Design of a Labriform-Steering Underwater Robot Using a Multiphysics Simulation Environment

Bio-inspired solutions devised for Autonomous Underwater Robots are currently investigated by researchers as a source of propulsive improvement. To address this ambitious objective, the authors have designed a carangiform swimming robot, which represents a compromise in terms of efficiency and maximum velocity. The requirements of stabilizing a course and performing turns were not met in their previous works. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to improve the vehicle maneuvering capabilities by means of a novel transmission system capable of transforming the constant angular velocity of a single rotary actuator into the pitching–yawing rotation of fish pectoral fins. Here, the biomimetic thrusters exploit the drag-based momentum transfer mechanism of labriform swimmers to generate the necessary steering torque. Aside from inertia and encumbrance reduction, the main improvement of this solution is the inherent synchronization of the system granted by the mechanism’s kinematics. The system was sized by using the experimental results collected by biologists and then integrated in a multiphysics simulation environment to predict the resulting maneuvering performance.

Nonlinear Stability of Equilibrium Points in the Planar Equilateral Restricted Mass-Unequal Four-Body Problem

In this paper, we investigate the stability of equilibrium points for the planar restricted equilateral four-body problem in the case that one particle of negligible mass is moving under the Newtonian gravitational attraction of three positive masses [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] (called primaries). These always lie at the vertices of an equilateral triangle (Lagrangian configuration) and move with constant angular velocity in circular orbits around their center of masses. We consider the case where all the primaries have unequal masses, and investigate the nonlinear stability (in the sense of Lyapunov) of the elliptic equilibrium for the specific values of the mass [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] of the primary, fixed on the horizontal axis. Moreover, the [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]:[Formula: see text][Formula: see text] four-order resonant cases are determined and the stability is investigated. In this study, Markeev’s theorem and Arnold’s theorem become key ingredients.

SCREW DESCENT, ANALYTICAL DESCRIPTION OF WHICH INCLUDES THE EQUATION OF PARTICLE MOVEMENT ON AN INCLINED PLANE

To study the modes of particle movement depending on the constructive parameters of the surface, it is important to have analytical dependencies of this movement. An analytical description of the movement of a load on the example of a material particle on the surface of a gravitational descent formed by a screw conoid and a coaxial vertical limiting cylinder was developed in the article. It makes it possible to find the constructive parameters of the descent, which will provide the required speed of the transportation. If the surface of the confining cylinder is absolutely smooth, then the movement of the particle along such a descent will be uniformly accelerated or equally slowed down depending on the value of the angle of inclination of the plane, that is, similar to movement along an inclined plane. If the angle of inclination of the plane is equal to the angle of friction, then the particle will move with a constant angular velocity of rotation, then one can find the linear velocity, which will also be constant. The value of this speed will be equal to the initial one. If the angle of inclination of the plane is equal to the angle of friction, but the coefficient of friction is not equal to zero, then the particle will be decelerated due to the action of the friction force of the particle on the surface of the cylinder. This is the difference from descent along an inclined plane, along which the particle in this case will move at a constant speed. In the general case, when the angle of ascent of the helix is ​​greater than the angle of friction, the driving force and the force of friction on the surface of the conoid and on the surface of the cylinder are balanced with each other and the angular velocity of rotation of the particle becomes constant. Consequently, it is possible to provide the required speed of transportation of the material at various ratios of the structural parameters of the surface with known coefficients of friction. To reduce the overall dimensions of the screw descent, it is necessary to reduce the radius of the limiting cylinder; however, with this limitation, the weight of loads should be taken into account.

Design of the symmetric tuned mass damper for torsional vibration control of the rotating shaft

The shaft is one of the most important parts of the machine, and it is used to transmit torque. However, the shaft does not always rotate at constant angular velocity due to sudden acceleration or deceleration or due to unstable current. The rotation of the shaft varies with time, which causes torsional vibration on the rotating shaft. To the best of the author’s knowledge, there is no study on designing a symmetric tuned mass damper (STMD) for the rotating shaft with variable angular velocity. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to design an optimal STMD to reduce torsional vibration for the rotating shaft with variable angular velocity. First, the author designs an optimal STMD for the rotating shaft by the fixed-points theory. Second, the optimal parameters of the STMD are obtained by using the minimum quadratic torque method. The optimal parameters of the STMD are defined in analytic and explicit forms, helping researchers to easily design an optimal STMD when applying to reduce torsional vibration for the rotating shaft. Finally, to evaluate the reliability of the designed optimal STMD, Maple software is used to simulate the vibration of the rotating shaft attached with the optimal STMD, as well as to help the readers to have a visual view on the effect of reducing torsional vibration of the rotating shaft.

Micropolar fluid between two coaxial cylinders (numerical approach)

The paper describes the flow of a suspension which is a mixture of two phases: liquid and solid granules. The continuum model with microstructure is introduced, which involves two independent kinematic quantities: the velocity vector and the micro-rotation vector. The physical analogy is based on the movement of the suspension between two coaxial cylinders. The inner cylinder is stationary and the outer one rotates with constant angular velocity. This physical analogy enabled a mathematical model in a form of two coupled differential equations with variable coefficients. The aim of the paper is to present the numerical aspect of the solution for this complex mathematical model. It is assumed that the solid granules are identically oriented and that under the influence of the fluid they move translationally or rotate around the symmetry axis but the direction of their symmetry axes does not change. The solution was obtained by the ordinary finite difference method, and then the corresponding sets of points (nodes) were routed by interpolation graphics.

DEVELOPMENT OF QUICK RETURN MECHANISM FOR EXPERIMENTATION USING SOLIDWORKS

Quick Return Mechanisms (QRMs) are one of the essential accessories used in machine tools which involve reciprocating cutting action with a quick return stroke and a constant angular velocity of driving crank. The aim of this work was to simulate, design and construct a prototype of a QRM that can be used for demonstration and instrumentation. The QRM was simulated using Solidworks and a prototype was developed from the simulated results. The experiment was conducted using the prototype. The kinematic simulation of the Solidworks model was compared with the kinematics of motion of the prototype. The result showed that the Percentage Stroke Length error was 0.36%. It was observed that, there was no significant difference in the simulated and experimental results, hence, the prototype can be used for demonstration and experimentation to assist students in understanding basic principles of the machine operation.

Analysis of the Dynamic Response of the Mechanism of Conventional Sucker rod Pumping Units

In the kinetostatic study of the mechanism of the sucker rod pumping units, the cinematic motion parameters of the elements are considered to be known, assuming that the cranks have a constant angular velocity imposed by the operating functioning conditions of the pumping unit. The paper analyzes the dynamic response of the mechanism of these pumping units, which implies the determination of the variation of the angular acceleration of the cranks during the operating cinematic cycle. A series of results regarding the determination of the variation of the angular acceleration of the cranks during the cinematic cycle in the case of the mechanism of a C-640D-305-120 pumping unit are presented. The obtained results are checked by comparing the experimental curves of variations of the acceleration at the polished rod with those obtained by simulation using a computer program developed by the authors in which the angular acceleration of the cranks was taken into consideration.

Robust Hyperbolic Chaos in Froude Pendulum with Delayed Feedback and Periodic Braking

We indicate a possibility of implementing hyperbolic chaos using a Froude pendulum that is able to produce self-oscillations due to the suspension on a shaft rotating at constant angular velocity, in the presence of time-delay feedback and of periodic braking by the application of additional frictional force. We formulate a mathematical model and carry out its numerical research. In the parameter space we reveal areas of chaotic and regular dynamics using the analysis of Lyapunov exponents and some other diagnostic tools. It is shown that there are regions in the parameter space where the Poincaré stroboscopic map has an attractor, which is a kind of Smale–Williams solenoid embedded in the infinite-dimensional state space. We confirm the hyperbolicity of the attractor by numerical calculations including the analysis of angles of intersections of stable and unstable invariant subspaces of vectors of small perturbations for trajectories on the attractor and verify the absence of tangencies between these subspaces.

A stable tripole vortex model in two-dimensional Euler flows

An exact solution of a stable vortex tripole in two-dimensional (2-D) Euler flows is provided. The stable tripole is composed of an inner elliptical vortex and two small-amplitude lateral vortices. The non-vanishing vorticity field of this tripole, referred to as here as an embedded tripole because of the closeness of its vortices, is given in elliptical coordinates $(\unicode[STIX]{x1D707},\unicode[STIX]{x1D708})$ by the even radial and angular order-0 Mathieu functions $\text{Je}_{0}(\unicode[STIX]{x1D707})\text{ce}_{0}(\unicode[STIX]{x1D708})$ truncated at the external branch of the vorticity isoline passing through the two critical points closest to the vortex centre. This tripole mode has a rigid vorticity field which rotates with constant angular velocity equal to $\unicode[STIX]{x1D701}_{0}\text{Je}_{0}(\unicode[STIX]{x1D707}_{1})\text{ce}_{0}(0)/2$, where $\unicode[STIX]{x1D707}_{1}$ is the first zero of $\text{Je}_{0}^{\prime }(\unicode[STIX]{x1D707})$ and $\unicode[STIX]{x1D701}_{0}$ is a constant modal amplitude. It is argued that embedded 2-D tripoles may be conceptually regarded as the superposition of two asymmetric Chaplygin–Lamb dipoles, separated a distance equal to $2R$, as long as their individual trajectory curvature radius $R$ is much shorter than their dipole extent radius.