Nonlinear Tracking Control of Brushless DC Motors for High-Performance Applications

The tracking control problem associated with brushless DC motors (BLDCMs) for high-performance applications is considered. To guarantee their high-dynamic-performance operation in motion control systems, the magnetic saturation and reluctance variation effects are accounted for in the BLDCM mathematical model. The trajectory tracking control problem is addressed in the context of the transformation theory of nonlinear systems. A nonlinear control law is implemented and shown to compensate for the nonlinearities of a BLDCM. A case study is presented in which a direct-drive inverted pendulum actuated by a BLDCM is used to investigate the effectiveness of the control law. The effectiveness of the proposed control in compensating for modeling errors, external disturbances, and measurement errors is demonstrate

A Complete Model Characterization of Brushless DC Motors

The modeling problem associated with brushless DC motors (BLDCMs) with nonuniform air gaps which operate in a range where magnetic saturation may exist is addressed. The mathematical model, includes the effects of reluctance variations and magnetic saturation to guarantee proper modeling of the system. An experimental procedure is developed and implemented in a laboratory environment to identify the electromagnetic characteristics of a BLDCM in the presence of magnetic saturation. It is demonstrated that the modeling problem associated with this class of BLDCM can be formulated in terms of mathematically modeling a set of multidimensional surfaces corresponding to the electromagnetic torque function and the flux linkages associated with the motor phase windings. The accuracy of the mathematical model is checked against experimental measurement

A Complete Model Characterization of Brushless DC Motors

The authors address the modeling problem associated with brushless DC motors (BLDCMs) with nonuniform air gaps that operate in a range where magnetic saturation may exist. The mathematical model includes the effects of reluctance variations as well as magnetic saturation to guarantee proper modeling of the system. An experimental procedure is developed and implemented in a laboratory environment to identify the electromagnetic characteristics of a BLDCM in the presence of magnetic saturation. It is demonstrated that the modeling problem associated with the class of BLDCMs can be formulated in terms of mathematically modeling a set of multidimensional surfaces corresponding to the electromagnetic torque function and the flux linkages associated with the motor phase windings. The accuracy of the mathematical model constructed by the developed method is checked against experimental measurement

Robust Nonlinear Control of Brushless DC Motors for Direct-Drive Robotic Applications

The control problem associated with brushless DC motors (BLDCMs) for direct-drive robotic applications is considered. In order to guarantee the high-performance operation of BLDCMs in such applications, the effects of reluctance variations and magnetic saturation are accounted for in the model. Such a BLDCM model constitutes a highly coupled and nonlinear dynamic system. Using the transformation theory of nonlinear systems, a feedback control law, which is shown to compensate for the system nonlinearities, is derived. Conditions under which such a control law is possible are presented. The need for the derivation of explicit commutation strategies is eliminated, resulting in reduction of the computations involved. To guarantee the high-performance operation of the system under substantial uncertainties, a robust control law is derived and appended to the overall control structure. The inclusion of the robust controller results in good tracking performance when there are modeling and measurement errors and payload uncertainties. The efficacy of the overall control law is investigated by considering a single-link direct-drive arm actuated by a BLDCM

Robust Nonlinear Control of Brushless DC Motors in the Presence of Magnetic Saturation

A robust control law is derived and examined for a direct-drive robot arm driven by a brushless DC motor (BLDCM). The complete dynamics of the motor and its interaction with the robot arm are accounted for. This is important, since in a direct-drive servo system the torque generated by the motor is directly transmitted to the load. Effects of magnetic saturation as well as reluctance variations are accounted for, in order to ensure accuracy. The effectiveness of the method is examined through computer simulations. The computational complexity of the overall control scheme is such that it can be readily used for real-time contro

Copper adsorption from aqueous solution by activated carbon of wax beans waste activated by magnetite nanoparticles

Copper, a heavy metal, causes environmental pollution through a variety of industrial processes in many countries. Adsorption is known as an effective and efficient way of removing heavy metals. The present study was conducted mainly to magnetize the carbon in wax bean waste with magnetite nanoparticles and use it as adsorbent to remove copper from aqueous solution. Carbon was obtained from wax beans waste and activated with magnetite nanoparticles. The characteristics of obtaining adsorbent were studied and analyzed by FE-SEM, BET, and FT-IR. In this study, the effect of pH, adsorbent dose, contact time and copper concentration on the efficiency of copper removal was investigated per full factorial design by the Design Expert Software. The concentration of copper was measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometer (Varian AA240). For statistical analysis of the experiment’s data, ANOVA and P-value were used. Copper initial concentration 100 mg/L, adsorbent dose 1 g/L, pH 7 and contact time 40 min were obtained as optimal conditions for copper removal. Investigation of the isotherms indicated that the experimental data of the process were correlated with Langmuir Model. The maximum capacity of copper adsorption of Langmuir Model was 49.75 mg/g. Findings indicated that at optimal conditions, the amount of copper adsorbed from synthetic wastewater and real wastewater was 99.73% and 63%, respectively. Therefore, this method is capable of removing copper effectively and could be used to remove this metal from industrial wastewaters. © 2018 Desalination Publications. All rights reserved

Understanding the key parameters for the rational design of layered oxide materials by composite sol-gel procedures

Previous works have well demonstrated that particle size of the filler used in layered oxide formulation is the first important parameter and must be decreased below 5 μm (Agrafiotis, 1999-2000 [10]). But once the particle size is set what are the next formulation parameters to highlight as critical? How do we improve cohesion and adhesion of the coatings? To highlight the key parameters driving the quality of coating, a model layered oxide material was prepared inside a pan granulator. The model composite sol gel formulation is based on boehmite nanoparticles (binder) and amonomodal two micrometer grain size gamma alumina (filler) which is applied onto alpha alumina beads substrate. The influences of the wetting method and relative amount of filler and binderwere investigated. Extensive characterization and imaging of the layered materials (SEM, Cryo-SEM, EPMA, Washburn test, mechanical tests, Hg-porosimetry) were used in order to follow the microstructure evolution of coating during and at the end of drying. Several crack propagation schemes were observed and explained qualitatively. Overall quality of coating is mainly related to the sol-gel transition of the binder. It defines if prior to shaping, the binder primer will be able to improve the coating adhesion and it defines also the nature and extent of damages that the coating undergoes during drying. The mechanical properties of layered oxide materials obtained using composite sol-gel formulation are definitely correlated with the binder gel shrinkage during drying

Centrosome misorientation reduces stem cell division during ageing

Asymmetric division of adult stem cells generates one self- renewing stem cell and one differentiating cell, thereby maintaining tissue homeostasis. A decline in stem cell function has been proposed to contribute to tissue ageing, although the underlying mechanism is poorly understood. Here we show that changes in the stem cell orientation with respect to the niche during ageing contribute to the decline in spermatogenesis in the male germ line of Drosophila. Throughout the cell cycle, centrosomes in germline stem cells ( GSCs) are oriented within their niche and this ensures asymmetric division. We found that GSCs containing misoriented centrosomes accumulate with age and that these GSCs are arrested or delayed in the cell cycle. The cell cycle arrest is transient, and GSCs appear to re- enter the cell cycle on correction of centrosome orientation. On the basis of these findings, we propose that cell cycle arrest associated with centrosome misorientation functions as a mechanism to ensure asymmetric stem cell division, and that the inability of stem cells to maintain correct orientation during ageing contributes to the decline in spermatogenesis. We also show that some of the misoriented GSCs probably originate from dedifferentiation of spermatogonia.University of Michigan ; March of Dimes Basil O'Conner Starter Scholar Research Award ; Searle Scholar Program ; NIH [P01 DK53074, R01GM072006]We thank C. Gonzalez, D. McKearin, N. Rusan, M. Peifer and the Bloomington Stock Center for fly stocks; R. Lehmann, C. Field and the Developmental Studies Hybridoma Bank for antibodies; M. Kiel and D. Nakada for help with X-ray irradiation; and S. Morrison and T. Mahowald for comments on the manuscript. This research was supported by a University of Michigan start-up fund, March of Dimes Basil O'Conner Starter Scholar Research Award and the Searle Scholar Program (to Y.M.Y.), and NIH grants P01 DK53074 (to M.T.F.) and R01GM072006 (to A.J.H.).Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/62879/1/nature07386.pd

Activation of adherent vascular neutrophils in the lung during acute endotoxemia

BACKGROUND: Neutrophils constitute the first line of defense against invading microorganisms. Whereas these cells readily undergo apoptosis under homeostatic conditions, their survival is prolonged during inflammatory reactions and they become biochemically and functionally activated. In the present study, we analyzed the effects of acute endotoxemia on the response of a unique subpopulation of neutrophils tightly adhered to the lung vasculature. METHODS: Rats were treated with 5 mg/kg lipopolysaccharide (i.v.) to induce acute endotoxemia. Adherent neutrophils were isolated from the lung vasculature by collagenase digestion and sequential filtering. Agarose gel electrophoresis, RT-PCR, western blotting and electrophoretic mobility shift assays were used to evaluate neutrophil activity. RESULTS: Adherent vascular neutrophils isolated from endotoxemic animals exhibited decreased apoptosis when compared to cells from control animals. This was associated with a marked increase in expression of the anti-apoptotic protein, Mcl-1. Cells isolated 0.5–2 hours after endotoxin administration were more chemotactic than cells from control animals and expressed increased tumor necrosis factor-alpha and cyclooxygenase-2 mRNA and protein, demonstrating that they are functionally activated. Endotoxin treatment of the animals also induced p38 and p44/42 mitogen activated protein kinases in the adherent lung neutrophils, as well as nuclear binding activity of the transcription factors, NF-κB and cAMP response element binding protein. CONCLUSION: These data demonstrate that adherent vascular lung neutrophils are highly responsive to endotoxin and that pathways regulating apoptosis and cellular activation are upregulated in these cells