Development of an end-effector system for autonomous spraying applications and radiation surveying

This paper presents the design and testing of a scale proof-of-concept prototype robotic end-effector system for autonomous robotic shotcrete application and radiation surveying in underground uranium mining environments. The system presented consists of two functionally distinct prototype tools that achieve the independent tasks of autonomous robotic spray pattern control and surface radiation surveying. The first prototype tool presented is a novel, robotic shotcrete spraying tool that is capable of autonomously maintaining and adjusting its circular spray pattern diameter on target surfaces in response to changes in target surface distance. Control algorithms are presented that give the robotic shotcrete spraying tool the capability to produce advanced figure eight and spiral spraying patterns for surface preparation applications that involve spot filling deep surface cracks and pockets. Physical testing of the prototype tool empirically verified its ability to maintain circular spray pattern diameters at various target distances and demonstrated the application potential of the advanced figure eight and spiral spraying patterns. The second prototype tool presented is a Geiger–Müller tube-based radiation detection tool that uses lead shielding and a single-hole collimator in combination with precise robotic positioning to capture localized radiation measurements of surfaces within radiation-rich environments. Physical testing of the prototype tool demonstrated its ability to create radiation survey profiles that distinctly characterized the radiological profile of test target surfaces embedded with various radioactive sources.

Download Full-text

Automated Gaging of Surface Texture on Engine Components

Volume 15: Advances in Multidisciplinary Engineering ◽

10.1115/imece2015-50543 ◽

2015 ◽

Author(s):

Turker Oktay

Keyword(s):

Surface Texture ◽

Combustion Engine ◽

Surface Preparation ◽

Target Surface ◽

Operating Life ◽

Design Engineers ◽

Texture Parameters ◽

Repeatability And Reproducibility ◽

Engine Components ◽

Selection Of

Surface texture of engine components such as crankshafts and camshafts is one of the most important factors that determine the performance, efficiency and the operating life of an internal combustion engine. Current practices and the challenges faced by design engineers in specifying the target surface topography to meet these goals have been reviewed. Once specified, the surface texture must be measured fast, accurately and repeatably in the rough environment of an engine manufacturing plant. The key components of an automated skidded surface finish measuring gage designed with these criteria in mind are described in this paper. The gage has 7 axes of motion and 3 stylus probes oriented in the axial and radial directions to take axial and facial measurements on journal and cam lobe surfaces and thrust bearing surfaces. The selection of surface texture parameters to best describe the desired surface texture of these engine components was investigated. The final stage of surface preparation is often the superfinishing process. The measurement gage must be able to provide the sensitivity and repeatability that are required for measuring the finely finished surfaces generated by this process. Typical surface texture results of a superfinishing process achieved on crankshafts are described. The results of a Gage Repeatability and Reproducibility (R&R) study performed on the surface texture measuring gage are presented.

Download Full-text

Investigating Detectability of Infrared Radiation Based on Image Evaluation for Engine Flame

Entropy ◽

10.3390/e21100946 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 21 (10) ◽

pp. 946 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Xia Li ◽

Jun Wang ◽

Meihui Li ◽

Zhenming Peng ◽

Xingrun Liu

Keyword(s):

Infrared Radiation ◽

Background Radiation ◽

Evaluation Model ◽

Radiation Detection ◽

Infrared Image ◽

Surface Radiation ◽

Spectral Correlation ◽

Jet Flame ◽

Angle Of View ◽

Application Requirements

Aiming at the application requirements of infrared detection, the influence of earth background interference on plume radiation detection is investigated and discussed in this article. The infrared image of the earth’s atmospheric background radiation is simulated by the spectral correlation based on the conversion model of the surface radiation with different bands. The infrared radiation image of the jet flame and the background is generated by overlapping the infrared radiation of the engine flame and the background radiation according to the detection angle of view. Through the image quality evaluation model, the detectability of the flame is analyzed. The simulating results show that the comprehensive statistical features such as image information entropy, variance and signal-to-clutter ratio can be used to evaluate the detectability of the engine flame.

Download Full-text

Operation and maintenance manual for the common video end effector system (CVEE) system 6260

10.2172/664385 ◽

1996 ◽

Author(s):

A.F., Westinghouse Hanford Pardini

Keyword(s):

End Effector ◽

Operation And Maintenance ◽

Effector System ◽

The Common

Download Full-text

Low-Energy Ion Technique for Semiconductor Surface Preparation

Solid State Phenomena ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/ssp.284.198 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 284 ◽

pp. 198-203

Author(s):

S.N. Chebotarev ◽

V.A. Irkha ◽

Adnan A.A. Mohamed

Keyword(s):

Gallium Arsenide ◽

Indium Arsenide ◽

Surface Preparation ◽

Target Surface ◽

Low Energy ◽

Etching Time ◽

Semiconductor Surface ◽

Two Component ◽

Argon Ions ◽

Sputtering Yields

We proposed an experimental technique for determining the sputtering yields of two-component semiconductors – gallium arsenide and indium arsenide by low-energy argon ions. It was suggested to measure the volume of a crater formed by inert ions bombarding on the target surface using the method of scanning laser confocal microscopy. It was demonstrated that in the energy range from 100 to 300 eV, the energy dependence of sputtering yields for these materials is practically linear. It is established that the sputtering yields for normal bombardment by argon ions at optimum energy of 150 eV are equal to Y(GaAs) = 0.41 and Y(InAs) = 0.73. It is found that an increase in the etching time of the surface of gallium arsenide and indium arsenide leads to a characteristic transformation of the surface relief. The studies of the sputtering of two-component targets indicate the initial strong non-stechiometry. Etching for a certain period of time leads to an equalization of the concentrations of the sputtered components. It was found that to obtain a uniform composition of the mass flow it is necessary to pre-sputter the targets with shielded substrates.

Download Full-text

System design description for the LDUA common video end effector system (CVEE)

10.2172/10148233 ◽

1998 ◽

Author(s):

A.F. Pardini

Keyword(s):

System Design ◽

End Effector ◽

Effector System

Download Full-text

A Novel End-Effector System to Enable Pro-Supination Movements During Robot-Assisted Upper-Limb Training

Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation ◽

10.1016/j.apmr.2019.10.006 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 100 (12) ◽

pp. e165

Author(s):

Giuseppe La Rosa ◽

Catherine Adans-Dester ◽

Eric Fabara ◽

Amy Blank ◽

Paul Sassaman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Upper Limb ◽

Robot Assisted ◽

End Effector ◽

Effector System

Download Full-text

Spatial Evaluation of Soil Moisture (SM), Land Surface Temperature (LST), and LST-Derived SM Indexes Dynamics during SMAPVEX12

Sensors ◽

10.3390/s19051247 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (5) ◽

pp. 1247 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Hao Sun ◽

Baichi Zhou ◽

Hongxing Liu

Keyword(s):

Soil Moisture ◽

Surface Temperature ◽

Land Surface Temperature ◽

Land Surface ◽

Meteorological Data ◽

Remote Sensing Data ◽

Surface Radiation ◽

Spatial Correlations ◽

Application Potential ◽

Decoupling Effect

Downscaling microwave soil moisture (SM) with optical/thermal remote sensing data has considerable application potential. Spatial correlations between SM and land surface temperature (LST) or LST-derived SM indexes (SMIs) are vital to the current optical/thermal and microwave fusion downscaling methods. In this study, the spatial correlations were evaluated at the same spatial scale using SMAPVEX12 SM data and MODIS day/night LST products. LST-derived SMIs was calculated using NLDAS-2 gridded meteorological data with conventional trapezoid and two-stage trapezoid models. Results indicated that (1) SM agrees better with daytime LST than the nighttime or the day-night differential LST; (2) the daytime LSTs on Aqua and Terra present very similar spatial agreement with SM and they have very similar performances as downscaling factors in simulating SM; (3) decoupling effect among SM, LST, and LST-derived SMIs occurs not only in very wet but also in very dry condition; and (4) the decoupling effect degrades the performance of LST as a downscaling factor. The future downscaling algorithms should consider net surface radiation and soil type to tackle the decoupling effect.

Download Full-text