to a parametric and planar excitation of its pivot mimicking random nature of sea waves has been studied. The vertical motion of the sea surface has been modelled and simulated as a stochastic process, based on the Shinozuka approach and using the spectral representation of the sea state proposed by Pierson–Moskowitz model. It has been investigated how the number of wave frequency components used in the simulation can be reduced without the loss of accuracy and how the model relates to the real data. The generated stochastic wave has been used as an excitation to the pendulum system in numerical and experimental studies. For the first time, the rotary response of a pendulum under stochastic wave excitation has been studied. The rotational number has been used for statistical analysis of the results in the numerical and experimental studies. It has been demonstrated how the forcing arrangement affects the probability of rotation of the parametric pendulum.     

Nonlinear aeroelastic behavior of an oscillating airfoil during stall-induced vibration

In this paper, nonlinear aeroelastic behavior of a two-dimensional symmetric rotor blade in the dynamic stall regime is investigated. Two different oscillation models have been considered here: pitching oscillation and flap–edgewise oscillation. Stall aeroelastic instability in such systems can potentially lead to structural damage. Hence it is an important design concern, especially for wind turbines and helicopter rotors, where such modes of oscillation are likely to take place. Most previous analyses of such dynamical systems are not exhaustive. System parameters like structural nonlinearity or initial conditions have not been studied which could play a significant role on the overall dynamics. In the present paper, a parametric study on the aeroelastic instability and the nonlinear dynamical behavior of the system has been performed. Emphasis is given on the effect of structural nonlinearity and initial conditions. The aerodynamic loads in the dynamic stall regime have been computed using the Onera model. The qualitative influence of the system parameters is different in the two systems studied. The effect of structural nonlinearity on the bifurcation pattern of the system response is significant in the case of pitching oscillation. The initial condition plays an important role on the aeroelastic stability as well as on the bifurcation pattern in both the systems. In the forced response study, interesting dynamical behavior, like period-3 response, has been observed in the pitching oscillation case. On the other hand, for the flap–edgewise oscillation case, super-harmonic and quasi-harmonic response have been found.     

Ride dynamics mathematical model for a single station representation of tracked vehicle

Tracked vehicles are exposed to severe ride environment due to dynamic terrain-vehicle interactions. Hence it is essential to understand the vibration levels transmitted to the vehicle, as it negotiates different types of terrains at different speeds. The present study is focused on the development of single station representation of tracked vehicles with trailing arm hydro-gas suspension systems, simulating the ride dynamics. The kinematics of hydro-gas suspension system have been derived in order to determine the non-linear stiffness characteristics at various charging pressures. Then, incorporating the actual suspension kinematics, non-linear governing equations of motion have been derived for the sprung and unsprung masses and solved by coding in Matlab. Effect of suspension non-linear dynamics on the single station ride vibrations have been analyzed and validated with a multi-body dynamics model developed using MSC.ADAMS. The above mathematical models would help in estimating the ride vibration levels of the tracked vehicle, negotiating different types of terrains at various speeds and also enable the designers to fine-tune the suspension characteristics such that the ride vibrations are within acceptable limits. The mathematical ride model would also assist in development of non-linear ride vibration model of full tracked vehicle and estimate the sprung mass dynamics.     

Stability of an equilibrium position of a pendulum with step parameters

A mathematical pendulum affected by parametric disturbance with potential energy being periodic step function is considered. Non-linear equation of the pendulum depends on two parameters characterizing the mean value in time of the parametric disturbance and range of its “ripple”. Values of the parameters can be set arbitrarily. The non-linear problem of stability for two particular solutions of the equation corresponding to a hanging and inverse pendulum is solved.     

Experimental analysis of the influence of damping on the resonance behavior of a spherical pendulum

This study describes the experimental and numerical dynamic analysis of a kinematically excited spherical pendulum. The stability of the response in the vertical plane was analyzed in the theoretically predicted auto-parametric resonance domain. Three different types of the resonance domain were investigated the properties of which depended significantly on the dynamic parameters of the pendulum and the excitation amplitude. A mathematical model was used to represent the nonlinear characteristics of the pendulum, which includes the asymmetrical damping. A special frame was developed to carry out the experiments, which contained the pendulum supported by the Cardan joint and two magnetic units attached to the supporting axes of rotation, and this was able to reproduce linear viscous damping for both of the principal response components. The stability analysis of the system was compared with the numerical solution of the governing equations and experimental observation. The most significant practical outcomes for designers are also summarized.     

Controlling angular oscillations through mass reconfiguration: a variable length pendulum case

The control of angular oscillations or energy of a system through mass reconfiguration is examined using a variable length pendulum. Control is accomplished by sliding the end mass towards and away from the pivot as the pendulum oscillates. The resulting attenuation or amplification of the angular oscillations are explained using the Coriolis inertia force and by examining the energy variation during an oscillation cycle. Simple rules relating the sliding motion to the angular oscillations are proposed and assessed using numerical simulations. An equivalent viscous damping ratio is introduced to quantify the attenuation/amplification phenomena. Sliding motion profiles for achieving attenuation have been simulated with the results being discussed in detail.     

Nonlinear Input-Shaping Controller for Quay-Side Container Cranes

Input-shaping is one of the most practical open-loop control strategies for gantry cranes, especially those having predefined paths and operating at constant cable lengths. However, when applied to quay-side container cranes, its performance is far from satisfactory. A major source of the poor performance can be linked to the significant difference between the gantry crane model and the quay-side container crane model. Gantry cranes are traditionally modeled as a simple pendulum. However, a quay-side container crane has a multi-cable hoisting mechanism.In this paper, a two-dimensional four-bar-mechanism model of a container crane is developed. For the purpose of controller design, the crane model is reduced to a double pendulum with two fixed-length links and a kinematic constraint. The method of multiple scales is used to develop a nonlinear approximation of the oscillation frequency of the simplified model. The resulting frequency approximation is used to determine the switching times for a bang-off-bang input-shaping controller. The performance of the controller is numerically simulated on the full model of the container crane, and is compared to the performance of similar controllers based on a nonlinear frequency approximation of a simple pendulum and a linear frequency approximation of a constraint double pendulum. Results demonstrate a superior performance of the controller based on the nonlinear frequency approximation of the constraint double pendulum.The effect of the oscillation frequency on the controller performance is investigated by varying the model's frequency around the design value. Simulations revealed that the performance of the controller suffers serious degradation due to small changes in the model frequency. To alleviate the shortcomings of the input-shaping controller, a delayed-position feedback controller is successfully applied at the end of each transfer maneuver to eliminate residual oscillations without affecting the commands of the input-shaping controller.     

Damage localization using transient non-linear elastic wave spectroscopy on composite structures

To reduce the costs related to maintenance of aircraft structures, there is the need to develop new robust, accurate and reliable damage detection methods. A possible answer to this problem is offered by newly developed non-linear acoustic/ultrasonic techniques, which monitor the non-linear elastic wave propagation behaviour introduced by damage, to detect its presence and location.In this paper, a new transient non-linear elastic wave spectroscopy (TNEWS) is presented for the detection and localization of a scattered zone (damage) in a composite plate. The TNEWS analyses the uncorrelations between two structural dynamic responses generated by two different pulse excitation amplitudes by using a time-frequency coherence function. A numerical validation of the proposed method is presented. Damage was introduced and modelled using a multi-scale material constitutive model (Preisach-Mayergoyz space).The developed technique identified in a clear manner the faulted zone, showing its robustness to locate and characterize non-linear sources in composite materials     

Experimental and numerical investigation of chaotic regions in the triple physical pendulum

The experimental and numerical analysis of triple physical pendulum is performed. The experimental setup of the triple pendulum with the first body externally excited by the square function and the widely used LabView measure-programming system, which is designed especially for measure data processing and acquisition, are described. The mathematical model of the system is then introduced. The parameters of the model are estimated by minimization of the sum of squares of deviations between the signal from the simulation and the signal from the experiment. A good agreement between results from experiment and from simulation is shown in few examples, including periodic as well as chaotic solutions.     

Robust control of reaction wheel bicycle robot via adaptive integral terminal sliding mode

Nonlinear Dynamics - In this paper, the modelling of a reaction wheel bicycle robot (RWBR) is identified from a second-order mathematical model which is similar to an inverted pendulum, and an...     

Numerical investigation of structural geometric nonlinearity effect in high-aspect-ratio wing using CFD/CSD coupled approach

An efficient and robust fluid–structure coupled methodology has been developed to investigate the linear and non-linear static aeroelastic behavior of flexible high-aspect-ratio wing. A three-dimensional open source finite element solver has been loosely coupled with an in-house Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes solver, designed for hybrid-unstructured meshes, to perform aero-structural coupled simulations. For volume mesh deformation and two-way data interpolation over non-matching grids interface, a radial basis function methodology combined with a data reduction algorithm has been used. This technique is efficient in handling large deflections and provides high-quality deformed meshes. Structural geometric nonlinearity has been considered to predict the deformations in the vertical and torsional directions caused by gravitational and aerodynamic loading. A multi-material finite element model has been generated to match the experimental configuration. Computational aeroelastic simulations were performed on an experimental high-aspect-ratio aeroelastic wing model with a slender body at the tip to get non-linear static deflections, twist and structure natural frequencies. The effect of the geometric nonlinearity is significant for large deformation analysis and has been highlighted in the predicted maximum tip deflection and twist. Good qualitative and quantitative agreement has been achieved between the predicted results and the available experimental data.     

A MODIFIED TORSION PENDULUM FOR MEASURING THE SHEAR MODULUS OF A SINGLE MICRO-SIZED FILAMENT

A modified torsion pendulum apparatus is developed for measuring the shear modu- lus of single filaments with uniform micro-sized diameter. A single filament fixed at both ends and with a ring-shaped mass attached at the middle is used as a clamped-clamped torsion pendulum. The shear modulus of single filaments can be expressed as a function of the oscillation frequency of the torsion pendulum. The oscillation motion is measured with a CCD laser displacement sensor, and its frequency is determined by the Fast Fourier Transform （FFT） method. The shear moduli of three types of filaments： copper wires, tungsten wires and carbon fibers are accurately measured with this technique. It is found that the size effect in shear moduli of both copper wires and tungsten wires is minor. Finally, the error analysis of our measurement technique is presented in detail.     

RLPG点火及冷态喷射过程研究

报道了再生式液体发射药火炮 (RLPG)点火及模拟工质冷态喷射过程的实验结果 ,定量测试了燃烧室、贮液室压力曲线。实验表明 ,采用液体阻尼可以有效减弱点火过程中的压力振荡。针对点火喷射过程建立了数学物理模型 ,并进行了相应数值模拟 ,计算值和实验数据吻合较好。研究结果对深入分析再生式液体发射药火炮内弹道循环有指导意义和参考价值。     

Subharmonic resonance of a symmetric ball bearing–rotor system

The performance of a ball bearing–rotor system is often limited by the occurrence of subharmonic resonance with considerable vibration and noise. In order to comprehend the inherent mechanism and the feature of the subharmonic resonance, a symmetrical rotor system supported by ball bearings is studied with numerical analysis and experiment in this paper. A 6DOF rotordynamic model which includes the non-linearity of ball bearings, Hertzian contact forces and bearing internal clearance, and the bending vibration of rotor is presented and an experimental rig is offered for the research of the subharmonic resonance of the ball bearing–rotor system. The dynamic response is investigated with the aid of orbit and amplitude spectrum, and the non-linear system stability is analyzed using the Floquet theory. All of the predicted results coincide well with the experimental data to validate the proposed model. Numerical and experimental results show that the resonance frequency is provoked when the speed is in the vicinity of twice synchroresonance frequency, while the rotor system loses stability through a period-doubling bifurcation and a period-2 motion i.e. subharmonic resonance occurs. It is found that the occurrence of subharmonic resonance is due to the together influence of the non-linear factors, Hertzian contact forces and internal clearance of ball bearings. The effect of unbalance load on subharmonic resonance of the rotor system is minor, which is different from that of the sliding bearing–rotor system. However, the moment of couple has an impact influence on the subharmonic resonances of the ball bearing–rotor system. The numerical and experimental results indicate that the subharmonic resonance caused by ball bearings is a noticeable issue in the optimum design and failure diagnosis of a high-speed rotary machinery.     

Damping in a parametric pendulum with a view on energy harvesting

The present article addresses the quantification of damping in a parametric pendulum, with a view on further applications in the design of energy harvesting devices. Detailed new experimental data is obtained for such purpose, and a novel mathematical model is presented. Linear and quadratic viscous damping and also dry friction are taken into account. To introduce the dry friction component, the pendulum axis is mounted on ball bearings. This is considered as a very realistic situation of a harvester. Damping parameters are determined by minimizing the difference between numerical and experimental time histories. It is shown that the damping model here presented is more adequate to replicate experiments than commonly used linear models, which consider only a linear viscous damping term characterized by means of free decay tests. It is also pointed that linear models are not adequate for refined studies, since they can lead to erroneous predictions of rotation zones, and consequently to wrong considerations in the design of pendulum harvesters.     

Limit-cycle oscillations of a pre-tensed membrane strip

The paper presents a computational and experimental study of the nonlinear aeroelastic response of a pre-tensed, high aspect-ratio, thin membrane strip. The goal of the study is to derive and validate a computational model that can be used for analysis and design of membrane strips, for the purpose of energy harvesting from flutter at low airspeeds. The mathematical model is based on a pre-tensed-beam model, accounting for bending and torsional stiffening effects due to pretension and large deformations. The aerodynamic model is a potential flow model. The equations of motion are written as a set of nonlinear ordinary differential equations, using Galerkin’s method, and are simulated numerically. The nonlinear aeroelastic model is used to study the oscillation characteristics of the membrane strip in the various stability regions. The effects of the initial pretension and non-linear stiffening on the energy-harvesting potential of the system are studied. The combined effect of the preload on the flutter onset speed, on the flutter frequency and amplitude, and on the loss of orbital stability, indicate that an optimal preload can be determined based on the intended airspeed range for energy harvesting. A series of wind tunnel tests are conducted, in which the flutter onset velocity, and the post-flutter frequencies and amplitudes are measured. Good agreement between the experimental data and computational results validate the computational model.     

Evolution of the equilibrium states of an inverted pendulum

The influence of the pendulum parameters and the follower force on the evolution of equilibrium states is analyzed using a generalized mathematical model of inverted pendulum. Equilibrium curves are plotted using the parameter continuation method. It is shown that the pendulum with certain values of the angular eccentricity has one or three nonvertical equilibrium positions __________ Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika, Vol. 43, No. 3, pp. 122–131, March 2007.     

Efficient Algorithms for Modeling the Transport and Biodegradation of Chlorinated Ethenes in Groundwater

Predicting the fate of chlorinated ethenes in groundwater requires the solution of equations that describe both the transport and the biodegradation of the contaminants. Here, we present a model that accounts for (1) transport of chlorinated ethenes in flowing groundwater, (2) mass transfer of contaminants between mobile groundwater and stationary biofilms, and (3) diffusion and biodegradation within the biofilms. Equations for biodegradation kinetics account for biomass growth within the biofilms, the effect of hydrogen on dechlorination, and competitive inhibition between vinyl chloride and cis–dichloroethene. The overall model consists of coupled, non-linear, partial differential equations; solution of such a model is challenging and requires innovative numerical algorithms. We developed and tested two new numerical algorithms to solve the equations in the model; these are called system splitting with operator splitting (SSOS) and system splitting with Picard iteration (SSPI). We discuss the conditions under which one of these algorithms is superior to the other. The contributions of this paper are as follows: first, we believe that the mathematical model presented here is the first transport model that also accounts for diffusion and non-linear biodegradation of chlorinated ethenes in biofilms; second, the SSOS and SSPI are new computational algorithms developed specifically for problems of transport, mass transfer, and non-linear reaction; third, we have identified which of the two new algorithms is computationally more efficient for the case of chlorinated ethenes; and finally, we applied the model to compare the biodegradation behavior under diffusion-limited, metabolism-limited, and hydrogen-limited (donor-limited) conditions.