Substantiation of the influence of changes in the coefficient of axle distribution of braking force on the handling of a passenger car

The article considers the change of the radius of the instantaneous center of rotation of a car moving along a curved trajectory during braking, taking into account the lateral input of the wheels of both axles of cars, both equipped with electronic tracking systems and not equipped with such. A criterion for assessing the controllability of cars moving on a curved trajectory in a braked state, by comparing the ratio of the current speed of the car to the longitudinal base with the ratio of the coefficients of lateral tire input to the product of the longitudinal base of the car, mass and cosines. It is established that the radius of instantaneous rotation of the longitudinal axis of the car moving along a curved trajectory during braking depends on the speed of the center of mass of the car, the coefficient of axle distribution of braking force, physical characteristics of applied tires, steering wheel angle and design and weight parameters. As a result, it allows you to set controllability. The authors obtained dependences that will create new algorithms for the operation of modern electronic control systems for stabilizing the longitudinal axis of a braked car, taking into account the speed of the car, its design and weight characteristics, the main characteristics of its braking system (coefficient of axle braking force distribution), physical characteristics used tires on wheels and connect them to the angles of the steered wheels, controlling the deviation of the longitudinal axis, which allows the driver to maintain the possibility of quite sharp maneuvers directly in the braking process, moving along a curved trajectory.

Softball bat inertial considerations and their effects on female softball swing mechanics and estimated bat performance

This paper discusses the role of the inertial properties in the design and selection of the softball bat, and their interrelated effects on female softball swing mechanics and bat performance. The study was performed using 14 collegiate subjects whose swings were analyzed via a computer model, which included methods for estimating post-impact ball velocity. The model was driven kinematically by subject swing recordings using two different trial bats with markedly different inertial properties. Using this method, the following information was determined: subjects altered their linear kinetic inputs while applying consistent angular kinetic inputs to maintain nearly consistent trajectories; subjects compensated for increased bat inertia by modification of the bat instantaneous center-of-rotation trajectory ( ICR); and swing trajectory influenced the bat’s inertial feel, actual, and ideal impact locations, and batted-ball velocity. Subsequently, the mass properties of 27 collegiate level bats were input into the model for each subject trial. Using this information, the relative changes in kinetic inputs were quantified and the performance of the bats was estimated. Results showed that bat inertial properties varied considerably, and independent manipulation of individual properties was evident. In addition, subject kinetic inputs and bat performance measures were most affected by changes in mass center (CG) location, mass, and CG inertia. A modified definition of IGRIP based upon the ICR was presented, and practical implications for designers and practitioners were offered based upon these findings.

Defect free optimization of a polycentric prosthetic knee design using imperialist competition-inspired optimization method

The disability of lower limbs is one of the major problems facing human lives. In order to restore the missing functionality and aesthetic feature of the amputee's locomotion, finding the optimal design of the human lower limb knee prosthesis is crucial. This paper focuses the design optimization of a four bar knee mechanism capable to reproduce the complex flexion/extension knee joint motion in the sagittal plane with variable instantaneous center of rotation positions. Thus an optimization approach with appropriate constraints is formulated in order to consider the degree of compatibility between the instantaneous center of rotation trajectories of the human reference knee joint and the four bar knee mechanism. To solve this high nonlinear optimization problem, an algorithm based on multi-objective modified imperialist competitive method is proposed where all the constraints are managed with the penalty method. The results obtained by the multi-objective modified imperialist competitive method showed the capability to reach a small tracking error. The obtained results prove the effectiveness of the proposed optimization approach for the optimal synthesis of the four bar knee mechanism, compared with other literature techniques.

Instantaneous center/axis of rotation for planar and three-dimensional motion

This article discusses a direct analytical method for calculating the instantaneous center of rotation and the instantaneous axis of rotation for the two-dimensional and three-dimensional motion, respectively, of rigid bodies. In the case of planar motion, this method produces a closed-form expression for the instantaneous center of rotation based on a single point located on the rigid body. It can also be used to derive closed-form expressions for the body and space centrodes. For three-dimensional, rigid body motion, an extension of the technique used for planar motion locates a point on the instantaneous axis of rotation, which is parallel to the body angular velocity vector. In addition, methods are demonstrated that can be used to map the body and space cones for general rigid body motion, and locate the fixed point for the body.

Geometric Theorems and Application of the DOF Analysis of the Workpiece Based on the Constraint Normal Line

Aiming at the problem of judging the degree of freedom (DOF) of the workpiece in the fixture by experience, it is difficult to adapt to the analysis of the DOF of some singular workpieces. The workpiece and the fixture are used as rigid bodies, and the workpiece is allowed to move in the plane or space under the constraints of the fixture positioning point, and a set of geometric theorems for judging the DOF and overconstraint of the workpiece can be derived according to the difference in the position of the instantaneous center of the workpiece speed. The judgment of the DOF and overconstraint of the workpiece is abstracted into rules with universal meaning, which effectively overcomes the limitations of existing methods. The research results show that (1) the DOF and overconstraint of the workpiece in the fixture depend entirely on the number of positioning normal lines of the workpiece and their geometric relationship; (2) the necessary and sufficient condition for limiting the DOF of rotation of the workpiece around a certain axis is that the workpiece has a pair of parallel normal lines in the vertical plane of the axis. Using geometric theorems to judge the DOF of the workpiece is more rigorous, simple, and intuitive, which is convenient for computer-aided judgment and the reasonable layout of the positioning points of the workpiece, which can effectively avoid the misjudgment of the DOF and unnecessary overpositioning when the complex workpiece is combined and positioned on different surfaces. Several examples are used to verify the accuracy of the method and correct unreasonable positioning schemes.

Design of a Semi-Active Prosthetic Knee for Transfemoral Amputees: Gait Symmetry Research by Simulation

The key technology of the prosthetic knee is to simulate the torque and angle of the biological knee. In this work, we proposed a novel prosthetic knee operated in semi-active mode. The structure with ball-screw driven by the motor and the passive hydraulic damping cylinder was presented. A four-bar linkage was adapted to track the instantaneous center motion of human knee. The mathematical models of hydraulic cylinder damping and active torque were established to simulate the knee torque and angle. The results show that the knee torque symmetry index is smaller than 10% in the whole gait. The knee angle symmetry index value is 34.7% in stance phase and 11.5% in swing phase. The angle in swing phase is closer to the intact knee. The semi-active prosthetic knee could provide similar torque and angle of the biological knee in the simulation. It has shown good potential in improving the gait symmetry of the transfemoral amputee.

Individual Drive-Wheel Energy Management for Rear-Traction Electric Vehicles with In-Wheel Motors

In-wheel motor technology has reduced the number of components required in a vehicle’s power train system, but it has also led to several additional technological challenges. According to kinematic laws, during the turning maneuvers of a vehicle, the tires must turn at adequate rotational speeds to provide an instantaneous center of rotation. An Electronic Differential System (EDS) controlling these speeds is necessary to ensure speeds on the rear axle wheels, always guaranteeing a tractive effort to move the vehicle with the least possible energy. In this work, we present an EDS developed, implemented, and tested in a virtual environment using MATLAB™, with the proposed developments then implemented in a test car. Exhaustive experimental testing demonstrated that the proposed EDS design significantly improves the test vehicle’s longitudinal dynamics and energy consumption. This paper’s main contribution consists of designing an EDS for an in-wheel motor electric vehicle (IWMEV), with motors directly connected to the rear axle. The design demonstrated effective energy management, with savings of up to 21.4% over a vehicle without EDS, while at the same time improving longitudinal dynamic performance.

Design and Experimental Research of Knee Joint Prosthesis Based on Gait Acquisition Technology

Whether the lower limb prosthesis can better meet the needs of amputees, the biomimetic performance of the knee joint is particularly important. In this paper, Nokov(metric) optical 3D motion capture system was used to collect motion data of normal human lower limbs, and the motion instantaneous center of multi-gait knee joint was obtained. Taking the error of knee joint motion instantaneous center line as the objective function, a set of six-bar mechanism prosthetic knee joint was designed based on a genetic algorithm. The experimental results show that the movement trajectory of the instantaneous center of the knee joint is basically similar to that of the human knee joint, so it can help amputees complete a variety of gaits and has good biomimetic performance. Gait acquisition technology can provide important data for prosthetic designers and it will be widely used in prosthetic design and other fields.