Simultaneous position and vibration control system for flexible link mechanisms

The control of lightweight and high speed manipulators requires special strategies to prevent and damp the vibrations caused by the inertial components of motion, especially when dealing with flexible-links mechanism. In this paper a constrained MPC (Model Predictive Control) system is proposed as an effective control strategy for position and vibration control of flexible links mechanism. Here this control system is applied to an electric actuated four-link planar mechanism with three flexible links laying on the horizontal plane. The effectiveness of this controller is evaluated by the means of exhaustive numerical simulations.     

Stochastic thermal stresses in an FGM annular disc of variable thickness with spatially random heat transfer coefficients

The second-order statistics (i.e. mean and standard deviation) of the temperature and thermal stresses are evaluated in an axisymmetrically heated functionally graded annular disc of variable thickness with spatially random heat transfer coefficients (HTCs) on the major surfaces of the disc. This annular disc is assumed to have arbitrary variations in the HTCs and material composition along the radial direction only. The randomness in the HTCs is considered to be a random field. The stochastic temperature field is analysed by considering the annular disc to be a multilayered one with stepwise thickness variation, where each layer is assumed to have constant deterministic material properties and random HTCs. In order to evaluate the statistics, the Monte Carlo simulation method is applied to analytical solutions for the deterministic temperature and thermal stresses. The analytical solution for the thermal stresses is obtained through the use of a piecewise power function approximation for Young’s modulus. Numerical results demonstrate the effects of the magnitude of the HTC means, volume fraction distributions of the constitutive materials and thickness variation on the statistics of the temperature and thermal stresses.     

Time optimal motions of mechanical system with a prescribed trajectory

The problem of time minimization of a holonomic scleronomic mechanical system on a prescribed trajectory between two specified positions in configuration space is solved. The generalized force with restricted coordinates is taken as the controlling force. The application of the Green theorem (the well-known Miele method in flight mechanics) has shown that at every instant at least one control is at its boundary and possesses controlling functions with interruptions. It is assumed that at least one generalized coordinate exists that is monotonous during the interval of movement. An algorithm for numerical computation is presented for assessing the boundary of the admissible domain in the state space, thus, solving the problem of finding the optimal control as a function of time. Numerical integration is, therefore, carried out forward from the start point and backward from the end point by the use of the Runge-Kutta method. The mentioned procedure is illustrated in the example of time minimization for a manipulator which has its tip moving in a straight line. The application of the presented method simplifies solving of this type of problem compared to other methods, for instance, dynamic programming.     

Stress–strain state of flexible ring plates of variable stiffness in a magnetic field

A nonlinear two-dimensional model of a magnetoelastic flexible current-carrying ring plate is developed.Asystem of nonlinear equations describing the stress–strain state of flexible current-carrying plates in nonstationary mechanical and electromagnetic fields is derived. The stress state of a flexible plate of variable stiffness in a magnetic field is determined     

Stabilizing control of Hopf bifurcation in the Hodgkin–Huxley model via washout filter with linear control term

It is a significant issue to control bifurcation because many neuronal diseases have close relevance to bifurcation of neuron system. Some studies have been done on bifurcation control in the Hodgkin–Huxley (HH) model, but there is no clear mathematical criterion for bifurcation stabilization. In this paper, according to Routh–Hurwitz stability criterion, we employ linear control term of washout filter-aided dynamic feedback controller to stabilize bifurcation of the HH model. As a result, we can deduce linear control gain based on the criterion, and simulation shows the method is effective for making the HH model stable. The controller designs described here are achieved by electrical stimulus, so it may have potential applications in the diagnosis and therapy of dynamical diseases.     

Dynamic model based nonlinear tracking control of a planar parallel manipulator

Based on the dynamic model, a novel nonlinear tracking controller is developed to overcome the nonlinear dynamics and friction of a planar parallel manipulator. The dynamic model is formulated in the active joint space, and the active joint friction is described with the Coulomb + viscous friction model. A nonlinear tracking controller is designed to eliminate the tracking error by using the power function. The nonlinear tracking controller is proven to guarantee asymptotic convergence to zero of both the tracking error and error rate with the Barbalat’s lemma. The trajectory tracking experiment of the proposed controller is implemented on an actual five-bar planar parallel manipulator both at the low-speed and high-speed motion. Moreover, the control performances of the proposed controller are compared with the results of the augmented PD (APD) controller.     

Minimum-time optimal control of robotic manipulators based on Hamel’s integrators

Meccanica - In this paper, we develop a framework of time optimization path planning for robotic manipulators surrounded by static obstacles. Our approach is based on the recursive dynamics method...     

Simulation and hybrid fuzzy-PID control for positioning of a hydraulic system

Accuracy and precision of position control of hydraulic systems are key parameters for engineering applications in order to set more economical and quality systems. In this context, this paper presents modeling and position control of a hydraulic actuation system consisting of an asymmetric hydraulic cylinder driven by a four way, three position proportional valve. In this system model, the bulk modulus is considered as a variable. In addition, the Hybrid Fuzzy-PID Controller with Coupled Rules (HFPIDCR) is proposed for position control of the hydraulic system and its performance is tested by simulation studies. The novel aspect of this controller is to combine fuzzy logic and PID controllers in terms of a switching condition. Simulation results of the HFPIDCR based controller are compared with the results of classical PID, Fuzzy Logic Controller (FLC), and Hybrid Fuzzy-PID controller (HFPID). As a result, it is demonstrated that Hybrid Fuzzy PID Controller with Coupled Rules is more effective than other controllers.     

Improved suboptimal Bang–Bang control of aseismic buildings with variable friction dampers

One of the challenges in civil engineering is to find an innovative means of suppressing the structural vibration due to earthquake and wind loadings. This paper presents an approach for effectively suppressing vibrations of a structure with variable friction damper using a new Bang–Bang control input. A continuous function of story velocities is used to represent the improved control to reduce chatter, high frequency switching and avoid instability. With a genetic algorithm, the amplitudes of control and preloading friction forces individually prescribed in the controller and damper are optimized for enhancing the seismic performance of buildings. The control strategy for the friction damper is proposed for a three story building with one variable friction damper installed at the first story for seismic reduction. The numerical results indicate that a better reduction of peak response accelerations of floors can be achieved than those of the unmodified controller, and the adaptability of the control system is also improved greatly by comparison with the reduction ratios of the structural response energy excited by different earthquake intensities. The project supported by the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars (50025823). The English text was polished by Keren Wang.     

Neural networks based self-learning PID control of electronic throttle

An electronic throttle is a low-power DC servo drive which positions the throttle plate. Its application in modern automotive engines leads to improvements in vehicle drivability, fuel economy, and emissions. In this paper, a neural networks based self-learning proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller is presented for electronic throttle. In the proposed self-learning PID controller, the controller parameters, K _P , K _I , and K _D are treated as neural networks weights and they are adjusted using a neural networks algorithm. The self-learning algorithm is operated iteratively and is developed using the Lyapunov method. Hence, the convergence of the learning algorithm is guaranteed. The neural networks based self-learning PID controller for electronic throttle is verified by computer simulations.     

Simulation of planar flexible multibody systems with clearance and lubricated revolute joints

Modeling of clearance joints plays an important role in the analysis and design of multibody mechanical systems. Based on the absolute nodal coordinate formulation (ANCF), a new computational methodology for modeling and analysis of planar flexible multibody systems with clearance and lubricated revolute joints is presented. A planar absolute nodal coordinate formulation based on the locking-free shear deformable beam element is implemented to discretize the flexible bodies. A continuous contact-impact model is used to evaluate the contact force, in which energy dissipation in the form of hysteresis damping is considered. A force transition model from hydrodynamic lubrication forces to dry contact forces is introduced to ensure continuity in the joint reaction force. A comprehensive study with different lubrication force models has also been carried out. The generalized-α method is used to solve the equations of motion and several efficient methods are incorporated in the proposed model. Finally, the methodology is validated by two numerical examples.     

A nonlinear high gain observer based input–output control of flexible link manipulator

The input–output control strategy needs all of the states feedback. However, in flexible link robot manipulators, measuring the time rate of elastic degrees of freedom is practically impossible. In this paper, a new nonlinear high gain observer has been developed to estimate the elastic degrees of freedom and their time derivatives. The control strategy is based on an output redefinition approach which stabilizes the zero dynamics of the manipulator. Finally, the results are presented by implementing the proposed observer and controller on a single link flexible manipulator. Numerical simulations will support the validity of our research results.     

The effects of variable properties on MHD unsteady natural convection heat and mass transfer over a vertical wavy surface

A mathematical model will be analyzed in order to study the effects of variables viscosity and thermal conductivity on unsteady heat and mass transfer over a vertical wavy surface in the presence of magnetic field numerically by using a simple coordinate transformation to transform the complex wavy surface into a flat plate. The fluid viscosity is assumed to vary as a exponential function of temperature and thermal conductivity is assumed to vary linearly with temperature. An implicit marching Chebyshev collocation scheme is employed for the analysis. Numerical solutions are obtained for different values of variable viscosity, variable thermal conductivity and MHD variation parameter. Numerical results show that, variable viscosity, variable thermal conductivity and MHD variation parameter have significant influences on the velocity, temperature and concentration profiles as well as for the local skin friction, Nusselt number and Sherwood number.     

Finite-time chaos control of unified chaotic systems with uncertain parameters

This paper is concerned with finite-time chaos control of unified chaotic systems with uncertain parameters. Based on the finite-time stability theory in the cascade-connected system, a nonlinear control law is presented to achieve finite-time chaos control. The controller is simple and easy to be constructed. Simulation results for Lorenz, Lü, and Chen chaotic systems are provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 60674024).     

Nonlinear response of a flexible Cartesian manipulator with payload and pulsating axial force

In this present work, the nonlinear response of a single-link flexible Cartesian manipulator with payload subjected to a pulsating axial load is determined. The nonlinear temporal equation of motion is derived using D’Alembert’s principle and generalised Galerkin’s method. Due to large transverse deflection of the manipulator, the equation of motion contains cubic geometric and inertial types of nonlinearities along with linear and nonlinear parametric and forced excitation terms. Method of normal forms is used to determine the approximate solution and to study the dynamic stability and bifurcations of the system. These results are found to be in good agreement with those obtained by numerically solving the temporal equation of motion. Influences of amplitude of the base excitation, mass ratio, and amplitude of static and dynamic axial load on the steady state responses of the system are investigated for three different resonance conditions. For some specific conditions, the results obtained in this work are found to be in good agreement with the previously published experimental work. The results obtained in this work will find applications in the design of flexible Cartesian manipulators with payload.     

A revisit to synchronization of Lurie systems with time-delay feedback control

This paper revisits the problem of synchronization for general Lurie systems with time-delay feedback control. Differently from most of existing results, the more restrictively slope restrictions on the nonlinearities of Lurie systems are considered in view of the fact that the slope restrictions may improve synchronization conditions compared with the sector ones. The Kalman–Yakubovich–Popov (KYP) lemma and the Schur complement formula are applied to get novel and less conservative synchronization criteria, which have the forms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). Numerical examples are presented to illustrate the efficiency of the proposed results.