Drive systems for operation on deep-sea ROVs

Power systems for thruster actuators and other auxiliaries employed on work-class deep-sea ROVs subject to 300bar ambient pressures, are considered. Emphasis on 3×3 matrix converters for thrusters and 3×2 matrix converters for system auxiliaries, is given, along with experimental results showing operation during pressure cycling consistent with typical operational duties

Improved performance of motor-drive systems by SAW shaft torque feedback

The paper describes the application of a non-contact, high bandwidth, low cost, SAW-based torque measuring system for improving the dynamic performance of industrial process motor-drive systems. Background to the SAW technology and its motor integration is discussed and a resonance ratio control (RRC) technique for the coordinated motion control of multi-inertia mechanical systems, based on the measurement of shaft torque via a SAW-based torque sensor is proposed. Furthermore, a new controller structure, RRC plus disturbance feedback is proposed, which enables the controller to be designed to independently satisfy tracking and regulation performance. A tuning method for the RRC structure is given based on the ITAE index, normalized as a function of the mechanical parameters enabling a direct performance comparison between a basic proportional and integral (PI) controller. The use of a reduced-order state observer is presented to provide a dynamic estimate of the load-side disturbance torque for a multi-inertia mechanical system, with an appraisal of the composite closed-loop dynamics. The control structures are experimentally validated and demonstrate significant improvement in dynamic tracking performance, whilst additionally rejecting periodic load side disturbances, a feature previously unrealisable except by other, high-gain control schemes that impose small stability margins

Dynamic and Earthquake Geotechnical Centrifuge Modelling

This state of art review discusses scaling principles for dynamic and earthquake geotechnical centrifuge models that have been known for many years, and shows how the new emphasis on modelling of models using reconstituted soil helps to reduce the difficulties of verification of these principles. It is suggested that models made of reconstituted soil can exhibit a wide range of behavior that is important in the field. In particular it is suggested that liquefaction and cracking are related phenomena which can both be modelled

Amplitude and frequency control of a vibratory pile driver

Abstract—This paper describes the digital control of a vibratory pile driver in which the vibration is generated via two tandem pairs of electrically driven, geared, contra-rotating eccentrics. Experimental results are included to show the controller-induced system dynamics for a variety of load condtions, and to highlight the fact that, if the relative phase of the eccentric pairs is not controlled, the natural tendency at high excitation frequency is for the pile driver to operate with a low vibration amplitude. An analytical technique for identifying the system parameters is presented, and analytical performance predictions are compared with experimental results. Analysis of the power flow in the system shows that, although significant power transfer occurs between the two electrical drives, the net power dissipation during pile driving is relatively low

Design of robust current tracking control for active power filters

The paper describes a design methodology for robust current-tracking control of active power filters using quantitative feedback theory (QFT). The design aim is to address system issues of power quality and power factor correction in a double-sided converter (rectifierhverter combination) subject to parametric uncertainty, non-linear dynamic behavior and exogenous disturbances. The paper includes simulation results to demonstrate the dynamic performance attributes afforded to the resulting closed-loop control system, and to verify the design procedure

Effective boundary conditions for dense granular flows

We derive an effective boundary condition for granular flow taking into account the effect of the heterogeneity of the force network on sliding friction dynamics. This yields an intermediate boundary condition which lies in the limit between no-slip and Coulomb friction; two simple functions relating wall stress, velocity, and velocity variance are found from numerical simulations. Moreover, we show that this effective boundary condition corresponds to Navier slip condition when GDR MiDi's model is assumed to be valid, and that the slip length depends on the length scale that characterises the system, \emph{viz} the particle diameter.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

Three-Dimensional Seismic Imaging of Ancient Submarine Lava Flows : An Example From the Southern Australian Margin

This work comprises a part of the Great Australian Bight Deepwater Marine Program (GABDMP) for funding this project. The GABDMP is a CSIRO research program, sponsored by Chevron Australia the results of which will be made publicly available. 3D seismic data was gratefully provided by TGS. IHS are thanked for access to seismic interpretation software. Spectral decomposition was carried out using Foster-Findlay Associates Geoteric Software. Sverre Planke and Tracy Gregg are thanked for constructive reviews.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

The mouse pathology ontology, MPATH; structure and applications

BACKGROUND: The capture and use of disease-related anatomic pathology data for both model organism phenotyping and human clinical practice requires a relatively simple nomenclature and coding system that can be integrated into data collection platforms (such as computerized medical record-keeping systems) to enable the pathologist to rapidly screen and accurately record observations. The MPATH ontology was originally constructed in 2,000 by a committee of pathologists for the annotation of rodent histopathology images, but is now widely used for coding and analysis of disease and phenotype data for rodents, humans and zebrafish. CONSTRUCTION AND CONTENT: MPATH is divided into two main branches describing pathological processes and structures based on traditional histopathological principles. It does not aim to include definitive diagnoses, which would generally be regarded as disease concepts. It contains 888 core pathology terms in an almost exclusively is_a hierarchy nine layers deep. Currently, 86% of the terms have textual definitions and contain relationships as well as logical axioms to other ontologies such the Gene Ontology. APPLICATION AND UTILITY: MPATH was originally devised for the annotation of histopathological images from mice but is now being used much more widely in the recording of diagnostic and phenotypic data from both mice and humans, and in the construction of logical definitions for phenotype and disease ontologies. We discuss the use of MPATH to generate cross-products with qualifiers derived from a subset of the Phenotype and Trait Ontology (PATO) and its application to large-scale high-throughput phenotyping studies. MPATH provides a largely species-agnostic ontology for the descriptions of anatomic pathology, which can be applied to most amniotes and is now finding extensive use in species other than mice. It enables investigators to interrogate large datasets at a variety of depths, use semantic analysis to identify the relations between diseases in different species and integrate pathology data with other data types, such as pharmacogenomics