Aerodynamic Design, Analysis and Validation of a Small Blended-Wing-Body Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

This paper describes the aerodynamic design and assessment of a blended-wing–body (BWB) configuration under the distributed electric propulsion (DEP) installation constraints. The aerodynamic design rationale and process is described, as well as how the DEP system is considered and simplified in the optimization design process. Both the BWB configuration and the DEP induced effects are numerically simulated and analyzed using the Reynolds Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) flow solvers. To further demonstrate the feasibility and reliability of the design approach, the wind tunnel tests of a scaled model of the designed BWB configuration are carried out, and both the aerodynamic characteristics and the BWB surface flow are measured and analyzed. The results indicate the reliability and feasibility of the optimization design method introduced in this paper.

Compact transition enabled broadband propagation of spoof surface plasmon polaritons based on the equivalent circuit model

In this paper, a strategy to develop a compact transition of the spoof surface plasmon polariton (SSPP) transmission line (TL) is proposed. First, an equivalent distributed circuit model is employed for the theoretical analysis and optimization design of the SSPP unit. The mapping relation between the unit performance and the geometric parameters is deduced from the transmission matrix. The calculated results are compared with the numerical ones from the three-dimensional (3D) simulations for validation. Then, a compact transition (only 0.26λg) is built with only two matching units and a tapered strip through optimizations. The optimizations are implemented with the circuit simulations based on the equivalent model, which can remarkably save time in comparison with the 3D simulations. The transition principle is also explained by quantitatively extracting the dispersion properties and impedance characteristics. Finally, a prototype of the proposed SSPP TL is fabricated and measured for demonstration. The measured operating band (0-7.7 GHz) is almost up to the cut-off frequency (about 8 GHz), which remains the inherent broadband low-pass transmission characteristics. Meanwhile, the measured in-band return loss is almost higher than 10dB, which verifies the high-efficiency propagation. This work can pave the way for building up a new SSPP-based framework of microwave circuits.

Optimal design of a novel crash box with functional gradient negative Poisson’s ratio structure

Crashworthiness and anti-vibration performance play critical roles in the performance of passenger cars. Aiming at enhancing the crash resistance and vibration resistance of vehicles thus providing good protection for passengers and drivers, a novel crash box with three-dimensional double arrow type negative Poisson’s ratio structure with functional gradient filling inner core (FGNPR crash box) is introduced in this paper and its performance is studied in detail through the comparison with the conventional crash box and the crash box filled with the uniform gradient negative Poisson’s ratio structure (NPR crash box) in crashworthiness and vibration resistance. Furthermore, range analysis is used to screen out the design variables that have little influence on the evaluation indexes and eliminate them. Based on these, neighborhood cultivation genetic algorithm (NCGA) and non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm-ii (NSGA-II) are selected as the optimization algorithms to carry out optimization design respectively and a comparison is made between the two suboptimal results screened out based on the normal boundary intersection (NBI) method to determine the overall optimal solution. Results show that the optimized FGNPR crash box has better crashworthiness and vibration resistance over the other crash boxes and its performance is further verified based on the peak acceleration of B-pillar in full vehicle crash condition. This paper provides some theoretical reference support for the development and exploration of automobile crash box systems.

A Large Range Compliant Nano-Manipulator Supporting Electron Beam Lithography

Electron beam lithography (EBL) is an important lithographic process of scanning a focused electron beam (e-beam) to direct write a custom pattern with nanometric accuracy. Due to the very limited field of the focused election beam, a motion stage is needed to move the sample to the e-beam field for processing large patterns. In order to eliminate the stitching error induced by the existing “step and scan” process, we in this paper propose a large range compliant nano-manipulator so that the manipulator and the election beam can be moved in a simultaneous manner. We also present an optimization design for the geometric parameters of the compliant manipulator under the vacuum environment. Experimental results demonstrate 1 mm × 1 mm travel range with high linearity, ~ 0.5% cross-axis error and 5 nm resolution. Moreover, the high natural frequency (~ 56 Hz) of the manipulator facilitates it to achieve high-precision motion of EBL.

Optimization of the transmission characteristics of an HMCVT for a high-powered tractor based on an improved NSGA-II algorithm

The hydro-mechanical continuously variable transmission (HMCVT) is a critical component of the power transmission system in a tractor. However, the complexity of the operating conditions imposes high requirements on the transmission characteristics. To improve the powerful performance and economy of HMCVTs and satisfy the operational demands of high-powered tractors, a new optimization design method for the characteristic parameters of an HMCVT is proposed. First, the characteristics of an HMCVT are modeled, and the influence of the structural parameters on the transmission characteristics is analyzed. Then, HMCVT performance evaluation indexes are formulated. In accordance with the speed regulation of system, power performance, and economy characteristics, a multi-objective optimization mathematical model is established, and an improved fast non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (INSGA-II) is designed. The introduction of a normal distribution crossover operator (NDX) and an improved adaptive adjustment mutation operator not only ensures the population diversity but also improves the Pareto solution convergence properties during the process of genetic evolution. The superiority of INSGA-II is verified by comparison with a traditional multi-objective genetic algorithm. Finally, the optimization results show that the torque ratio is increased by approximately 2.81%, 14.32%, 2.31%, and 15.07% in HM1, HM2, HM3, and HM4 respectively. The transmission efficiency is increased by approximately 3.48% and 1.97% in HM1 (HM3) and HM2 (HM4). Also, INSGA-II finds the optimal solution with a faster speed and shorter optimization time than MULGA. This research can serve as a reference for the design and optimization of HMCVTs for high-powered tractors.