Elastic Averaging in Flexure Mechanisms: A Muliti-Beam Parallelogram Flexure Case-Study

Author(s):  
Shorya Awtar ◽  
Edip Sevincer

Over-constraint is an important concern in mechanism design because it can lead to a loss in desired mobility. In distributed-compliance flexure mechanisms, this problem is alleviated due to the phenomenon of elastic averaging, thus enabling performance-enhancing geometric arrangements that are otherwise unrealizable. The principle of elastic averaging is illustrated in this paper by means of a multi-beam parallelogram flexure mechanism. In a lumped-compliance configuration, this mechanism is prone to over-constraint in the presence of nominal manufacturing and assembly errors. However, with an increasing degree of distributed-compliance, the mechanism is shown to become more tolerant to such geometric imperfections. The nonlinear load-stiffening and elasto-kinematic effects in the constituent beams have an important role to play in the over-constraint and elastic averaging characteristics of this mechanism. Therefore, a parametric model that incorporates these nonlinearities is utilized in predicting the influence of a representative geometric imperfection on the primary motion stiffness of the mechanism. The proposed model utilizes a beam generalization so that varying degrees of distributed compliance are captured using a single geometric parameter.

Complexity ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tinggui Chen ◽  
Shiwen Wu ◽  
Jianjun Yang ◽  
Guodong Cong ◽  
Gongfa Li

It is common that many roads in disaster areas are damaged and obstructed after sudden-onset disasters. The phenomenon often comes with escalated traffic deterioration that raises the time and cost of emergency supply scheduling. Fortunately, repairing road network will shorten the time of in-transit distribution. In this paper, according to the characteristics of emergency supplies distribution, an emergency supply scheduling model based on multiple warehouses and stricken locations is constructed to deal with the failure of part of road networks in the early postdisaster phase. The detailed process is as follows. When part of the road networks fail, we firstly determine whether to repair the damaged road networks, and then a model of reliable emergency supply scheduling based on bi-level programming is proposed. Subsequently, an improved artificial bee colony algorithm is presented to solve the problem mentioned above. Finally, through a case study, the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed model and algorithm are verified.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (12) ◽  
pp. 3385
Author(s):  
Erickson Puchta ◽  
Priscilla Bassetto ◽  
Lucas Biuk ◽  
Marco Itaborahy Filho ◽  
Attilio Converti ◽  
...  

This work deals with metaheuristic optimization algorithms to derive the best parameters for the Gaussian Adaptive PID controller. This controller represents a multimodal problem, where several distinct solutions can achieve similar best performances, and metaheuristics optimization algorithms can behave differently during the optimization process. Finding the correct proportionality between the parameters is an arduous task that often does not have an algebraic solution. The Gaussian functions of each control action have three parameters, resulting in a total of nine parameters to be defined. In this work, we investigate three bio-inspired optimization methods dealing with this problem: Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), the Artificial Bee Colony (ABC) algorithm, and the Whale Optimization Algorithm (WOA). The computational results considering the Buck converter with a resistive and a nonlinear load as a case study demonstrated that the methods were capable of solving the task. The results are presented and compared, and PSO achieved the best results.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Ana López-Cheda ◽  
María-Amalia Jácome ◽  
Ricardo Cao ◽  
Pablo M. De Salazar

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 6109
Author(s):  
Joanne Lee Picknoll ◽  
Pieter Poot ◽  
Michael Renton

Habitat loss has reduced the available resources for apiarists and is a key driver of poor colony health, colony loss, and reduced honey yields. The biggest challenge for apiarists in the future will be meeting increasing demands for pollination services, honey, and other bee products with limited resources. Targeted landscape restoration focusing on high-value or high-yielding forage could ensure adequate floral resources are available to sustain the growing industry. Tools are currently needed to evaluate the likely productivity of potential sites for restoration and inform decisions about plant selections and arrangements and hive stocking rates, movements, and placements. We propose a new approach for designing sites for apiculture, centred on a model of honey production that predicts how changes to plant and hive decisions affect the resource supply, potential for bees to collect resources, consumption of resources by the colonies, and subsequently, amount of honey that may be produced. The proposed model is discussed with reference to existing models, and data input requirements are discussed with reference to an Australian case study area. We conclude that no existing model exactly meets the requirements of our proposed approach, but components of several existing models could be combined to achieve these needs.


2021 ◽  
Vol 256 ◽  
pp. 107075
Author(s):  
Wasim Hassan ◽  
Talha Manzoor ◽  
Hassan Jaleel ◽  
Abubakr Muhammad

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (05) ◽  
pp. 1429-1467 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Amirkhan ◽  
Hosein Didehkhani ◽  
Kaveh Khalili-Damghani ◽  
Ashkan Hafezalkotob

The issue of efficiency analysis of network and multi-stage systems, as one of the most interesting fields in data envelopment analysis (DEA), has attracted much attention in recent years. A pure serial three-stage (PSTS) process is a specific kind of network in which all the outputs of the first stage are used as the only inputs in the second stage and in addition, all the outputs of the second stage are applied as the only inputs in the third stage. In this paper, a new three-stage DEA model is developed using the concept of three-player Nash bargaining game for PSTS processes. In this model, all of the stages cooperate together to improve the overall efficiency of main decision-making unit (DMU). In contrast to the centralized DEA models, the proposed model of this study provides a unique and fair decomposition of the overall efficiency among all three stages and eliminates probable confusion of centralized models for decomposing the overall efficiency score. Some theoretical aspects of proposed model, including convexity and compactness of feasible region, are discussed. Since the proposed bargaining model is a nonlinear mathematical programming, a heuristic linearization approach is also provided. A numerical example and a real-life case study in supply chain are provided to check the efficacy and applicability of the proposed model. The results of proposed model on both numerical example and real case study are compared with those of existing centralized DEA models in the literature. The comparison reveals the efficacy and suitability of proposed model while the pitfalls of centralized DEA model are also resolved. A comprehensive sensitivity analysis is also conducted on the breakdown point associated with each stage.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peiman Ghasemi ◽  
Fariba Goodarzian ◽  
Angappa Gunasekaran ◽  
Ajith Abraham

PurposeThis paper proposed a bi-level mathematical model for location, routing and allocation of medical centers to distribution depots during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. The developed model has two players including interdictor (COVID-19) and fortifier (government). Accordingly, the aim of the first player (COVID-19) is to maximize system costs and causing further damage to the system. The goal of the second player (government) is to minimize the costs of location, routing and allocation due to budget limitations.Design/methodology/approachThe approach of evolutionary games with environmental feedbacks was used to develop the proposed model. Moreover, the game continues until the desired demand is satisfied. The Lagrangian relaxation method was applied to solve the proposed model.FindingsEmpirical results illustrate that with increasing demand, the values of the objective functions of the interdictor and fortifier models have increased. Also, with the raising fixed cost of the established depot, the values of the objective functions of the interdictor and fortifier models have raised. In this regard, the number of established depots in the second scenario (COVID-19 wave) is more than the first scenario (normal COVID-19 conditions).Research limitations/implicationsThe results of the current research can be useful for hospitals, governments, Disaster Relief Organization, Red Crescent, the Ministry of Health, etc. One of the limitations of the research is the lack of access to accurate information about transportation costs. Moreover, in this study, only the information of drivers and experts about transportation costs has been considered. In order to implement the presented solution approach for the real case study, high RAM and CPU hardware facilities and software facilities are required, which are the limitations of the proposed paper.Originality/valueThe main contributions of the current research are considering evolutionary games with environmental feedbacks during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak and location, routing and allocation of the medical centers to the distribution depots during the COVID-19 outbreak. A real case study is illustrated, where the Lagrangian relaxation method is employed to solve the problem.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahdieh Masoumi ◽  
Amir Aghsami ◽  
Mohammad Alipour-Vaezi ◽  
Fariborz Jolai ◽  
Behdad Esmailifar

PurposeDue to the randomness and unpredictability of many disasters, it is essential to be prepared to face difficult conditions after a disaster to reduce human casualties and meet the needs of the people. After the disaster, one of the most essential measures is to deliver relief supplies to those affected by the disaster. Therefore, this paper aims to assign demand points to the warehouses as well as routing their related relief vehicles after a disaster considering convergence in the border warehouses.Design/methodology/approachThis research proposes a multi-objective, multi-commodity and multi-period queueing-inventory-routing problem in which a queuing system has been applied to reduce the congestion in the borders of the affected zones. To show the validity of the proposed model, a small-size problem has been solved using exact methods. Moreover, to deal with the complexity of the problem, a metaheuristic algorithm has been utilized to solve the large dimensions of the problem. Finally, various sensitivity analyses have been performed to determine the effects of different parameters on the optimal response.FindingsAccording to the results, the proposed model can optimize the objective functions simultaneously, in which decision-makers can determine their priority according to the condition by using the sensitivity analysis results.Originality/valueThe focus of the research is on delivering relief items to the affected people on time and at the lowest cost, in addition to preventing long queues at the entrances to the affected areas.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mitra Salmaninezhad ◽  
S. Mahmood Jazayeri Moghaddas

PurposePier scour is one of the main causes of damage to the columns of the river bridges. It is essential to select the best method among various repair methods based on different evaluation indices. However, there is no procedure for ranking these repair methods based on their attributes. The present study seeks to set an approach for this ranking.Design/methodology/approachIn this paper, a multi-attribute decision-making (MADM) model is presented for ranking the repair techniques, in which alternatives are examined using the most important evaluation criteria. In addition, a combination of entropy and eigenvector methods has been proposed for weighting these attributes. A case study is then used to demonstrate the applicability and the validity of the method.FindingsThe execution of the model using two multi-criteria methods yielded similar results, which confirms its accuracy and precision. Moreover, the research findings showed the consistency of the objective and subjective weighting methods and the conformity of the weights obtained for the attributes from the combination of these methods to the nature of the problem.Originality/valueThe selection of the proper method for repairing the bridge columns plays an essential role in success of the bridge restoration. The proposed model introduces an approach for ranking repair methods and selecting the best one that has not been presented so far. Also, the weighing method for attributes is an innovative method for ranking restoration methods that has been proven in a case study.


Author(s):  
Xiaofei Ye ◽  
Xingchen Yan ◽  
Jun Chen ◽  
Tao Wang ◽  
Zhao Yang

As roadway resources are being occupied by curbside parking and because of the operational characteristics of parking maneuvers, the capacity of the adjacent travel lane can be significantly reduced. To analyze the influence of curbside parking on the capacity of the bicycle lane, a conflict technique based on additive conflict flow was applied to establish the base capacity model. The actual capacity of the bicycle lane with curb parking was then established by adjusting the base capacity to reflect the influence: lane width, the time influence of parking maneuvers, and proportion of e-bikes. Eight datasets from the exclusive bicycle lanes with different widths and parking maneuvers were collected in Nanjing, China for calibration and evaluation purposes. As a result of a higher number of parking maneuvers, the Emeiling Road was taken as the main case study. The capacity of the bicycle lane was calculated, and the effectiveness of the proposed method was validated by the speed-density-volume relationship model. The proposed model was applied to analyze the effect of different positions of parking berths on the capacity. The results indicate that, with around 65% share of e-bikes, the estimated capacity of Emeiling Road is 2622 bicycles/h, decreasing by 47.10% under the influence of curbside parking. The results also imply that the berths near the openings of the isolation belt have less influence than those in the middle position. These findings could be helpful and useful for practitioners to improve the capacity of bicycle lanes under the influence of curbside parking.


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