Validation and Implementation of Control Strategies for Liquid Composite Molding Processes

Materials ◽  
2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathieu Devillard ◽  
Kuang-Ting Hsiao ◽  
Suresh G. Advani

The manufacturing of polymeric composites ranges from using a rudimentary hand lay-up to the use of automated processes such as Liquid Composite Modeling (LCM) developed over the past decades in order to increase the yield of manufactured composite parts. In these processes, fiber preforms are placed in a closed mold and resin is infused into the mold to saturate the preform. After the resin cures, the mold is opened and the net shape composite part is demolded. However, by introducing more complexity into the part, one also introduces higher probability of flow disturbances, such as race tracking along preform edges, into the molding system. This can lead to incomplete saturation of fiber performs resulting in flaws such as dry spots in the composite part. The strength and existence of race-tracking is a function of the fabric type, perform manufacturing method, and its placement in the mold. It can vary from one part to the next in the same production run, and therefore it is not repeatable. In this work, after illustrating experimentally the unpredictability of variation of race-tracking and its influence on the flow, two approaches have been investigated and validated to address this issue associated with the variation of inherent disturbances in LCM processes. An active control strategy method using process models and simulations along with sensing and control to address flow disturbances during the impregnation stage of the process was shown to be reliable and effective for Resin Transfer Molding (RTM) process. In an attempt to improve the automation of RTM process, a modular RTM workstation including all hardware and software necessary to implement active control strategies for various part geometries and a novel injection system was designed and tested. In addition, a passive control method for Vaccum Assisted RTM (VARTM) aimed at optimizing the placement of distribution media for a given set-up in order to reduce dry spot formation and filling time was developed and validated experimentally. The optimization method employs numerical flow simulations and global optimization search techniques (Genetic algorithm) to generate the design for strategic flow control system.

2011 ◽  
Vol 194-196 ◽  
pp. 1997-2000
Author(s):  
Liang Huang ◽  
Bo Wang ◽  
Jian Guo Xu

The magneto rheological damper (MRD) is employed to control the seismic response of large-scale aqueduct. The active control, semi-active control and passive control strategies are systematically compared, The results indicated that the magneto rheological dampers are effective in reducing the aqueduct response, the mitigation rate of semi-active control approaches with the active method The results from the present study may serve as a reference base for seismic design of large-scale aqueducts, and provide theoretical basis of aqueduct using semi-active devices.


2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 337-355
Author(s):  
Kjell Ivar Øvergård ◽  
Marius Stian Tannum ◽  
Per Haavardtun

Abstract A study of navigational situations involving a small passenger ferry ‘Ole III’ was conducted based on participatory observations in the Husøysund strait in Tønsberg municipality, Norway. The aims were to document the extent to which crossing situations are solved according to navigational rules and practice, and to investigate the number of incidents which could pose a risk for Ole III and its passengers. Because of the high density of private pleasure craft, we expected a rather large number of non-compliance with navigational rules. Observations supported this assumption, and based on the total of 3152 crossings with Ole III where other vessels where present, a total of 279 (8.9%) incidents were considered to involve non-compliance with navigational rules and practice. A total of 165 incidents were caused by the other vessels failing to give way even though it had Ole III on its starboard side. This indicates that, at least in Norway, we may routinely expect pleasure craft to deviate from navigational rules for crossing situations. A number of incidents could partly be explained by a mismatch in understandings of which vessel had the right-of-way. Also, incident risk was higher when Ole III used active control strategies to handle crossing situations (e.g. keeping course and speed) as compared with passive control strategies. A taxonomy of situations based upon intentions is presented together with suggestions for control strategies for small passenger vessels that operate in waters with many pleasure craft.


2009 ◽  
Vol 09 (04) ◽  
pp. 661-685 ◽  
Author(s):  
BO CHEN ◽  
JIN ZHENG ◽  
WEILIAN QU

Transmission tower-line system is a high-rise structure with low damping and it is therefore prone to strong wind excitation. In this paper, the control of wind-induced response of transmission tower-line system is carried out by using magnetorheological (MR) dampers. The effects of brace stiffness of damper are introduced and a multi-degree-of-freedom (MDOF) model is developed for both in-plane/out-of-plane vibration of transmission tower-line system. Two semi-active control strategies are proposed for the vibration mitigation of tower-line system. The first one is based on fixed increment of controllable damper force whereas the second one is a clipped-optimal strategy based on fuzzy control principle. The optimal parameters of the MDOF model of transmission line are investigated. A real transmission tower-line system constructed in China is taken as an example to examine the feasibility and reliability of the proposed approach. A parametric study is conducted for the effects of brace stiffness of MR damper, wind loading intensity, and parameters of MR fluids on the control performance. The results demonstrate that the incorporation of MR dampers into the transmission tower-line system can substantially suppress the wind-induced responses of transmission tower if the damper parameters are optimally determined. The performance of the two kinds of semi-active control approaches is better than that of a passive control approach.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (15) ◽  
pp. 6899
Author(s):  
Abdul Aabid ◽  
Sher Afghan Khan ◽  
Muneer Baig

In high-speed fluid dynamics, base pressure controls find many engineering applications, such as in the automobile and defense industries. Several studies have been reported on flow control with sudden expansion duct. Passive control was found to be more beneficial in the last four decades and is used in devices such as cavities, ribs, aerospikes, etc., but these need additional control mechanics and objects to control the flow. Therefore, in the last two decades, the active control method has been used via a microjet controller at the base region of the suddenly expanded duct of the convergent–divergent (CD) nozzle to control the flow, which was found to be a cost-efficient and energy-saving method. Hence, in this paper, a systemic literature review is conducted to investigate the research gap by reviewing the exhaustive work on the active control of high-speed aerodynamic flows from the nozzle as the major focus. Additionally, a basic idea about the nozzle and its configuration is discussed, and the passive control method for the control of flow, jet and noise are represented in order to investigate the existing contributions in supersonic speed applications. A critical review of the last two decades considering the challenges and limitations in this field is expressed. As a contribution, some major and minor gaps are introduced, and we plot the research trends in this field. As a result, this review can serve as guidance and an opportunity for scholars who want to use an active control approach via microjets for supersonic flow problems.


Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 378
Author(s):  
Irene Salinas ◽  
Juan José Hueso ◽  
Julián Cuevas

Papaya is a tropical fruit crop that in subtropical regions depends on protected cultivation to fulfill its climate requirements and remain productive. The aim of this work was to compare the profitability of different climate control strategies in greenhouses located in subtropical areas of southeast Spain. To do so, we compared papayas growing in a greenhouse equipped with active climate control (ACC), achieved by cooling and heating systems, versus plants growing in another greenhouse equipped with passive climate control (PCC), consisting of only natural ventilation through zenithal and lateral windows. The results showed that ACC favored papaya plant growth; flowering; fruit set; and, consequently, yields, producing more and heavier fruits at an affordable cost. Climate control strategies did not significantly improve fruit quality, specifically fruit skin color, acidity, and total soluble solids content. In conclusion, in the current context of prices, an active control of temperature and humidity inside the greenhouse could be a more profitable strategy in subtropical regions where open-air cultivation is not feasible.


Author(s):  
Akira Fukukita ◽  
Tomoo Saito ◽  
Keiji Shiba

We study the control effect for a 20-story benchmark building and apply passive or semi-active control devices to the building. First, the viscous damping wall is selected as a passive control device which consists of two outer plates and one inner plate, facing each other with a small gap filled with viscous fluid. The damping force depends on the interstory velocity, temperature and the shearing area. Next, the variable oil damper is selected as a semi-active control device which can produce the control forces by little electrical power. We propose a damper model in which the damping coefficient changes according to both the response of the damper and control forces based on an LQG feedback and feedforward control theory. It is demonstrated from the results of a series of simulations that the both passive device and semi-active device can effectively reduce the response of the structure in various earthquake motions.


2017 ◽  
Vol 139 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sannia Mareta ◽  
Dunant Halim ◽  
Atanas A. Popov

This work proposes a method for controlling vibration using compliant-based actuators. The compliant actuator combines a conventional actuator with elastic elements in a series configuration. The benefits of compliant actuators for vibration control applications, demonstrated in this work, are twofold: (i) vibration reduction over a wide frequency bandwidth by passive control means and (ii) improvement of vibration control performance when active control is applied using the compliant actuator. The vibration control performance is compared with the control performance achieved using the well-known vibration absorber and conventional rigid actuator systems. The performance comparison showed that the compliant actuator provided a better flexibility in achieving vibration control over a certain frequency bandwidth. The passive and active control characteristics of the compliant actuator are investigated, which shows that the control performance is highly dependent on the compliant stiffness parameter. The active control characteristics are analyzed by using the proportional-derivative (PD) control strategy which demonstrated the capability of effectively changing the respective effective stiffness and damping of the system. These attractive dual passive–active control characteristics are therefore advantageous for achieving an effective vibration control system, particularly for controlling the vibration over a specific wide frequency bandwidth.


2017 ◽  
Vol 140 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wander Gustavo Rocha Vieira ◽  
Fred Nitzsche ◽  
Carlos De Marqui

In recent decades, semi-active control strategies have been investigated for vibration reduction. In general, these techniques provide enhanced control performance when compared to traditional passive techniques and lower energy consumption if compared to active control techniques. In semi-active concepts, vibration attenuation is achieved by modulating inertial, stiffness, or damping properties of a dynamic system. The smart spring is a mechanical device originally employed for the effective modulation of its stiffness through the use of semi-active control strategies. This device has been successfully tested to damp aeroelastic oscillations of fixed and rotary wings. In this paper, the modeling of the smart spring mechanism is presented and two semi-active control algorithms are employed to promote vibration reduction through enhanced damping effects. The first control technique is the smart-spring resetting (SSR), which resembles resetting control techniques developed for vibration reduction of civil structures as well as the piezoelectric synchronized switch damping on short (SSDS) technique. The second control algorithm is referred to as the smart-spring inversion (SSI), which presents some similarities with the synchronized switch damping (SSD) on inductor technique previously presented in the literature of electromechanically coupled systems. The effects of the SSR and SSI control algorithms on the free and forced responses of the smart-spring are investigated in time and frequency domains. An energy flow analysis is also presented in order to explain the enhanced damping behavior when the SSI control algorithm is employed.


2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (13) ◽  
pp. 2832-2852 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiufang Lin ◽  
Shumei Chen ◽  
Guorong Huang

An intelligent robust controller, which combines a shuffled frog-leaping algorithm (SFLA) and an H∞ control strategy, is designed for a semi-active control system with magnetorheological (MR) dampers to reduce seismic responses of structures. Generally, the performance of mixed-sensitivity H∞ (MSH) control highly depends on expert experience in selecting the parameters of the weighting functions. In this study, as a recently-developed heuristic approach, a multi-objective SFLA with constraints is adopted to search for the optimal weighting functions. In the proposed semi-active control, firstly, based on the Bouc–Wen model, the forward dynamic characteristics of the MR damper are investigated through a series of tensile and compression experiments. Secondly, the MR damper inverse model is developed with an adaptive-network-based fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) technique. Finally, the SFLA-optimized MSH control approach integrated with the ANFIS inverse model is used to suppress the structural vibration. The simulation results for a three-story building model equipped with an MR damper verify that the proposed semi-active control method outperforms fuzzy control and two passive control methods. Besides, with the proposed strategy, the changes in structural parameters and earthquake excitations can be satisfactorily dealt with.


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