Analysis of chattering phenomenon in industrial S6-high rolling mill

Chatter in rolling mills is the undesirable vibration observed in most of the rolling mills operating at high speed and rolling thin strip. In this work the authors discuss some problems relative to the vibrations occurring in a S6-high cold rolling mill. It can result in not good surface finish for some applications and, rare cases, in gauge variations in the rolled strip and it is considered to be the result of interaction between rolling mill structure and rolling-process. Three basic types of chatter can be classified in rolling mills: torsional, third-octave mode, and fifth-octave-mode chatter. S6-high rolling mill is an innovative mode to work the steel: it allows the use of very small work rolls laterally guided by individually adjustable side support rolls, which are supported by two rows of roller bearings mounted in cassettes. It has six rolls able to roll steel strip coming directly from hot rolling mill train. A proposed solution based on empirical observations, vibration analysis and considerations of a model is described with the aim to improve the quality of the product and increasing production

Contact mechanics analysis of a soft robotic fingerpad

The precision grasping capabilities of robotic hands is a key feature which is more and more required in the manipulation of objects in several unstructured fields, as for instance industrial, medical, agriculture and food industry. For this purpose, the realization of soft robotic fingers is crucial to reproduce the human finger skills. From this point of view the fingerpad is the part which is mostly involved in the contact. Particular attention must be paid to the knowledge of the mechanical contact behavior of soft artificial fingerpads. In this paper, artificial silicone fingerpads are applied to the last phalanx of robotic fingers actuated by tendons. The mechanical interaction between the fingerpad and a flat surface is analyzed in terms of deformations, contact areas and indentations. A reliable model of fingertip deformation properties provides important information for understanding robotic hand performance, that can be useful both in the design phase and for defining control strategies. The approach is based on theoretical, experimental, and numerical methods. The results will be exploited for the design of more effective robotic fingers for precision grasping of soft or fragile objects avoiding damages

A Data-Driven Slip Estimation Approach for Effective Braking Control under Varying Road Conditions

The performances of braking control systems for robotic platforms, e.g., assisted and autonomous vehicles, airplanes and drones, are deeply influenced by the road-tire friction experienced during the maneuver. Therefore, the availability of accurate estimation algorithms is of major importance in the development of advanced control schemes. The focus of this paper is on the estimation problem. In particular, a novel estimation algorithm is proposed, based on a multi-layer neural network. The training is based on a synthetic data set, derived from a widely used friction model. The open loop performances of the proposed algorithm are evaluated in a number of simulated scenarios. Moreover, different control schemes are used to test the closed loop scenario, where the estimated optimal slip is used as the set-point. The experimental results and the comparison with a model based baseline show that the proposed approach can provide an effective best slip estimation

Rainfall thresholds for the possible occurrence of landslides in Italy

Abstract. In Italy, rainfall is the primary trigger of landslides that frequently cause fatalities and large economic damage. Using a variety of information sources, we have compiled a catalogue listing 753 rainfall events that have resulted in landslides in Italy. For each event in the catalogue, the exact or approximate location of the landslide and the time or period of initiation of the slope failure is known, together with information on the rainfall duration D, and the rainfall mean intensity I, that have resulted in the slope failure. The catalogue represents the single largest collection of information on rainfall-induced landslides in Italy, and was exploited to determine the minimum rainfall conditions necessary for landslide occurrence in Italy, and in the Abruzzo Region, central Italy. For the purpose, new national rainfall thresholds for Italy and new regional rainfall thresholds for the Abruzzo Region were established, using two independent statistical methods, including a Bayesian inference method and a new Frequentist approach. The two methods proved complementary, with the Bayesian method more suited to analyze small data sets, and the Frequentist method performing better when applied to large data sets. The new regional thresholds for the Abruzzo Region are lower than the new national thresholds for Italy, and lower than the regional thresholds proposed in the literature for the Piedmont and Lombardy Regions in northern Italy, and for the Campania Region in southern Italy. This is important, because it shows that landslides in Italy can be triggered by less severe rainfall conditions than previously recognized. The Frequentist method experimented in this work allows for the definition of multiple minimum rainfall thresholds, each based on a different exceedance probability level. This makes the thresholds suited for the design of probabilistic schemes for the prediction of rainfall-induced landslides. A scheme based on four probabilistic thresholds is proposed. The four thresholds separate five fields, each characterized by different rainfall intensity-duration conditions, and corresponding different probability of possible landslide occurrence. The scheme can be implemented in landslide warning systems that operate on rainfall thresholds, and on precipitation measurements or forecasts

SICUREZZA E POTENZA NEL XXI SECOLO - IL RUOLO DEL CAUCASO MERIDIONALE E DEL CASPIO

Il Cuacsao meridionale costituisce uno spazio politico al tempo stesso frammentato e nel quale si innestano un pluralit\ue0 di rapporti di interdipendenza tra attori esterni e interni alla regione. Questo capitolo, alla luce delle considerazioni appena svolte, intende approfondire le dinamiche tra attori locali, potenze regionali (Russia) e attori esterni (USA, UE e NATO) al fine di individuare il loro impatto sul sistema internazionale

LA COMPETIZIONE NAVALE NEL MAR CASPIO

Il contributo, prendendo in considerazione i recenti sviluppi in ambito di infrastrutture portuali e assett navali nel mar Caspio, esamina, alla luce del modello del "dilemma della sicurezza" le possibili implicazioni delle politiche intraprese dagli attori della regione. In particolare, il capitolo considera due scenari, uno nel quale la navalizzazione del Caspio agisce come vettore di stabilit\ue0, l'altro nel quale invece costituisce il sintoma di una crescente competizione tra i paesi rivieraschi