Numerical investigation on the effect of the vessel rolling angle and period on the energy harvest

In order to harvest effectively the mechanical energy produced in the process of vessel rolling, an energy harvest unit installed on the vessel is designed to utilize the mechanical energy. Firstly, the structure of the unit is proposed, and the relevant mathematical model is established. The solution of the mathematical model is given by Newmark- β method. Then, the influence of vessel rolling period and angle on the unit’s power and related parameters of the block is studied by MATLAB simulation. The results show that when the vessel is rolling, the energy harvest unit has a considerable power generation effect, the rolling period and angle of the vessel have a great impact on the power of the unit. Under the condition of the same period, the vessel with a larger rolling angle corresponds to larger peak gravity component, peak angular displacement, peak linear velocity of block and average power of the unit. In addition, under the same sea conditions, numerical simulations carried out on the rolling motion of 70,000, 100,000, and 150,000-ton bulk vessels and related parameters of the unit, indicating that the instantaneous power of the unit is not uniform in actual sea conditions, but it can output power continuously.

Fluctuation analysis in the dynamic characteristics of continental glacier based on Full-Stokes model

Ice thickness has a great influence on glacial movement and ablation. Over the course of the change in thickness, area and external climate, the dynamic process of how glaciers change and whether a glacier’s changes in melting tend to be stable or irregular is a problem that needs to be studied in depth. In our study, the changes in the dynamic process of the No. 8 Glacier in Hei Valley (H8) under the conditions of different thicknesses in 1969 and 2009 were simulated based on the Full-Stokes code Elmer/Ice (http://www.csc.fi/elmer/). The results were as follows: (1) The thickness reduction in glaciers would lead to a decrease in ice surface tension and basal pressure and friction at the bottom, and the resulting extensional and compressional flow played an important role in the variations in glacial velocity. (2) The force at the bottom of the glacier was key to maintaining the overall stress balance, and the glaciers that often melted and collapsed in bedrock were more easily destroyed by the overall force balance and increased change rate of glacial thaw. (3) Temperature changes at different altitudes affected the ice viscous force. The closer the ice surface temperature was to the melting point, the greater the influence of temperature changes on the ice viscous force and ice surface velocity. Finally, we used the RCP 4.8 and 8.5 climate models to simulate the changes in H8 over the next 40 years. The results showed that with some decreases in ice surface compression and tension, the gravity component changes caused by local topography begin to control the ice flow movement on the surface of glacier, and melting of the glacial surface will appear as an irregular change. The simulation results further confirmed that the fluctuation in glacial dynamic characteristics could be attributed to the change in the gravity component caused by ablation.

Analogy Study of Center-Of-Pressure and Acceleration Measurement for Evaluating Human Body Balance via Segmentalized Principal Component Analysis

The purpose of this research is to investigate the feasibility of evaluating the human’s balancing ability by means of the human body’s swaying acceleration measurements instead of the traditional center-of-pressure (COP) measurement. The COP measurement has been used broadly for assessing the balance ability of patients in hospitals. However, the force plate system which is employed to measure the COP signals of the human body is generally restrictive due to the very high cost as well as the bulky portability. In this study, the balancing ability of the human body was evaluated through the measurements of a capacitive accelerometer. The segmentalized principal components analysis (sPCA) was employed to reduce the influence of the gravity component in acceleration measurement projected onto the horizontal components while the accelerometer inevitably tilts. The signal relationship between the COP and the acceleration was derived, so that the swaying acceleration measurements of human body can be utilized to evaluate the human body’s balancing ability.

A fast equivalent source method for airborne gravity gradient data

Airborne gravity gradiometry measures several gravity gradient components unlike conventional gravimetry taking only the vertical gravity component into account. However, processing of multicomponent airborne gravity gradient (AGG) data without corrupting their internal consistency is often challenging. Therefore, we have developed an equivalent source technique to tackle this challenge. With a combination of Gauss-fast Fourier transform and the Landweber iteration, we have developed an efficient way to compute equivalent sources for AGG data. This method can handle two components simultaneously. We first examined its viability by applying this approach to a synthetic example. Afterward, we applied our method to real AGG data collected in the area of Karasjok, Norway. Our result is almost the same as the results that meet the industry standard but with great efficiency.

Speed Estimation using Smartphone Accelerometer Data

This paper is focused on developing an algorithm to estimate vehicle speed from accelerometer data generated by an onboard smartphone. The kinetic theory tells that the integration of acceleration gives the speed of a vehicle. Thus, the integration of the acceleration values collected with the smartphone in the direction of motion would theoretically yield the speed. However, speed estimation by the integration of accelerometer data will not yield accurate results, as the accelerometer data in the direction of motion is not pure acceleration, but involves white noise, phone sensor bias, vibration, gravity component, and other effects. To account for these sources of noise and error, a calibration method that can adjust the speed at certain times or points is needed. The exact times when the vehicle stops and starts are identified and used to calibrate the estimated speed. Based on the collected sample data, the proposed method yields that the estimated speed is on average within 10 mph of the actual speed, with a lower margin at the street-level driving. This suggests that with more information to calibrate the speed, the model accuracy can be improved further.

Dynamic feedforward control in decoupling space for a four-degree-of-freedom parallel robot

This article proposes a dynamic feedforward control method for a four-degree-of-freedom parallel robot in decoupling space to improve the control accuracy and robust stability. The mass matrix and the gravity component are obtained from the rigid-body dynamic model that is formulated by means of the link Jacobian matrices and the principle of virtual work. Then using the positive definiteness of the mass matrix and singular value decomposition algorithms, a decoupling transformation matrix is obtained to convert the physical joint space to the decoupling modal space. In the modal space, a decoupling closed-loop controller design has been implemented for each driven leg. Afterward, by applying the gravity component of the dynamic model, a feedforward control subsystem has been designed to compensate the influence of gravity load on the parallel robot, which can further reduce the negative impacts caused by modeling inaccuracies. This numerical simulation analysis shows that the ideal control accuracy and robust stability have been achieved using the dynamic feedforward decoupling control method for the nonlinear and strongly coupled systems of the parallel robot. The described controller has a simple structure and can be easily realized in practice.

Carcass Tear Out Load Model for Multi-Layer Pressure Sheath Risers

Recent failures of multi-layer pressure sheath risers have shown that the carcass may fail in the top termination due to excessive axial loads. This is a new failure mode for flexible risers, recently presented by the authors in more general terms. The present paper explains details of the established load model and the validation against mid-scale tests, risers failed during operation, and operating risers close to failure by this new mode. The key driver in the model is the temperature contraction of pressure sheath layers. Also influenced by changes in polymer properties over the operational history, temperature and time is explained. Other contributing factors in the load model are gravity-component and bore pressure. The prediction model for the carcass loads are developed during Statoils investigation in 2011–12. The model is regarded representative for 20% of the most exposed risers. Several of the input parameters are uncertain and a Monte Carlo simulation approach is selected to study the variability and predict the probability of failure, given that radial contact pressure is sufficiently low. The approach adopted in the model may be applicable to other risers where polymers and steel components act together, and in such circumstances act as a guide for alternative model developments.

Simple shear is not so simple! Kinematics and shear senses in Newtonian viscous simple shear zones

This work develops an analytical model of shear senses within an inclined ductile simple shear zone with parallel rigid boundaries and incompressible Newtonian viscous rheology. Taking account of gravity that tends to drive the material downdip and a possible pressure gradient that drives it upward along the shear zone, it is shown that (i) contradictory shear senses develop within two sub-zones even as a result of a single simple shear deformation; (ii) the highest velocity and least shear strain develop along the contact between the two sub-zones of reverse shear; (iii) for a uniform shear sense of the boundaries, a zone of reverse shear may develop within the top of the shear zone if the pressure gradient dominates the gravity component; otherwise it forms near the bottom boundary; (iv-a) a ‘pivot’ defined by the intersection between the velocity profile and the initial marker position distinguishes two sub-zones of opposite movement directions (not shear sense); (iv-b) a pivot inside any non-horizontal shear zone indicates a part of the zone that extrudes while the other subducts simultaneously; (v) the same shear sense develops: (v-a) when under a uniform shear of the boundaries, the shear zone remains horizontal and the pressure gradient vanishes; or alternatively (v-b) if the shear zone is inclined but the gravity component counterbalances the pressure gradient. Zones with shear sense reversal need to be reinterpreted since a pro-sheared sub-zone can retro-shear if the flow parameters change their magnitudes even though the same shear sense along the boundaries is maintained.