Numerical simulation of the behavior of kinematically unstable slopes under dynamic influences

Introduction. The concept of estimating the dynamic parameters of the “base — weakened layer — block” system is proposed, taking into account the physical nonlinearity of the material and the kinematic method of excitation of vibrations. In accordance with this approach, the physical nonlinearity of the base and block material is considered using the Drucker- Prager model. The weakened layer is modeled by 3D spring finite elements. The verification procedure of the proposed methodology is carried out on the example of the dynamic calculation of the “base — weakened layer — slope” system.Materials and Methods. The computational experiments were performed using the ANSYS Mechanical software package in combination with a nonlinear solver based on the Newton-Raphson procedure. SOLID45 volumetric finite elements were used to discretize the computational domains. Combined elastic-viscous elements COMBIN14 were used to simulate the displacement of the block relative to the fixed base.Results. An engineering technique for the dynamic analysis of the stress-strain state of the “base — weakened layer — block” spatial system with kinematic method of excitation of vibrations is developed. The accuracy and convergence of the proposed method is investigated using specific numerical examples.Discussion and Conclusion. Based on the mathematic simulation performed, it is shown that the developed technique provides assessing the risks of the occurrence of real landslide processes caused by external non-stationary impacts.

Review on Study Methods for Reciprocally Enwrapping Surfaces

The processing of the piece surfaces involves the transformation of the blank into a piece, the defining characteristics of the surfaces (the form, dimensions, deviations, etc.), depending to a large extent on the parameters of the generated processes of the surfaces. Generating surfaces by enveloping represents a complex problem, this mode of generating being a constant concern of researchers due to its advantages. A very important issue is the cutting edge profiling of the future tool, which will generate the wanted profile of the piece. Throughout time, researchers have studied the problems of enveloping surfaces and stated theorems related to them, based on which practical solutions have been conceive to determine the generating and generated surfaces form. The paper presents an overview on study methods for reciprocally enwrapping surfaces, as well as methods for profiling tools for generating helical surfaces by the kinematic method and by the method of decomposing the helical movement. This review can represent a basis for future research articles and projects.

A study of large-scale vertical motion over West Africa

Three separately recorded cases of thundery weather over West Africa that occurred during the conduct of the West African Monsoon Experiment (WAMEX) of 1979, are investigated with the kinematic vertical p-velocity field. The scheme employed here is based on a least-squares-plane technique which has been desribed in Jegede and Balogun (1991), as a variant to the similar methods used by Kung (1972, 1973), and Pedder (1981). The aim in this study is to demonstrate the practicability of the kinematic method for interpreting observed surface weather. In all the three cast-s, there was some consistency noted between the precipitation patterns and the computed vertical velocity fields within the sub-region.

An attempt to apply the kinematic method of rigid solids in the study of bearing capacity of shallow foundations

In the geotechnical engineering field, shallow foundations are frequently needed to ensure good fieldwork stability. They are also intended to permanently and uniformly transmit all load pressure on the seating floor. However, numerous mechanical constraints, such as bearing capacity of foundations, durability, stability, design of shallow foundations, lead, unfortunately, to a serious realization challenge. Finding an adequate solution presents the main goal and effort of both scholars and professionals. Indeed, the corresponding drawback is observed through the high number of reported damages that occurred in the structure of foundations and the punching failure. The failure mechanisms of shallow foundations, verified in full size or on scale models, show “sliding surfaces” and rigid (solid) blocks, which can be described with the kinematic method of rigid solids. The main objective of this study is the application of the kinematic method of rigid solids in the study of the stability of shallow foundations with respect to punching, the purpose of which is to determine the bearing capacity factors Nc, N γ, and the passive earth pressure coefficient Kp of foundations. In this context, two mechanical models have been proposed with 5 and 7 rigid solids, and a program developed via the MathCAD environment is applied to check the validity of the two previous models. The kinematic method of rigid solids gives results very close and comparable with that of Caquot/Kerisel for the factors of the bearing capacity and passive earth pressure coefficient - the ratio Kp - according to the five- and seven-solid model.

Kinematics or Kinetics: Optimum Measurement of the Vertical Variations of the Center of Mass during Gait Initiation

Background: During gait, the braking index represents postural control, and consequently, the risk of falls. Previous studies based their determination of the braking index during the first step on kinetic methods using force platforms, which are highly variable. This study aimed to investigate whether determining the braking index with a kinematic method, through 3D motion capture, provides more precise results. Methods: Fifty participants (20 to 40 years) performed ten trials in natural and fast gait conditions. Their braking index was estimated from their first step simultaneously using a force platform and VICON motion capture system. The reliability of each braking index acquisition method was assessed by intraclass correlation coefficients, standard error measurements, and the minimal detectable change. Results: Both kinetic and kinematic methods allowed good to excellent reliability and similar minimum detectable changes (10%). Conclusion: Estimating the braking index through a kinetic or a kinematic method was highly reliable.

Algorithmic Selection of Sliding-Sticking Contacts in Robotic In-Hand Manipulation

The paper describes a kinematic method for robotic in-hand manipulation of objects. The method focuses on repositioning the object using a combination of sticking and sliding robotic contacts. Two fingertips with sliding contacts are fixed in space while the remaining fingertips actively manipulate the object without a change in the point of contact with the object. When sliding over two fixed contacts, the object is constrained to a “three-parameter twist space” if it is not programmed to rotate about the line joining the two fixed contacts. A gradient-descent-based kinematic algorithm is developed to project the desired twist to the allowable twist space, generating a movement sequence of robotic fingertips. The transition from fixed support vis-á-vis the sticking contacts for manipulating the object also emerges from the algorithm.

USE OF OBJECTIVE METHODS TO DETERMINE THE HOLDING TIME OF HOLD ELEMENTS ON STILL RINGS

The duration of holding elements represents a critical factor for judging routines on the still rings in artistic gymnastics. Athletes can be penalized with non-recognition of an element if the hold time is too short. Dynamometric and kinematic measuring methods offer the possibility to provide support to judges in evaluating the duration of the hold time. In this study a dynamometric method with two different variants (dms10 and dms5) as well as a kinematic method (kms) based on a trained neural network were presented and examined with regard to their agreement with judges’ evaluations when determining the hold time. To check the agreement, a) the percentage agreement and b) the interrater reliability were calculated using Cohen's kappa (k). The two dynamometric methods showed a percentage agreement of 83.5% (dms10) and 51.7% (dms5) with the hold time evaluation by judges. The percentage agreement of the kms was 38.8%. The interrater reliability showed for the dms10 a moderate (k = 0.58) and for the dms5 a fair (k = 0.23) agreement, while the kms showed a poor (k = 0.02) match. The results supported dms10 for its possible use as a practicable and reliable method to assist judges in evaluating hold times on the still rings. Dms5 and kms (in the current development stage) were not suitable as means of judges’ support.

Design and Implementation of 6 DOF ROTARIC Robot Using Inverse Kinematics Method

This paper will discuss the calculation of inverse kinematic which will be used to control the 6-DOF articulated robot. This robot consists of 6 Dynamixel MX-28 smart servo with OpenCM 9.04 microcontroller. The articulated robot has been simplified to 4-DOF because there are no obstacles in the work area and no special movements are required. The calculation method uses the intersection point equation between the ball and the line, so that it can make it easier to determine the point in calculating the kinematic inverse. The experiment is carried out using the desired position as input for the kinematic inverse to produce the angle of each joint. From the angle of each joint obtained, it will be entered into forward kinematic so that the end-effector position will be obtained. The desired position will be compared with the end-effector position, and then how much difference will be calculated. From the experimental results, it was found that the inverse kinematic method which has been inverted by the forward kinematic produces the same final position. Keywords: 6-DOF manipulator, Articulated robot, inverse kinematics and forward kinematics, Dynamixel MX-28, OpenCM 9