Energy field-assisted machining technology has the potential to overcome the limitations of machining difficult-to-machine metal materials, such as poor machinability, low cutting efficiency, and high energy consumption. High-speed dry milling has emerged as a typical green processing technology due to its high processing efficiency and avoidance of cutting fluids. However, the lack of necessary cooling and lubrication in high-speed dry milling makes it difficult to meet the continuous milling requirements for difficult-to-machine metal materials. The introduction of advanced energy-field-assisted green processing technology can improve the machinability of such metallic materials and achieve efficient precision manufacturing, making it a focus of academic and industrial research. In this review, the characteristics and limitations of high-speed dry milling of difficult-to-machine metal materials, including titanium alloys, nickel-based alloys, and high-strength steel, are systematically explored. The laser energy field, ultrasonic energy field, and cryogenic minimum quantity lubrication energy fields are introduced. By analyzing the effects of changing the energy field and cutting parameters on tool wear, chip morphology, cutting force, temperature, and surface quality of the workpiece during milling, the superiority of energy-field-assisted milling of difficult-to-machine metal materials is demonstrated. Finally, the shortcomings and technical challenges of energy-field-assisted milling are summarized in detail, providing feasible ideas for realizing multi-energy field collaborative green machining of difficult-to-machine metal materials in the future.
Selective laser melting (SLM) is a unique additive manufacturing (AM) category that can be used to manufacture mechanical parts. It has been widely used in aerospace and automotive using metal or alloy powder. The build orientation is crucial in AM because it affects the as-built part, including its part accuracy, surface roughness, support structure, and build time and cost. A mechanical part is usually composed of multiple surface features. The surface features carry the production and design knowledge, which can be utilized in SLM fabrication. This study proposes a method to determine the build orientation of multi-feature mechanical parts (MFMPs) in SLM. First, the surface features of an MFMP are recognized and grouped for formulating the particular optimization objectives. Second, the estimation models of involved optimization objectives are established, and a set of alternative build orientations (ABOs) is further obtained by many-objective optimization. Lastly, a multi-objective decision making method integrated by the technique for order of preference by similarity to the ideal solution and cosine similarity measure is presented to select an optimal build orientation from those ABOs. The weights of the feature groups and considered objectives are achieved by a fuzzy analytical hierarchy process. Two case studies are reported to validate the proposed method with numerical results, and the effectiveness comparison is presented. Physical manufacturing is conducted to prove the performance of the proposed method. The measured average sampling surface roughness of the most crucial feature of the bracket in the original orientation and the orientations obtained by the weighted sum model and the proposed method are 15.82, 10.84, and 10.62 μm, respectively. The numerical and physical validation results demonstrate that the proposed method is desirable to determine the build orientations of MFMPs with competitive results in SLM.
Earth rover is a class of emerging wheeled-leg robots for nature exploration. At present, few methods for these robots’ leg design utilize a side-mounted spatial parallel mechanism. Thus, this paper presents a complete design process of a novel 5-degree-of-freedom (5-DOF) hybrid leg mechanism for our quadruped earth rover BJTUBOT. First, a general approach is proposed for constructing the novel leg mechanism. Subsequently, by evaluating the basic locomotion task (LT) of the rover based on screw theory, we determine the desired motion characteristic of the side-mounted leg and carry out its two feasible configurations. With regard to the synthesis method of the parallel mechanism, a family of concise hybrid leg mechanisms using the 6-DOF limbs and an L1F1C limb (which can provide a constraint force and a couple) is designed. In verifying the motion characteristics of this kind of leg, we select a typical (3-UPRU&RRRR)&R mechanism and then analyze its kinematic model, singularities, velocity mapping, workspace, dexterity, statics, and kinetostatic performance. Furthermore, the virtual quadruped rover equipped with this innovative leg mechanism is built. Various basic and specific LTs of the rover are demonstrated by simulation, which indicates that the flexibility of the legs can help the rover achieve multitasking.
This paper proposes a novel continuous footholds optimization method for legged robots to expand their walking ability on complex terrains. The algorithm can efficiently run onboard and online by using terrain perception information to protect the robot against slipping or tripping on the edge of obstacles, and to improve its stability and safety when walking on complex terrain. By relying on the depth camera installed on the robot and obtaining the terrain heightmap, the algorithm converts the discrete grid heightmap into a continuous costmap. Then, it constructs an optimization function combined with the robot’s state information to select the next footholds and generate the motion trajectory to control the robot’s locomotion. Compared with most existing footholds selection algorithms that rely on discrete enumeration search, as far as we know, the proposed algorithm is the first to use a continuous optimization method. We successfully implemented the algorithm on a hexapod robot, and verified its feasibility in a walking experiment on a complex terrain.
Servo-hydraulic actuators (SHAs) are widely used in mechanical equipment to drive heavy-duty mechanisms. However, their energy efficiency is low, and their motion characteristics are inevitably affected by uncertain nonlinearities. Electromechanical actuators (EMAs) possess superior energy efficiency and motion characteristics. However, they cannot easily drive heavy-duty mechanisms because of weak bearing capacity. This study proposes and designs a novel electromechanical-hydraulic hybrid actuator (EMHA) that integrates the advantages of EMA and SHA. EMHA mainly features two transmission mechanisms. The piston of the hydraulic transmission mechanism and the ball screw pair of the electromechanical transmission mechanism are mechanically fixed together through screw bolts, realizing the integration of two types of transmission mechanisms. The control scheme of the electromechanical transmission mechanism is used for motion control, and the hydraulic transmission mechanism is used for power assistance. Then, the mathematical model, structure, and parameter design of the new EMHA are studied. Finally, the EMHA prototype and test platform are manufactured. The test results prove that the EMHA has good working characteristics and high energy efficiency. Compared with the valve-controlled hydraulic cylinder system, EMHA exhibits a velocity tracking error and energy consumption reduced by 49.7% and 54%, respectively, under the same working conditions.
Capacitive sensors are efficient tools for biophysical force measurement, which is essential for the exploration of cellular behavior. However, attention has been rarely given on the influences of external mechanical and internal electrical interferences on capacitive sensors. In this work, a bionic swallow structure design norm was developed for mechanical decoupling, and the influences of structural parameters on mechanical behavior were fully analyzed and optimized. A bionic feather comb distribution strategy and a portable readout circuit were proposed for eliminating electrostatic interferences. Electrostatic instability was evaluated, and electrostatic decoupling performance was verified on the basis of a novel measurement method utilizing four complementary comb arrays and application-specific integrated circuit readouts. An electrostatic pulling experiment showed that the bionic swallow structure hardly moved by 0.770 nm, and the measurement error was less than 0.009% for the area-variant sensor and 1.118% for the gap-variant sensor, which can be easily compensated in readouts. The proposed sensor also exhibited high resistance against electrostatic rotation, and the resulting measurement error dropped below 0.751%. The rotation interferences were less than 0.330 nm and (1.829 × 10−7)°, which were 35 times smaller than those of the traditional differential one. Based on the proposed bionic decoupling method, the fabricated sensor exhibited overwhelming capacitive sensitivity values of 7.078 and 1.473 pF/µm for gap-variant and area-variant devices, respectively, which were the highest among the current devices. High immunity to mechanical disturbances was maintained simultaneously, i.e., less than 0.369% and 0.058% of the sensor outputs for the gap-variant and area-variant devices, respectively, indicating its great performance improvements over existing devices and feasibility in ultralow biomedical force measurement.
Many heat transfer tubes are distributed on the tube plates of a steam generator that requires periodic inspection by robots. Existing inspection robots are usually involved in issues: Robots with manipulators need complicated installation due to their fixed base; tube mobile robots suffer from low running efficiency because of their structural restricts. Since there are thousands of tubes to be checked, task planning is essential to guarantee the precise, orderly, and efficient inspection process. Most in-service robots check the task tubes using row-by-row and column-by-column planning. This leads to unnecessary inspections, resulting in a long shutdown and affecting the regular operation of a nuclear power plant. Therefore, this paper introduces the structure and control system of a dexterous robot and proposes a task planning method. This method proceeds into three steps: task allocation, base position search, and sequence planning. To allocate the task regions, this method calculates the tool work matrix and proposes a criterion to evaluate a sub-region. And then all tasks contained in the sub-region are considered globally to search the base positions. Lastly, we apply an improved ant colony algorithm for base sequence planning and determine the inspection orders according to the planned path. We validated the optimized algorithm by conducting task planning experiments using our robot on a tube sheet. The results show that the proposed method can accomplish full task coverage with few repetitive or redundant inspections and it increases the efficiency by 33.31% compared to the traditional planning algorithms.
Although the manufacturing industry has improved the quality of processing, optimization and upgrading must be performed to meet the requirements of global sustainable development. Sustainable production is considered to be a favorable strategy for achieving machining upgrades characterized by high quality, high efficiency, energy savings, and emission reduction. Sustainable production has aroused widespread interest, but only a few scholars have studied the sustainability of machining from multiple dimensions. The sustainability of machining must be investigated multidimensionally and accurately. Thus, this study explores the sustainability of machining from the aspects of equipment, process, and strategy. In particular, the equipment, process, and strategy of sustainable machining are systematically analyzed and integrated into a research framework. Then, this study analyzes sustainable machining-oriented machining equipment from the aspects of machine tools, cutting tools, and materials such as cutting fluid. Machining processes are explored as important links of sustainable machining from the aspects of dry cutting, microlubrication, microcutting, low-temperature cutting, and multidirectional cutting. The strategies for sustainable machining are also analyzed from the aspects of energy-saving control, machining simulation, and process optimization of machine tools. Finally, opportunities and challenges, including policies and regulations toward sustainable machining, are discussed. This study is expected to offer prospects for sustainable machining development and strategies for implementing sustainable machining.
Next-generation optoelectronics should possess lightweight and flexible characteristics, thus conforming to various types of surfaces or human skins for portable and wearable applications. Flexible photodetectors as fundamental devices have been receiving increasing attention owing to their potential applications in artificial intelligence, aerospace industry, and wise information technology of 120, among which perovskite is a promising candidate as the light-harvesting material for its outstanding optical and electrical properties, remarkable mechanical flexibility, low-cost and low-temperature processing methods. To date, most of the reports have demonstrated the fabrication methods of the perovskite materials, materials engineering, applications in solar cells, light-emitting diodes, lasers, and photodetectors, strategies for device performance enhancement, few can be seen with a focus on the processing strategies of perovskite-based flexible photodetectors, which we will give a comprehensive summary, herein. To begin with, a brief introduction to the fabrication methods of perovskite (solution and vapor-based methods), device configurations (photovoltaic, photoconductor, and phototransistor), and performance parameters of the perovskite-based photodetectors are first arranged. Emphatically, processing strategies for photodetectors are presented following, including flexible substrates (i.e., polymer, carbon cloth, fiber, paper, etc.), soft electrodes (i.e., metal-based conductive networks, carbon-based conductive materials, and two-dimensional (2D) conductive materials, etc.), conformal encapsulation (single-layer and multilayer stacked encapsulation), low-dimensional perovskites (0D, 1D, and 2D nanostructures), and elaborate device structures. Typical applications of perovskite-based flexible photodetectors such as optical communication, image sensing, and health monitoring are further exhibited to learn the flexible photodetectors on a deeper level. Challenges and future research directions of perovskite-based flexible photodetectors are proposed in the end. The purpose of this review is not only to shed light on the basic design principle of flexible photodetectors, but also to serve as the roadmap for further developments of flexible photodetectors and exploring their applications in the fields of industrial manufacturing, human life, and health care.
To fully utilize the in-situ resources on the moon to facilitate the establishment of a lunar habitat is significant to realize the long-term residence of mankind on the moon and the deep space exploration in the future. Thus, intensive research works have been conducted to develop types of 3D printing approach to adapt to the extreme environment and utilize the lunar regolith for in-situ construction. However, the in-situ 3D printing using raw lunar regolith consumes extremely high energy and time. In this work, we proposed a cost-effective melting extrusion system for lunar regolith-based composite printing, and engineering thermoplastic powders are employed as a bonding agent for lunar regolith composite. The high-performance nylon and lunar regolith are uniformly pre-mixed in powder form with different weight fractions. The high-pressure extrusion system is helpful to enhance the interface affinity of polymer binders with lunar regolith as well as maximize the loading ratio of in-situ resources of lunar regolith. Mechanical properties such as tensile strength, elastic modulus, and Poisson’s ratio of the printed specimens were evaluated systematically. Especially, the impact performance was emphasized to improve the resistance of the meteorite impact on the moon. The maximum tensile strength and impact toughness reach 36.2 MPa and 5.15 kJ/m2, respectively. High-pressure melt extrusion for lunar regolith composite can increase the effective loading fraction up to 80 wt.% and relatively easily adapt to extreme conditions for in-situ manufacturing.
Morphing aircraft can adaptively regulate their aerodynamic layout to meet the demands of varying flight conditions, improve their aerodynamic efficiency, and reduce their energy consumption. The design and fabrication of high-performance, lightweight, and intelligent morphing structures have become a hot topic in advanced aircraft design. This paper discusses morphing aircraft development history, structural characteristics, existing applications, and future prospects. First, some conventional mechanical morphing aircraft are examined with focus on their morphing modes, mechanisms, advantages, and disadvantages. Second, the novel applications of several technologies for morphing unmanned aerial vehicles, including additive manufacturing for fabricating complex morphing structures, lattice technology for reducing structural weight, and multi-mode morphing combined with flexible skins and foldable structures, are summarized and categorized. Moreover, in consideration of the further development of active morphing aircraft, the paper reviews morphing structures driven by smart material actuators, such as shape memory alloy and macro-fiber composites, and analyzes their advantages and limitations. Third, the paper discusses multiple challenges, including flexible structures, flexible skins, and control systems, in the design of future morphing aircraft. Lastly, the development and application of morphing structures in the aerospace field are discussed to provide a reference for future research and engineering applications.
To achieve the collision-free trajectory tracking of the four-wheeled mobile robot (FMR), existing methods resolve the tracking control and obstacle avoidance separately. Guaranteeing the synergistic robustness and smooth navigation of mobile robots subjected to motion uncertainties in a dynamic environment using this non-cooperative processing method is difficult. To address this challenge, this paper proposes an obstacle-circumventing adaptive control (OCAC) framework. Specifically, a novel anti-disturbance terminal slide mode control with adaptive gains is formulated, incorporating specified control laws for different stages. This formulation guarantees rapid convergence and simultaneous chattering elimination. By introducing sub-target points, a new sub-target dynamic tracking regression obstacle avoidance strategy is presented to transfer the obstacle avoidance problem into a dynamic tracking one, thereby reducing the burden of local path searching while ensuring system stability during obstacle circumvention. Comparative experiments demonstrate that the proposed OCAC method can strengthen the convergence and obstacle avoidance efficiency of the concerned FMR system.
A considerable portion of space mechanism failures are related to space tribological problems. Cold welding in high vacuum; surface erosion and collision damage caused by various radiations, high temperature oxidation under atomic oxygen (AO) bombardment; and thermal stress caused by temperature alternation all alter the physical, chemical, and friction properties of materials. In particular, the space vibration caused by alternating temperatures and microgravity environments can alter the motion of the contact body, further affecting its friction properties. Improving the friction properties of contact surfaces in the space environment is an important way to extend the service life of spacecraft. Traditional lubricants can no longer meet the lubrication requirements of the space environment. This study describes the characteristics of the space environment and the applications of solid lubricants. The friction properties of MoS2, a solid lubricant widely used in space, are discussed. The synergistic lubrication of MoS2 with surface textures or metals is presented. Advances in research on the friction properties of collision sliding contacts in the space environment are reviewed. The combination of MoS2 and soft metals with surface textures is introduced to reduce the effects of vibration environments on the friction properties of moving parts in space mechanisms. Finally, the challenges and future research interests of MoS2 films in space tribology are presented.
Recently, advanced sensing techniques ensure a large number of multivariate sensing data for intelligent fault diagnosis of machines. Given the advantage of obtaining accurate diagnosis results, multi-sensor fusion has long been studied in the fault diagnosis field. However, existing studies suffer from two weaknesses. First, the relations of multiple sensors are either neglected or calculated only to improve the diagnostic accuracy of fault types. Second, the localization for multi-source faults is seldom investigated, although locating the anomaly variable over multivariate sensing data for certain types of faults is desirable. This article attempts to overcome the above weaknesses by proposing a global method to recognize fault types and localize fault sources with the help of multi-sensor relations (MSRs). First, an MSR model is developed to learn MSRs automatically and further obtain fault recognition results. Second, centrality measures are employed to analyze the MSR graphs learned by the MSR model, and fault sources are therefore determined. The proposed method is demonstrated by experiments on an induction motor and a centrifugal pump. Results show the proposed method’s validity in diagnosing fault types and sources.
In-situ maintenance is of great significance for improving the efficiency and ensuring the safety of aero-engines. The cable-driven continuum robot (CDCR) with twin-pivot compliant mechanisms, which is enabled with flexible deformation capability and confined space accessibility, has emerged as a novel tool that aims to promote the development of intelligence and efficiency for in-situ aero-engine maintenance. The high-fidelity model that describes the kinematic and morphology of CDCR lays the foundation for the accurate operation and control for in-situ maintenance. However, this model was not well addressed in previous literature. In this study, a general kinetostatic modeling and morphology characterization methodology that comprehensively contains the effects of cable-hole friction, gravity, and payloads is proposed for the CDCR with twin-pivot compliant mechanisms. First, a novel cable-hole friction model with the variable friction coefficient and adaptive friction direction criterion is proposed through structure optimization and kinematic parameter analysis. Second, the cable-hole friction, all-component gravities, deflection-induced center-of-gravity shift of compliant joints, and payloads are all considered to deduce a comprehensive kinetostatic model enabled with the capacity of accurate morphology characterization for CDCR. Finally, a compact continuum robot system is integrated to experimentally validate the proposed kinetostatic model and the concept of in-situ aero-engine maintenance. Results indicate that the proposed model precisely predicts the morphology of CDCR and outperforms conventional models. The compact continuum robot system could be considered a novel solution to perform in-situ maintenance tasks of aero-engines in an invasive manner.
Continuum robot has attracted extensive attention since its emergence. It has multi-degree of freedom and high compliance, which give it significant advantages when traveling and operating in narrow spaces. The flexural virtual-center of motion (VCM) mechanism can be machined integrally, and this way eliminates the assembly between joints. Thus, it is well suited for use as a continuum robot joint. Therefore, a design method for continuum robots based on the VCM mechanism is proposed in this study. First, a novel VCM mechanism is formed using a double leaf-type isosceles-trapezoidal flexural pivot (D-LITFP), which is composed of a series of superimposed LITFPs, to enlarge its stroke. Then, the pseudo-rigid body (PRB) model of the leaf is extended to the VCM mechanism, and the stiffness and stroke of the D-LITFP are modeled. Second, the VCM mechanism is combined to form a flexural joint suitable for the continuum robot. Finally, experiments and simulations are used to validate the accuracy and validity of the PRB model by analyzing the performance (stiffness and stroke) of the VCM mechanism. Furthermore, the motion performance of the designed continuum robot is evaluated. Results show that the maximum stroke of the VCM mechanism is approximately 14.2°, the axial compressive strength is approximately 1915 N/mm, and the repeatable positioning accuracies of the continuum robot is approximately ±1.47° (bending angle) and ±2.46° (bending direction).
The smart toolholder is the core component in the development of intelligent and precise manufacturing. It enables in situ monitoring of cutting data and machining accuracy evolution and has become a focal point in academic research and industrial applications. However, current table and rotational dynamometers for milling force, vibration, and temperature testing suffer from cumbersome installation and provide only a single acquisition signal, which limits their use in laboratory settings. In this study, we propose a wireless smart toolholder with multi-sensor fusion for simultaneous sensing of milling force, vibration, and temperature signals. We select force, vibration, and temperature sensors suitable for smart toolholder fusion to adapt to the cutting environment. Thereafter, structural design, circular runout, dynamic balancing, static stiffness, and dynamic inherent frequency tests are conducted to assess its dynamic and static performance. Finally, the smart toolholder is tested for accuracy and repeatability in terms of force, vibration, and temperature. Experimental results demonstrate that the smart toolholder accurately captures machining data with a relative deviation of less than 1.5% compared with existing force gauges and provides high repeatability of milling temperature and vibration signals. Therefore, it is a smart solution for machining condition monitoring.
Polycrystalline tin is an ideal excitation material for extreme ultraviolet light sources. However, the existence of grain boundary (GB) limits the surface roughness of polycrystalline tin after single-point diamond turning (SPDT). In this work, a novel method termed inductively coupled plasma (ICP)-assisted cutting was developed for the sub-nanometer finishing of polycrystalline tin. The relationship between ICP power, processing time, and modification depth was established by thermodynamic simulation, and the fitted heat transfer coefficient of polycrystalline tin was 540 W/(m2·K). The effects of large-thermal-gradient ICP treatment on the microstructure of polycrystalline tin were studied. After 0.9 kW ICP processing for 3.0 s, corresponding to the temperature gradient of 0.30 K/µm, the grain size of polycrystalline tin was expanded from a size of approximately 20–80 μm to a millimeter scale. The Taguchi method was used to investigate the effects of rotational speed, depth of cut, and feed rate on SPDT. Experiments conducted based on the ICP system indicated that the plasma-assisted cutting method promoted the reduction of the influence of GB steps on the finishing of polycrystalline tin, thereby achieving a surface finish from 8.53 to 0.80 nm in Sa. The results of residual stress release demonstrated that the residual stress of plasma-assisted turning processing after 504 h stress release was 10.7 MPa, while that of the turning process without the ICP treatment was 41.6 MPa.
One of the core challenges of intelligent fault diagnosis is that the diagnosis model requires numerous labeled training datasets to achieve satisfactory performance. Generating training data using a virtual model is a potential solution for addressing such a problem, and the construction of a high-fidelity virtual model is fundamental and critical for data generation. In this study, a digital twin-assisted dynamic model updating method for fault diagnosis is thus proposed to improve the fidelity and reliability of a virtual model, which can enhance the generated data quality. First, a virtual model is established to mirror the vibration response of a physical entity using a dynamic modeling method. Second, the modeling method is validated through a frequency analysis of the generated signal. Then, based on the signal similarity indicator, a physical–virtual signal interaction method is proposed to dynamically update the virtual model in which parameter sensitivity analysis, surrogate technique, and optimization algorithm are applied to increase the efficiency during the model updating. Finally, the proposed method is successfully applied to the dynamic model updating of a single-stage helical gearbox; the virtual data generated by this model can be used for gear fault diagnosis.
To examine the environmental characteristics of the microgravity force and the weathered layer on an asteroid surface, a symmetric wheel brush asteroid sampler is proposed for the collection of particles on the asteroid surface. To study the influence of the wheel brush rotation speed on the sampling efficiency and the driving torque required for the wheel brush, the contact dynamics model between particles and sampling wheel brushes is established and a simulation and experimental verification of the sampling process are conducted. The parameter calibration of the sampled particles is studied first, and the calibrated particle parameters are used in the numerical simulation of the sampling process. The sampling results and the particle stream curves are obtained for the working conditions of different rotation speeds, and the effects of different parameter settings on the sampling efficiency are analyzed. In addition, a set of rotating symmetrical sampling wheel brush devices is built for the ground test, and the dynamic torque sensor is used to test the torque change of the wheel brush during the sampling process. The relationship between the speed of the wheel brush and the driving torque of the wheel brush motor is determined by comparing the simulation results with the test results. Results indicate that when the rotating speed of the wheel brush is faster, the sampling efficiency is higher, and the driving torque required for the sampling wheel brush is greater. Moreover, a numerical simulation analysis of the sampling process of the wheel brush sampler in a microgravity environment is conducted to determine the optimal speed condition, and the brushing test of the wheel brush sampler in the microgravity environment is verified with the drop tower method. This research proposes the structural optimization design and motor selection of a wheel brush asteroid sampler, which provides important reference value and engineering significance.
Most parallel manipulators have multiple solutions to the direct kinematic problem. The ability to perform assembly changing motions has received the attention of a few researchers. Cusp points play an important role in the kinematic behavior. This study investigates the cusp points and assembly changing motions in a two degrees of freedom planar parallel manipulator. The direct kinematic problem of the manipulator yields a quartic polynomial equation. Each root in the equation determines the assembly configuration, and four solutions are obtained for a given set of actuated joint coordinates. By regarding the discriminant of the repeated roots of the quartic equation as an implicit function of two actuated joint coordinates, the direct kinematic singularity loci in the joint space are determined by the implicit function. Cusp points are then obtained by the intersection of a quadratic curve and a cubic curve. Two assembly changing motions by encircling different cusp points are highlighted, for each pair of solutions with the same sign of the determinants of the direct Jacobian matrices.
Edge preparation can remove cutting edge defects, such as burrs, chippings, and grinding marks, generated in the grinding process and improve the cutting performance and service life of tools. Various edge preparation methods have been proposed for different tool matrix materials, geometries, and application requirements. This study presents a scientific and systematic review of the development of tool edge preparation technology and provides ideas for its future development. First, typical edge characterization methods, which associate the microgeometric characteristics of the cutting edge with cutting performance, are briefly introduced. Then, edge preparation methods for cutting tools, in which materials at the cutting edge area are removed to decrease defects and obtain a suitable microgeometry of the cutting edge for machining, are discussed. New edge preparation methods are explored on the basis of existing processing technologies, and the principles, advantages, and limitations of these methods are systematically summarized and analyzed. Edge preparation methods are classified into two categories: mechanical processing methods and nontraditional processing methods. These methods are compared from the aspects of edge consistency, surface quality, efficiency, processing difficulty, machining cost, and general availability. In this manner, a more intuitive understanding of the characteristics can be gained. Finally, the future development direction of tool edge preparation technology is prospected.
Biopsy is a method commonly used for early cancer diagnosis. However, bleeding complications of widely available biopsy are risky for patients. Safer biopsy will result in a more accurate cancer diagnosis and a decrease in the risk of complications. In this article, we propose a novel biopsy needle that can reduce bleeding during biopsy procedures and achieve stable hemostasis. The proposed biopsy needle features a compact structure and can be operated easily by left and right hands. A predictive model for puncture force and tip deflection based on coupled Eulerian–Lagrangian (CEL) method is developed. Experimental results show that the biopsy needle can smoothly deliver the gelatin sponge hemostatic plug into the tissue. Although the hemostatic plug bends, the overall delivery process is stable, and the hemostatic plug retains in the tissue without being affected by the withdrawal of the needle. Further experiments indicate that the specimens are well obtained and evenly distributed in the groove of the outer needle without scattering. Our proposed design of biopsy needle possesses strong ability of hemostasis, tissue cutting, and tissue retention. The CEL model accurately predicts the peak of puncture force and produces close estimation of the insertion force at the postpuncture stage and tip position.
Reliable foot-to-ground contact state detection is crucial for the locomotion control of quadruped robots in unstructured environments. To improve the reliability and accuracy of contact detection for quadruped robots, a detection approach based on the probabilistic contact model with multi-information fusion is presented to detect the actual contact states of robotic feet with the ground. Moreover, a relevant control strategy to address unexpected early and delayed contacts is planned. The approach combines the internal state information of the robot with the measurements from external sensors mounted on the legs and feet of the prototype. The overall contact states are obtained by the classification of the model-based predicted probabilities. The control strategy for unexpected foot-to-ground contacts can correct the control actions of each leg of the robot to traverse cluttered environments by changing the contact state. The probabilistic model parameters are determined by testing on the single-leg experimental platform. The experiments are conducted on the experimental prototype, and results validate the contact detection and control strategy for unexpected contacts in unstructured terrains during walking and trotting. Compared with the body orientation under the time-based control method regardless of terrain, the root mean square errors of roll, pitch, and yaw respectively decreased by 60.07%, 54.73%, and 64.50% during walking and 73.40%, 61.49%, and 61.48% during trotting.
Accurately controlling the nodal lines of vibrating structures with topology optimization is a highly challenging task. The major difficulties in this type of problem include a large number of design variables, the highly nonlinear and multi-peak characteristics of iteration, and the changeable orders of eigenmodes. In this study, an effective material-field series-expansion (MFSE)-based topology optimization design strategy for precisely controlling nodal lines is proposed. Here, two typical optimization targets are established: (1) minimizing the difference between structural nodal lines and their desired positions, and (2) keeping the position of nodal lines within the specified range while optimizing certain dynamic performance. To solve this complex optimization problem, the structural topology of structures is first represented by a few design variables on the basis of the MFSE model. Then, the problems are effectively solved using a sequence Kriging-based optimization algorithm without requiring design sensitivity analysis. The proposed design strategy inherently circumvents various numerical difficulties and can effectively obtain the desired vibration modes and nodal lines. Numerical examples are provided to validate the proposed topology optimization models and the corresponding solution strategy.
This study focused on the development of austempered ductile iron (ADI) with desirable combination of mechanical properties for crankshaft applications by the combined effect of vanadium (V) alloying and an optimized heat treatment process. The produced unalloyed GGG60, 0.15% V-alloyed GGG60 (V-15), and 0.30% V-alloyed GGG60 samples were subjected to austenitizing at 900 °C for 1 h and subsequent austempering processes at 250, 300, and 350 °C for 15, 30, 60, 90, and 180 min. As a result of these austempering processes, different bainitic structures were obtained, which led to the formation of diverse combinations of mechanical properties. The mechanical properties of the austempered samples were tested comprehensively, and the results were correlated with their microstructures and the stability of the retained austenite phases. From the microstructural observations, the V-alloyed samples exhibited a finer microstructure and a more acicular ferrite phase than unalloyed samples. The V addition delayed the coarsening of the acicular ferrite structures and considerably contributed to the improvement of the mechanical properties of GGG60. Moreover, the X-ray diffraction results revealed that the retained austenite volume and the carbon enrichment of austenite phases in ADI samples were remarkably affected by the addition of vanadium. The increase in volume fraction of retained austenite and its carbon content provided favorable ductility and toughness to V-15, as confirmed by the elongation and impact test results. Consequently, the dual-phase ausferrite microstructure of V-15 that was austempered at 300 °C for 60 min exhibited high strength with substantial ductility and toughness for crankshaft applications.
Flanks of end mills are prone to wear in a long machining process. Regrinding is widely used in workshops to restore the flank to an original-like state. However, the traditional method involves material waste by trial and error and dramatically decreases the potential regrinding. Moreover, over-cut would happen to the flutes of worn cutters in the regrinding processes because of improper wheel path. This study presented a new approach to planning the wheel path for regrinding worn end mills to minimize material loss and recover the over-cut. In planning, a scaling method was developed to determine the maximum size of the new cutter according to the similarity of cutter shapes before and after regrinding. Then, the wheel path is first generated by envelope theory to regrind the worn area with a four-axis computer numerical control grinder according to the new size of cutters. Moreover, a second regrinding strategy is applied to recover the flute shape over-cut in the first grinding. Finally, the proposed method is verified by an experiment. Results showed that the proposed approach could save 25% of cutter material compared with the traditional method and ensure at least three regrinding times. This work effectively provides a general regrinding solution for the worn flank with maximum material-saving and regrinding period.
Given limited terrain adaptability, most existing multirobot cooperative transportation systems (MRCTSs) mainly work on flat pavements, restricting their outdoor applications. The connectors’ finite deformation capability and the control strategies’ limitations are primarily responsible for this phenomenon. This study proposes a novel MRCTS based on tracked mobile robots (TMRs) to improve terrain adaptability and expand the application scenarios of MRCTSs. In structure design, we develop a novel 6-degree-of-freedom passive adaptive connector to link multiple TMRs and the transported object (the communal payload). In addition, the connector is set with sensors to measure the position and orientation of the robot with respect to the object for feedback control. In the control strategy, we present a virtual leader–physical follower collaborative paradigm. The leader robot is imaginary to describe the movement of the entire system and manage the follower robots. All the TMRs in the system act as follower robots to transport the object cooperatively. Having divided the whole control structure into the leader robot level and the follower robot level, we convert the motion control of the two kinds of robots to trajectory tracking control problems and propose a novel double closed-loop kinematics control framework. Furthermore, a control law satisfying saturation constraints is derived to ensure transportation stability. An adaptive control algorithm processes the wheelbase uncertainty of the TMR. Finally, we develop a prototype of the TMR-based MRCTS for experiments. In the trajectory tracking experiment, the developed MRCTS with the proposed control scheme can converge to the reference trajectory in the presence of initial tracking errors in a finite time. In the outdoor experiment, the proposed MRCTS consisting of four TMRs can successfully transport a payload weighing 60 kg on an uneven road with the single TMR’s maximum load limited to 15 kg. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the structural design and control strategies of the TMR-based MRCTS.
Nanoparticle-enhanced coolants (NPECs) are increasingly used in minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) machining as a green lubricant to replace conventional cutting fluids to meet the urgent need for carbon emissions and achieve sustainable manufacturing. However, the thermophysical properties of NPEC during processing remain unclear, making it difficult to provide precise guidance and selection principles for industrial applications. Therefore, this paper reviews the action mechanism, processing properties, and future development directions of NPEC. First, the laws of influence of nano-enhanced phases and base fluids on the processing performance are revealed, and the dispersion stabilization mechanism of NPEC in the preparation process is elaborated. Then, the unique molecular structure and physical properties of NPECs are combined to elucidate their unique mechanisms of heat transfer, penetration, and anti-friction effects. Furthermore, the effect of NPECs is investigated on the basis of their excellent lubricating and cooling properties by comprehensively and quantitatively evaluating the material removal characteristics during machining in turning, milling, and grinding applications. Results showed that turning of Ti‒6Al‒4V with multi-walled carbon nanotube NPECs with a volume fraction of 0.2% resulted in a 34% reduction in tool wear, an average decrease in cutting force of 28%, and a 7% decrease in surface roughness Ra, compared with the conventional flood process. Finally, research gaps and future directions for further applications of NPECs in the industry are presented.
Impact force identification is important for structure health monitoring especially in applications involving composite structures. Different from the traditional direct measurement method, the impact force identification technique is more cost effective and feasible because it only requires a few sensors to capture the system response and infer the information about the applied forces. This technique enables the acquisition of impact locations and time histories of forces, aiding in the rapid assessment of potentially damaged areas and the extent of the damage. As a typical inverse problem, impact force reconstruction and localization is a challenging task, which has led to the development of numerous methods aimed at obtaining stable solutions. The classical
