Design and Realization of an Inductive Power Transfer for Shuttles in Automated Warehouses

The inductive power transfer (IPT) is expected to greatly contribute towards electrification in transportation. In fact, IPT charging technology has the potential to overcome several limitations of conductive charging: in particular, the process can be fully automatable, and both static and dynamic charging are allowed, thus reducing the size of the battery pack. Additionally, safety is increased due to the absence of safety issues related to loss of cable insulation or to the unwanted interruption of the plug-socket connection. This paper presents, from a systematic approach, the design and realization of a prototype for IPT charging of autonomous shuttles in automated warehouses. First of all, the typical mission profile of the shuttle was properly identified, and a storage system based on power-oriented electrochemical cells was sized. Based on that, the architecture of the IPT system was chosen, both for transmitting and receiving sections. The pads were designed for this purpose, by considering the geometric constraints imposed by the manufacturer, through the utilization of the finite elements method. Finally, the power electronic circuitry was also designed. Numerical simulations of the components, as well as of the complete system, were performed and a prototype was built to widely verify the correspondence of the simulation outputs with the results obtained from an experimental measurements campaign.

AUTOMATING THE ALERT RESPONSE OF THE NU TRANSIENT TELESCOPE AT ASSY-TURGEN ASTROPHYSICAL OBSERVATORY (NUTTELA-TAO)

Our project aims to identify the physical nature of gamma-ray burst (GRB) emission via measurement of the optical spectral shape of this emission during the prompt phase, usually lasting only 60 sec. These measurements require a fast-moving optical telescope and instrumentation to respond autonomously to real-time GRB alerts. The Nazarbayev University Transient Telescope at AssyTurgen Astrophysical Observatory (NUTTelA-TAO) has a 0.7 m aperture, and can point anywhere above the local horizon in 8 seconds. We receive GRB Alerts via internet socket connection to the Gamma Coordinates Network (GCN) at the telescope site. We measure the GRB prompt optical emission with the Burst Simultaneous Three-Channel Imager (BSTI), which incorporates 3 EMCCD cameras, at Sloan g', r', and i' bands, for simultaneous high time-resolution imaging as fast as a few hundred millisecond per frame. We describe our automated control system software, including the overall control algorithm, control of the telescope, control and actuation systems for the enclosure roof, control of the instrument, and inputs from weather and other sensors. The software system is based on the GNU data language (GDL) in a Linux environment, selected for ease of writing and de-bugging software, familiarity to the project scientists, and image analysis capabilities. We give system performance results obtained during the early commissioning period.

EXPERIMENTAL AND NUMERICAL STUDY ON COLUMN-FOUNDATION CONNECTION THROUGH EXTERNAL SOCKET

In practice, bridge foundations and pier columns are usually constructed with cast-in-place concrete. Precast columns are currently widely used in highway bridges in China, which can save construction time and improve concrete quality. The connection between precast bridge columns and the foundation can affect how forces transfer from one to the other. This paper investigates using external sockets to form a connection between the bridge column and foundation. This method can accelerate the bridge construction time with the additional advantages of improving the orientation and creating a large erection tolerance. Two types of connections are presented and tested to investigate the behavior of the column-foundation connections and find a more suitable way to use external socket connections. The experimental results show that the column-foundation connection design satisfies the design requirements. The results also show that roughening the column surface within the external socket is more effective at connecting the column to the foundation when using an external socket compared to attaching a steel plate on the column. The experimental results are validated with a finite element analysis, resulting in a proposal regarding the column-foundation connection behavior as well as design recommendations for the external socket connection.

Full-scale experimental testing of Structural Concrete Insulated Panels (SCIPs)

<p>Structural Concrete Insulated Panels (SCIPs) are relatively new addition to construction industry. SCIPs have previously been used in construction of residential, commercial, and military structures. Despite applications overseas and a few in the United States, SCIPs have still remained a relatively unknown construction methodology among structural engineers in the United States and other countries. SCIPs offer advantages such as fast construction, lightweight, thermal insulation, sound insulation, cost-efficiency, and good seismic and wind performance. These advantages make SCIPs a competitive construction methodology compared to traditional wood and masonry construction. In this study, the SCIP construction is introduced, followed by experimental results from full-scale testing of 14 SCIPs slab and wall panels under gravity and lateral loads. 11 full-scale slabs, ranging from 3-5.5 m (10-18 ft.) span, are tested under four-point bending tests in accordance with ASTM standards. The strength, ductility, and failure pattern of the panels are discussed. In addition, the adequacy of splicing details for SCIP slab panels are investigated experimentally using three 5.5 m (18 ft.) slab panels. Three full-scale cantilever wall panels are tested under quasi-static cyclic loading in accordance with ACI seismic testing load protocols. The wall-to-footing connection is a socket connection. This is a novel type of connection for precast wall connection in seismic regions. Experimental results and observations from testing of slab and wall panels showed good strength, ductility, and performance of the specimens.</p>

Executing native Java code in R: an approach based on a local server

The R language is widely used for data analysis. However, it does not allow for complex object-oriented implementation and it tends to be slower than other languages such as Java, C and C++. Consequently, it can be more computationally efficient to run native Java code in R. To do this, there exist at least two approaches. One is based on the Java Native Interface (JNI) and it has been successfully implemented in the rJava package. An alternative approach consists of running a local server in Java and linking it to an R environment through a socket connection. This alternative approach has been implemented in an R package called J4R. This article shows how this approach makes it possible to simplify the calls to Java methods and to integrate the R vectorization. The downside is a loss of performance. However, if the vectorization is used in conjunction with multithreading, this loss of performance can be compensated for.

Comparison of Seismic Performance of Socket and Pocket Connections for Reinforced Concrete Bridge Column Base Hinges

The goal of this study was to evaluate two connection types for reinforced concrete two-way rebar hinges and to assess their seismic performance if incorporated in accelerated bridge construction applications. Two large-scale models of bridge systems were tested on shake tables; the first utilized a pocket connection with the opening preformed in the column and the second implemented a socket connection with the opening preformed in the footing. Both bridges were subjected to multiple ground motions ranging from 30% to 225% of the design level earthquake. Rebar hinge behavior during the earthquakes including interface slippage, rotation, reinforcement strains, observed damage, and bent forces were used to evaluate the connections and their relative merit and to make recommendation for implementation in the field.

Seismic behaviors of precast assembled bridge columns connected with prestressed threaded steel bar: Experimental test and hysteretic model

Three 1/10-scale bridge pier specimens were tested under quasi-static test. The specimens included two precast specimens (PC1 and PC2) and one cast-in-place reference specimen. The two precast bridge pier specimens were connected with prestressing threaded steel bar and steel flange at the connection between precast pier column and the foundation, and non-socket assembly scheme and socket assembly scheme are adopted, respectively. They were tested to verify the seismic performance of prefabricated piers connected by prestressed threaded steel bars and steel flanges and study which assembly scheme is better for non-socketed and socketed piers. The results show that the prefabricated pier with the combination of the prestressed threaded steel bars and steel flange has higher cracking load and smaller residual displacement, which indicates that it has good service performance and good self-resetting ability. Compared with the non-socket assembly scheme, the socket assembly scheme is superior due to its higher ductility, higher overall initial stiffness, and higher energy dissipation capacity. Therefore, the prefabricated assembled pier with the socket connection scheme of the combination of the prestressed threaded steel bars and steel flange has good service performance and seismic performance. After that, a hysteretic model for the precast assembled columns was proposed, which has a good agreement with the test results.