18,555 research outputs found

    Development of computer model and expert system for pneumatic fracturing of geologic formations

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    The objective of this study was the development of a new computer program called PF-Model to analyze pneumatic fracturing of geologic formations. Pneumatic fracturing is an in situ remediation process that involves injecting high pressure gas into soil or rock matrices to enhance permeability, as well as to introduce liquid and solid amendments. PF-Model has two principal components: (1) Site Screening, which heuristically evaluates sites with regard to process applicability; and (2) System Design, which uses the numerical solution of a coupled algorithm to generate preliminary design parameters. Designed as an expert system, the Site Screening component is a high performance computer program capable of simulating human expertise within a narrow domain. The reasoning process is controlled by the inference engine, which uses subjective probability theory (based on Bayes\u27 theorem) to handle uncertainty. The expert system also contains an extensive knowledge base of geotechnical data related to field performance of pneumatic fracturing. The hierarchical order of importance established for the geotechnical properties was formation type, depth, consistency/relative density, plasticity, fracture frequency, weathering, and depth of water table. The expert system was validated by a panel of five experts who rated selected sites on the applicability of the three main variants of pneumatic fracturing. Overall, PF-Model demonstrated better than an 80% agreement with the expert panel. The System Design component was programmed with structured algorithms to accomplish two main functions: (1) to estimate fracture aperture and radius (Fracture Prediction Mode); and (2) to calibrate post-fracture Young\u27s modulus and pneumatic conductivity (Calibration Mode). The Fracture Prediction Mode uses numerical analysis to converge on a solution by considering the three coupled physical processes that affect fracture propagation: pressure distribution, leakoff, and deflection. The Calibration Mode regresses modulus using a modified deflection equation, and then converges on the conductivity in a method similar to the Fracture Prediction Mode. The System Design component was validated and calibrated for each of the 14 different geologic formation types supported by the program. Validation was done by comparing the results of PF-Model to the original mathematical model. For the calibration process, default values for flow rate, density, Poisson\u27s ratio, modulus, and pneumatic conductivity were established by regression until the model simulated, in general, actual site behavior. PF-Model was programmed in Visual Basic 5.0 and features a menu driven GUI. Three extensive default libraries are provided: probabilistic knowledge base, flownet shape factors, and geotechnical defaults. Users can conveniently access and modify the default libraries to reflect evolving trends and knowledge. Recommendations for future study are included in the work

    Optimization of CO2 production rate for firefighting robot applications using response surface methodology

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    A carbon dioxide gas-powered pneumatic actuation has been proposed as a suitable power source for an autonomous firefighting robot (CAFFR), which is designed to operate in an indoor fire environment in our earlier study. Considering the consumption rate of the pneumatic motor, the gas-powered actuation that is based on the theory of phase change material requires optimal determination of not only the sublimation rate of carbon dioxide but also the sizing of dry ice granules. Previous studies that have used the same theory are limited to generating a high volume of carbon dioxide without reference to neither the production rate of the gas nor the size of the granules of the dry ice. However, such consideration remains a design requirement for efficient driving of a carbon dioxide-powered firefighting robot. This paper investigates the effects of influencing design parameters on the sublimation rate of dry ice for powering a pneumatic motor. The optimal settings of these parameters that maximize the sublimation rate at the minimal time and dry ice mass are presented. In the experimental design and analysis, we employed full-factorial design and response surface methodology to fit an acceptable model for the relationship between the design factors and the response variables. Predictive models of the sublimation rate were examined via ANOVA, and the suitability of the linear model is confirmed. Further, an optimal sublimation rate value of 0.1025 g/s is obtained at a temperature of 80°C, the mass of 16.1683 g, and sublimation time of 159.375 s

    Automation of Aircraft Engine Fuel Controls Tests: An Industrial Case Study involving PID Control of a Nozzle Emulator

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    The test of fuel control systems used on civil aircraft engines is performed with a network of distributed and, by design, isolated systems. The co-ordination of these test systems is performed manually by human operators in order to verify the airworthiness of a fuel control system throughout the products’ lifecycle. The main objective of this study is the automation of an existing network of systems for fuel control tests. The aspect of automation that is considered in this paper is the control of the engine nozzle emulator which is critical to determine the airworthiness of repaired fuel control systems. This system is realized using a model following PID controller design approach. The results from simulation studies and a hardware-in-the-loop test are presented. These demonstrate that this PID control structure provides the necessary level of accuracy and robustness for this engineering process

    Analysis reuse exploiting taxonomical information and belief assignment in industrial problem solving

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    To take into account the experience feedback on solving complex problems in business is deemed as a way to improve the quality of products and processes. Only a few academic works, however, are concerned with the representation and the instrumentation of experience feedback systems. We propose, in this paper, a model of experiences and mechanisms to use these experiences. More specifically, we wish to encourage the reuse of already performed expert analysis to propose a priori analysis in the solving of a new problem. The proposal is based on a representation in the context of the experience of using a conceptual marker and an explicit representation of the analysis incorporating expert opinions and the fusion of these opinions. The experience feedback models and inference mechanisms are integrated in a commercial support tool for problem solving methodologies. The results obtained to this point have already led to the definition of the role of ‘‘Rex Manager’’ with principles of sustainable management for continuous improvement of industrial processes in companies

    Prevalence of haptic feedback in robot-mediated surgery : a systematic review of literature

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    © 2017 Springer-Verlag. This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in Journal of Robotic Surgery. The final authenticated version is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11701-017-0763-4With the successful uptake and inclusion of robotic systems in minimally invasive surgery and with the increasing application of robotic surgery (RS) in numerous surgical specialities worldwide, there is now a need to develop and enhance the technology further. One such improvement is the implementation and amalgamation of haptic feedback technology into RS which will permit the operating surgeon on the console to receive haptic information on the type of tissue being operated on. The main advantage of using this is to allow the operating surgeon to feel and control the amount of force applied to different tissues during surgery thus minimising the risk of tissue damage due to both the direct and indirect effects of excessive tissue force or tension being applied during RS. We performed a two-rater systematic review to identify the latest developments and potential avenues of improving technology in the application and implementation of haptic feedback technology to the operating surgeon on the console during RS. This review provides a summary of technological enhancements in RS, considering different stages of work, from proof of concept to cadaver tissue testing, surgery in animals, and finally real implementation in surgical practice. We identify that at the time of this review, while there is a unanimous agreement regarding need for haptic and tactile feedback, there are no solutions or products available that address this need. There is a scope and need for new developments in haptic augmentation for robot-mediated surgery with the aim of improving patient care and robotic surgical technology further.Peer reviewe

    Experimental investigation of the softening-stiffening response of tensegrity prisms under compressive loading

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    The present paper is concerned with the formulation of new assembly methods of bi-material tensegrity prisms, and the experimental characterization of the compressive response of such structures. The presented assembly techniques are easy to implement, including a string-first approach in the case of ordinary tensegrity prisms, and a base-first approach in the case of systems equipped with rigid bases. The experimental section shows that the compressive response of tensegrity prisms switches from stiffening to softening under large displacements, in dependence on the current values of suitable geometric and prestress variables. Future research lines regarding the mechanical modeling of tensegrity prisms and their use as building blocks of nonlinear periodic lattices and acoustic metamaterials are discussed

    Integrated product relationships management : a model to enable concurrent product design and assembly sequence planning

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    The paper describes a novel approach to product relationships management in the context of concurrent engineering and product lifecycle management (PLM). Current industrial practices in product data management and manufacturing process management systems require better efficiency, flexibility, and sensitivity in managing product information at various levels of abstraction throughout its lifecycle. The aim of the proposed work is to manage vital yet complex and inherent product relationship information to enable concurrent product design and assembly sequence planning. Indeed, the definition of the product with its assembly sequence requires the management and the understanding of the numerous product relationships, ensuring consistency between the product and its components. This main objective stresses the relational design paradigm by focusing on product relationships along its lifecycle. This paper gives the detailed description of the background and models which highlight the need for a more efficient PLM approach. The proposed theoretical approach is then described in detail. A separate paper will focus on the implementation of the proposed approach in a PLM-based application, and an in-depth case study to evaluate the implementation of the novel approach will also be given
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