Coupled nonlinear aeroelasticity and flight dynamics of fully flexible aircraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, Weihua

This dissertation introduces an approach to effectively model and analyze the coupled nonlinear aeroelasticity and flight dynamics of highly flexible aircraft. A reduced-order, nonlinear, strain-based finite element framework is used, which is capable of assessing the fundamental impact of structural nonlinear effects in preliminary vehicle design and control synthesis. The cross-sectional stiffness and inertia properties of the wings are calculated along the wing span, and then incorporated into the one-dimensional nonlinear beam formulation. Finite-state unsteady subsonic aerodynamics is used to compute airloads along lifting surfaces. Flight dynamic equations are then introduced to complete the aeroelastic/flight dynamic system equations of motion. Instead of merely considering the flexibility of the wings, the current work allows all members of the vehicle to be flexible. Due to their characteristics of being slender structures, the wings, tail, and fuselage of highly flexible aircraft can be modeled as beams undergoing three dimensional displacements and rotations. New kinematic relationships are developed to handle the split beam systems, such that fully flexible vehicles can be effectively modeled within the existing framework. Different aircraft configurations are modeled and studied, including Single-Wing, Joined-Wing, Blended-Wing-Body, and Flying-Wing configurations. The Lagrange Multiplier Method is applied to model the nodal displacement constraints at the joint locations. Based on the proposed models, roll response and stability studies are conducted on fully flexible and rigidized models. The impacts of the flexibility of different vehicle members on flutter with rigid body motion constraints, flutter in free flight condition, and roll maneuver performance are presented. Also, the static stability of the compressive member of the Joined-Wing configuration is studied. A spatially-distributed discrete gust model is incorporated into the time simulation of the framework. Gust responses of the Flying-Wing configuration subject to stall effects are investigated. A bilinear torsional stiffness model is introduced to study the skin wrinkling due to large bending curvature of the Flying-Wing. The numerical studies illustrate the improvements of the existing reduced-order formulation with new capabilities of both structural modeling and coupled aeroelastic and flight dynamic analysis of fully flexible aircraft.

Planar rigid-flexible coupling spacecraft modeling and control considering solar array deployment and joint clearance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yuanyuan; Wang, Zilu; Wang, Cong; Huang, Wenhu

2018-01-01

Based on Nodal Coordinate Formulation (NCF) and Absolute Nodal Coordinate Formulation (ANCF), this paper establishes rigid-flexible coupling dynamic model of the spacecraft with large deployable solar arrays and multiple clearance joints to analyze and control the satellite attitude under deployment disturbance. Considering torque spring, close cable loop (CCL) configuration and latch mechanisms, a typical spacecraft composed of a rigid main-body described by NCF and two flexible panels described by ANCF is used as a demonstration case. Nonlinear contact force model and modified Coulomb friction model are selected to establish normal contact force and tangential friction model, respectively. Generalized elastic force are derived and all generalized forces are defined in the NCF-ANCF frame. The Newmark-β method is used to solve system equations of motion. The availability and superiority of the proposed model is verified through comparing with numerical co-simulations of Patran and ADAMS software. The numerical results reveal the effects of panel flexibility, joint clearance and their coupling on satellite attitude. The effects of clearance number, clearance size and clearance stiffness on satellite attitude are investigated. Furthermore, a proportional-differential (PD) attitude controller of spacecraft is designed to discuss the effect of attitude control on the dynamic responses of the whole system.

Controlling flexible structures with second order actuator dynamics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Inman, Daniel J.; Umland, Jeffrey W.; Bellos, John

1989-01-01

The control of flexible structures for those systems with actuators that are modeled by second order dynamics is examined. Two modeling approaches are investigated. First a stability and performance analysis is performed using a low order finite dimensional model of the structure. Secondly, a continuum model of the flexible structure to be controlled, coupled with lumped parameter second order dynamic models of the actuators performing the control is used. This model is appropriate in the modeling of the control of a flexible panel by proof-mass actuators as well as other beam, plate and shell like structural numbers. The model is verified with experimental measurements.

A first computational framework for integrated hydrologic-hydrodynamic inundation modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoch, Jannis; Baart, Fedor; Neal, Jeffrey; van Beek, Rens; Winsemius, Hessel; Bates, Paul; Bierkens, Marc

2017-04-01

To provide detailed flood hazard and risk estimates for current and future conditions, advanced modelling approaches are required. Currently, many approaches are however built upon specific hydrologic or hydrodynamic model routines. By applying these routines in stand-alone mode important processes cannot accurately be described. For instance, global hydrologic models (GHM) run at coarse spatial resolution which does not identify locally relevant flood hazard information. Moreover, hydrologic models generally focus on correct computations of water balances, but employ less sophisticated routing schemes such as the kinematic wave approximation. Hydrodynamic models, on the other side, excel in the computations of open water flow dynamics, but are highly dependent on specific runoff or observed discharge for their input. In most cases hydrodynamic models are forced by applying discharge at the boundaries and thus cannot account for water sources within the model domain. Thus, discharge and inundation dynamics at reaches not fed by upstream boundaries cannot be modelled. In a recent study, Hoch et al. (HESS, 2017) coupled the GHM PCR-GLOBWB with the hydrodynamic model Delft3D Flexible Mesh. A core element of this study was that both models were connected on a cell-by-cell basis which allows for direct hydrologic forcing within the hydrodynamic model domain. The means for such model coupling is the Basic Model Interface (BMI) which provides a set of functions to directly access model variables. Model results showed that discharge simulations can profit from model coupling as their accuracy is higher compared to stand-alone runs. Model results of a coupled simulation clearly depend on the quality of the individual models. Depending on purpose, location or simply the models at hand, it would be worthwhile to allow a wider range of models to be coupled. As a first step, we present a framework which allows coupling of PCR-GLOBWB to both Delft3D Flexible Mesh and LISFLOOD-FP. The coupling framework consists of a main script and a set of functions performing the actual model coupling as well as data processing. All that is required therefore are model schematizations of the models involved for the domain of interest. It is noteworthy that no adaptions to already existing schematizations have to be made. Within the framework, it is possible to distribute input volume from PCR-GLOBWB over the 2D hydrodynamic grid ("2D option"), or if available, directly into the 1D channels ("1D option"). Besides, it is possible to input the water volumes into the hydrodynamic models either as fluxes or states. With PCR-GLOBWB being a global model, it is possible to apply the coupling scheme anywhere, which reduces the dependency of observation data for discharge boundaries. Reducing this dependency is of particular benefit for areas where only a limited number of accurate measurements are available. First results of applying the coupling framework show that differences between both hydrodynamic models are mainly apparent in the timing of peak discharge when using the 1D option. Regarding inundation extent, applying LISFLOOD-FP with a regular grid outperforms the flexible mesh of Delft3D for those areas where a coarser spatial resolution is used in the flexible mesh. When using the 2D option, however, using Delft3D Flexible Mesh is more robust than LISFLOOD-FP due to the differences in the solver used in the models. With Delft3D Flexible Mesh solving the full Saint-Vernant equations, and LISFLOOD-FP solving the local inertial wave approximation which lacks the convective acceleration term, the framework hence allows for choosing the hydrodynamic parts based on the local characteristics of a chosen study area.

Vibro-acoustic modeling and analysis of a coupled acoustic system comprising a partially opened cavity coupled with a flexible plate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Shuangxia; Su, Zhu; Jin, Guoyong; Liu, Zhigang

2018-01-01

This paper is concerned with the modeling and solution method of a three-dimensional (3D) coupled acoustic system comprising a partially opened cavity coupled with a flexible plate and an exterior field of semi-infinite size, which is ubiquitously encountered in architectural acoustics and is a reasonable representation of many engineering occasions. A general solution method is presented to predict the dynamic behaviors of the three-dimensional (3D) acoustic coupled system, in which the displacement of the plate and the sound pressure in the cavity are respectively constructed in the form of the two-dimensional and three-dimensional modified Fourier series with several auxiliary functions introduced to ensure the uniform convergence of the solution over the entire solution domain. The effect of the opening is taken into account via the work done by the sound pressure acting at the coupling aperture that is contributed from the vibration of particles on the acoustic coupling interface and on the structural-acoustic coupling interface. Both the acoustic coupling between finite cavity and exterior field and the structural-acoustic coupling between flexible plate and interior acoustic field are considered in the vibro-acoustic modeling of the three-dimensional acoustic coupled acoustic system. The dynamic responses of the coupled structural-acoustic system are obtained using the Rayleigh-Ritz procedure based on the energy expressions for the coupled system. The accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed method are validated through numerical examples and comparison with results obtained by the boundary element analysis. Furthermore, the influence of the opening and the cavity volume on the acoustic behaviors of opened cavity system is studied.

Blade loss transient dynamics analysis with flexible bladed disk

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gallardo, V. C.; Black, G.; Bach, L.; Cline, S.; Storace, A.

1983-01-01

The transient dynamic response of a flexible bladed disk on a flexible rotor in a two rotor system is formulated by modal synthesis and a Lagrangian approach. Only the nonequilibrated one diameter flexible mode is considered for the flexible bladed disk, while the two flexible rotors are represented by their normal modes. The flexible bladed disk motion is modeled as a combination of two one diameter standing waves, and is coupled inertially and gyroscopically to the flexible rotors. Application to a two rotor model shows that a flexible bladed disk on one rotor can be driven into resonance by an unbalance in the other rotor, and at a frequency equal to the difference in the rotor speeds.

Multi-scale Modeling of the Evolution of a Large-Scale Nourishment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luijendijk, A.; Hoonhout, B.

2016-12-01

Morphological predictions are often computed using a single morphological model commonly forced with schematized boundary conditions representing the time scale of the prediction. Recent model developments are now allowing us to think and act differently. This study presents some recent developments in coastal morphological modeling focusing on flexible meshes, flexible coupling between models operating at different time scales, and a recently developed morphodynamic model for the intertidal and dry beach. This integrated modeling approach is applied to the Sand Engine mega nourishment in The Netherlands to illustrate the added-values of this integrated approach both in accuracy and computational efficiency. The state-of-the-art Delft3D Flexible Mesh (FM) model is applied at the study site under moderate wave conditions. One of the advantages is that the flexibility of the mesh structure allows a better representation of the water exchange with the lagoon and corresponding morphological behavior than with the curvilinear grid used in the previous version of Delft3D. The XBeach model is applied to compute the morphodynamic response to storm events in detail incorporating the long wave effects on bed level changes. The recently developed aeolian transport and bed change model AeoLiS is used to compute the bed changes in the intertidal and dry beach area. In order to enable flexible couplings between the three abovementioned models, a component-based environment has been developed using the BMI method. This allows a serial coupling of Delft3D FM and XBeach steered by a control module that uses a hydrodynamic time series as input (see figure). In addition, a parallel online coupling, with information exchange in each timestep will be made with the AeoLiS model that predicts the bed level changes at the intertidal and dry beach area. This study presents the first years of evolution of the Sand Engine computed with the integrated modelling approach. Detailed comparisons are made between the observed and computed morphological behaviour for the Sand Engine on an aggregated as well as sub-system level.

Effects of spanwise flexibility on the performance of flapping flyers in forward flight.

PubMed

Kodali, Deepa; Medina, Cory; Kang, Chang-Kwon; Aono, Hikaru

2017-11-01

Flying animals possess flexible wings that deform during flight. The chordwise flexibility alters the wing shape, affecting the effective angle of attack and hence the surrounding aerodynamics. However, the effects of spanwise flexibility on the locomotion are inadequately understood. Here, we present a two-way coupled aeroelastic model of a plunging spanwise flexible wing. The aerodynamics is modelled with a two-dimensional, unsteady, incompressible potential flow model, evaluated at each spanwise location of the wing. The two-way coupling is realized by considering the transverse displacement as the effective plunge under the dynamic balance of wing inertia, elastic restoring force and aerodynamic force. The thrust is a result of the competition between the enhancement due to wing deformation and induced drag. The results for a purely plunging spanwise flexible wing agree well with experimental and high-fidelity numerical results from the literature. Our analysis suggests that the wing aspect ratio of the abstracted passerine and goose models corresponds to the optimal aeroelastic response, generating the highest thrust while minimizing the power required to flap the wings. At these optimal aspect ratios, the flapping frequency is near the first spanwise natural frequency of the wing, suggesting that these birds may benefit from the resonance to generate thrust. © 2017 The Author(s).

Turgidity-dependent petiole flexibility enables efficient water use by a tree subjected to water stress.

PubMed

Gonzalez-Rodriguez, David; Cournède, Paul-Henry; de Langre, Emmanuel

2016-06-07

Water stress is a major cause of tree mortality. In response to drought, leaves wilt due to an increase in petiole flexibility. We present an analytical model coupling petiole mechanics, thermal balance, and xylem hydraulics to investigate the role of petiole flexibility in protecting a tree from water stress. Our model suggests that turgidity-dependent petiole flexibility can significantly attenuate the minimal xylem pressure and thus reduce the risk of cavitation. Moreover, we show that petiole flexibility increases water use efficiency by trees under water stress. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Notes on implementation of Coulomb friction in coupled dynamical simulations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Vandervoort, R. J.; Singh, R. P.

1987-01-01

A coupled dynamical system is defined as an assembly of rigid/flexible bodies that may be coupled by kinematic connections. The interfaces between bodies are modeled using hinges having 0 to 6 degrees of freedom. The equations of motion are presented for a mechanical system of n flexible bodies in a topological tree configuration. The Lagrange form of the D'Alembert principle was employed to derive the equations. The equations of motion are augmented by the kinematic constraint equations. This augmentation is accomplished via the method of singular value decomposition.

Shaft flexibility effects on aeroelastic stability of a rotating bladed disk

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Khader, Naim; Loewy, Robert

1989-01-01

A comprehensive study of Coriolis forces and shaft flexibility effects on the structural dynamics and aeroelastic stability of a rotating bladed-disk assembly attached to a cantilever, massless, flexible shaft is presented. Analyses were performed for an actual bladed-disk assembly, used as the first stage in the fan of the 'E3' engine. In the structural model, both in-plane and out-of-plane elastic deformation of the bladed-disk assembly were considered relative to their hub, in addition to rigid disk translations and rotations introduced by shaft flexibility. Besides structural coupling between blades (through the flexible disk), additional coupling is introduced through quasisteady aerodynamic loads. Rotational effects are accounted for throughout the work, and some mode shapes for the whole structure are presented at a selected rpm.

Attitude dynamics and control of spacecraft with a partially filled liquid tank and flexible panels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Feng; Yue, Baozeng; Zhao, Liangyu

2018-02-01

A liquid-filled flexible spacecraft is essentially a time-variant fully-coupled system, whose dynamics characteristics are closely associated with its motion features. This paper focuses on the mathematical modelling and attitude control of the spacecraft coupled with fuel sloshing dynamics and flexible solar panels vibration. The slosh motion is represented by a spherical pendulum, whose motion description method is improved by using split variable operation. Benefiting from this improvement, the nonlinear lateral sloshing and the rotary sloshing as well as the rigid motion of a liquid respect to the spacecraft can be approximately described. The assumed modes discretization method has been adopted to approximate the elastic displacements of the attached panels, and the coupled dynamics is derived by using the Lagrangian formulation. A variable substitution method is proposed to obtain the apparently-uncoupled mathematical model of the rigid-flexible-liquid spacecraft. After linearization, this model can be directly used for designing Lyapunov output-feedback attitude controller (OFAC). With only torque actuators, and attitude and rate sensors installed, this kind of attitude controller, as simulation results show, is capable of not only bringing the spacecraft to the desired orientation, but also suppressing the effect of flex and slosh on the attitude motion of the spacecraft.

Flexible Multiferroic Bulk Heterojunction with Giant Magnetoelectric Coupling via van der Waals Epitaxy

DOE PAGES

Amrillah, Tahta; Bitla, Yugandhar; Shin, Kwangwoo; ...

2017-05-22

Magnetoelectric nanocomposites have been a topic of intense research due to their profound potential in the applications of electronic devices based on spintronic technology. Nevertheless, in spite of significant progress made in the growth of high-quality nanocomposite thin films, the substrate clamping effect still remains a major hurdle in realizing the ultimate magnetoelectric coupling. To overcome this obstacle, an alternative strategy of fabricating a self-assembled ferroelectric–ferrimagnetic bulk heterojunction on a flexible muscovite via van der Waals epitaxy is adopted. In this paper, we investigated the magnetoelectric coupling in a self-assembled BiFeO 3 (BFO)–CoFe 2O 4 (CFO) bulk heterojunction epitaxially grownmore » on a flexible muscovite substrate. The obtained heterojunction is composed of vertically aligned multiferroic BFO nanopillars embedded in a ferrimagnetic CFO matrix. Moreover, due to the weak interaction between the flexible substrate and bulk heterojunction, the interface is incoherent and, hence, the substrate clamping effect is greatly reduced. The phase-field simulation model also complements our results. The magnetic and electrical characterizations highlight the improvement in magnetoelectric coupling of the BFO–CFO bulk heterojunction. A magnetoelectric coupling coefficient of 74 mV/cm·Oe of this bulk heterojunction is larger than the magnetoelectric coefficient reported earlier on flexible substrates. Finally and therefore, this study delivers a viable route of fabricating a remarkable magnetoelectric heterojunction and yet flexible electronic devices that are robust against extreme conditions with optimized performance.« less

Flexible Multiferroic Bulk Heterojunction with Giant Magnetoelectric Coupling via van der Waals Epitaxy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Amrillah, Tahta; Bitla, Yugandhar; Shin, Kwangwoo

Magnetoelectric nanocomposites have been a topic of intense research due to their profound potential in the applications of electronic devices based on spintronic technology. Nevertheless, in spite of significant progress made in the growth of high-quality nanocomposite thin films, the substrate clamping effect still remains a major hurdle in realizing the ultimate magnetoelectric coupling. To overcome this obstacle, an alternative strategy of fabricating a self-assembled ferroelectric–ferrimagnetic bulk heterojunction on a flexible muscovite via van der Waals epitaxy is adopted. In this paper, we investigated the magnetoelectric coupling in a self-assembled BiFeO 3 (BFO)–CoFe 2O 4 (CFO) bulk heterojunction epitaxially grownmore » on a flexible muscovite substrate. The obtained heterojunction is composed of vertically aligned multiferroic BFO nanopillars embedded in a ferrimagnetic CFO matrix. Moreover, due to the weak interaction between the flexible substrate and bulk heterojunction, the interface is incoherent and, hence, the substrate clamping effect is greatly reduced. The phase-field simulation model also complements our results. The magnetic and electrical characterizations highlight the improvement in magnetoelectric coupling of the BFO–CFO bulk heterojunction. A magnetoelectric coupling coefficient of 74 mV/cm·Oe of this bulk heterojunction is larger than the magnetoelectric coefficient reported earlier on flexible substrates. Finally and therefore, this study delivers a viable route of fabricating a remarkable magnetoelectric heterojunction and yet flexible electronic devices that are robust against extreme conditions with optimized performance.« less

The effects of wing flexibility on the flight performance and stability of flapping wing micro air vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bluman, James Edward

Insect wings are flexible. However, the influence of wing flexibility on the flight dynamics of insects and flapping wing micro air vehicles is unknown. Most studies in the literature consider rigid wings and conclude that the hover equilibrium is unstable. This dissertation shows that a flapping wing flyer with flexible wings exhibits stable natural modes of the open loop system in hover, never reported before. The free-flight insect flight dynamics is modeled for both flexible and rigid wings. Wing mass and inertia are included in the nonlinear equations of motion. The flapping wing aerodynamics are modeled using a quasi-steady model, a well-validated two dimensional Navier Stokes model, and a coupled, two dimensional Navier Stokes - Euler Bernoulli beam model that accurately models the fluid-structure interaction of flexible wings. Hover equilibrium is systematically and efficiently determined with a coupled quasi-steady and Navier-Stokes equation trimmer. The power and stability are reported at hover while parametrically varying the pitch axis location for rigid wings and the structural stiffness for flexible wings. The results indicate that the rigid wings possess an unstable oscillatory mode mainly due to their pitch sensitivity to horizontal velocity perturbations. The flexible wings stabilize this mode primarily by adjusting their wing shape in the presence of perturbations. The wing's response to perturbations generates significantly more horizontal velocity damping and pitch rate damping than in rigid wings. Furthermore, the flexible wings experience substantially less wing wake interaction, which, for rigid wings, is destabilizing. The power required to hover a fruit fly with actively rotating rigid wings varies between 16.9 and 34.2 W/kg. The optimal power occurs when the pitch axis is located at 30% chord, similar to some biological observations. Flexible wings require 23.1 to 38.5 W/kg. However, flexible wings exhibit more stable system dynamics and allow for simpler and lighter designs since they do not require pitch actuation mechanisms. This study is the first to evaluate the impact of wing flexibility on the hovering stability of flapping flyers, which can explain the ranges of flexibility seen in insects and can inform designs of synthetic flapping wing robots.

A comparative study of velocity increment generation between the rigid body and flexible models of MMET

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ismail, Norilmi Amilia, E-mail: aenorilmi@usm.my

The motorized momentum exchange tether (MMET) is capable of generating useful velocity increments through spin–orbit coupling. This study presents a comparative study of the velocity increments between the rigid body and flexible models of MMET. The equations of motions of both models in the time domain are transformed into a function of true anomaly. The equations of motion are integrated, and the responses in terms of the velocity increment of the rigid body and flexible models are compared and analysed. Results show that the initial conditions, eccentricity, and flexibility of the tether have significant effects on the velocity increments ofmore » the tether.« less

Adding In-Plane Flexibility to the Equations of Motion of a Single Rotor Helicopter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Curtiss, H. C., Jr.

2000-01-01

This report describes a way to add the effects of main rotor blade flexibility in the in- plane or lead-lag direction to a large set of non-linear equations of motion for a single rotor helicopter with rigid blades(l). Differences between the frequency of the regressing lag mode predicted by the equations of (1) and that measured in flight (2) for a UH-60 helicopter indicate that some element is missing from the analytical model of (1) which assumes rigid blades. A previous study (3) noted a similar discrepancy for the CH-53 helicopter. Using a relatively simple analytical model in (3), compared to (1), it was shown that a mechanical lag damper increases significantly the coupling between the rigid lag mode and the first flexible mode. This increased coupling due to a powerful lag damper produces an increase in the lowest lag frequency when viewed in a frame rotating with the blade. Flight test measurements normally indicate the frequency of this mode in a non-rotating or fixed frame. This report presents the additions necessary to the full equations of motion, to include main rotor blade lag flexibility. Since these additions are made to a very complex nonlinear dynamic model, in order to provide physical insight, a discussion of the results obtained from a simplified set of equations of motion is included. The reduced model illustrates the physics involved in the coupling and should indicate trends in the full model.

On the Coupling Between a Supersonic Turbulent Boundary Layer and a Flexible Structure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frendi, Abdelkader

1996-01-01

A mathematical model and a computer code have been developed to fully couple the vibration of an aircraft fuselage panel to the surrounding flow field, turbulent boundary layer and acoustic fluid. The turbulent boundary layer model is derived using a triple decomposition of the flow variables and applying a conditional averaging to the resulting equations. Linearized panel and acoustic equations are used. Results from this model are in good agreement with existing experimental and numerical data. It is shown that in the supersonic regime, full coupling of the flexible panel leads to lower response and radiation from the panel. This is believed to be due to an increase in acoustic damping on the panel in this regime. Increasing the Mach number increases the acoustic damping, which is in agreement with earlier work.

Experiments study on attitude coupling control method for flexible spacecraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jie; Li, Dongxu

2018-06-01

High pointing accuracy and stabilization are significant for spacecrafts to carry out Earth observing, laser communication and space exploration missions. However, when a spacecraft undergoes large angle maneuver, the excited elastic oscillation of flexible appendages, for instance, solar wing and onboard antenna, would downgrade the performance of the spacecraft platform. This paper proposes a coupling control method, which synthesizes the adaptive sliding mode controller and the positive position feedback (PPF) controller, to control the attitude and suppress the elastic vibration simultaneously. Because of its prominent performance for attitude tracking and stabilization, the proposed method is capable of slewing the flexible spacecraft with a large angle. Also, the method is robust to parametric uncertainties of the spacecraft model. Numerical simulations are carried out with a hub-plate system which undergoes a single-axis attitude maneuver. An attitude control testbed for the flexible spacecraft is established and experiments are conducted to validate the coupling control method. Both numerical and experimental results demonstrate that the method discussed above can effectively decrease the stabilization time and improve the attitude accuracy of the flexible spacecraft.

Tinamit: Making coupled system dynamics models accessible to stakeholders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malard, Julien; Inam Baig, Azhar; Rojas Díaz, Marcela; Hassanzadeh, Elmira; Adamowski, Jan; Tuy, Héctor; Melgar-Quiñonez, Hugo

2017-04-01

Model coupling is increasingly used as a method of combining the best of two models when representing socio-environmental systems, though barriers to successful model adoption by stakeholders are particularly present with the use of coupled models, due to their high complexity and typically low implementation flexibility. Coupled system dynamics - physically-based modelling is a promising method to improve stakeholder participation in environmental modelling while retaining a high level of complexity for physical process representation, as the system dynamics components are readily understandable and can be built by stakeholders themselves. However, this method is not without limitations in practice, including 1) inflexible and complicated coupling methods, 2) difficult model maintenance after the end of the project, and 3) a wide variety of end-user cultures and languages. We have developed the open-source Python-language software tool Tinamit to overcome some of these limitations to the adoption of stakeholder-based coupled system dynamics - physically-based modelling. The software is unique in 1) its inclusion of both a graphical user interface (GUI) and a library of available commands (API) that allow users with little or no coding abilities to rapidly, effectively, and flexibly couple models, 2) its multilingual support for the GUI, allowing users to couple models in their preferred language (and to add new languages as necessary for their community work), and 3) its modular structure allowing for very easy model coupling and modification without the direct use of code, and to which programming-savvy users can easily add support for new types of physically-based models. We discuss how the use of Tinamit for model coupling can greatly increase the accessibility of coupled models to stakeholders, using an example of a stakeholder-built system dynamics model of soil salinity issues in Pakistan coupled with the physically-based soil salinity and water flow model SAHYSMOD. Different socioeconomic and environmental policies for soil salinity remediation are tested within the coupled model, allowing for the identification of the most efficient actions from an environmental and a farmer economy standpoint while taking into account the complex feedbacks between socioeconomics and the physical environment.

A cortically-inspired model for inverse kinematics computation of a humanoid finger with mechanically coupled joints.

PubMed

Gentili, Rodolphe J; Oh, Hyuk; Kregling, Alissa V; Reggia, James A

2016-05-19

The human hand's versatility allows for robust and flexible grasping. To obtain such efficiency, many robotic hands include human biomechanical features such as fingers having their two last joints mechanically coupled. Although such coupling enables human-like grasping, controlling the inverse kinematics of such mechanical systems is challenging. Here we propose a cortical model for fine motor control of a humanoid finger, having its two last joints coupled, that learns the inverse kinematics of the effector. This neural model functionally mimics the population vector coding as well as sensorimotor prediction processes of the brain's motor/premotor and parietal regions, respectively. After learning, this neural architecture could both overtly (actual execution) and covertly (mental execution or motor imagery) perform accurate, robust and flexible finger movements while reproducing the main human finger kinematic states. This work contributes to developing neuro-mimetic controllers for dexterous humanoid robotic/prosthetic upper-extremities, and has the potential to promote human-robot interactions.

A Flight Dynamics Model for a Multi-Actuated Flexible Rocket Vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Orr, Jeb S.

2011-01-01

A comprehensive set of motion equations for a multi-actuated flight vehicle is presented. The dynamics are derived from a vector approach that generalizes the classical linear perturbation equations for flexible launch vehicles into a coupled three-dimensional model. The effects of nozzle and aerosurface inertial coupling, sloshing propellant, and elasticity are incorporated without restrictions on the position, orientation, or number of model elements. The present formulation is well suited to matrix implementation for large-scale linear stability and sensitivity analysis and is also shown to be extensible to nonlinear time-domain simulation through the application of a special form of Lagrange s equations in quasi-coordinates. The model is validated through frequency-domain response comparison with a high-fidelity planar implementation.

Trajectory Control for Very Flexible Aircraft

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-10-30

aircraft are coupled with the aeroelastic equations that govern the geometrically nonlinear structural response of the vehicle. A low -order strain...nonlinear structural formulation, the finite state aerodynamic model, and the nonlinear rigid body equations together provide a low -order complete...nonlinear aircraft analysis tool. Due to the inherent flexibility of the aircraft modeling, the low order structural fre- quencies are of the same order

A High Performance Computing Approach to the Simulation of Fluid Solid Interaction Problems with Rigid and Flexible Components (Open Access Publisher’s Version)

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-08-01

performance computing, smoothed particle hydrodynamics, rigid body dynamics, flexible body dynamics ARMAN PAZOUKI ∗, RADU SERBAN ∗, DAN NEGRUT ∗ A...HIGH PERFORMANCE COMPUTING APPROACH TO THE SIMULATION OF FLUID-SOLID INTERACTION PROBLEMS WITH RIGID AND FLEXIBLE COMPONENTS This work outlines a unified...are implemented to model rigid and flexible multibody dynamics. The two- way coupling of the fluid and solid phases is supported through use of

Aeroelastic Analysis of a Flexible Wing Wind Tunnel Model with Variable Camber Continuous Trailing Edge Flap Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nguyen, Nhan; Ting, Eric; Lebofsky, Sonia

2015-01-01

This paper presents data analysis of a flexible wing wind tunnel model with a variable camber continuous trailing edge flap (VCCTEF) design for drag minimization tested at the University of Washington Aeronautical Laboratory (UWAL). The wind tunnel test was designed to explore the relative merit of the VCCTEF concept for improved cruise efficiency through the use of low-cost aeroelastic model test techniques. The flexible wing model is a 10%-scale model of a typical transport wing and is constructed of woven fabric composites and foam core. The wing structural stiffness in bending is tailored to be half of the stiffness of a Boeing 757-era transport wing while the torsional stiffness is about the same. This stiffness reduction results in a wing tip deflection of about 10% of the wing semi-span. The VCCTEF is a multi-segment flap design having three chordwise camber segments and five spanwise flap sections for a total of 15 individual flap elements. The three chordwise camber segments can be positioned appropriately to create a desired trailing edge camber. Elastomeric material is used to cover the gaps in between the spanwise flap sections, thereby creating a continuous trailing edge. Wind tunnel data analysis conducted previously shows that the VCCTEF can achieve a drag reduction of up to 6.31% and an improvement in the lift-to-drag ratio (L=D) of up to 4.85%. A method for estimating the bending and torsional stiffnesses of the flexible wingUWAL wind tunnel model from static load test data is presented. The resulting estimation indicates that the stiffness of the flexible wing is significantly stiffer in torsion than in bending by as much as 9 to 1. The lift prediction for the flexible wing is computed by a coupled aerodynamic-structural model. The coupled model is developed by coupling a conceptual aerodynamic tool Vorlax with a finite-element model of the flexible wing via an automated geometry deformation tool. Based on the comparison of the lift curve slope, the lift prediction for the rigid wing is in good agreement with the estimated lift coefficients derived from the wind tunnel test data. Due to the movement of the VCCTEF during the wind tunnel test, uncertainty in the lift prediction due to the indicated variations of the VCCTEF deflection is studied. The results show a significant spread in the lift prediction which contradicts the consistency in the aerodynamic measurements, thus suggesting that the indicated variations as measured by the VICON system may not be reliable. The lift prediction of the flexible wing agrees very well with the measured lift curve for the baseline configuration. The computed bending deflection and wash-out twist of the flexible wing also match reasonably well with the aeroelastic deflection measurements. The results demonstrate the validity of the aerodynamic-structural tool for use to analyze aerodynamic performance of flexible wings.

Static Aeroelastic Analysis with an Inviscid Cartesian Method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rodriguez, David L.; Aftosmis, Michael J.; Nemec, Marian; Smith, Stephen C.

2014-01-01

An embedded-boundary, Cartesian-mesh flow solver is coupled with a three degree-of-freedom structural model to perform static, aeroelastic analysis of complex aircraft geometries. The approach solves a nonlinear, aerostructural system of equations using a loosely-coupled strategy. An open-source, 3-D discrete-geometry engine is utilized to deform a triangulated surface geometry according to the shape predicted by the structural model under the computed aerodynamic loads. The deformation scheme is capable of modeling large deflections and is applicable to the design of modern, very-flexible transport wings. The coupling interface is modular so that aerodynamic or structural analysis methods can be easily swapped or enhanced. After verifying the structural model with comparisons to Euler beam theory, two applications of the analysis method are presented as validation. The first is a relatively stiff, transport wing model which was a subject of a recent workshop on aeroelasticity. The second is a very flexible model recently tested in a low speed wind tunnel. Both cases show that the aeroelastic analysis method produces results in excellent agreement with experimental data.

Acoustoelasticity. [sound-structure interaction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dowell, E. H.

1977-01-01

Sound or pressure variations inside bounded enclosures are investigated. Mathematical models are given for determining: (1) the interaction between the sound pressure field and the flexible wall of a Helmholtz resonator; (2) coupled fluid-structural motion of an acoustic cavity with a flexible and/or absorbing wall; (3) acoustic natural modes in multiple connected cavities; and (4) the forced response of a cavity with a flexible and/or absorbing wall. Numerical results are discussed.

Evidence of common and separate eye and hand accumulators underlying flexible eye-hand coordination

PubMed Central

Jana, Sumitash; Gopal, Atul

2016-01-01

Eye and hand movements are initiated by anatomically separate regions in the brain, and yet these movements can be flexibly coupled and decoupled, depending on the need. The computational architecture that enables this flexible coupling of independent effectors is not understood. Here, we studied the computational architecture that enables flexible eye-hand coordination using a drift diffusion framework, which predicts that the variability of the reaction time (RT) distribution scales with its mean. We show that a common stochastic accumulator to threshold, followed by a noisy effector-dependent delay, explains eye-hand RT distributions and their correlation in a visual search task that required decision-making, while an interactive eye and hand accumulator model did not. In contrast, in an eye-hand dual task, an interactive model better predicted the observed correlations and RT distributions than a common accumulator model. Notably, these two models could only be distinguished on the basis of the variability and not the means of the predicted RT distributions. Additionally, signatures of separate initiation signals were also observed in a small fraction of trials in the visual search task, implying that these distinct computational architectures were not a manifestation of the task design per se. Taken together, our results suggest two unique computational architectures for eye-hand coordination, with task context biasing the brain toward instantiating one of the two architectures. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Previous studies on eye-hand coordination have considered mainly the means of eye and hand reaction time (RT) distributions. Here, we leverage the approximately linear relationship between the mean and standard deviation of RT distributions, as predicted by the drift-diffusion model, to propose the existence of two distinct computational architectures underlying coordinated eye-hand movements. These architectures, for the first time, provide a computational basis for the flexible coupling between eye and hand movements. PMID:27784809

A numerical approach for simulating fluid structure interaction of flexible thin shells undergoing arbitrarily large deformations in complex domains

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gilmanov, Anvar, E-mail: agilmano@umn.edu; Le, Trung Bao, E-mail: lebao002@umn.edu; Sotiropoulos, Fotis, E-mail: fotis@umn.edu

We present a new numerical methodology for simulating fluid–structure interaction (FSI) problems involving thin flexible bodies in an incompressible fluid. The FSI algorithm uses the Dirichlet–Neumann partitioning technique. The curvilinear immersed boundary method (CURVIB) is coupled with a rotation-free finite element (FE) model for thin shells enabling the efficient simulation of FSI problems with arbitrarily large deformation. Turbulent flow problems are handled using large-eddy simulation with the dynamic Smagorinsky model in conjunction with a wall model to reconstruct boundary conditions near immersed boundaries. The CURVIB and FE solvers are coupled together on the flexible solid–fluid interfaces where the structural nodalmore » positions, displacements, velocities and loads are calculated and exchanged between the two solvers. Loose and strong coupling FSI schemes are employed enhanced by the Aitken acceleration technique to ensure robust coupling and fast convergence especially for low mass ratio problems. The coupled CURVIB-FE-FSI method is validated by applying it to simulate two FSI problems involving thin flexible structures: 1) vortex-induced vibrations of a cantilever mounted in the wake of a square cylinder at different mass ratios and at low Reynolds number; and 2) the more challenging high Reynolds number problem involving the oscillation of an inverted elastic flag. For both cases the computed results are in excellent agreement with previous numerical simulations and/or experiential measurements. Grid convergence tests/studies are carried out for both the cantilever and inverted flag problems, which show that the CURVIB-FE-FSI method provides their convergence. Finally, the capability of the new methodology in simulations of complex cardiovascular flows is demonstrated by applying it to simulate the FSI of a tri-leaflet, prosthetic heart valve in an anatomic aorta and under physiologic pulsatile conditions.« less

The dynamics and control of large flexible space structures-V

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bainum, P. M.; Reddy, A. S. S. R.; Diarra, C. M.; Kumar, V. K.

1982-01-01

A general survey of the progress made in the areas of mathematical modelling of the system dynamics, structural analysis, development of control algorithms, and simulation of environmental disturbances is presented. The use of graph theory techniques is employed to examine the effects of inherent damping associated with LSST systems on the number and locations of the required control actuators. A mathematical model of the forces and moments induced on a flexible orbiting beam due to solar radiation pressure is developed and typical steady state open loop responses obtained for the case when rotations and vibrations are limited to occur within the orbit plane. A preliminary controls analysis based on a truncated (13 mode) finite element model of the 122m. Hoop/Column antenna indicates that a minimum of six appropriately placed actuators is required for controllability. An algorithm to evaluate the coefficients which describe coupling between the rigid rotational and flexible modes and also intramodal coupling was developed and numerical evaluation based on the finite element model of Hoop/Column system is currently in progress.

Derivation of equations of motion for multi-blade rotors employing coupled modes and including high twist capability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sopher, R.

1975-01-01

The equations of motion are derived for a multiblade rotor. A high twist capability and coupled flatwise-edgewise assumed normal modes are employed instead of uncoupled flatwise - edgewise assumed normal models. The torsion mode is uncoupled. Support system models, consisting of complete helicopters in free flight, or grounded flexible supports, arbitrary rotor-induced inflow, and arbitrary vertical gust models are also used.

Granular materials interacting with thin flexible rods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neto, Alfredo Gay; Campello, Eduardo M. B.

2017-04-01

In this work, we develop a computational model for the simulation of problems wherein granular materials interact with thin flexible rods. We treat granular materials as a collection of spherical particles following a discrete element method (DEM) approach, while flexible rods are described by a large deformation finite element (FEM) rod formulation. Grain-to-grain, grain-to-rod, and rod-to-rod contacts are fully permitted and resolved. A simple and efficient strategy is proposed for coupling the motion of the two types (discrete and continuum) of materials within an iterative time-stepping solution scheme. Implementation details are shown and discussed. Validity and applicability of the model are assessed by means of a few numerical examples. We believe that robust, efficiently coupled DEM-FEM schemes can be a useful tool to the simulation of problems wherein granular materials interact with thin flexible rods, such as (but not limited to) bombardment of grains on beam structures, flow of granular materials over surfaces covered by threads of hair in many biological processes, flow of grains through filters and strainers in various industrial segregation processes, and many others.

Methodology for modeling the mechanical interaction between a reaction wheel and a flexible structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elias, Laila M.; Dekens, Frank G.; Basdogan, Ipek; Sievers, Lisa A.; Neville, Timothy

2003-02-01

This paper presents a modeling methodology used to predict the performance of a flexible structure, such as a space telescope, in the presence of an on-board vibrational disturbance source, such as a reaction wheel assembly (RWA). Both decoupled and coupled analysis methods are presented. The decoupled method relies on blocked RWA disturbances, measured with the RWA hardmounted to a rigid surface. The coupled method corrects the blocked RWA disturbance boundary conditions using 'force filters' which depend on estimates of the interface accelerances of the RWA and spacecraft. Both methods were validated on the Micro-Precision Interferometer testbed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Experimental results are encouraging, indicating that both methods provide sufficient accuracy compared to measured values; however, the coupled method provides the best results when the gyroscopic nature of the spinning RWA is captured in the RWA accelerance model. Additionally, the RWA disturbance cross spectral density terms are found to be influential.

Using a Large Scale Computational Model to Study the Effect of Longitudinal and Radial Electrical Coupling in the Cochlea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mistrík, Pavel; Ashmore, Jonathan

2009-02-01

We describe a large scale computational model of electrical current flow in the cochlea which is constructed by a flexible Modified Nodal Analysis algorithm to incorporate electrical components representing hair cells and the intercellular radial and longitudinal current flow. The model is used as a laboratory to study the effects of changing longitudinal gap junctional coupling, and shows the way in which cochlear microphonic spreads and tuning is affected. The process for incorporating mechanical longitudinal coupling and feedback is described. We find a difference in tuning and attenuation depending on whether longitudinal or radial couplings are altered.

Strategies for the coupling of global and local crystal growth models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Derby, Jeffrey J.; Lun, Lisa; Yeckel, Andrew

2007-05-01

The modular coupling of existing numerical codes to model crystal growth processes will provide for maximum effectiveness, capability, and flexibility. However, significant challenges are posed to make these coupled models mathematically self-consistent and algorithmically robust. This paper presents sample results from a coupling of the CrysVUn code, used here to compute furnace-scale heat transfer, and Cats2D, used to calculate melt fluid dynamics and phase-change phenomena, to form a global model for a Bridgman crystal growth system. However, the strategy used to implement the CrysVUn-Cats2D coupling is unreliable and inefficient. The implementation of under-relaxation within a block Gauss-Seidel iteration is shown to be ineffective for improving the coupling performance in a model one-dimensional problem representative of a melt crystal growth model. Ideas to overcome current convergence limitations using approximations to a full Newton iteration method are discussed.

Shaft flexibility effects on the forced response of a bladed-disk assembly

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Khader, N.; Loewy, R. G.

1990-01-01

A model analysis approach is used to study the forced response of an actual flexible bladed-disk-shaft system. Both in-plane and out-of-plane flexible deformations of the bladed-disk assembly are considered, in addition to its rigid-body translations and rotations, resulting from the bending of the supporting flexible shaft in two orthogonal planes. The effects of Coriolis forces and structural coupling between flexible and rigid disk motions on the system's response are investigated. Aerodynamic loads acting on the rotating and vibrating bladed-disk assembly are accounted for through a simple quasi-steady representation, to evaluate their influence, combined with shaft flexibility and Coriolis effects.

Terahertz metasurfaces with a high refractive index enhanced by the strong nearest neighbor coupling.

PubMed

Tan, Siyu; Yan, Fengping; Singh, Leena; Cao, Wei; Xu, Ningning; Hu, Xiang; Singh, Ranjan; Wang, Mingwei; Zhang, Weili

2015-11-02

The realization of high refractive index is of significant interest in optical imaging with enhanced resolution. Strongly coupled subwavelength resonators were proposed and demonstrated at both optical and terahertz frequencies to enhance the refractive index due to large induced dipole moment in meta-atoms. Here, we report an alternative design for flexible free-standing terahertz metasurface in the strong coupling regime where we experimentally achieve a peak refractive index value of 14.36. We also investigate the impact of the nearest neighbor coupling in the form of frequency tuning and enhancement of the peak refractive index. We provide an analytical circuit model to explain the impact of geometrical parameters and coupling on the effective refractive index of the metasurface. The proposed meta-atom structure enables tailoring of the peak refractive index based on nearest neighbor coupling and this property offers tremendous design flexibility for transformation optics and other index-gradient devices at terahertz frequencies.

Dynamic output feedback control of a flexible air-breathing hypersonic vehicle via T-S fuzzy approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Xiaoxiang; Wu, Ligang; Hu, Changhua; Wang, Zhaoqiang; Gao, Huijun

2014-08-01

By utilising Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy set approach, this paper addresses the robust H∞ dynamic output feedback control for the non-linear longitudinal model of flexible air-breathing hypersonic vehicles (FAHVs). The flight control of FAHVs is highly challenging due to the unique dynamic characteristics, and the intricate couplings between the engine and fight dynamics and external disturbance. Because of the dynamics' enormous complexity, currently, only the longitudinal dynamics models of FAHVs have been used for controller design. In this work, T-S fuzzy modelling technique is utilised to approach the non-linear dynamics of FAHVs, then a fuzzy model is developed for the output tracking problem of FAHVs. The fuzzy model contains parameter uncertainties and disturbance, which can approach the non-linear dynamics of FAHVs more exactly. The flexible models of FAHVs are difficult to measure because of the complex dynamics and the strong couplings, thus a full-order dynamic output feedback controller is designed for the fuzzy model. A robust H∞ controller is designed for the obtained closed-loop system. By utilising the Lyapunov functional approach, sufficient solvability conditions for such controllers are established in terms of linear matrix inequalities. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed T-S fuzzy dynamic output feedback control method is demonstrated by numerical simulations.

Attitude tracking control of flexible spacecraft with large amplitude slosh

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Mingle; Yue, Baozeng

2017-12-01

This paper is focused on attitude tracking control of a spacecraft that is equipped with flexible appendage and partially filled liquid propellant tank. The large amplitude liquid slosh is included by using a moving pulsating ball model that is further improved to estimate the settling location of liquid in microgravity or a zero-g environment. The flexible appendage is modelled as a three-dimensional Bernoulli-Euler beam, and the assumed modal method is employed. A hybrid controller that combines sliding mode control with an adaptive algorithm is designed for spacecraft to perform attitude tracking. The proposed controller has proved to be asymptotically stable. A nonlinear model for the overall coupled system including spacecraft attitude dynamics, liquid slosh, structural vibration and control action is established. Numerical simulation results are presented to show the dynamic behaviors of the coupled system and to verify the effectiveness of the control approach when the spacecraft undergoes the disturbance produced by large amplitude slosh and appendage vibration. Lastly, the designed adaptive algorithm is found to be effective to improve the precision of attitude tracking.

Effects of Inertial and Geometric Nonlinearities in the Simulation of Flexible Aircraft Dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bun Tse, Bosco Chun

This thesis examines the relative importance of the inertial and geometric nonlinearities in modelling the dynamics of a flexible aircraft. Inertial nonlinearities are derived by employing an exact definition of the velocity distribution and lead to coupling between the rigid body and elastic motions. The geometric nonlinearities are obtained by applying nonlinear theory of elasticity to the deformations. Peters' finite state unsteady aerodynamic model is used to evaluate the aerodynamic forces. Three approximate models obtained by excluding certain combinations of nonlinear terms are compared with that of the complete dynamics equations to obtain an indication of which terms are required for an accurate representation of the flexible aircraft behavior. A generic business jet model is used for the analysis. The results indicate that the nonlinear terms have a significant effect for more flexible aircraft, especially the geometric nonlinearities which leads to increased damping in the dynamics.

Three dimensional dynamics of a flexible Motorised Momentum Exchange Tether

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ismail, N. A.; Cartmell, M. P.

2016-03-01

This paper presents a new flexural model for the three dimensional dynamics of the Motorised Momentum Exchange Tether (MMET) concept. This study has uncovered the relationships between planar and nonplanar motions, and the effect of the coupling between these two parameters on pragmatic circular and elliptical orbits. The tether sub-spans are modelled as stiffened strings governed by partial differential equations of motion, with specific boundary conditions. The tether sub-spans are flexible and elastic, thereby allowing three dimensional displacements. The boundary conditions lead to a specific frequency equation and the eigenvalues from this provide the natural frequencies of the orbiting flexible motorised tether when static, accelerating in monotonic spin, and at terminal angular velocity. A rotation transformation matrix has been utilised to get the position vectors of the system's components in an assumed inertial frame. Spatio-temporal coordinates are transformed to modal coordinates before applying Lagrange's equations, and pre-selected linear modes are included to generate the equations of motion. The equations of motion contain inertial nonlinearities which are essentially of cubic order, and these show the potential for intricate intermodal coupling effects. A simulation of planar and non-planar motions has been undertaken and the differences in the modal responses, for both motions, and between the rigid body and flexible models are highlighted and discussed.

Integration of car-body flexibility into train-track coupling system dynamics analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ling, Liang; Zhang, Qing; Xiao, Xinbiao; Wen, Zefeng; Jin, Xuesong

2018-04-01

The resonance vibration of flexible car-bodies greatly affects the dynamics performances of high-speed trains. In this paper, we report a three-dimensional train-track model to capture the flexible vibration features of high-speed train carriages based on the flexible multi-body dynamics approach. The flexible car-body is modelled using both the finite element method (FEM) and the multi-body dynamics (MBD) approach, in which the rigid motions are obtained by using the MBD theory and the structure deformation is calculated by the FEM and the modal superposition method. The proposed model is applied to investigate the influence of the flexible vibration of car-bodies on the dynamics performances of train-track systems. The dynamics performances of a high-speed train running on a slab track, including the car-body vibration behaviour, the ride comfort, and the running safety, calculated by the numerical models with rigid and flexible car-bodies are compared in detail. The results show that the car-body flexibility not only significantly affects the vibration behaviour and ride comfort of rail carriages, but also can has an important influence on the running safety of trains. The rigid car-body model underestimates the vibration level and ride comfort of rail vehicles, and ignoring carriage torsional flexibility in the curving safety evaluation of trains is conservative.

A novel large thrust-weight ratio V-shaped linear ultrasonic motor with a flexible joint.

PubMed

Li, Xiaoniu; Yao, Zhiyuan; Yang, Mojian

2017-06-01

A novel large thrust-weight ratio V-shaped linear ultrasonic motor with a flexible joint is proposed in this paper. The motor is comprised of a V-shaped transducer, a slider, a clamp, and a base. The V-shaped transducer consists of two piezoelectric beams connected through a flexible joint to form an appropriate coupling angle. The V-shaped motor is operated in the coupled longitudinal-bending mode. Longitudinal and bending movements are transferred by the flexible joint between the two beams. Compared with the coupled longitudinal-bending mode of the single piezoelectric beam or the symmetrical and asymmetrical modes of the previous V-shaped transducer, the coupled longitudinal-bending mode of the V-shaped transducer with a flexible joint provides higher vibration efficiency and more convenient mode conformance adjustment. A finite element model of the V-shaped transducer is created to numerically study the influence of geometrical parameters and to determine the final geometrical parameters. In this paper, three prototypes were then fabricated and experimentally investigated. The modal test results match well with the finite element analysis. The motor mechanical output characteristics of three different coupling angles θ indicate that V-90 (θ = 90°) is the optimal angle. The mechanical output experiments conducted using the V-90 prototype (Size: 59.4 mm × 30.7 mm × 4 mm) demonstrate that the maximum unloaded speed is 1.2 m/s under a voltage of 350 Vpp, and the maximum output force is 15 N under a voltage of 300 Vpp. The proposed novel V-shaped linear ultrasonic motor has a compact size and a simple structure with a large thrust-weight ratio (0.75 N/g) and high speed.

Modeling of Complex Coupled Fluid-Structure Interaction Systems in Arbitrary Water Depth

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-01-01

basin. For the particle finite- element method ( PFEM ) near-field fluid model we completed: (4) the development of a fully-coupled fluid/flexible...method ( PFEM ) based framework for the ALE-RANS solver [1]. We presented the theory of ALE-RANS with a k- turbulence closure model and several numerical...implemented by PFEM (Task (4)). In this work a universal wall function (UWF) is introduced and implemented to more accurately predict the boundary

3. DETAIL VIEW OF DIRECT DRIVE STERLING 'DOLPHIN T' MODEL ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

3. DETAIL VIEW OF DIRECT DRIVE STERLING 'DOLPHIN T' MODEL 4 CYLINDER, GASOLINE TRACTOR-TYPE ENGINE WITH FALKBIBBY FLEXIBLE COUPLING - Central Railroad of New Jersey, Newark Bay Lift Bridge, Spanning Newark Bay, Newark, Essex County, NJ

Spatial-Operator Algebra For Flexible-Link Manipulators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jain, Abhinandan; Rodriguez, Guillermo

1994-01-01

Method of computing dynamics of multiple-flexible-link robotic manipulators based on spatial-operator algebra, which originally applied to rigid-link manipulators. Aspects of spatial-operator-algebra approach described in several previous articles in NASA Tech Briefs-most recently "Robot Control Based on Spatial-Operator Algebra" (NPO-17918). In extension of spatial-operator algebra to manipulators with flexible links, each link represented by finite-element model: mass of flexible link apportioned among smaller, lumped-mass rigid bodies, coupling of motions expressed in terms of vibrational modes. This leads to operator expression for modal-mass matrix of link.

Adjoint of the global Eulerian-Lagrangian coupled atmospheric transport model (A-GELCA v1.0): development and validation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belikov, Dmitry A.; Maksyutov, Shamil; Yaremchuk, Alexey; Ganshin, Alexander; Kaminski, Thomas; Blessing, Simon; Sasakawa, Motoki; Gomez-Pelaez, Angel J.; Starchenko, Alexander

2016-02-01

We present the development of the Adjoint of the Global Eulerian-Lagrangian Coupled Atmospheric (A-GELCA) model that consists of the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES) model as an Eulerian three-dimensional transport model (TM), and FLEXPART (FLEXible PARTicle dispersion model) as the Lagrangian Particle Dispersion Model (LPDM). The forward tangent linear and adjoint components of the Eulerian model were constructed directly from the original NIES TM code using an automatic differentiation tool known as TAF (Transformation of Algorithms in Fortran; http://www.FastOpt.com, with additional manual pre- and post-processing aimed at improving transparency and clarity of the code and optimizing the performance of the computing, including MPI (Message Passing Interface). The Lagrangian component did not require any code modification, as LPDMs are self-adjoint and track a significant number of particles backward in time in order to calculate the sensitivity of the observations to the neighboring emission areas. The constructed Eulerian adjoint was coupled with the Lagrangian component at a time boundary in the global domain. The simulations presented in this work were performed using the A-GELCA model in forward and adjoint modes. The forward simulation shows that the coupled model improves reproduction of the seasonal cycle and short-term variability of CO2. Mean bias and standard deviation for five of the six Siberian sites considered decrease roughly by 1 ppm when using the coupled model. The adjoint of the Eulerian model was shown, through several numerical tests, to be very accurate (within machine epsilon with mismatch around to ±6 e-14) compared to direct forward sensitivity calculations. The developed adjoint of the coupled model combines the flux conservation and stability of an Eulerian discrete adjoint formulation with the flexibility, accuracy, and high resolution of a Lagrangian backward trajectory formulation. A-GELCA will be incorporated into a variational inversion system designed to optimize surface fluxes of greenhouse gases.

Stagger angle dependence of inertial and elastic coupling in bladed disks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crawley, E. F.; Mokadam, D. R.

1984-01-01

Conditions which necessitate the inclusion of disk and shaft flexibility in the analysis of blade response in rotating blade-disk-shaft systems are derived in terms of nondimensional parameters. A simple semianalytical Rayleigh-Ritz model is derived in which the disk possesses all six rigid body degrees of freedom, which are elastically constrained by the shaft. Inertial coupling by the rigid body motion of the disk on a flexible shaft and out-of-plane elastic coupling due to disk flexure are included. Frequency ratios and mass ratios, which depend on the stagger angle, are determined for three typical rotors: a first stage high-pressure core compressor, a high bypass ratio fan, and an advanced turboprop. The stagger angle controls the degree of coupling in the blade-disk system. In the blade-disk-shaft system, the stagger angle determines whether blade-disk motion couples principally to the out-of-plane or in-plane motion of the disk on the shaft. The Ritz analysis shows excellent agreement with experimental results.

CFD Fuel Slosh Modeling of Fluid-Structure Interaction in Spacecraft Propellant Tanks with Diaphragms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sances, Dillon J.; Gangadharan, Sathya N.; Sudermann, James E.; Marsell, Brandon

2010-01-01

Liquid sloshing within spacecraft propellant tanks causes rapid energy dissipation at resonant modes, which can result in attitude destabilization of the vehicle. Identifying resonant slosh modes currently requires experimental testing and mechanical pendulum analogs to characterize the slosh dynamics. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) techniques have recently been validated as an effective tool for simulating fuel slosh within free-surface propellant tanks. Propellant tanks often incorporate an internal flexible diaphragm to separate ullage and propellant which increases modeling complexity. A coupled fluid-structure CFD model is required to capture the damping effects of a flexible diaphragm on the propellant. ANSYS multidisciplinary engineering software employs a coupled solver for analyzing two-way Fluid Structure Interaction (FSI) cases such as the diaphragm propellant tank system. Slosh models generated by ANSYS software are validated by experimental lateral slosh test results. Accurate data correlation would produce an innovative technique for modeling fuel slosh within diaphragm tanks and provide an accurate and efficient tool for identifying resonant modes and the slosh dynamic response.

Flutter of High-Speed Civil Transport Flexible Semispan Model: Time-Frequency Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chabalko, Christopher C.; Hajj, Muhammad R.; Silva, Walter A.

2006-01-01

Time/frequency analysis of fluctuations measured by pressure taps and strain gauges in the experimental studies of the flexible semispan model of a high-speed civil transport wing configuration is performed. The interest is in determining the coupling between the aerodynamic loads and structural motions that led to the hard flutter conditions and loss of the model. The results show that, away from the hard flutter point, the aerodynamic loads at all pressure taps near the wing tip and the structural motions contained the same frequency components. On the other hand, in the flow conditions leading to the hard flutter, the frequency content of the pressure fluctuations near the leading and trailing edges varied significantly. This led to contribution to the structural motions over two frequency ranges. The ratio of these ranges was near 2:1, which suggests the possibility of nonlinear structural coupling.

Diagnosing the Nature of Land-Atmosphere Coupling During the 2006-7 Dry/Wet Extremes in the U. S. Southern Great Plains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Santanello, Joseph A., Jr.; Peters-Lidard, Christa D.; Kumar, Sujay V.; Dong, Xiquan; Kennedy, Aaron D.

2011-01-01

The degree of coupling between the land surface and PBL in NWP models remains largely undiagnosed due to the complex interactions and feedbacks present across a range of scales. In this study, a framework for diagnosing local land-atmosphere coupling (LoCo) is presented using a coupled mesoscale model with observations during the summers of 2006/7 in the U.S. Southern Great Plains. Specifically, the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model has been coupled to NASA's Land Information System (LIS), which enables a suite of PBL and land surface model (LSM) options along provides a flexible and high-resolution representation and initialization of land surface physics and states. This coupling is one component of a larger project to develop a NASA-Unified WRF (NU-WRF) system. A range of diagnostics exploring the feedbacks between soil moisture and precipitation are examined for the dry/wet extremes, along with the sensitivity of PBL-LSM coupling to perturbations in soil moisture.

Incorporating JULES into NASA's Land Information System (LIS) and Investigations of Land-Atmosphere Coupling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Santanello, Joseph

2011-01-01

NASA's Land Information System (LIS; lis.gsfc.nasa.gov) is a flexible land surface modeling and data assimilation framework developed over the past decade with the goal of integrating satellite- and ground-based observational data products and advanced land surface modeling techniques to produce optimal fields of land surface states and fluxes. LIS features a high performance and flexible design, and operates on an ensemble of land surface models for extension over user-specified regional or global domains. The extensible interfaces of LIS allow the incorporation of new domains, land surface models (LSMs), land surface parameters, meteorological inputs, data assimilation and optimization algorithms. In addition, LIS has also been demonstrated for parameter estimation and uncertainty estimation, and has been coupled to the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) mesoscale model. A visiting fellowship is currently underway to implement JULES into LIS and to undertake some fundamental science on the feedbacks between the land surface and the atmosphere. An overview of the LIS system, features, and sample results will be presented in an effort to engage the community in the potential advantages of LIS-JULES for a range of applications. Ongoing efforts to develop a framework for diagnosing land-atmosphere coupling will also be presented using the suite of LSM and PBL schemes available in LIS and WRF along with observations from the U. S .. Southern Great Plains. This methodology provides a potential pathway to study factors controlling local land-atmosphere coupling (LoCo) using the LIS-WRF system, which will serve as a testbed for future experiments to evaluate coupling diagnostics within the community.

Propulsive performance of pitching foils with variable chordwise flexibility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeyghami, Samane; Moored, Keith; Lehigh University Team

2017-11-01

Many swimming and flying animals propel themselves efficiently through water by oscillating flexible fins. These fins are not homogeneously flexible, but instead their flexural stiffness varies along their chord and span. Here we seek to evaluate the effect stiffness profile on the propulsive performance of pitching foils. Stiffness profile characterizes the variation in the local fin stiffness along the chord. To this aim, we developed a low order model of a functionally-graded material where the chordwise flexibility is modeled by two torsional springs along the chordline and the stiffness and location of the springs can be varied arbitrarily. The torsional spring structural model is then strongly coupled to a boundary element fluid model to simulate the fluid-structure interactions. Keeping the leading edge kinematics unchanged, we alter the stiffness profile of the foil and allow it to swim freely in response to the resulting hydrodynamic forces. We then detail the dependency of the hydrodynamic performance and the wake structure to the variations in the local structural properties of the foil.

Fluid-structure coupling for wind turbine blade analysis using OpenFOAM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dose, Bastian; Herraez, Ivan; Peinke, Joachim

2015-11-01

Modern wind turbine rotor blades are designed increasingly large and flexible. This structural flexibility represents a problem for the field of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), which is used for accurate load calculations and detailed investigations of rotor aerodynamics. As the blade geometries within CFD simulations are considered stiff, the effect of blade deformation caused by aerodynamic loads cannot be captured by the common CFD approach. Coupling the flow solver with a structural solver can overcome this restriction and enables the investigation of flexible wind turbine blades. For this purpose, a new Finite Element (FE) solver was implemented into the open source CFD code OpenFOAM. Using a beam element formulation based on the Geometrically Exact Beam Theory (GEBT), the structural model can capture geometric non-linearities such as large deformations. Coupled with CFD solvers of the OpenFOAM package, the new framework represents a powerful tool for aerodynamic investigations. In this work, we investigated the aerodynamic performance of a state of the art wind turbine. For different wind speeds, aerodynamic key parameters are evaluated and compared for both, rigid and flexible blade geometries. The present work is funded within the framework of the joint project Smart Blades (0325601D) by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) under decision of the German Federal Parliament.

Free-Suspension Residual Flexibility Testing of Space Station Pathfinder: Comparison to Fixed-Base Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tinker, Michael L.

1998-01-01

Application of the free-suspension residual flexibility modal test method to the International Space Station Pathfinder structure is described. The Pathfinder, a large structure of the general size and weight of Space Station module elements, was also tested in a large fixed-base fixture to simulate Shuttle Orbiter payload constraints. After correlation of the Pathfinder finite element model to residual flexibility test data, the model was coupled to a fixture model, and constrained modes and frequencies were compared to fixed-base test. modes. The residual flexibility model compared very favorably to results of the fixed-base test. This is the first known direct comparison of free-suspension residual flexibility and fixed-base test results for a large structure. The model correlation approach used by the author for residual flexibility data is presented. Frequency response functions (FRF) for the regions of the structure that interface with the environment (a test fixture or another structure) are shown to be the primary tools for model correlation that distinguish or characterize the residual flexibility approach. A number of critical issues related to use of the structure interface FRF for correlating the model are then identified and discussed, including (1) the requirement of prominent stiffness lines, (2) overcoming problems with measurement noise which makes the antiresonances or minima in the functions difficult to identify, and (3) the use of interface stiffness and lumped mass perturbations to bring the analytical responses into agreement with test data. It is shown that good comparison of analytical-to-experimental FRF is the key to obtaining good agreement of the residual flexibility values.

The influence of disk's flexibility on coupling vibration of shaft disk blades systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Chia-Hao; Huang, Shyh-Chin

2007-03-01

The coupling vibrations among shaft-torsion, disk-transverse and blade-bending in a shaft-disk-blades unit are investigated. The equations of motion for the shaft-disk-blades unit are first derived from the energy approach in conjunction with the assumed modes method. The effects of disk flexibility, blade's stagger angle and rotational speed upon the natural frequencies and mode shapes are particularly studied. Previous studies have shown that there were four types of coupling modes, the shaft-blade (SB), the shaft-disk-blades (SDBs), the disk-blades (DB) and the blade-blade (BB) in such a unit. The present research focuses on the influence of disk flexibility on the coupling behavior and discovers that disk's flexibility strongly affects the modes bifurcation and the transition of modes. At slightly flexible disk, the BB modes bifurcate into BB and DB modes. As disk goes further flexible, SB modes shift into SDB modes. If it goes furthermore, additional disk-predominating modes are generated and DB modes appear before the SDB mode. Examination of stagger angle β proves that at two extreme cases; at β=0° the shaft and blades coupled but not the disk, and at β=90° the disk and blades coupled but not the shaft. In between, coupling exists among three components. Increasing β may increase or decrease SB modes, depending on which, the disk or shaft's first mode, is more rigid. The natural frequencies of DB modes usually decrease with the increase of β. Rotation effects show that bifurcation, veering and merging phenomena occur due to disk flexibility. Disk flexibility is also observed to induce more critical speeds in the SDBs systems.

Simulating coupled dynamics of a rigid-flexible multibody system and compressible fluid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Wei; Tian, Qiang; Hu, HaiYan

2018-04-01

As a subsequent work of previous studies of authors, a new parallel computation approach is proposed to simulate the coupled dynamics of a rigid-flexible multibody system and compressible fluid. In this approach, the smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method is used to model the compressible fluid, the natural coordinate formulation (NCF) and absolute nodal coordinate formulation (ANCF) are used to model the rigid and flexible bodies, respectively. In order to model the compressible fluid properly and efficiently via SPH method, three measures are taken as follows. The first is to use the Riemann solver to cope with the fluid compressibility, the second is to define virtual particles of SPH to model the dynamic interaction between the fluid and the multibody system, and the third is to impose the boundary conditions of periodical inflow and outflow to reduce the number of SPH particles involved in the computation process. Afterwards, a parallel computation strategy is proposed based on the graphics processing unit (GPU) to detect the neighboring SPH particles and to solve the dynamic equations of SPH particles in order to improve the computation efficiency. Meanwhile, the generalized-alpha algorithm is used to solve the dynamic equations of the multibody system. Finally, four case studies are given to validate the proposed parallel computation approach.

On the intrinsic flexibility of the opioid receptor through multiscale modeling approaches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vercauteren, Daniel; FosséPré, Mathieu; Leherte, Laurence; Laaksonen, Aatto

Numerous releases of G protein-coupled receptors crystalline structures created the opportunity for computational methods to widely explore their dynamics. Here, we study the biological implication of the intrinsic flexibility properties of opioid receptor OR. First, one performed classical all-atom (AA) Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations of OR in its apo-form. We highlighted that the various degrees of bendability of the α-helices present important consequences on the plasticity of the binding site. Hence, this latter adopts a wide diversity of shape and volume, explaining why OR interacts with very diverse ligands. Then, one introduces a new strategy for parameterizing purely mechanical but precise coarse-grained (CG) elastic network models (ENMs). The CG ENMs reproduced in a high accurate way the flexibility properties of OR versus the AA simulations. At last, one uses network modularization to design multi-grained (MG) models. They represent a novel type of low resolution models, different in nature versus CG models as being true multi-resolution models, i . e ., each MG grouping a different number of residues. The three parts constitute hierarchical and multiscale approach for tackling the flexibility of OR.

High Performance Parallel Analysis of Coupled Problems for Aircraft Propulsion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Felippa, C. A.; Farhat, C.; Lanteri, S.; Maman, N.; Piperno, S.; Gumaste, U.

1994-01-01

In order to predict the dynamic response of a flexible structure in a fluid flow, the equations of motion of the structure and the fluid must be solved simultaneously. In this paper, we present several partitioned procedures for time-integrating this focus coupled problem and discuss their merits in terms of accuracy, stability, heterogeneous computing, I/O transfers, subcycling, and parallel processing. All theoretical results are derived for a one-dimensional piston model problem with a compressible flow, because the complete three-dimensional aeroelastic problem is difficult to analyze mathematically. However, the insight gained from the analysis of the coupled piston problem and the conclusions drawn from its numerical investigation are confirmed with the numerical simulation of the two-dimensional transient aeroelastic response of a flexible panel in a transonic nonlinear Euler flow regime.

Imaging quality evaluation method of pixel coupled electro-optical imaging system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Xu; Yuan, Li; Jin, Chunqi; Zhang, Xiaohui

2017-09-01

With advancements in high-resolution imaging optical fiber bundle fabrication technology, traditional photoelectric imaging system have become ;flexible; with greatly reduced volume and weight. However, traditional image quality evaluation models are limited by the coupling discrete sampling effect of fiber-optic image bundles and charge-coupled device (CCD) pixels. This limitation substantially complicates the design, optimization, assembly, and evaluation image quality of the coupled discrete sampling imaging system. Based on the transfer process of grayscale cosine distribution optical signal in the fiber-optic image bundle and CCD, a mathematical model of coupled modulation transfer function (coupled-MTF) is established. This model can be used as a basis for following studies on the convergence and periodically oscillating characteristics of the function. We also propose the concept of the average coupled-MTF, which is consistent with the definition of traditional MTF. Based on this concept, the relationships among core distance, core layer radius, and average coupled-MTF are investigated.

Flexible energy harvesting from hard piezoelectric beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delnavaz, Aidin; Voix, Jérémie

2016-11-01

This paper presents design, multiphysics finite element modeling and experimental validation of a new miniaturized PZT generator that integrates a bulk piezoelectric ceramic onto a flexible platform for energy harvesting from the human body pressing force. In spite of its flexibility, the mechanical structure of the proposed device is simple to fabricate and efficient for the energy conversion. The finite element model involves both mechanical and piezoelectric parts of the device coupled with the electrical circuit model. The energy harvester prototype was fabricated and tested under the low frequency periodic pressing force during 10 seconds. The experimental results show that several nano joules of electrical energy is stored in a capacitor that is quite significant given the size of the device. The finite element model is validated by observing a good agreement between experimental and simulation results. the validated model could be used for optimizing the device for energy harvesting from earcanal deformations.

Coupling Photonics and Coherent Spintronics for Low-Loss Flexible Optical Logic

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-02

AFRL-AFOSR-VA-TR-2016-0055 Coupling photonics and coherent spintronics for low-loss flexible optical logic Jesse Berezovsky CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIV...2012 - 14/06/2015 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Coupling photonics and coherent spintronics for low-loss flexible optical logic 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b...into devices, ranging from macroscopic optical cavities, to arrays of microlens cavities, to quantum dot-impregnated integrated polymer waveguides

Fuzzy Model-based Pitch Stabilization and Wing Vibration Suppression of Flexible Wing Aircraft.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ayoubi, Mohammad A.; Swei, Sean Shan-Min; Nguyen, Nhan T.

2014-01-01

This paper presents a fuzzy nonlinear controller to regulate the longitudinal dynamics of an aircraft and suppress the bending and torsional vibrations of its flexible wings. The fuzzy controller utilizes full-state feedback with input constraint. First, the Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy linear model is developed which approximates the coupled aeroelastic aircraft model. Then, based on the fuzzy linear model, a fuzzy controller is developed to utilize a full-state feedback and stabilize the system while it satisfies the control input constraint. Linear matrix inequality (LMI) techniques are employed to solve the fuzzy control problem. Finally, the performance of the proposed controller is demonstrated on the NASA Generic Transport Model (GTM).

Generic reactive transport codes as flexible tools to integrate soil organic matter degradation models with water, transport and geochemistry in soils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jacques, Diederik; Gérard, Fréderic; Mayer, Uli; Simunek, Jirka; Leterme, Bertrand

2016-04-01

A large number of organic matter degradation, CO2 transport and dissolved organic matter models have been developed during the last decades. However, organic matter degradation models are in many cases strictly hard-coded in terms of organic pools, degradation kinetics and dependency on environmental variables. The scientific input of the model user is typically limited to the adjustment of input parameters. In addition, the coupling with geochemical soil processes including aqueous speciation, pH-dependent sorption and colloid-facilitated transport are not incorporated in many of these models, strongly limiting the scope of their application. Furthermore, the most comprehensive organic matter degradation models are combined with simplified representations of flow and transport processes in the soil system. We illustrate the capability of generic reactive transport codes to overcome these shortcomings. The formulations of reactive transport codes include a physics-based continuum representation of flow and transport processes, while biogeochemical reactions can be described as equilibrium processes constrained by thermodynamic principles and/or kinetic reaction networks. The flexibility of these type of codes allows for straight-forward extension of reaction networks, permits the inclusion of new model components (e.g.: organic matter pools, rate equations, parameter dependency on environmental conditions) and in such a way facilitates an application-tailored implementation of organic matter degradation models and related processes. A numerical benchmark involving two reactive transport codes (HPx and MIN3P) demonstrates how the process-based simulation of transient variably saturated water flow (Richards equation), solute transport (advection-dispersion equation), heat transfer and diffusion in the gas phase can be combined with a flexible implementation of a soil organic matter degradation model. The benchmark includes the production of leachable organic matter and inorganic carbon in the aqueous and gaseous phases, as well as different decomposition functions with first-order, linear dependence or nonlinear dependence on a biomass pool. In addition, we show how processes such as local bioturbation (bio-diffusion) can be included implicitly through a Fickian formulation of transport of soil organic matter. Coupling soil organic matter models with generic and flexible reactive transport codes offers a valuable tool to enhance insights into coupled physico-chemical processes at different scales within the scope of C-biogeochemical cycles, possibly linked with other chemical elements such as plant nutrients and pollutants.

Fluid-structure analysis of a flexible flapping airfoil at low Reynolds number flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Unger, Ralf; Haupt, Matthias C.; Horst, Peter; Radespiel, Rolf

2012-01-01

In this paper, a coupling simulation methodology is applied to investigate the fluid flow around a light and flexible airfoil based on a handfoil of a seagull. A finite element model of the flexible airfoil is fully coupled to the flow solver by using a load and displacement transfer as well as a fluid grid deformation algorithm. The flow field is characterized by a laminar-turbulent transition at a Reynolds number of Re=100 000, which takes place along a laminar separation bubble. An unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes flow solver is used to take this transition process into account by comparison of a critical N-factor with the N-factor computed by the eN-method. Results of computations have shown that the flexibility of the airfoil has a major influence on the thrust efficiency, the mean drag and lift, and the location of laminar-turbulent transition. The thrust efficiency can be considerably improved by increasing the plunging amplitude and by using a time dependent airfoil stiffness, inspired by the muscle contraction of birds.

Frequency Analysis of Wing-Rotor System Considering Flexibility in Capsule Based on High-Accurate Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xiayang; Zhu, Ming; Zhao, Meijuan; Wu, Zhe

2018-05-01

Based on a typical wing-rotor thrust model on the airship, the dynamic influence of the gyroscopic effects from the tip rotor acting on the overall coupled system has been analyzed. Meanwhile, the flexibility at the capsule boundary has been studied, as well. Hamilton's principle is employed to derive the general governing equations and the numerical Rayleigh-Ritz method is finally chosen in actual frequency computations. A new set of shape functions are put forward and verified which take most of the couplings among dimensions into account. The parameter studies are also conducted to make deep investigations. The results demonstrate that the inherent frequencies are significantly affected by the rotor speed and the flexible capsule condition. When rotor revolves, the modal shapes have reached into complex states and the components of each mode will change with the increment of rotor speed. The flexibility will also greatly reduce the entire frequencies compared with the rigid case. It is also demonstrated that the inherent property will be significantly affected by the mounting geometry, rotor inertia, the structural stiffness, and rotor speed.

Large Deformation of an Elastic Rod with Structural Anisotropy Subjected to Fluid Flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hassani, Masoud; Mureithi, Njuki; Gosselin, Frederick

2015-11-01

In the present work, we seek to understand the fundamental mechanisms of three-dimensional reconfiguration of plants by studying the large deformation of a flexible rod in fluid flow. Flexible rods made of Polyurethane foam and reinforced with Nylon fibers are tested in a wind tunnel. The rods have bending-torsion coupling which induces a torsional deformation during asymmetric bending. A mathematical model is also developed by coupling the Kirchhoff rod theory with a semi-empirical drag formulation. Different alignments of the material frame with respect to the flow direction and a range of structural properties are considered to study their effect on the deformation of the flexible rod and its drag scaling. Results show that twisting causes the flexible rods to reorient and bend with the minimum bending rigidity. It is also found that the drag scaling of the rod in the large deformation regime is not affected by torsion. Finally, using a proper set of dimensionless numbers, the state of a bending and twisting rod is characterized as a beam undergoing a pure bending deformation.

Buckling Instabilities and Complex Dynamics in a Model of Uniflagellar Bacterial Locomotion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nguyen, Frank; Graham, Michael

2015-11-01

Locomotion of microorganisms at low Reynolds number is a long studied problem. Of particular interest are organisms using a single flagellum to undergo a wide range of motions: pushing, pulling, and tumbling or flicking. Recent experiments have connected the stability of the hook protein, connecting cell motor and flagellum, to deviations from typical straight swimming trajectories. We seek physical explanations to these phenomena by developing a computationally inexpensive, rigid-body dynamic model of a uniflagellated organism with a flexible hook connection that captures the fundamental dynamics, kinematics, and configurations. Furthermore, the model addresses the effects of hook loading and geometry on the stability of the system. Simulations with low hook flexibility produce the classic straight trajectory, but a large flexibility produces helical trajectories, leading to directional changes when coupled with transient hook stiffening. Minima for critical flexibilities are found in certain subsets of parameter space, implying preferred geometries for certain swimming dynamics. The model verifies proposed mechanisms for swimming in various modes and highlights the role of flexibility in the biology of real organisms and the engineering of artificial microswimmers. This work was supported by NSF grant PHY-1304942.

An efficient model for coupling structural vibrations with acoustic radiation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frendi, Abdelkader; Maestrello, Lucio; Ting, LU

1993-01-01

The scattering of an incident wave by a flexible panel is studied. The panel vibration is governed by the nonlinear plate equations while the loading on the panel, which is the pressure difference across the panel, depends on the reflected and transmitted waves. Two models are used to calculate this structural-acoustic interaction problem. One solves the three dimensional nonlinear Euler equations for the flow-field coupled with the plate equations (the fully coupled model). The second uses the linear wave equation for the acoustic field and expresses the load as a double integral involving the panel oscillation (the decoupled model). The panel oscillation governed by a system of integro-differential equations is solved numerically and the acoustic field is then defined by an explicit formula. Numerical results are obtained using the two models for linear and nonlinear panel vibrations. The predictions given by these two models are in good agreement but the computational time needed for the 'fully coupled model' is 60 times longer than that for 'the decoupled model'.

Evolutionarily Conserved Linkage between Enzyme Fold, Flexibility, and Catalysis

PubMed Central

Ramanathan, Arvind; Agarwal, Pratul K.

2011-01-01

Proteins are intrinsically flexible molecules. The role of internal motions in a protein's designated function is widely debated. The role of protein structure in enzyme catalysis is well established, and conservation of structural features provides vital clues to their role in function. Recently, it has been proposed that the protein function may involve multiple conformations: the observed deviations are not random thermodynamic fluctuations; rather, flexibility may be closely linked to protein function, including enzyme catalysis. We hypothesize that the argument of conservation of important structural features can also be extended to identification of protein flexibility in interconnection with enzyme function. Three classes of enzymes (prolyl-peptidyl isomerase, oxidoreductase, and nuclease) that catalyze diverse chemical reactions have been examined using detailed computational modeling. For each class, the identification and characterization of the internal protein motions coupled to the chemical step in enzyme mechanisms in multiple species show identical enzyme conformational fluctuations. In addition to the active-site residues, motions of protein surface loop regions (>10 Å away) are observed to be identical across species, and networks of conserved interactions/residues connect these highly flexible surface regions to the active-site residues that make direct contact with substrates. More interestingly, examination of reaction-coupled motions in non-homologous enzyme systems (with no structural or sequence similarity) that catalyze the same biochemical reaction shows motions that induce remarkably similar changes in the enzyme–substrate interactions during catalysis. The results indicate that the reaction-coupled flexibility is a conserved aspect of the enzyme molecular architecture. Protein motions in distal areas of homologous and non-homologous enzyme systems mediate similar changes in the active-site enzyme–substrate interactions, thereby impacting the mechanism of catalyzed chemistry. These results have implications for understanding the mechanism of allostery, and for protein engineering and drug design. PMID:22087074

Evolutionarily conserved linkage between enzyme fold, flexibility, and catalysis.

PubMed

Ramanathan, Arvind; Agarwal, Pratul K

2011-11-01

Proteins are intrinsically flexible molecules. The role of internal motions in a protein's designated function is widely debated. The role of protein structure in enzyme catalysis is well established, and conservation of structural features provides vital clues to their role in function. Recently, it has been proposed that the protein function may involve multiple conformations: the observed deviations are not random thermodynamic fluctuations; rather, flexibility may be closely linked to protein function, including enzyme catalysis. We hypothesize that the argument of conservation of important structural features can also be extended to identification of protein flexibility in interconnection with enzyme function. Three classes of enzymes (prolyl-peptidyl isomerase, oxidoreductase, and nuclease) that catalyze diverse chemical reactions have been examined using detailed computational modeling. For each class, the identification and characterization of the internal protein motions coupled to the chemical step in enzyme mechanisms in multiple species show identical enzyme conformational fluctuations. In addition to the active-site residues, motions of protein surface loop regions (>10 Å away) are observed to be identical across species, and networks of conserved interactions/residues connect these highly flexible surface regions to the active-site residues that make direct contact with substrates. More interestingly, examination of reaction-coupled motions in non-homologous enzyme systems (with no structural or sequence similarity) that catalyze the same biochemical reaction shows motions that induce remarkably similar changes in the enzyme-substrate interactions during catalysis. The results indicate that the reaction-coupled flexibility is a conserved aspect of the enzyme molecular architecture. Protein motions in distal areas of homologous and non-homologous enzyme systems mediate similar changes in the active-site enzyme-substrate interactions, thereby impacting the mechanism of catalyzed chemistry. These results have implications for understanding the mechanism of allostery, and for protein engineering and drug design.

Distributed flexibility in inertial swimmers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Floryan, Daniel; Rowley, Clarence W.; Smits, Alexander J.

2017-11-01

To achieve fast and efficient swimming, the flexibility of the propulsive surfaces is an important feature. To better understand the effects of distributed flexibility (either through inhomogeneous material properties, varying geometry, or both) we consider the coupled solid and fluid mechanics of the problem. Here, we develop a simplified model of a flexible swimmer, using Euler-Bernoulli theory to describe the solid, Theodorsen's theory to describe the fluid, and a Blasius boundary layer to incorporate viscous effects. Our primary aims are to understand how distributed flexibility affects the thrust production and efficiency of a swimmer with imposed motion at its leading edge. In particular, we examine the modal shapes of the swimmer to gain physical insight into the observed trends. Supported under ONR MURI Grant N00014-14-1-0533, Program Manager Robert Brizzolara.

Preliminary results on the dynamics of large and flexible space structures in Halo orbits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colagrossi, Andrea; Lavagna, Michèle

2017-05-01

The global exploration roadmap suggests, among other ambitious future space programmes, a possible manned outpost in lunar vicinity, to support surface operations and further astronaut training for longer and deeper space missions and transfers. In particular, a Lagrangian point orbit location - in the Earth- Moon system - is suggested for a manned cis-lunar infrastructure; proposal which opens an interesting field of study from the astrodynamics perspective. Literature offers a wide set of scientific research done on orbital dynamics under the Three-Body Problem modelling approach, while less of it includes the attitude dynamics modelling as well. However, whenever a large space structure (ISS-like) is considered, not only the coupled orbit-attitude dynamics should be modelled to run more accurate analyses, but the structural flexibility should be included too. The paper, starting from the well-known Circular Restricted Three-Body Problem formulation, presents some preliminary results obtained by adding a coupled orbit-attitude dynamical model and the effects due to the large structure flexibility. In addition, the most relevant perturbing phenomena, such as the Solar Radiation Pressure (SRP) and the fourth-body (Sun) gravity, are included in the model as well. A multi-body approach has been preferred to represent possible configurations of the large cis-lunar infrastructure: interconnected simple structural elements - such as beams, rods or lumped masses linked by springs - build up the space segment. To better investigate the relevance of the flexibility effects, the lumped parameters approach is compared with a distributed parameters semi-analytical technique. A sensitivity analysis of system dynamics, with respect to different configurations and mechanical properties of the extended structure, is also presented, in order to highlight drivers for the lunar outpost design. Furthermore, a case study for a large and flexible space structure in Halo orbits around one of the Earth-Moon collinear Lagrangian points, L1 or L2, is discussed to point out some relevant outcomes for the potential implementation of such a mission.

Method and apparatus for air-coupled transducer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Song, Junho (Inventor); Chimenti, Dale E. (Inventor)

2010-01-01

An air-coupled transducer includes a ultrasonic transducer body having a radiation end with a backing fixture at the radiation end. There is a flexible backplate conformingly fit to the backing fixture and a thin membrane (preferably a metallized polymer) conformingly fit to the flexible backplate. In one embodiment, the backing fixture is spherically curved and the flexible backplate is spherically curved. The flexible backplate is preferably patterned with pits or depressions.

Ares-I-X Stability and Control Flight Test: Analysis and Plans

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brandon, Jay M.; Derry, Stephen D.; Heim, Eugene H.; Hueschen, Richard M.; Bacon, Barton J.

2008-01-01

The flight test of the Ares I-X vehicle provides a unique opportunity to reduce risk of the design of the Ares I vehicle and test out design, math modeling, and analysis methods. One of the key features of the Ares I design is the significant static aerodynamic instability coupled with the relatively flexible vehicle - potentially resulting in a challenging controls problem to provide adequate flight path performance while also providing adequate structural mode damping and preventing adverse control coupling to the flexible structural modes. Another challenge is to obtain enough data from the single flight to be able to conduct analysis showing the effectiveness of the controls solutions and have data to inform design decisions for Ares I. This paper will outline the modeling approaches and control system design to conduct this flight test, and also the system identification techniques developed to extract key information such as control system performance (gain/phase margins, for example), structural dynamics responses, and aerodynamic model estimations.

Dynamical computation of constrained flexible systems using a modal Udwadia-Kalaba formulation: Application to musical instruments.

PubMed

Antunes, J; Debut, V

2017-02-01

Most musical instruments consist of dynamical subsystems connected at a number of constraining points through which energy flows. For physical sound synthesis, one important difficulty deals with enforcing these coupling constraints. While standard techniques include the use of Lagrange multipliers or penalty methods, in this paper, a different approach is explored, the Udwadia-Kalaba (U-K) formulation, which is rooted on analytical dynamics but avoids the use of Lagrange multipliers. This general and elegant formulation has been nearly exclusively used for conceptual systems of discrete masses or articulated rigid bodies, namely, in robotics. However its natural extension to deal with continuous flexible systems is surprisingly absent from the literature. Here, such a modeling strategy is developed and the potential of combining the U-K equation for constrained systems with the modal description is shown, in particular, to simulate musical instruments. Objectives are twofold: (1) Develop the U-K equation for constrained flexible systems with subsystems modelled through unconstrained modes; and (2) apply this framework to compute string/body coupled dynamics. This example complements previous work [Debut, Antunes, Marques, and Carvalho, Appl. Acoust. 108, 3-18 (2016)] on guitar modeling using penalty methods. Simulations show that the proposed technique provides similar results with a significant improvement in computational efficiency.

Rolling dry-coupled transducers for ultrasonic inspections of aging aircraft structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Komsky, Igor N.

2004-07-01

Some advanced aircraft materials or coatings are porous or otherwise sensitive to the application of water, gel, or some other ultrasonic couplants. To overcome the problems associated with the liquid coupling medium, dry-coupled rolling modules were developed at Northwestern University for the transmission of both longitudinal and transverse ultrasonic waves at frequencies up to 10 MHz. Dry-coupled ultrasonic modules contain solid core internal stators and solid or flexible external rotors with the flexible polymer substrates. Two types of the dry-coupled modules are under development. Cylindrical base transducer modules include solid core cylindrical rotors with flexible polymer substrates that rotate around the stators with ultrasonic elements. Dry-coupled modules with elongated bases contain solid core stators and flexible track-like polymer substrates that rotate around the stators as rotors of the modules. The elongated base modules have larger contact interfaces with the inspection surface in comparison with the cylindrical base modules. Some designs of the dry-coupled rolling modules contain several ultrasonic elements with different incident angles or a variable angle unit for rapid adjustments of incident angles. The prototype dry-coupled rolling modules were integrated with the portable ultrasonic inspection systems and tested on a number of Boeing aircraft structures.

Flexible Transparent Supercapacitors Based on Hierarchical Nanocomposite Films.

PubMed

Chen, Fanhong; Wan, Pengbo; Xu, Haijun; Sun, Xiaoming

2017-05-31

Flexible transparent electronic devices have recently gained immense popularity in smart wearable electronics and touch screen devices, which accelerates the development of the portable power sources with reliable flexibility, robust transparency and integration to couple these electronic devices. For potentially coupled as energy storage modules in various flexible, transparent and portable electronics, the flexible transparent supercapacitors are developed and assembled from hierarchical nanocomposite films of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and aligned polyaniline (PANI) nanoarrays upon their synergistic advantages. The nanocomposite films are fabricated from in situ PANI nanoarrays preparation in a blended solution of aniline monomers and rGO onto the flexible, transparent, and stably conducting film (FTCF) substrate, which is obtained by coating silver nanowires (Ag NWs) layer with Meyer rod and then coating of rGO layer on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate. Optimization of the transparency, the specific capacitance, and the flexibility resulted in the obtained all-solid state nanocomposite supercapacitors exhibiting enhanced capacitance performance, good cycling stability, excellent flexibility, and superior transparency. It provides promising application prospects for exploiting flexible, low-cost, transparent, and high-performance energy storage devices to be coupled into various flexible, transparent, and wearable electronic devices.

On the sub-model errors of a generalized one-way coupling scheme for linking models at different scales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeng, Jicai; Zha, Yuanyuan; Zhang, Yonggen; Shi, Liangsheng; Zhu, Yan; Yang, Jinzhong

2017-11-01

Multi-scale modeling of the localized groundwater flow problems in a large-scale aquifer has been extensively investigated under the context of cost-benefit controversy. An alternative is to couple the parent and child models with different spatial and temporal scales, which may result in non-trivial sub-model errors in the local areas of interest. Basically, such errors in the child models originate from the deficiency in the coupling methods, as well as from the inadequacy in the spatial and temporal discretizations of the parent and child models. In this study, we investigate the sub-model errors within a generalized one-way coupling scheme given its numerical stability and efficiency, which enables more flexibility in choosing sub-models. To couple the models at different scales, the head solution at parent scale is delivered downward onto the child boundary nodes by means of the spatial and temporal head interpolation approaches. The efficiency of the coupling model is improved either by refining the grid or time step size in the parent and child models, or by carefully locating the sub-model boundary nodes. The temporal truncation errors in the sub-models can be significantly reduced by the adaptive local time-stepping scheme. The generalized one-way coupling scheme is promising to handle the multi-scale groundwater flow problems with complex stresses and heterogeneity.

Finite-volume Atmospheric Model of the IAP/LASG (FAMIL)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bao, Q.

2015-12-01

The Finite-volume Atmospheric Model of the IAP/LASG (FAMIL) is introduced in this work. FAMIL have the flexible horizontal and vertical resolutions up to 25km and 1Pa respectively, which currently running on the "Tianhe 1A&2" supercomputers. FAMIL is the atmospheric component of the third-generation Flexible Global Ocean-Atmosphere-Land climate System model (FGOALS3) which will participate in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6). In addition to describing the dynamical core and physical parameterizations of FAMIL, this talk describes the simulated characteristics of energy and water balances, precipitation, Asian Summer Monsoon and stratospheric circulation, and compares them with observational/reanalysis data. Finally, the model biases as well as possible solutions are discussed.

Coupled Data Assimilation in Navy ESPC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barron, C. N.; Spence, P. L.; Frolov, S.; Rowley, C. D.; Bishop, C. H.; Wei, M.; Ruston, B.; Smedstad, O. M.

2017-12-01

Data assimilation under global coupled Earth System Prediction Capability (ESPC) presents significantly greater challenges than data assimilation in forecast models of a single earth system like the ocean and atmosphere. In forecasts of a single component, data assimilation has broad flexibility in adjusting boundary conditions to reduce forecast errors; coupled ESPC requires consistent simultaneous adjustment of multiple components within the earth system: air, ocean, ice, and others. Data assimilation uses error covariances to express how to consistently adjust model conditions in response to differences between forecasts and observations; in coupled ESPC, these covariances must extend from air to ice to ocean such that changes within one fluid are appropriately balanced with corresponding adjustments in the other components. We show several algorithmic solutions that allow us to resolve these challenges. Specifically, we introduce the interface solver method that augments existing stand-alone systems for ocean and atmosphere by allowing them to be influenced by relevant measurements from the coupled fluid. Plans are outlined for implementing coupled data assimilation within ESPC for the Navy's global coupled model. Preliminary results show the impact of assimilating SST-sensitive radiances in the atmospheric model and first results of hybrid DA in a 1/12 degree model of the global ocean.

Flutter of wings involving a locally distributed flexible control surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mozaffari-Jovin, S.; Firouz-Abadi, R. D.; Roshanian, J.

2015-11-01

This paper undertakes to facilitate appraisal of aeroelastic interaction of a locally distributed, flap-type control surface with aircraft wings operating in a subsonic potential flow field. The extended Hamilton's principle serves as a framework to ascertain the Euler-Lagrange equations for coupled bending-torsional-flap vibration. An analytical solution to this boundary-value problem is then accomplished by assumed modes and the extended Galerkin's method. The developed aeroelastic model considers both the inherent flexibility of the control surface displaced on the wing and the inertial coupling between these two flexible bodies. The structural deformations also obey the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory, along with the Kelvin-Voigt viscoelastic constitutive law. Meanwhile, the unsteady thin-airfoil and strip theories are the tools of producing the three-dimensional airloads. The origin of aerodynamic instability undergoes analysis in light of the oscillatory loads as well as the loads owing to arbitrary motions. After successful verification of the model, a systematic flutter survey was conducted on the theoretical effects of various control surface parameters. The results obtained demonstrate that the flapping modes and parameters of the control surface can significantly impact the flutter characteristics of the wings, which leads to a series of pertinent conclusions.

A Couple-Based Psychological Treatment for Chronic Pain and Relationship Distress.

PubMed

Cano, Annmarie; Corley, Angelia M; Clark, Shannon M; Martinez, Sarah C

2018-02-01

Chronic pain impacts individuals with pain as well as their loved ones. Yet, there has been little attention to the social context in individual psychological treatment approaches to chronic pain management. With this need in mind, we developed a couple-based treatment, "Mindful Living and Relating," aimed at alleviating pain and suffering by promoting couples' psychological and relational flexibility skills. Currently, there is no integrative treatment that fully harnesses the power of the couple, treating both the individual with chronic pain and the spouse as two individuals who are each in need of developing greater psychological and relational flexibility to improve their own and their partners' health. Mindfulness, acceptance, and values-based action exercises were used to promote psychological flexibility. The intervention also targets relational flexibility, which we define as the ability to interact with one's partner, fully attending to the present moment, and responding empathically in a way that serves one's own and one's partner's values. To this end, the intervention also included exercises aimed at applying psychological flexibility skills to social interactions as well as emotional disclosure and empathic responding exercises to enhance relational flexibility. The case presented demonstrates that healthy coping with pain and stress may be most successful and sustainable when one is involved in a supportive relationship with someone who also practices psychological flexibility skills and when both partners use relational flexibility skills during their interactions.

Atmosphere-Wave-Ocean Coupling from Regional to Global Earth System Models for High-Impact Extreme Weather Prediction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, S. S.; Curcic, M.

2017-12-01

The need for acurrate and integrated impact forecasts of extreme wind, rain, waves, and storm surge is growing as coastal population and built environment expand worldwide. A key limiting factor in forecasting impacts of extreme weather events associated with tropical cycle and winter storms is fully coupled atmosphere-wave-ocean model interface with explicit momentum and energy exchange. It is not only critical for accurate prediction of storm intensity, but also provides coherent wind, rian, ocean waves and currents forecasts for forcing for storm surge. The Unified Wave INterface (UWIN) has been developed for coupling of the atmosphere-wave-ocean models. UWIN couples the atmosphere, wave, and ocean models using the Earth System Modeling Framework (ESMF). It is a physically based and computationally efficient coupling sytem that is flexible to use in a multi-model system and portable for transition to the next generation global Earth system prediction mdoels. This standardized coupling framework allows researchers to develop and test air-sea coupling parameterizations and coupled data assimilation, and to better facilitate research-to-operation activities. It has been used and extensively tested and verified in regional coupled model forecasts of tropical cycles and winter storms (Chen and Curcic 2016, Curcic et al. 2016, and Judt et al. 2016). We will present 1) an overview of UWIN and its applications in fully coupled atmosphere-wave-ocean model predictions of hurricanes and coastal winter storms, and 2) implenmentation of UWIN in the NASA GMAO GEOS-5.

Snakes on a plane: modeling flexible active nematics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Selinger, Robin

Active soft matter systems of self-propelled rod-shaped particles exhibit ordered phases and collective behavior that are remarkably different from their passive analogs. In nature, many self-propelled rod-shaped particles, such as gliding bacteria and kinesin-driven microtubules, are flexible and can bend. We model these ``living liquid crystals'' to explore their phase behavior, dynamics, and pattern formation. We model particles as short polymers via molecular dynamics with a Langevin thermostat and various types of activity, substrate, and environments. For self-propelled polar particles gliding on a solid substrate, we map out the phase diagram as a function of particle density and flexibility. We compare simulated defect structures to those observed in colonies of gliding myxobacteria; compare spooling behavior to that observed in microtubule gliding assays; and analyze emergence of nematic and polar order. Next we explore pattern formation of self-propelled polar particles under flexible encapsulation, and on substrates with non-uniform Gaussian curvature. Lastly, we impose an activity mechanism that mimics extensile shear, study flexible particles both on solid substrates and coupled to a lipid membrane, and discuss comparisons to relevant experiments. Work performed in collaboration with Michael Varga (Kent State) and Luca Giomi (Universiteit Leiden.) Work supported by NSF DMR-1409658.

Comprehensive modeling and control of flexible flapping wing micro air vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nogar, Stephen Michael

Flapping wing micro air vehicles hold significant promise due to the potential for improved aerodynamic efficiency, enhanced maneuverability and hover capability compared to fixed and rotary configurations. However, significant technical challenges exist to due the lightweight, highly integrated nature of the vehicle and coupling between the actuators, flexible wings and control system. Experimental and high fidelity analysis has demonstrated that aeroelastic effects can change the effective kinematics of the wing, reducing vehicle stability. However, many control studies for flapping wing vehicles do not consider these effects, and instead validate the control strategy with simple assumptions, including rigid wings, quasi-steady aerodynamics and no consideration of actuator dynamics. A control evaluation model that includes aeroelastic effects and actuator dynamics is developed. The structural model accounts for geometrically nonlinear behavior using an implicit condensation technique and the aerodynamic loads are found using a time accurate approach that includes quasi-steady, rotational, added mass and unsteady effects. Empirically based parameters in the model are fit using data obtained from a higher fidelity solver. The aeroelastic model and its ingredients are compared to experiments and computations using models of higher fidelity, and indicate reasonable agreement. The developed control evaluation model is implemented in a previously published, baseline controller that maintains stability using an asymmetric wingbeat, known as split-cycle, along with changing the flapping frequency and wing bias. The model-based controller determines the control inputs using a cycle-averaged, linear control design model, which assumes a rigid wing and no actuator dynamics. The introduction of unaccounted for dynamics significantly degrades the ability of the controller to track a reference trajectory, and in some cases destabilizes the vehicle. This demonstrates the importance of considering coupled aeroelastic and actuator dynamics in closed-loop control of flapping wings. A controller is developed that decouples the normal form of the vehicle dynamics, which accounts for coupling of the forces and moments acting on the vehicle and enables enhanced tuning capabilities. This controller, using the same control design model as the baseline controller, stabilizes the system despite the uncertainty between the control design and evaluation models. The controller is able to stabilize cases with significant wing flexibility and limited actuator capabilities, despite a reduction in control effectiveness. Additionally, to achieve a minimally actuated vehicle, the wing bias mechanism is removed. Using the same control design methodology, increased performance is observed compared to the baseline controller. However, due to the dependence on the split-cycle mechanism to generate a pitching moment instead of wing bias, the controller is more susceptible to instability from wing flexibility and limited actuator capacity. This work highlights the importance of coupled dynamics in the design and control of flapping wing micro air vehicles. Future enhancements to this work should focus on the reduced order structural and aerodynamics models. Applications include using the developed dynamics model to evaluate other kinematics and control schemes, ultimately enabling improved vehicle and control design.

Functional Specialization and Flexibility in Human Association Cortex

PubMed Central

Yeo, B. T. Thomas; Krienen, Fenna M.; Eickhoff, Simon B.; Yaakub, Siti N.; Fox, Peter T.; Buckner, Randy L.; Asplund, Christopher L.; Chee, Michael W.L.

2015-01-01

The association cortex supports cognitive functions enabling flexible behavior. Here, we explored the organization of human association cortex by mathematically formalizing the notion that a behavioral task engages multiple cognitive components, which are in turn supported by multiple overlapping brain regions. Application of the model to a large data set of neuroimaging experiments (N = 10 449) identified complex zones of frontal and parietal regions that ranged from being highly specialized to highly flexible. The network organization of the specialized and flexible regions was explored with an independent resting-state fMRI data set (N = 1000). Cortical regions specialized for the same components were strongly coupled, suggesting that components function as partially isolated networks. Functionally flexible regions participated in multiple components to different degrees. This heterogeneous selectivity was predicted by the connectivity between flexible and specialized regions. Functionally flexible regions might support binding or integrating specialized brain networks that, in turn, contribute to the ability to execute multiple and varied tasks. PMID:25249407

Component Framework for Loosely Coupled High Performance Integrated Plasma Simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elwasif, W. R.; Bernholdt, D. E.; Shet, A. G.; Batchelor, D. B.; Foley, S.

2010-11-01

We present the design and implementation of a component-based simulation framework for the execution of coupled time-dependent plasma modeling codes. The Integrated Plasma Simulator (IPS) provides a flexible lightweight component model that streamlines the integration of stand alone codes into coupled simulations. Standalone codes are adapted to the IPS component interface specification using a thin wrapping layer implemented in the Python programming language. The framework provides services for inter-component method invocation, configuration, task, and data management, asynchronous event management, simulation monitoring, and checkpoint/restart capabilities. Services are invoked, as needed, by the computational components to coordinate the execution of different aspects of coupled simulations on Massive parallel Processing (MPP) machines. A common plasma state layer serves as the foundation for inter-component, file-based data exchange. The IPS design principles, implementation details, and execution model will be presented, along with an overview of several use cases.

In-plane inertial coupling in tuned and severely mistuned bladed disks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crawley, E. F.

1982-01-01

A model has been developed and verified for blade-disk-shaft coupling in rotors due to the in-plane rigid body modes of the disk. An analytic model has been developed which couples the in-plane rigid body modes of the disk on an elastic shaft with the blade bending modes. Bench resonance test were carried out on the M.I.T. Compressor Rotor, typical of research rotors with flexible blades and a thick rigid disk. When the rotor was carefully tuned, the structural coupling of the blades by the disks was confined to zero and one nodal diameter modes, whose modal frequencies were greater than the blade cantilever frequency. In the case of the tuned rotor, and in two cases where severe mistuning was intentionally introduced, agreement between the predicted and observed natural frequencies is excellent. The analytic model was then extended to include the effects of constant angular rotation of the disk.

Simulating Space Capsule Water Landing with Explicit Finite Element Method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, John T.; Lyle, Karen H.

2007-01-01

A study of using an explicit nonlinear dynamic finite element code for simulating the water landing of a space capsule was performed. The finite element model contains Lagrangian shell elements for the space capsule and Eulerian solid elements for the water and air. An Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) solver and a penalty coupling method were used for predicting the fluid and structure interaction forces. The space capsule was first assumed to be rigid, so the numerical results could be correlated with closed form solutions. The water and air meshes were continuously refined until the solution was converged. The converged maximum deceleration predicted is bounded by the classical von Karman and Wagner solutions and is considered to be an adequate solution. The refined water and air meshes were then used in the models for simulating the water landing of a capsule model that has a flexible bottom. For small pitch angle cases, the maximum deceleration from the flexible capsule model was found to be significantly greater than the maximum deceleration obtained from the corresponding rigid model. For large pitch angle cases, the difference between the maximum deceleration of the flexible model and that of its corresponding rigid model is smaller. Test data of Apollo space capsules with a flexible heat shield qualitatively support the findings presented in this paper.

Numerical modeling of continuous flow microwave heating: a critical comparison of COMSOL and ANSYS.

PubMed

Salvi, D; Boldor, Dorin; Ortego, J; Aita, G M; Sabliov, C M

2010-01-01

Numerical models were developed to simulate temperature profiles in Newtonian fluids during continuous flow microwave heating by one way coupling electromagnetism, fluid flow, and heat transport in ANSYS 8.0 and COMSOL Multiphysics v3.4. Comparison of the results from the COMSOL model with the results from a pre-developed and validated ANSYS model ensured accuracy of the COMSOL model. Prediction of power Loss by both models was in close agreement (5-13% variation) and the predicted temperature profiles were similar. COMSOL provided a flexible model setup whereas ANSYS required coupling incompatible elements to transfer load between electromagnetic, fluid flow, and heat transport modules. Overall, both software packages provided the ability to solve multiphysics phenomena accurately.

The chemo-mechanical coupled model for F(1)F(0)-motor.

PubMed

Xu, Lizhong; Liu, Fang

2012-04-01

F(1)F(0)-motor (ATP synthase) is the universal enzyme in biological energy conversion that is present in the membranes of mitochondria, chloroplasts and bacteria. It uses the energy of the proton gradient across the membrane to synthesize ATP. Previous theory and model about rotation of the ATP synthase is reviewed, then a novel chemo-mechanical coupled model for rotation of the F(1)F(0)-motor is proposed. In the model, more events are considered simultaneously that includes the movement of F(1), the movement of F(0), reactions at F(1) and reactions at F(0). Using the model, the possible substep modes of the rotation for F(1)F(0) are predicted, the dependence of the motor efficiency and its rotation rate on the rigidity of the γ shaft is investigated. We conclude that the γ shaft has a large rotation rate for a limited driving potential because two ends of the γ shaft can rotate alternately for its flexibility. The flexibility also makes the efficiency of F(1)F(0) drop because elastic twisting deformation power is needed during alternate rotation of the γ shaft at two ends. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Vibration and flutter of mistuned bladed-disk assemblies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaza, K. R. V.; Kielb, R. E.

1984-01-01

An analytical model for investigating vibration and flutter of mistuned bladed disk assemblies is presented. This model accounts for elastic, inertial and aerodynamic coupling between bending and torsional motions of each individual blade, elastic and inertial couplings between the blades and the disk, and aerodynamic coupling among the blades. The disk was modeled as a circular plate with constant thickness and each blade was represented by a twisted, slender, straight, nonuniform, elastic beam with a symmetric cross section. The elastic axis, inertia axis, and the tension axis were taken to be noncoincident and the structural warping of the section was explicitly considered. The blade aerodynamic loading in the subsonic and supersonic flow regimes was obtained from two-dimensional unsteady, cascade theories. All the possible standing wave modes of the disk and traveling wave modes of the blades were included. The equations of motion were derived by using the energy method in conjunction with the assumed mode shapes for the disk and the blades. Continuities of displacement and slope at the blade-disk junction were maintained. The equations were solved to investigate the effects of blade-disk coupling and blade frequency mistuning on vibration and flutter. Results showed that the flexibility of practical disks such as those used for current generation turbofans did not have a significant influence on either the tuned or mistuned flutter characteristics. However, the disk flexibility may have a strong influence on some of the system frequencies and on forced response.

Vibration and flutter of mistuned bladed-disk assemblies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rao, K.; Kaza, V.; Kielb, R. E.

1984-01-01

An analytical model for investigating vibration and flutter of mistuned bladed disk assemblies is presented. This model accounts for elastic, inertial and aerodynamic coupling between bending and torsional motions of each individual blade, elastic and inertial couplings between the blades and the disk, and aerodynamic coupling among the blades. The disk was modeled as a circular plate with constant thickness and each blade was represented by a twisted, slender, straight, nonuniform, elastic beam with a symmetric cross section. The elastic axis, inertia axis, and the tension axis were taken to be noncoincident and the structural warping of the section was explicitly considered. The blade aerodynamic loading in the subsonic and supersonic flow regimes was obtained from two-dimensional unsteady, cascade theories. All the possible standing wave modes of the disk and traveling wave modes of the blades were included. The equations of motion were derived by using the energy method in conjunction with the assumed mode shapes for the disk and the blades. Continuities of displacement and slope at the blade-disk junction were maintained. The equations were solved to investigate the effects of blade-disk coupling and blade frequency mistuning on vibration and flutter. Results showed that the flexibility of practical disks such as those used for current generation turbufans did not have a significant influence on either the tuned or mistuned flutter characteristics. However, the disk flexibility may have a strong influence on some of the system frequencies and on forced response.

An analytic modeling and system identification study of rotor/fuselage dynamics at hover

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hong, Steven W.; Curtiss, H. C., Jr.

1993-01-01

A combination of analytic modeling and system identification methods have been used to develop an improved dynamic model describing the response of articulated rotor helicopters to control inputs. A high-order linearized model of coupled rotor/body dynamics including flap and lag degrees of freedom and inflow dynamics with literal coefficients is compared to flight test data from single rotor helicopters in the near hover trim condition. The identification problem was formulated using the maximum likelihood function in the time domain. The dynamic model with literal coefficients was used to generate the model states, and the model was parametrized in terms of physical constants of the aircraft rather than the stability derivatives resulting in a significant reduction in the number of quantities to be identified. The likelihood function was optimized using the genetic algorithm approach. This method proved highly effective in producing an estimated model from flight test data which included coupled fuselage/rotor dynamics. Using this approach it has been shown that blade flexibility is a significant contributing factor to the discrepancies between theory and experiment shown in previous studies. Addition of flexible modes, properly incorporating the constraint due to the lag dampers, results in excellent agreement between flight test and theory, especially in the high frequency range.

An analytic modeling and system identification study of rotor/fuselage dynamics at hover

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hong, Steven W.; Curtiss, H. C., Jr.

1993-01-01

A combination of analytic modeling and system identification methods have been used to develop an improved dynamic model describing the response of articulated rotor helicopters to control inputs. A high-order linearized model of coupled rotor/body dynamics including flap and lag degrees of freedom and inflow dynamics with literal coefficients is compared to flight test data from single rotor helicopters in the near hover trim condition. The identification problem was formulated using the maximum likelihood function in the time domain. The dynamic model with literal coefficients was used to generate the model states, and the model was parametrized in terms of physical constants of the aircraft rather than the stability derivatives, resulting in a significant reduction in the number of quantities to be identified. The likelihood function was optimized using the genetic algorithm approach. This method proved highly effective in producing an estimated model from flight test data which included coupled fuselage/rotor dynamics. Using this approach it has been shown that blade flexibility is a significant contributing factor to the discrepancies between theory and experiment shown in previous studies. Addition of flexible modes, properly incorporating the constraint due to the lag dampers, results in excellent agreement between flight test and theory, especially in the high frequency range.

Application of a passivity based control methodology for flexible joint robots to a simplified Space Shuttle RMS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sicard, Pierre; Wen, John T.

1992-01-01

A passivity approach for the control design of flexible joint robots is applied to the rate control of a three-link arm modeled after the shoulder yaw joint of the Space Shuttle Remote Manipulator System (RMS). The system model includes friction and elastic joint couplings modeled as nonlinear springs. The basic structure of the proposed controller is the sum of a model-based feedforward and a model-independent feedback. A regulator approach with link state feedback is employed to define the desired motor state. Passivity theory is used to design a motor state-based controller to stabilize the error system formed by the feedforward. Simulation results show that greatly improved performance was obtained by using the proposed controller over the existing RMS controller.

Multiscale Universal Interface: A concurrent framework for coupling heterogeneous solvers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Yu-Hang; Kudo, Shuhei; Bian, Xin; Li, Zhen; Karniadakis, George Em

2015-09-01

Concurrently coupled numerical simulations using heterogeneous solvers are powerful tools for modeling multiscale phenomena. However, major modifications to existing codes are often required to enable such simulations, posing significant difficulties in practice. In this paper we present a C++ library, i.e. the Multiscale Universal Interface (MUI), which is capable of facilitating the coupling effort for a wide range of multiscale simulations. The library adopts a header-only form with minimal external dependency and hence can be easily dropped into existing codes. A data sampler concept is introduced, combined with a hybrid dynamic/static typing mechanism, to create an easily customizable framework for solver-independent data interpretation. The library integrates MPI MPMD support and an asynchronous communication protocol to handle inter-solver information exchange irrespective of the solvers' own MPI awareness. Template metaprogramming is heavily employed to simultaneously improve runtime performance and code flexibility. We validated the library by solving three different multiscale problems, which also serve to demonstrate the flexibility of the framework in handling heterogeneous models and solvers. In the first example, a Couette flow was simulated using two concurrently coupled Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) simulations of different spatial resolutions. In the second example, we coupled the deterministic SPH method with the stochastic Dissipative Particle Dynamics (DPD) method to study the effect of surface grafting on the hydrodynamics properties on the surface. In the third example, we consider conjugate heat transfer between a solid domain and a fluid domain by coupling the particle-based energy-conserving DPD (eDPD) method with the Finite Element Method (FEM).

Multiscale Universal Interface: A concurrent framework for coupling heterogeneous solvers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tang, Yu-Hang, E-mail: yuhang_tang@brown.edu; Kudo, Shuhei, E-mail: shuhei-kudo@outlook.jp; Bian, Xin, E-mail: xin_bian@brown.edu

2015-09-15

Graphical abstract: - Abstract: Concurrently coupled numerical simulations using heterogeneous solvers are powerful tools for modeling multiscale phenomena. However, major modifications to existing codes are often required to enable such simulations, posing significant difficulties in practice. In this paper we present a C++ library, i.e. the Multiscale Universal Interface (MUI), which is capable of facilitating the coupling effort for a wide range of multiscale simulations. The library adopts a header-only form with minimal external dependency and hence can be easily dropped into existing codes. A data sampler concept is introduced, combined with a hybrid dynamic/static typing mechanism, to create anmore » easily customizable framework for solver-independent data interpretation. The library integrates MPI MPMD support and an asynchronous communication protocol to handle inter-solver information exchange irrespective of the solvers' own MPI awareness. Template metaprogramming is heavily employed to simultaneously improve runtime performance and code flexibility. We validated the library by solving three different multiscale problems, which also serve to demonstrate the flexibility of the framework in handling heterogeneous models and solvers. In the first example, a Couette flow was simulated using two concurrently coupled Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) simulations of different spatial resolutions. In the second example, we coupled the deterministic SPH method with the stochastic Dissipative Particle Dynamics (DPD) method to study the effect of surface grafting on the hydrodynamics properties on the surface. In the third example, we consider conjugate heat transfer between a solid domain and a fluid domain by coupling the particle-based energy-conserving DPD (eDPD) method with the Finite Element Method (FEM)« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ramanathan, Arvind; Agarwal, Pratul K

Proteins are intrinsically flexible molecules. The role of internal motions in a protein's designated function is widely debated. The role of protein structure in enzyme catalysis is well established, and conservation of structural features provides vital clues to their role in function. Recently, it has been proposed that the protein function may involve multiple conformations: the observed deviations are not random thermodynamic fluctuations; rather, flexibility may be closely linked to protein function, including enzyme catalysis. We hypothesize that the argument of conservation of important structural features can also be extended to identification of protein flexibility in interconnection with enzyme function.more » Three classes of enzymes (prolyl-peptidyl isomerase, oxidoreductase, and nuclease) that catalyze diverse chemical reactions have been examined using detailed computational modeling. For each class, the identification and characterization of the internal protein motions coupled to the chemical step in enzyme mechanisms in multiple species show identical enzyme conformational fluctuations. In addition to the active-site residues, motions of protein surface loop regions (>10 away) are observed to be identical across species, and networks of conserved interactions/residues connect these highly flexible surface regions to the active-site residues that make direct contact with substrates. More interestingly, examination of reaction-coupled motions in non-homologous enzyme systems (with no structural or sequence similarity) that catalyze the same biochemical reaction shows motions that induce remarkably similar changes in the enzyme substrate interactions during catalysis. The results indicate that the reaction-coupled flexibility is a conserved aspect of the enzyme molecular architecture. Protein motions in distal areas of homologous and non-homologous enzyme systems mediate similar changes in the active-site enzyme substrate interactions, thereby impacting the mechanism of catalyzed chemistry. These results have implications for understanding the mechanism of allostery, and for protein engineering and drug design.« less

Capacitively Coupled Arrays of Multiplexed Flexible Silicon Transistors for Long-Term Cardiac Electrophysiology

PubMed Central

Fang, Hui; Yu, Ki Jun; Gloschat, Christopher; Yang, Zijian; Chiang, Chia-Han; Zhao, Jianing; Won, Sang Min; Xu, Siyi; Trumpis, Michael; Zhong, Yiding; Song, Enming; Han, Seung Won; Xue, Yeguang; Xu, Dong; Cauwenberghs, Gert; Kay, Matthew; Huang, Yonggang; Viventi, Jonathan; Efimov, Igor R.; Rogers, John A.

2017-01-01

Advanced capabilities in electrical recording are essential for the treatment of heart-rhythm diseases. The most advanced technologies use flexible integrated electronics; however, the penetration of biological fluids into the underlying electronics and any ensuing electrochemical reactions pose significant safety risks. Here, we show that an ultrathin, leakage-free, biocompatible dielectric layer can completely seal an underlying layer of flexible electronics while allowing for electrophysiological measurements through capacitive coupling between tissue and the electronics, and thus without the need for direct metal contact. The resulting current-leakage levels and operational lifetimes are, respectively, four orders of magnitude smaller and between two and three orders of magnitude longer than those of any other flexible-electronics technology. Systematic electrophysiological studies with normal, paced and arrhythmic conditions in Langendorff hearts highlight the capabilities of the capacitive-coupling approach. Our technology provides a realistic pathway towards the broad applicability of biocompatible, flexible electronic implants. PMID:28804678

Non-equilibrium fluctuations of a semi-flexible filament driven by active cross-linkers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weber, I.; Appert-Rolland, C.; Schehr, G.; Santen, L.

2017-11-01

The cytoskeleton is an inhomogeneous network of semi-flexible filaments, which are involved in a wide variety of active biological processes. Although the cytoskeletal filaments can be very stiff and embedded in a dense and cross-linked network, it has been shown that, in cells, they typically exhibit significant bending on all length scales. In this work we propose a model of a semi-flexible filament deformed by different types of cross-linkers for which one can compute and investigate the bending spectrum. Our model allows to couple the evolution of the deformation of the semi-flexible polymer with the stochastic dynamics of linkers which exert transversal forces onto the filament. We observe a q-2 dependence of the bending spectrum for some biologically relevant parameters and in a certain range of wave numbers q, as observed in some experiments. However, generically, the spatially localized forcing and the non-thermal dynamics both introduce deviations from the thermal-like q-2 spectrum.

A computational procedure for multibody systems including flexible beam dynamics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Downer, J. D.; Park, K. C.; Chiou, J. C.

1990-01-01

A computational procedure suitable for the solution of equations of motions for flexible multibody systems has been developed. A fully nonlinear continuum approach capable of accounting for both finite rotations and large deformations has been used to model a flexible beam component. The beam kinematics are referred directly to an inertial reference frame such that the degrees of freedom embody both the rigid and flexible deformation motions. As such, the beam inertia expression is identical to that of rigid body dynamics. The nonlinear coupling between gross body motion and elastic deformation is contained in the internal force expression. Numerical solution procedures for the integration of spatial kinematic systems can be directily applied to the generalized coordinates of both the rigid and flexible components. An accurate computation of the internal force term which is invariant to rigid motions is incorporated into the general solution procedure.

Bifurcation and response analysis of a nonlinear flexible rotating disc immersed in bounded compressible fluid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Remigius, W. Dheelibun; Sarkar, Sunetra; Gupta, Sayan

2017-03-01

Use of heavy gases in centrifugal compressors for enhanced oil extraction have made the impellers susceptible to failures through acousto-elastic instabilities. This study focusses on understanding the dynamical behavior of such systems by considering the effects of the bounded fluid housed in a casing on a rotating disc. First, a mathematical model is developed that incorporates the interaction between the rotating impeller - modelled as a flexible disc - and the bounded compressible fluid medium in which it is immersed. The nonlinear effects arising due to large deformations of the disc have been included in the formulation so as to capture the post flutter behavior. A bifurcation analysis is carried out with the disc rotational speed as the bifurcation parameter to investigate the dynamical behavior of the coupled system and estimate the stability boundaries. Parametric studies reveal that the relative strengths of the various dissipation mechanisms in the coupled system play a significant role that affect the bifurcation route and the post flutter behavior in the acousto-elastic system.

Flight dynamics simulation modeling and control of a large flexible tiltrotor aircraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juhasz, Ondrej

A high order rotorcraft mathematical model is developed and validated against the XV-15 and a Large Civil Tiltrotor (LCTR) concept. The mathematical model is generic and allows for any rotorcraft configuration, from single main rotor helicopters to coaxial and tiltrotor aircraft. Rigid-body and inflow states, as well as flexible wing and blade states are used in the analysis. The separate modeling of each rotorcraft component allows for structural flexibility to be included, which is important when modeling large aircraft where structural modes affect the flight dynamics frequency ranges of interest, generally 1 to 20 rad/sec. Details of the formulation of the mathematical model are given, including derivations of structural, aerodynamic, and inertial loads. The linking of the components of the aircraft is developed using an approach similar to multibody analyses by exploiting a tree topology, but without equations of constraints. Assessments of the effects of wing flexibility are given. Flexibility effects are evaluated by looking at the nature of the couplings between rigid-body modes and wing structural modes and vice versa. The effects of various different forms of structural feedback on aircraft dynamics are analyzed. A proportional-integral feedback on the structural acceleration is deemed to be most effective at both improving the damping and reducing the overall excitation of a structural mode. A model following control architecture is then implemented on full order flexible LCTR models. For this aircraft, the four lowest frequency structural modes are below 20 rad/sec, and are thus needed for control law development and analysis. The impact of structural feedback on both Attitude-Command, Attitude-Hold (ACAH) and Translational Rate Command (TRC) response types are investigated. A rigid aircraft model has optimistic performance characteristics, and a control system designed for a rigid aircraft could potentially destabilize a flexible one. The various control systems are flown in a fixed-base simulator. Pilot inputs and aircraft performance are recorded and analyzed.

Modeling associations between latent event processes governing time series of pulsing hormones.

PubMed

Liu, Huayu; Carlson, Nichole E; Grunwald, Gary K; Polotsky, Alex J

2017-10-31

This work is motivated by a desire to quantify relationships between two time series of pulsing hormone concentrations. The locations of pulses are not directly observed and may be considered latent event processes. The latent event processes of pulsing hormones are often associated. It is this joint relationship we model. Current approaches to jointly modeling pulsing hormone data generally assume that a pulse in one hormone is coupled with a pulse in another hormone (one-to-one association). However, pulse coupling is often imperfect. Existing joint models are not flexible enough for imperfect systems. In this article, we develop a more flexible class of pulse association models that incorporate parameters quantifying imperfect pulse associations. We propose a novel use of the Cox process model as a model of how pulse events co-occur in time. We embed the Cox process model into a hormone concentration model. Hormone concentration is the observed data. Spatial birth and death Markov chain Monte Carlo is used for estimation. Simulations show the joint model works well for quantifying both perfect and imperfect associations and offers estimation improvements over single hormone analyses. We apply this model to luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), two reproductive hormones. Use of our joint model results in an ability to investigate novel hypotheses regarding associations between LH and FSH secretion in obese and non-obese women. © 2017, The International Biometric Society.

A New Modular Approach for Tightly Coupled Fluid/Structure Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Guruswamy, Guru

2003-01-01

Static aeroelastic computations are made using a C++ executive suitable for closely coupled fluid/structure interaction studies. The fluid flow is modeled using the Euler/Navier Stokes equations and the structure is modeled using finite elements. FORTRAN based fluids and structures codes are integrated under C++ environment. The flow and structural solvers are treated as separate object files. The data flow between fluids and structures is accomplished using I/O. Results are demonstrated for transonic flow over partially flexible surface that is important for aerospace vehicles. Use of this development to accurately predict flow induced structural failure will be demonstrated.

Influence of backup bearings and support structure dynamics on the behavior of rotors with active supports

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Flowers, George T.

1994-01-01

Substantial progress has been made toward the goals of this research effort in the past six months. A simplified rotor model with a flexible shaft and backup bearings has been developed. The model is based upon the work of Ishii and Kirk. Parameter studies of the behavior of this model are currently being conducted. A simple rotor model which includes a flexible disk and bearings with clearance has been developed and the dynamics of the model investigated. The study consists of simulation work coupled with experimental verification. The work is documented in the attached paper. A rotor model based upon the T-501 engine has been developed which includes backup bearing effects. The dynamics of this model are currently being studied with the objective of verifying the conclusions obtained from the simpler models. Parallel simulation runs are being conducted using an ANSYS based finite element model of the T-501.

The dynamics of a flexible bladed disc on a flexible rotor in a two-rotor system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gallardo, V. C.; Stallone, M. J.

1984-01-01

This paper describes the development of the analysis of the transient dynamic response of a bladed disk on a flexible rotor. The rotating flexible bladed disk is considered as a module in a complete turbine engine structure. The analysis of the flexible bladed disk (FBD) module is developed for the non-equilibrated one-diameter axial mode. The FBD motion is considered as a sum of two standing axial waves constrained to the rotor. The FBD is coupled inertially and gyroscopically to its rotor support, and indirectly through connecting elements, to the adjacent rotor and/or other supporting structures. Incorporated in the basic Turbine Engine Transient Response Analysis program (TETRA), the FBD module is demonstrated with a two-rotor model where the FBD can be excited into resonance by an unbalance in the adjacent rotor and at a frequency equal to the differential rotor speed. The FBD module also allows the analysis of two flexible bladed disks in the same rotor.

Sexual challenges with aging: integrating the GES approach in an elderly couple.

PubMed

McCarthy, Barry; Pierpaoli, Christina

2015-01-01

An advantage of sexuality after 60 years of age is the increased need for couple involvement to promote desire, pleasure, eroticism, and satisfaction inherent to the healthy aging process. This case study clinically explores the complex psychobiosocial interactions for understanding, assessing, and treating sexual problems for couples age 60 years and older, emphasizing the Good Enough Sex approach of variable, flexible, and shared sexual pleasure. Aging couples are discouraged from appraising their sexual experiences within the parameters of the pass/fail binary of the traditional individual performance model and are instead encouraged to embrace the evolving elasticity of their sexual experiences. The Good Enough Sex model espouses an approachable and satisfying alternative for the promotion of sexual function and satisfaction throughout the life span, with particular interest in late adulthood sexual health.

Unifying mechanical and thermodynamic descriptions across the thioredoxin protein family.

PubMed

Mottonen, James M; Xu, Minli; Jacobs, Donald J; Livesay, Dennis R

2009-05-15

We compare various predicted mechanical and thermodynamic properties of nine oxidized thioredoxins (TRX) using a Distance Constraint Model (DCM). The DCM is based on a nonadditive free energy decomposition scheme, where entropic contributions are determined from rigidity and flexibility of structure based on distance constraints. We perform averages over an ensemble of constraint topologies to calculate several thermodynamic and mechanical response functions that together yield quantitative stability/flexibility relationships (QSFR). Applied to the TRX protein family, QSFR metrics display a rich variety of similarities and differences. In particular, backbone flexibility is well conserved across the family, whereas cooperativity correlation describing mechanical and thermodynamic couplings between the residue pairs exhibit distinctive features that readily standout. The diversity in predicted QSFR metrics that describe cooperativity correlation between pairs of residues is largely explained by a global flexibility order parameter describing the amount of intrinsic flexibility within the protein. A free energy landscape is calculated as a function of the flexibility order parameter, and key values are determined where the native-state, transition-state, and unfolded-state are located. Another key value identifies a mechanical transition where the global nature of the protein changes from flexible to rigid. The key values of the flexibility order parameter help characterize how mechanical and thermodynamic response is linked. Variation in QSFR metrics and key characteristics of global flexibility are related to the native state X-ray crystal structure primarily through the hydrogen bond network. Furthermore, comparison of three TRX redox pairs reveals differences in thermodynamic response (i.e., relative melting point) and mechanical properties (i.e., backbone flexibility and cooperativity correlation) that are consistent with experimental data on thermal stabilities and NMR dynamical profiles. The results taken together demonstrate that small-scale structural variations are amplified into discernible global differences by propagating mechanical couplings through the H-bond network.

Efficient coupling of double-metal terahertz quantum cascade lasers to flexible dielectric-lined hollow metallic waveguides.

PubMed

Wallis, R; Degl'Iinnocenti, R; Jessop, D S; Ren, Y; Klimont, A; Shah, Y D; Mitrofanov, O; Bledt, C M; Melzer, J E; Harrington, J A; Beere, H E; Ritchie, D A

2015-10-05

The growth in terahertz frequency applications utilising the quantum cascade laser is hampered by a lack of targeted power delivery solutions over large distances (>100 mm). Here we demonstrate the efficient coupling of double-metal quantum cascade lasers into flexible polystyrene lined hollow metallic waveguides via the use of a hollow copper waveguide integrated into the laser mounting block. Our approach exhibits low divergence, Gaussian-like emission, which is robust to misalignment error, at distances > 550 mm, with a coupling efficiency from the hollow copper waveguide into the flexible waveguide > 90%. We also demonstrate the ability to nitrogen purge the flexible waveguide, increasing the power transmission by up to 20% at 2.85 THz, which paves the way for future fibre based terahertz sensing and spectroscopy applications.

Modeling of Complex Coupled Fluid-Structure Interaction Systems in Arbitrary Water Depth

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-01-01

model in a particle finite element method ( PFEM ) based framework for the ALE-RANS solver and submitted a journal paper recently [1]. In the paper, we...developing a fluid-flexible structure interaction model without free surface using ALE-RANS and k-ε turbulence closure model implemented by PFEM . In...the ALE_RANS and k-ε turbulence closure model based on the particle finite element Method ( PFEM ) and obtained some satisfying results [1-2]. The

NBOD2- PROGRAM TO DERIVE AND SOLVE EQUATIONS OF MOTION FOR COUPLED N-BODY SYSTEMS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frisch, H. P.

1994-01-01

The analysis of the dynamic characteristics of a complex system, such as a spacecraft or a robot, is usually best accomplished through the study of a simulation model. The simulation model must have the same dynamic characteristics as the complex system, while lending itself to mathematical quantification. The NBOD2 computer program was developed to aid in the analysis of spacecraft attitude dynamics. NBOD2 is a very general program that may be applied to a large class of problems involving coupled N-body systems. NBOD2 provides the dynamics analyst with the capability to automatically derive and numerically solve the equations of motion for any system that can be modeled as a topological tree of coupled rigid bodies, flexible bodies, point masses, and symmetrical momentum wheels. NBOD2 uses a topological tree model of the dynamic system to derive the vector-dyadic equations of motion for the system. The user builds this topological tree model by using rigid and flexible bodies, point masses, and symmetrical momentum wheels with appropriate connections. To insure that the relative motion between contiguous bodies is kinematically constrained, NBOD2 assumes that contiguous rigid and flexible bodies are connected by physically reliable 0, 1, 2, and 3-degrees-of-freedom gimbals. These gimbals prohibit relative translational motion, while permitting up to 3 degrees of relative rotational freedom at hinge points. Point masses may have 0, 1, 2, or 3-degrees of relative translational freedom, and symmetric momentum wheels may have a single degree of rotational freedom relative to the body in which they are imbedded. Flexible bodies may possess several degrees of vibrational freedom in addition to the degrees of freedom associated with the connection gimbals. Data concerning the natural modes and vibrations of the flexible bodies must be supplied by the user. NBOD2 combines the best features of the discrete-body approach and the nested body approach to reduce the topological tree to a complete set of nonlinear equations of motion in vector-dyadic form for the system being analyzed. NBOD2 can then numerically solve the equations of motion. Input to NBOD2 consists of a user-supplied description of the system to be modeled. The NBOD2 system includes an interactive, tutorial, input support program to aid the NBOD2 user in preparing input data. Output from NBOD2 consists of a listing of the complete set of nonlinear equations of motion in vector-dyadic form and any userspecified set of system state variables. The NBOD2 program is written in FORTRAN 77 for batch execution and has been implemented on a DEC VAX-11/780 computer. The NBOD2 program was developed in 1978 and last updated in 1982.

Parameter Sweep and Optimization of Loosely Coupled Simulations Using the DAKOTA Toolkit

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Elwasif, Wael R; Bernholdt, David E; Pannala, Sreekanth

2012-01-01

The increasing availability of large scale computing capabilities has accelerated the development of high-fidelity coupled simulations. Such simulations typically involve the integration of models that implement various aspects of the complex phenomena under investigation. Coupled simulations are playing an integral role in fields such as climate modeling, earth systems modeling, rocket simulations, computational chemistry, fusion research, and many other computational fields. Model coupling provides scientists with systematic ways to virtually explore the physical, mathematical, and computational aspects of the problem. Such exploration is rarely done using a single execution of a simulation, but rather by aggregating the results from manymore » simulation runs that, together, serve to bring to light novel knowledge about the system under investigation. Furthermore, it is often the case (particularly in engineering disciplines) that the study of the underlying system takes the form of an optimization regime, where the control parameter space is explored to optimize an objective functions that captures system realizability, cost, performance, or a combination thereof. Novel and flexible frameworks that facilitate the integration of the disparate models into a holistic simulation are used to perform this research, while making efficient use of the available computational resources. In this paper, we describe the integration of the DAKOTA optimization and parameter sweep toolkit with the Integrated Plasma Simulator (IPS), a component-based framework for loosely coupled simulations. The integration allows DAKOTA to exploit the internal task and resource management of the IPS to dynamically instantiate simulation instances within a single IPS instance, allowing for greater control over the trade-off between efficiency of resource utilization and time to completion. We present a case study showing the use of the combined DAKOTA-IPS system to aid in the design of a lithium ion battery (LIB) cell, by studying a coupled system involving the electrochemistry and ion transport at the lower length scales and thermal energy transport at the device scales. The DAKOTA-IPS system provides a flexible tool for use in optimization and parameter sweep studies involving loosely coupled simulations that is suitable for use in situations where changes to the constituent components in the coupled simulation are impractical due to intellectual property or code heritage issues.« less

Full Coupling Between the Atmosphere, Surface, and Subsurface for Integrated Hydrologic Simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davison, Jason Hamilton; Hwang, Hyoun-Tae; Sudicky, Edward A.; Mallia, Derek V.; Lin, John C.

2018-01-01

An ever increasing community of earth system modelers is incorporating new physical processes into numerical models. This trend is facilitated by advancements in computational resources, improvements in simulation skill, and the desire to build numerical simulators that represent the water cycle with greater fidelity. In this quest to develop a state-of-the-art water cycle model, we coupled HydroGeoSphere (HGS), a 3-D control-volume finite element surface and variably saturated subsurface flow model that includes evapotranspiration processes, to the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model, a 3-D finite difference nonhydrostatic mesoscale atmospheric model. The two-way coupled model, referred to as HGS-WRF, exchanges the actual evapotranspiration fluxes and soil saturations calculated by HGS to WRF; conversely, the potential evapotranspiration and precipitation fluxes from WRF are passed to HGS. The flexible HGS-WRF coupling method allows for unique meshes used by each model, while maintaining mass and energy conservation between the domains. Furthermore, the HGS-WRF coupling implements a subtime stepping algorithm to minimize computational expense. As a demonstration of HGS-WRF's capabilities, we applied it to the California Basin and found a strong connection between the depth to the groundwater table and the latent heat fluxes across the land surface.

Force-moment line element method for flexible slender bodies in Stokes flow.

PubMed

Jiang, H; Yang, B

2013-09-01

The hydrodynamics of flexible slender bodies in Stokes flow is studied by taking into account the fluid-structure interaction through both forces and coupled moments. The fluid subjected to line sources of forces and moments is described by using integral equations. Meanwhile, the flexible slender body is modeled using finite beam elements. The two sides are linked through interfacial continuity conditions. Upon discretization, it results in a higher-order line element method for efficient and accurate solution of slender-body hydrodynamics. Four examples are presented to demonstrate the validity and efficiency of the present method: (a) hydrodynamics of a flexible slender rod subjected to a torque at one end, (b) hydrodynamics of a flexible slender rod subjected to a bending moment at one end, (c) hydrodynamics of a flexible slender rod subjected to a cyclic force, and (d) hydrodynamics of a flexible slender rod with a magnetized head within a rotating magnetic field. Examples (a) and (b) may serve as benchmark solutions and examples (c) and (d) show how planar and spiral waves can be excited in a slender body.

Development of a set of equations for incorporating disk flexibility effects in rotordynamical analyses

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Flowers, George T.; Ryan, Stephen G.

1991-01-01

Rotordynamical equations that account for disk flexibility are developed. These equations employ free-free rotor modes to model the rotor system. Only transverse vibrations of the disks are considered, with the shaft/disk system considered to be torsionally rigid. Second order elastic foreshortening effects that couple with the rotor speed to produce first order terms in the equations of motion are included. The approach developed in this study is readily adaptable for usage in many of the codes that are current used in rotordynamical simulations. The equations are similar to those used in standard rigid disk analyses but with additional terms that include the effects of disk flexibility. An example case is presented to demonstrate the use of the equations and to show the influence of disk flexibility on the rotordynamical behavior of a sample system.

Feedback tracking control for dynamic morphing of piezocomposite actuated flexible wings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xiaoming; Zhou, Wenya; Wu, Zhigang

2018-03-01

Aerodynamic properties of flexible wings can be improved via shape morphing using piezocomposite materials. Dynamic shape control of flexible wings is investigated in this study by considering the interactions between structural dynamics, unsteady aerodynamics and piezo-actuations. A novel antisymmetric angle-ply bimorph configuration of piezocomposite actuators is presented to realize coupled bending-torsional shape control. The active aeroelastic model is derived using finite element method and Theodorsen unsteady aerodynamic loads. A time-varying linear quadratic Gaussian (LQG) tracking control system is designed to enhance aerodynamic lift with pre-defined trajectories. Proof-of-concept simulations of static and dynamic shape control are presented for a scaled high-aspect-ratio wing model. Vibrations of the wing and fluctuations in aerodynamic forces are caused by using the static voltages directly in dynamic shape control. The lift response has tracked the trajectories well with favorable dynamic morphing performance via feedback tracking control.

Towards an improved and more flexible representation of water stress in coupled photosynthesis-stomatal conductance models; implications for simulated land surface fluxes and variables at various spatiotemporal scales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Egea, G.; Verhoef, A.; Vidale, P. L.; Black, E.; Van den Hoof, C.

2012-04-01

Coupled photosynthesis-stomatal conductance (A-gs) models are commonly used in ecosystem models to represent the exchange rate of CO2 and H2O between vegetation and the atmosphere. The ways these models account for water stress differ greatly among modelling schemes. This study provides insight into the impact of contrasting model configurations of water stress on the simulated leaf-level values of net photosynthesis (A), stomatal conductance (gs), the functional relationship among them and their ratio, the intrinsic water use efficiency (A/gs), as soil dries. A simple, yet versatile, normalized soil moisture dependent function was used to account for the effects of water stress on gs, on mesophyll conductance (gm ) and on the biochemical capacity (Egea et al., 2011). Model output was compared to leaf-level values obtained from the literature. The sensitivity analyses emphasized the necessity to combine both stomatal and non-stomatal limitations of A in coupled A-gs models to accurately capture the observed functional relationships A vs. gs and A/gs vs. gs in response to drought. Accounting for water stress in coupled A-gs models by imposing either stomatal or biochemical limitations of A, as commonly practiced in most ecosystem models, failed to reproduce the observed functional relationship between key leaf gas exchange attributes. A quantitative limitation analysis revealed that the general pattern of C3 photosynthetic response to water stress can be represented in coupled A-gs models by imposing the highest limitation strength to mesophyll conductance, then to stomatal conductance and finally to the biochemical capacity. This more realistic representation of soil water stress on the simulated leaf-level values of A and gs was embedded in the JULES (Joint UK Land Environment Simulator; Best et al., 2011), model and tested for a number of vegetation types, for which driving and flux verification data were available. These simulations provide an insight into the effect that the revised parameterization will have on GCM simulations of climate variability and change. Best, M. J. et al. (2011). The Joint UK Land Environment Simulator (JULES), model description - Part 1: Energy and water fluxes. Geosci. Model Dev., 4, 677-699. Egea, G., Verhoef, A., Vidale, P.L. (2011) Towards an improved and more flexible representation of water stress in coupled photosynthesis-stomatal conductance models. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 151 (10), 1370-1384.

Role of band 3 in the erythrocyte membrane structural changes under thermal fluctuations -multi scale modeling considerations.

PubMed

Pajic-Lijakovic, Ivana

2015-12-01

An attempt was made to discuss and connect various modeling approaches on various time and space scales which have been proposed in the literature in order to shed further light on the erythrocyte membrane rearrangement caused by the cortex-lipid bilayer coupling under thermal fluctuations. Roles of the main membrane constituents: (1) the actin-spectrin cortex, (2) the lipid bilayer, and (3) the trans membrane protein band 3 and their course-consequence relations were considered in the context of the cortex non linear stiffening and corresponding anomalous nature of energy dissipation. The fluctuations induce alternating expansion and compression of the membrane parts in order to ensure surface and volume conservation. The membrane structural changes were considered within two time regimes. The results indicate that the cortex non linear stiffening and corresponding anomalous nature of energy dissipation are related to the spectrin flexibility distribution and the rate of its changes. The spectrin flexibility varies from purely flexible to semi flexible. It is influenced by: (1) the number of band 3 molecules attached to single spectrin filaments, and (2) phosphorylation of the actin-junctions. The rate of spectrin flexibility changes depends on the band 3 molecules rearrangement.

Dynamics of vehicles in variable velocity runs over non-homogeneous flexible track and foundation with two point input models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yadav, D.; Upadhyay, H. C.

1992-07-01

Vehicles obtain track-induced input through the wheels, which commonly number more than one. Analysis available for the vehicle response in a variable velocity run on a non-homogeneously profiled flexible track supported by compliant inertial foundation is for a linear heave model having a single ground input. This analysis is being extended to two point input models with heave-pitch and heave-roll degrees of freedom. Closed form expressions have been developed for the system response statistics. Results are presented for a railway coach and track/foundation problem, and the performances of heave, heave-pitch and heave-roll models have been compared. The three models are found to agree in describing the track response. However, the vehicle sprung mass behaviour is predicted to be different by these models, indicating the strong effect of coupling on the vehicle vibration.

An analytical model and scaling of chordwise flexible flapping wings in forward flight.

PubMed

Kodali, Deepa; Kang, Chang-Kwon

2016-12-13

Aerodynamic performance of biological flight characterized by the fluid structure interaction of a flapping wing and the surrounding fluid is affected by the wing flexibility. One of the main challenges to predict aerodynamic forces is that the wing shape and motion are a priori unknown. In this study, we derive an analytical fluid-structure interaction model for a chordwise flexible flapping two-dimensional airfoil in forward flight. A plunge motion is imposed on the rigid leading-edge (LE) of teardrop shape and the flexible tail dynamically deforms. The resulting unsteady aeroelasticity is modeled with the Euler-Bernoulli-Theodorsen equation under a small deformation assumption. The two-way coupling is realized by considering the trailing-edge deformation relative to the LE as passive pitch, affecting the unsteady aerodynamics. The resulting wing deformation and the aerodynamic performance including lift and thrust agree well with high-fidelity numerical results. Under the dynamic balance, the aeroelastic stiffness decreases, whereas the aeroelastic stiffness increases with the reduced frequency. A novel aeroelastic frequency ratio is derived, which scales with the wing deformation, lift, and thrust. Finally, the dynamic similarity between flapping in water and air is established.

Flexibility Correlation between Active Site Regions Is Conserved across Four AmpC β-Lactamase Enzymes.

PubMed

Brown, Jenna R; Livesay, Dennis R

2015-01-01

β-lactamases are bacterial enzymes that confer resistance to β-lactam antibiotics, such as penicillins and cephalosporins. There are four classes of β-lactamase enzymes, each with characteristic sequence and structure properties. Enzymes from class A are the most common and have been well characterized across the family; however, less is known about how physicochemical properties vary across the C and D families. In this report, we compare the dynamical properties of four AmpC (class C) β-lactamases using our distance constraint model (DCM). The DCM reliably predicts thermodynamic and mechanical properties in an integrated way. As a consequence, quantitative stability/flexibility relationships (QSFR) can be determined and compared across the whole family. The DCM calculates a large number of QSFR metrics. Perhaps the most useful is the flexibility index (FI), which quantifies flexibility along the enzyme backbone. As typically observed in other systems, FI is well conserved across the four AmpC enzymes. Cooperativity correlation (CC), which quantifies intramolecular couplings within structure, is rarely conserved across protein families; however, it is in AmpC. In particular, the bulk of each structure is composed of a large rigid cluster, punctuated by three flexibly correlated regions located at the active site. These regions include several catalytic residues and the Ω-loop. This evolutionary conservation combined with active their site location strongly suggests that these coupled dynamical modes are important for proper functioning of the enzyme.

Flexibility Correlation between Active Site Regions Is Conserved across Four AmpC β-Lactamase Enzymes

PubMed Central

Brown, Jenna R.; Livesay, Dennis R.

2015-01-01

β-lactamases are bacterial enzymes that confer resistance to β-lactam antibiotics, such as penicillins and cephalosporins. There are four classes of β-lactamase enzymes, each with characteristic sequence and structure properties. Enzymes from class A are the most common and have been well characterized across the family; however, less is known about how physicochemical properties vary across the C and D families. In this report, we compare the dynamical properties of four AmpC (class C) β-lactamases using our distance constraint model (DCM). The DCM reliably predicts thermodynamic and mechanical properties in an integrated way. As a consequence, quantitative stability/flexibility relationships (QSFR) can be determined and compared across the whole family. The DCM calculates a large number of QSFR metrics. Perhaps the most useful is the flexibility index (FI), which quantifies flexibility along the enzyme backbone. As typically observed in other systems, FI is well conserved across the four AmpC enzymes. Cooperativity correlation (CC), which quantifies intramolecular couplings within structure, is rarely conserved across protein families; however, it is in AmpC. In particular, the bulk of each structure is composed of a large rigid cluster, punctuated by three flexibly correlated regions located at the active site. These regions include several catalytic residues and the Ω-loop. This evolutionary conservation combined with active their site location strongly suggests that these coupled dynamical modes are important for proper functioning of the enzyme. PMID:26018804

New modeling method and mechanism analyses for active control of interior noise in an irregular enclosure using piezoelectric actuators.

PubMed

Geng, Hou C; Rao, Zhu S; Han, Zu S

2003-03-01

A new modeling method is developed in this paper for the active minimization of noise within a three-dimensional irregular enclosure using distributed lead zirconate titanate piezoelectric (PZT) actuators, and the control mechanisms for irregular enclosure are analyzed. The irregular enclosure is modeled with four rigid walls and two simply supported flexible panels, and PZT actuators are bound to one of the flexible panels. The process of the new modeling method is as follows. First, the modal coupling method is used to establish the motion equations, which contain important coefficients such as modal masses and modal coupling coefficients, etc., of acoustic-structural-piezoelectric coupling system. Then, the acoustic modes and the modal masses of irregular enclosure are calculated by numerical methods. Last, the modal coupling coefficients in motion equations are calculated according to the numerical results of the acoustic modes of irregular enclosure and the modes of two panels. The validity of this modeling method is verified by a regular hexahedron enclosure. Two cost functions are applied to this model. With the two cost functions, good results are obtained in minimizing the sound-pressure level (SPL) within irregular enclosure according to numerical investigations. By comparing the results obtained under controlled and uncontrolled states, the control mechanisms of the system are discussed. It is found that the control mechanisms vary with disturbance frequencies. At most disturbance frequencies, the SPL within enclosure is reduced by restructuring the modes of two panels simultaneously. When the disturbance frequency comes close to one of the natural frequencies of panel a, the dominant mode of panel a is suppressed, while the modes of panel b are reconstructed. While the disturbance frequency is near one of the natural frequencies of panel b, the modes of two panels are restructured at the same time.

The design and operational development of self-streamlining 2-dimensional flexible walled test sections. Ph.D. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wolf, S. W. D.

1984-01-01

Self streamlining two dimensional flexible walled test sections eliminate the uncertainties found in data from conventional test sections particularly at transonic speeds. The test section sidewalls are rigid, while the floor and ceiling are flexible and are positioned to streamline shapes by a system of jacks, without reference to the model. The walls are therefore self streamlining. Data are taken from the model when the walls are good streamlines such that the inevitable residual wall induced interference is acceptably small and correctable. Successful two dimensional validation testing at low speeds has led to the development of a new transonic flexible walled test section. Tunnel setting times are minimized by the development of a rapid wall setting strategy coupled with on line computer control of wall shapes using motorized jacks. Two dimensional validation testing using symmetric and cambered aerofoils in the Mach number range up to about 0.85 where the walls are just supercritical, shows good agreement with reference data using small height-chord ratios between 1.5 and unity.

A new radiation infrastructure for the Modular Earth Submodel System (MESSy, based on version 2.51)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dietmüller, Simone; Jöckel, Patrick; Tost, Holger; Kunze, Markus; Gellhorn, Catrin; Brinkop, Sabine; Frömming, Christine; Ponater, Michael; Steil, Benedikt; Lauer, Axel; Hendricks, Johannes

2016-06-01

The Modular Earth Submodel System (MESSy) provides an interface to couple submodels to a base model via a highly flexible data management facility (Jöckel et al., 2010). In the present paper we present the four new radiation related submodels RAD, AEROPT, CLOUDOPT, and ORBIT. The submodel RAD (including the shortwave radiation scheme RAD_FUBRAD) simulates the radiative transfer, the submodel AEROPT calculates the aerosol optical properties, the submodel CLOUDOPT calculates the cloud optical properties, and the submodel ORBIT is responsible for Earth orbit calculations. These submodels are coupled via the standard MESSy infrastructure and are largely based on the original radiation scheme of the general circulation model ECHAM5, however, expanded with additional features. These features comprise, among others, user-friendly and flexibly controllable (by namelists) online radiative forcing calculations by multiple diagnostic calls of the radiation routines. With this, it is now possible to calculate radiative forcing (instantaneous as well as stratosphere adjusted) of various greenhouse gases simultaneously in only one simulation, as well as the radiative forcing of cloud perturbations. Examples of online radiative forcing calculations in the ECHAM/MESSy Atmospheric Chemistry (EMAC) model are presented.

Managing complexity in simulations of land surface and near-surface processes

DOE PAGES

Coon, Ethan T.; Moulton, J. David; Painter, Scott L.

2016-01-12

Increasing computing power and the growing role of simulation in Earth systems science have led to an increase in the number and complexity of processes in modern simulators. We present a multiphysics framework that specifies interfaces for coupled processes and automates weak and strong coupling strategies to manage this complexity. Process management is enabled by viewing the system of equations as a tree, where individual equations are associated with leaf nodes and coupling strategies with internal nodes. A dynamically generated dependency graph connects a variable to its dependencies, streamlining and automating model evaluation, easing model development, and ensuring models aremore » modular and flexible. Additionally, the dependency graph is used to ensure that data requirements are consistent between all processes in a given simulation. Here we discuss the design and implementation of these concepts within the Arcos framework, and demonstrate their use for verification testing and hypothesis evaluation in numerical experiments.« less

Formulation of the aeroelastic stability and response problem of coupled rotor/support systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Warmbrodt, W.; Friedmann, P.

1979-01-01

The consistent formulation of the governing nonlinear equations of motion for a coupled rotor/support system is presented. Rotor/support coupling is clearly documented by enforcing dynamic equilibrium between the rotor and the moving flexible support. The nonlinear periodic coefficient equations of motion are applicable to both coupled rotor/fuselage aeroelastic problems of helicopters in hover or forward flight and coupled rotor/tower dynamics of a large horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT). Finally, the equations of motion are used to study the influence of flexible supports and nonlinear terms on rotor aeroelastic stability and response of a large two-bladed HAWT.

Chelating effect in short polymers for the design of bidentate binders of increased affinity and selectivity

PubMed Central

Fortuna, Sara; Fogolari, Federico; Scoles, Giacinto

2015-01-01

The design of new strong and selective binders is a key step towards the development of new sensing devices and effective drugs. Both affinity and selectivity can be increased through chelation and here we theoretically explore the possibility of coupling two binders through a flexible linker. We prove the enhanced ability of double binders of keeping their target with a simple model where a polymer composed by hard spheres interacts with a spherical macromolecule, such as a protein, through two sticky spots. By Monte Carlo simulations and thermodynamic integration we show the chelating effect to hold for coupling polymers whose radius of gyration is comparable to size of the chelated particle. We show the binding free energy of flexible double binders to be higher than that of two single binders and to be maximized when the binding sites are at distances comparable to the mean free polymer end-to-end distance. The affinity of two coupled binders is therefore predicted to increase non linearly and in turn, by targeting two non-equivalent binding sites, this will lead to higher selectivity. PMID:26496975

Device and method for redirecting electromagnetic signals

DOEpatents

Garcia, Ernest J.

1999-01-01

A device fabricated to redirect electromagnetic signals, the device including a primary driver adapted to provide a predetermined force, a linkage system coupled to the primary driver, a pusher rod rotationally coupled to the linkage system, a flexible rod element attached to the pusher rod and adapted to buckle upon the application of the predetermined force, and a mirror structure attached to the flexible rod element at one end and to the substrate at another end. When the predetermined force buckles the flexible rod element, the mirror structure and the flexible rod element both move to thereby allow a remotely-located electromagnetic signal directed towards the device to be redirected.

Inertial Force Coupling to Nonlinear Aeroelasticity of Flexible Wing Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nguyen, Nhan T.; Ting, Eric

2016-01-01

This paper investigates the inertial force effect on nonlinear aeroelasticity of flexible wing aircraft. The geometric are nonlinearity due to rotational and tension stiffening. The effect of large bending deflection will also be investigated. Flutter analysis will be conducted for a truss-braced wing aircraft concept with tension stiffening and inertial force coupling.

Computational fluid-structure interaction: methods and application to a total cavopulmonary connection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bazilevs, Yuri; Hsu, M.-C.; Benson, D. J.; Sankaran, S.; Marsden, A. L.

2009-12-01

The Fontan procedure is a surgery that is performed on single-ventricle heart patients, and, due to the wide range of anatomies and variations among patients, lends itself nicely to study by advanced numerical methods. We focus on a patient-specific Fontan configuration, and perform a fully coupled fluid-structure interaction (FSI) analysis of hemodynamics and vessel wall motion. To enable physiologically realistic simulations, a simple approach to constructing a variable-thickness blood vessel wall description is proposed. Rest and exercise conditions are simulated and rigid versus flexible vessel wall simulation results are compared. We conclude that flexible wall modeling plays an important role in predicting quantities of hemodynamic interest in the Fontan connection. To the best of our knowledge, this paper presents the first three-dimensional patient-specific fully coupled FSI analysis of a total cavopulmonary connection that also includes large portions of the pulmonary circulation.

Guaranteed cost control with poles assignment for a flexible air-breathing hypersonic vehicle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Hongyi; Si, Yulin; Wu, Ligang; Hu, Xiaoxiang; Gao, Huijun

2011-05-01

This article investigates the problem of guaranteed cost control for a flexible air-breathing hypersonic vehicle (FAHV). The FAHV includes intricate coupling between the engine and flight dynamics as well as complex interplay between flexible and rigid modes, which results in an intractable system for the control design. A longitudinal model is adopted for control design due to the complexity of the vehicle. First, for a highly nonlinear and coupled FAHV, a linearised model is established around the trim condition, which includes the state of altitude, velocity, angle of attack, pitch angle and pitch rate, etc. Secondly, by using the Lyapunov approach, performance analysis is carried out for the resulting closed-loop FAHV system, whose criterion with respect to guaranteed performance cost and poles assignment is expressed in the framework of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). The established criterion exhibits a kind of decoupling between the Lyapunov positive-definite matrices to be determined and the FAHV system matrices, which is enabled by the introduction of additional slack matrix variables. Thirdly, a convex optimisation problem with LMI constraints is formulated for designing an admissible controller, which guarantees a prescribed performance cost with the simultaneous consideration of poles assignment for the resulting closed-loop system. Finally, some simulation results are provided to show that the guaranteed cost controller could assign the poles into the desired regional and achieve excellent reference altitude and velocity tracking performance.

Heat Pipe with Axial Wick

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ambrose, Jay H. (Inventor); Holmes, Rolland (Inventor)

2016-01-01

A heat pipe has an evaporator portion, a condenser portion, and at least one flexible portion that is sealingly coupled between the evaporator portion and the condenser portion. The flexible portion has a flexible tube and a flexible separator plate held in place within the flexible tube so as to divide the flexible tube into a gas-phase passage and a liquid-phase artery. The separator plate and flexible tube are configured such that the flexible portion is flexible in a plane that is perpendicular to the separator plate.

Design and Testing of a Flexible Inclinometer Probe for Model Tests of Landslide Deep Displacement Measurement.

PubMed

Zhang, Yongquan; Tang, Huiming; Li, Changdong; Lu, Guiying; Cai, Yi; Zhang, Junrong; Tan, Fulin

2018-01-14

The physical model test of landslides is important for studying landslide structural damage, and parameter measurement is key in this process. To meet the measurement requirements for deep displacement in landslide physical models, an automatic flexible inclinometer probe with good coupling and large deformation capacity was designed. The flexible inclinometer probe consists of several gravity acceleration sensing units that are protected and positioned by silicon encapsulation, all the units are connected to a 485-comunication bus. By sensing the two-axis tilt angle, the direction and magnitude of the displacement for a measurement unit can be calculated, then the overall displacement is accumulated according to all units, integrated from bottom to top in turn. In the conversion from angle to displacement, two spline interpolation methods are introduced to correct and resample the data; one is to interpolate the displacement after conversion, and the other is to interpolate the angle before conversion; compared with the result read from checkered paper, the latter is proved to have a better effect, with an additional condition that the displacement curve move up half the length of the unit. The flexible inclinometer is verified with respect to its principle and arrangement by a laboratory physical model test, and the test results are highly consistent with the actual deformation of the landslide model.

Design and Testing of a Flexible Inclinometer Probe for Model Tests of Landslide Deep Displacement Measurement

PubMed Central

Zhang, Yongquan; Tang, Huiming; Li, Changdong; Lu, Guiying; Cai, Yi; Zhang, Junrong; Tan, Fulin

2018-01-01

The physical model test of landslides is important for studying landslide structural damage, and parameter measurement is key in this process. To meet the measurement requirements for deep displacement in landslide physical models, an automatic flexible inclinometer probe with good coupling and large deformation capacity was designed. The flexible inclinometer probe consists of several gravity acceleration sensing units that are protected and positioned by silicon encapsulation, all the units are connected to a 485-comunication bus. By sensing the two-axis tilt angle, the direction and magnitude of the displacement for a measurement unit can be calculated, then the overall displacement is accumulated according to all units, integrated from bottom to top in turn. In the conversion from angle to displacement, two spline interpolation methods are introduced to correct and resample the data; one is to interpolate the displacement after conversion, and the other is to interpolate the angle before conversion; compared with the result read from checkered paper, the latter is proved to have a better effect, with an additional condition that the displacement curve move up half the length of the unit. The flexible inclinometer is verified with respect to its principle and arrangement by a laboratory physical model test, and the test results are highly consistent with the actual deformation of the landslide model. PMID:29342902

Finite Element Modeling of Coupled Flexible Multibody Dynamics and Liquid Sloshing

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-09-01

tanks is presented. The semi-discrete combined solid and fluid equations of motions are integrated using a time- accurate parallel explicit solver...Incompressible fluid flow in a moving/deforming container including accurate modeling of the free-surface, turbulence, and viscous effects ...paper, a single computational code which uses a time- accurate explicit solution procedure is used to solve both the solid and fluid equations of

Balancing accuracy, efficiency, and flexibility in a radiative transfer parameterization for dynamical models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pincus, R.; Mlawer, E. J.

2017-12-01

Radiation is key process in numerical models of the atmosphere. The problem is well-understood and the parameterization of radiation has seen relatively few conceptual advances in the past 15 years. It is nonthelss often the single most expensive component of all physical parameterizations despite being computed less frequently than other terms. This combination of cost and maturity suggests value in a single radiation parameterization that could be shared across models; devoting effort to a single parameterization might allow for fine tuning for efficiency. The challenge lies in the coupling of this parameterization to many disparate representations of clouds and aerosols. This talk will describe RRTMGP, a new radiation parameterization that seeks to balance efficiency and flexibility. This balance is struck by isolating computational tasks in "kernels" that expose as much fine-grained parallelism as possible. These have simple interfaces and are interoperable across programming languages so that they might be repalced by alternative implementations in domain-specific langauges. Coupling to the host model makes use of object-oriented features of Fortran 2003, minimizing branching within the kernels and the amount of data that must be transferred. We will show accuracy and efficiency results for a globally-representative set of atmospheric profiles using a relatively high-resolution spectral discretization.

On mathematical modelling of aeroelastic problems with finite element method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sváček, Petr

2018-06-01

This paper is interested in solution of two-dimensional aeroelastic problems. Two mathematical models are compared for a benchmark problem. First, the classical approach of linearized aerodynamical forces is described to determine the aeroelastic instability and the aeroelastic response in terms of frequency and damping coefficient. This approach is compared to the coupled fluid-structure model solved with the aid of finite element method used for approximation of the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations. The finite element approximations are coupled to the non-linear motion equations of a flexibly supported airfoil. Both methods are first compared for the case of small displacement, where the linearized approach can be well adopted. The influence of nonlinearities for the case of post-critical regime is discussed.

Boundary control for a constrained two-link rigid-flexible manipulator with prescribed performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Fangfei; Liu, Jinkun

2018-05-01

In this paper, we consider a boundary control problem for a constrained two-link rigid-flexible manipulator. The nonlinear system is described by hybrid ordinary differential equation-partial differential equation (ODE-PDE) dynamic model. Based on the coupled ODE-PDE model, boundary control is proposed to regulate the joint positions and eliminate the elastic vibration simultaneously. With the help of prescribed performance functions, the tracking error can converge to an arbitrarily small residual set and the convergence rate is no less than a certain pre-specified value. Asymptotic stability of the closed-loop system is rigorously proved by the LaSalle's Invariance Principle extended to infinite-dimensional system. Numerical simulations are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed controller.

Reproducible Hydrogeophysical Inversions through the Open-Source Library pyGIMLi

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wagner, F. M.; Rücker, C.; Günther, T.

2017-12-01

Many tasks in applied geosciences cannot be solved by a single measurement method and require the integration of geophysical, geotechnical and hydrological methods. In the emerging field of hydrogeophysics, researchers strive to gain quantitative information on process-relevant subsurface parameters by means of multi-physical models, which simulate the dynamic process of interest as well as its geophysical response. However, such endeavors are associated with considerable technical challenges, since they require coupling of different numerical models. This represents an obstacle for many practitioners and students. Even technically versatile users tend to build individually tailored solutions by coupling different (and potentially proprietary) forward simulators at the cost of scientific reproducibility. We argue that the reproducibility of studies in computational hydrogeophysics, and therefore the advancement of the field itself, requires versatile open-source software. To this end, we present pyGIMLi - a flexible and computationally efficient framework for modeling and inversion in geophysics. The object-oriented library provides management for structured and unstructured meshes in 2D and 3D, finite-element and finite-volume solvers, various geophysical forward operators, as well as Gauss-Newton based frameworks for constrained, joint and fully-coupled inversions with flexible regularization. In a step-by-step demonstration, it is shown how the hydrogeophysical response of a saline tracer migration can be simulated. Tracer concentration data from boreholes and measured voltages at the surface are subsequently used to estimate the hydraulic conductivity distribution of the aquifer within a single reproducible Python script.

Flexible Environmental Modeling with Python and Open - GIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pryet, Alexandre; Atteia, Olivier; Delottier, Hugo; Cousquer, Yohann

2015-04-01

Numerical modeling now represents a prominent task of environmental studies. During the last decades, numerous commercial programs have been made available to environmental modelers. These software applications offer user-friendly graphical user interfaces that allow an efficient management of many case studies. However, they suffer from a lack of flexibility and closed-source policies impede source code reviewing and enhancement for original studies. Advanced modeling studies require flexible tools capable of managing thousands of model runs for parameter optimization, uncertainty and sensitivity analysis. In addition, there is a growing need for the coupling of various numerical models associating, for instance, groundwater flow modeling to multi-species geochemical reactions. Researchers have produced hundreds of open-source powerful command line programs. However, there is a need for a flexible graphical user interface allowing an efficient processing of geospatial data that comes along any environmental study. Here, we present the advantages of using the free and open-source Qgis platform and the Python scripting language for conducting environmental modeling studies. The interactive graphical user interface is first used for the visualization and pre-processing of input geospatial datasets. Python scripting language is then employed for further input data processing, call to one or several models, and post-processing of model outputs. Model results are eventually sent back to the GIS program, processed and visualized. This approach combines the advantages of interactive graphical interfaces and the flexibility of Python scripting language for data processing and model calls. The numerous python modules available facilitate geospatial data processing and numerical analysis of model outputs. Once input data has been prepared with the graphical user interface, models may be run thousands of times from the command line with sequential or parallel calls. We illustrate this approach with several case studies in groundwater hydrology and geochemistry and provide links to several python libraries that facilitate pre- and post-processing operations.

Electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT)-like transmission in side-coupled complementary split-ring resonators.

PubMed

Guo, Yinghui; Yan, Lianshan; Pan, Wei; Luo, Bin; Wen, Kunhua; Guo, Zhen; Luo, Xiangang

2012-10-22

We investigate a plasmonic waveguide system based on side-coupled complementary split-ring resonators (CSRR), which exhibits electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT)-like transmission. LC resonance model is utilized to explain the electromagnetic responses of CSRR, which is verified by simulation results of finite difference time domain method. The electromagnetic responses of CSRR can be flexible handled by changing the asymmetry degree of the structure and the width of the metallic baffles. Cascaded CSRRs also have been studied to obtain EIT-like transmission at visible and near-infrared region, simultaneously.

High-resolution coupled physics solvers for analysing fine-scale nuclear reactor design problems.

PubMed

Mahadevan, Vijay S; Merzari, Elia; Tautges, Timothy; Jain, Rajeev; Obabko, Aleksandr; Smith, Michael; Fischer, Paul

2014-08-06

An integrated multi-physics simulation capability for the design and analysis of current and future nuclear reactor models is being investigated, to tightly couple neutron transport and thermal-hydraulics physics under the SHARP framework. Over several years, high-fidelity, validated mono-physics solvers with proven scalability on petascale architectures have been developed independently. Based on a unified component-based architecture, these existing codes can be coupled with a mesh-data backplane and a flexible coupling-strategy-based driver suite to produce a viable tool for analysts. The goal of the SHARP framework is to perform fully resolved coupled physics analysis of a reactor on heterogeneous geometry, in order to reduce the overall numerical uncertainty while leveraging available computational resources. The coupling methodology and software interfaces of the framework are presented, along with verification studies on two representative fast sodium-cooled reactor demonstration problems to prove the usability of the SHARP framework.

High-resolution coupled physics solvers for analysing fine-scale nuclear reactor design problems

PubMed Central

Mahadevan, Vijay S.; Merzari, Elia; Tautges, Timothy; Jain, Rajeev; Obabko, Aleksandr; Smith, Michael; Fischer, Paul

2014-01-01

An integrated multi-physics simulation capability for the design and analysis of current and future nuclear reactor models is being investigated, to tightly couple neutron transport and thermal-hydraulics physics under the SHARP framework. Over several years, high-fidelity, validated mono-physics solvers with proven scalability on petascale architectures have been developed independently. Based on a unified component-based architecture, these existing codes can be coupled with a mesh-data backplane and a flexible coupling-strategy-based driver suite to produce a viable tool for analysts. The goal of the SHARP framework is to perform fully resolved coupled physics analysis of a reactor on heterogeneous geometry, in order to reduce the overall numerical uncertainty while leveraging available computational resources. The coupling methodology and software interfaces of the framework are presented, along with verification studies on two representative fast sodium-cooled reactor demonstration problems to prove the usability of the SHARP framework. PMID:24982250

Dynamic Analysis of Geared Rotors by Finite Elements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kahraman, A.; Ozguven, H. Nevzat; Houser, D. R.; Zakrajsek, J. J.

1992-01-01

A finite element model of a geared rotor system on flexible bearings has been developed. The model includes the rotary inertia of on shaft elements, the axial loading on shafts, flexibility and damping of bearings, material damping of shafts and the stiffness and the damping of gear mesh. The coupling between the torsional and transverse vibrations of gears were considered in the model. A constant mesh stiffness was assumed. The analysis procedure can be used for forced vibration analysis geared rotors by calculating the critical speeds and determining the response of any point on the shafts to mass unbalances, geometric eccentricities of gears, and displacement transmission error excitation at the mesh point. The dynamic mesh forces due to these excitations can also be calculated. The model has been applied to several systems for the demonstration of its accuracy and for studying the effect of bearing compliances on system dynamics.

A mathematical model of the human metabolic system and metabolic flexibility.

PubMed

Pearson, T; Wattis, J A D; King, J R; MacDonald, I A; Mazzatti, D J

2014-09-01

In healthy subjects some tissues in the human body display metabolic flexibility, by this we mean the ability for the tissue to switch its fuel source between predominantly carbohydrates in the postprandial state and predominantly fats in the fasted state. Many of the pathways involved with human metabolism are controlled by insulin and insulin-resistant states such as obesity and type-2 diabetes are characterised by a loss or impairment of metabolic flexibility. In this paper we derive a system of 12 first-order coupled differential equations that describe the transport between and storage in different tissues of the human body. We find steady state solutions to these equations and use these results to nondimensionalise the model. We then solve the model numerically to simulate a healthy balanced meal and a high fat meal and we discuss and compare these results. Our numerical results show good agreement with experimental data where we have data available to us and the results show behaviour that agrees with intuition where we currently have no data with which to compare.

pyGIMLi: An open-source library for modelling and inversion in geophysics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rücker, Carsten; Günther, Thomas; Wagner, Florian M.

2017-12-01

Many tasks in applied geosciences cannot be solved by single measurements, but require the integration of geophysical, geotechnical and hydrological methods. Numerical simulation techniques are essential both for planning and interpretation, as well as for the process understanding of modern geophysical methods. These trends encourage open, simple, and modern software architectures aiming at a uniform interface for interdisciplinary and flexible modelling and inversion approaches. We present pyGIMLi (Python Library for Inversion and Modelling in Geophysics), an open-source framework that provides tools for modelling and inversion of various geophysical but also hydrological methods. The modelling component supplies discretization management and the numerical basis for finite-element and finite-volume solvers in 1D, 2D and 3D on arbitrarily structured meshes. The generalized inversion framework solves the minimization problem with a Gauss-Newton algorithm for any physical forward operator and provides opportunities for uncertainty and resolution analyses. More general requirements, such as flexible regularization strategies, time-lapse processing and different sorts of coupling individual methods are provided independently of the actual methods used. The usage of pyGIMLi is first demonstrated by solving the steady-state heat equation, followed by a demonstration of more complex capabilities for the combination of different geophysical data sets. A fully coupled hydrogeophysical inversion of electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) data of a simulated tracer experiment is presented that allows to directly reconstruct the underlying hydraulic conductivity distribution of the aquifer. Another example demonstrates the improvement of jointly inverting ERT and ultrasonic data with respect to saturation by a new approach that incorporates petrophysical relations in the inversion. Potential applications of the presented framework are manifold and include time-lapse, constrained, joint, and coupled inversions of various geophysical and hydrological data sets.

Evidence supporting a role for astrocytes in the regulation of cognitive flexibility and neuronal oscillations through the Ca2+ binding protein S100β.

PubMed

Brockett, Adam T; Kane, Gary A; Monari, Patrick K; Briones, Brandy A; Vigneron, Pierre-Antoine; Barber, Gabriela A; Bermudez, Andres; Dieffenbach, Uma; Kloth, Alexander D; Buschman, Timothy J; Gould, Elizabeth

2018-01-01

The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is important for cognitive flexibility, the ability to switch between two task-relevant dimensions. Changes in neuronal oscillations and alterations in the coupling across frequency ranges have been correlated with attention and cognitive flexibility. Here we show that astrocytes in the mPFC of adult male Sprague Dawley rats, participate in cognitive flexibility through the astrocyte-specific Ca2+ binding protein S100β, which improves cognitive flexibility and increases phase amplitude coupling between theta and gamma oscillations. We further show that reduction of astrocyte number in the mPFC impairs cognitive flexibility and diminishes delta, alpha and gamma power. Conversely, chemogenetic activation of astrocytic intracellular Ca2+ signaling in the mPFC enhances cognitive flexibility, while inactivation of endogenous S100β among chemogenetically activated astrocytes in the mPFC prevents this improvement. Collectively, our work suggests that astrocytes make important contributions to cognitive flexibility and that they do so by releasing a Ca2+ binding protein which in turn enhances coordinated neuronal oscillations.

Coupling surface water (Delft3D) to groundwater (MODFLOW) in the Bay-Delta community model: the effect of major abstractions in the Delta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hendriks, D.; Ball, S. M.; Van der Wegen, M.; Verkaik, J.; van Dam, A.

2016-12-01

We present a coupled groundwater-surface water model for the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento Valley that consists of a combination of a spatially-distributed groundwater model (Modflow) based on the USGS Central Valley model(1) and the Flexible Mesh (FM) surface water model of the Bay Area(2). With this coupled groundwater-surface water model, we assessed effects of climate, surface water abstractions and groundwater pumping on surface water and groundwater levels, groundwater-surface water interaction and infiltration/seepage fluxes. Results show that the effect of climate (high flow and low flow) on surface water and groundwater is significant and most prominent in upstream areas. The surface water abstractions cause significant local surface water levels decrease (over 2 m), which may cause inflow of bay water during low flow periods, resulting in salinization of surface water in more upstream areas. Groundwater level drawdown due to surface water withdrawal is moderate and limited to the area of the withdrawals. The groundwater pumping causes large groundwater level drawdowns (up to 0.8 m) and significant changes in seepage/infiltration fluxes in the model. However, the effect on groundwater-surface water exchange is relatively small. The presented model instrument gives a sound first impression of the effects of climate and water abstraction on both surface water and groundwater. The combination of Modflow and Flexible Mesh has potential for modelling of groundwater-surface water exchange in deltaic areas, also in other parts of the world. However, various improvements need to be made in order to make the simulation results useful in practice. In addition, a water quality aspect could be added to assess salinization processes as well as groundwater-surface water aspects of water and soil pollution. (1) http://ca.water.usgs.gov/projects/central-valley/central-valley-hydrologic-model.html (2) www.d3d-baydelta.org

Investigation of the effects of sleeper-passing impacts on the high-speed train

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Xingwen; Cai, Wubin; Chi, Maoru; Wei, Lai; Shi, Huailong; Zhu, Minhao

2015-12-01

The sleeper-passing impact has always been considered negligible in normal conditions, while the experimental data obtained from a High-speed train in a cold weather expressed significant sleeper-passing impacts on the axle box, bogie frame and car body. Therefore, in this study, a vertical coupled vehicle/track dynamic model was developed to investigate the sleeper-passing impacts and its effects on the dynamic performance of the high-speed train. In the model, the dynamic model of vehicle is established with 10 degrees of freedom. The track model is formulated with two rails supported on the discrete supports through the finite element method. The contact forces between the wheel and rail are estimated using the non-linear Hertz contact theory. The parametric studies are conducted to analyse effects of both the vehicle speeds and the discrete support stiffness on the sleeper-passing impacts. The results show that the sleeper-passing impacts become extremely significant with the increased support stiffness of track, especially when the frequencies of sleeper-passing impacts approach to the resonance frequencies of wheel/track system. The damping of primary suspension can effectively lower the magnitude of impacts in the resonance speed ranges, but has little effect on other speed ranges. Finally, a more comprehensively coupled vehicle/track dynamic model integrating with a flexible wheel set is developed to discuss the sleeper-passing-induced flexible vibration of wheel set.

Research on dynamic characteristics of motor vibration isolation system through mechanical impedance method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Xingqian; Xu, Wei; Shuai, Changgeng; Hu, Zechao

2017-12-01

A mechanical impedance model of a coupled motor-shaft-bearing system has been developed to predict the dynamic characteristics and partially validated by comparing the computing results with finite element method (FEM), including the comparison of displacement amplitude in x and z directions at the two ends of the flexible coupling, the comparison of normalized vertical reaction force in z direction at bearing pedestals. The results demonstrate that the developed model can precisely predict the dynamic characteristics and the main advantage of such a method is that it can clearly illustrate the vibration property of the motor subsystem, which plays an important role in the isolation system design.

Dynamic modeling and experiments on the coupled vibrations of building and elevator ropes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Dong-Ho; Kim, Ki-Young; Kwak, Moon K.; Lee, Seungjun

2017-03-01

This study is concerned with the theoretical modelling and experimental verification of the coupled vibrations of building and elevator ropes. The elevator ropes consist of a main rope which supports the cage and the compensation rope which is connected to the compensation sheave. The elevator rope is a flexible wire with a low damping, so it is prone to vibrations. In the case of a high-rise building, the rope length also increases significantly, so that the fundamental frequency of the elevator rope approaches the fundamental frequency of the building thus increasing the possibility of resonance. In this study, the dynamic model for the analysis of coupled vibrations of building and elevator ropes was derived by using Hamilton's principle, where the cage motion was also considered. An experimental testbed was built to validate the proposed dynamic model. It was found that the experimental results are in good agreement with the theoretical predictions thus validating the proposed dynamic model. The proposed model was then used to predict the vibrations of real building and elevator ropes.

Control of critical coupling in a coiled coaxial cable resonator.

PubMed

Huang, Jie; Wei, Tao; Wang, Tao; Fan, Jun; Xiao, Hai

2014-05-01

This paper reports a coiled coaxial cable resonator fabricated by cutting a slot in a spring-like coiled coaxial cable to produce a periodic perturbation. Electromagnetic coupling between two neighboring slots was observed. By manipulating the number of slots, critical coupling of the coiled coaxial cable resonator can be well controlled. An ultrahigh signal-to-noise ratio (over 50 dB) at the resonant frequency band was experimentally achieved from a coiled coaxial cable resonator with 38 turns. A theoretic model is developed to understand the device physics. The proposed device can be potentially used as a high quality and flexibly designed band-stop filter or a sensor in structural health monitoring.

78 FR 63850 - Airworthiness Directives; AgustaWestland S.p.A. (Agusta) Helicopters

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-10-25

... occurs first. This AD was prompted by two incidents of cracking on the nuts that connect the flexible... incidents of cracking on the nuts that connect the flexible disc coupling (Thomas coupling) with the splined... this AD. Labor costs are estimated at $85 per hour. We estimate 2 work hours to inspect each nut and 16...

Poroelastic Modeling as a Proof of Concept for Modular Representation of Coupled Geophysical Processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walker, R. L., II; Knepley, M.; Aminzadeh, F.

2017-12-01

We seek to use the tools provided by the Portable, Extensible Toolkit for Scientific Computation (PETSc) to represent a multiphysics problem in a form that decouples the element definition from the fully coupled equation through the use of pointwise functions that imitate the strong form of the governing equation. This allows allows individual physical processes to be expressed as independent kernels that may be then coupled with the existing finite element framework, PyLith, and capitalizes upon the flexibility offered by the solver, data management, and time stepping algorithms offered by PETSc. To demonstrate a characteristic example of coupled geophysical simulation devised in this manner, we present a model of a synthetic poroelastic environment, with and without the consideration of inertial effects, with fluid initially represented as a single phase. Matrix displacement and fluid pressure serve as the desired unknowns, with the option for various model parameters represented as dependent variables of the central unknowns. While independent of PyLith, this model also serves to showcase the adaptability of physics kernels for synthetic forward modeling. In addition, we seek to expand the base case to demonstrate the impact of modeling fluid as single phase compressible versus a single incompressible phase. As a goal, we also seek to include multiphase fluid modeling, as well as capillary effects.

Flexible parallel implicit modelling of coupled thermal-hydraulic-mechanical processes in fractured rocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cacace, Mauro; Jacquey, Antoine B.

2017-09-01

Theory and numerical implementation describing groundwater flow and the transport of heat and solute mass in fully saturated fractured rocks with elasto-plastic mechanical feedbacks are developed. In our formulation, fractures are considered as being of lower dimension than the hosting deformable porous rock and we consider their hydraulic and mechanical apertures as scaling parameters to ensure continuous exchange of fluid mass and energy within the fracture-solid matrix system. The coupled system of equations is implemented in a new simulator code that makes use of a Galerkin finite-element technique. The code builds on a flexible, object-oriented numerical framework (MOOSE, Multiphysics Object Oriented Simulation Environment) which provides an extensive scalable parallel and implicit coupling to solve for the multiphysics problem. The governing equations of groundwater flow, heat and mass transport, and rock deformation are solved in a weak sense (either by classical Newton-Raphson or by free Jacobian inexact Newton-Krylow schemes) on an underlying unstructured mesh. Nonlinear feedbacks among the active processes are enforced by considering evolving fluid and rock properties depending on the thermo-hydro-mechanical state of the system and the local structure, i.e. degree of connectivity, of the fracture system. A suite of applications is presented to illustrate the flexibility and capability of the new simulator to address problems of increasing complexity and occurring at different spatial (from centimetres to tens of kilometres) and temporal scales (from minutes to hundreds of years).

The sympathy of two pendulum clocks: beyond Huygens' observations.

PubMed

Peña Ramirez, Jonatan; Olvera, Luis Alberto; Nijmeijer, Henk; Alvarez, Joaquin

2016-03-29

This paper introduces a modern version of the classical Huygens' experiment on synchronization of pendulum clocks. The version presented here consists of two monumental pendulum clocks--ad hoc designed and fabricated--which are coupled through a wooden structure. It is demonstrated that the coupled clocks exhibit 'sympathetic' motion, i.e. the pendula of the clocks oscillate in consonance and in the same direction. Interestingly, when the clocks are synchronized, the common oscillation frequency decreases, i.e. the clocks become slow and inaccurate. In order to rigorously explain these findings, a mathematical model for the coupled clocks is obtained by using well-established physical and mechanical laws and likewise, a theoretical analysis is conducted. Ultimately, the sympathy of two monumental pendulum clocks, interacting via a flexible coupling structure, is experimentally, numerically, and analytically demonstrated.

Flexible Environments for Grand-Challenge Simulation in Climate Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pierrehumbert, R.; Tobis, M.; Lin, J.; Dieterich, C.; Caballero, R.

2004-12-01

Current climate models are monolithic codes, generally in Fortran, aimed at high-performance simulation of the modern climate. Though they adequately serve their designated purpose, they present major barriers to application in other problems. Tailoring them to paleoclimate of planetary simulations, for instance, takes months of work. Theoretical studies, where one may want to remove selected processes or break feedback loops, are similarly hindered. Further, current climate models are of little value in education, since the implementation of textbook concepts and equations in the code is obscured by technical detail. The Climate Systems Center at the University of Chicago seeks to overcome these limitations by bringing modern object-oriented design into the business of climate modeling. Our ultimate goal is to produce an end-to-end modeling environment capable of configuring anything from a simple single-column radiative-convective model to a full 3-D coupled climate model using a uniform, flexible interface. Technically, the modeling environment is implemented as a Python-based software component toolkit: key number-crunching procedures are implemented as discrete, compiled-language components 'glued' together and co-ordinated by Python, combining the high performance of compiled languages and the flexibility and extensibility of Python. We are incrementally working towards this final objective following a series of distinct, complementary lines. We will present an overview of these activities, including PyOM, a Python-based finite-difference ocean model allowing run-time selection of different Arakawa grids and physical parameterizations; CliMT, an atmospheric modeling toolkit providing a library of 'legacy' radiative, convective and dynamical modules which can be knitted into dynamical models, and PyCCSM, a version of NCAR's Community Climate System Model in which the coupler and run-control architecture are re-implemented in Python, augmenting its flexibility and adaptability.

Reconfiguration of a flexible flat plate under snow loading

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gosselin, Frédérick; de Langre, Emmanuel

2015-11-01

Snow and wind constitute two of the main sources of mechanical loading on terrestrial plants. Plants bend and twist with large amplitude to bear these loads. For the past ten years, various authors have sought to decompose the problem of plant reconfiguration under fluid flow into its fundamental mechanical ingredients by studying the reconfiguration of simple flexible structures such as beams, plates, rods and strips. Here, we adopt a similar approach to these studies and consider the snow interception of a flexible flat plate. We performed two sets of experiments on thin flexible rectangular plates supported at their center: in the first one, a plate was subjected to real snowing events; in the second one, a plate was loaded with glass beads acting as a granular media similar to snow. Moreover, a theoretical model coupling the Elastica formulation to a loading with a set angle of repose is developed. The model is found to be in good agreement with the experiments on glass beads. Asymptotic scaling laws can be found similarly to the Vogel exponents of reconfiguring structures. For the real snow loading, it is found that the cohesive force in snow which is highly dependent on the snow temperature complicate things greatly.

Nonlinear electromechanical modelling and dynamical behavior analysis of a satellite reaction wheel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aghalari, Alireza; Shahravi, Morteza

2017-12-01

The present research addresses the satellite reaction wheel (RW) nonlinear electromechanical coupling dynamics including dynamic eccentricity of brushless dc (BLDC) motor and gyroscopic effects, as well as dry friction of shaft-bearing joints (relative small slip) and bearing friction. In contrast to other studies, the rotational velocity of the flywheel is considered to be controllable, so it is possible to study the reaction wheel dynamical behavior in acceleration stages. The RW is modeled as a three-phases BLDC motor as well as flywheel with unbalances on a rigid shaft and flexible bearings. Improved Lagrangian dynamics for electromechanical systems is used to obtain the mathematical model of the system. The developed model can properly describe electromechanical nonlinear coupled dynamical behavior of the satellite RW. Numerical simulations show the effectiveness of the presented approach.

Integrated Flight/Structural Mode Control for Very Flexible Aircraft Using L1 Adaptive Output Feedback Controller

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Che, Jiaxing; Cao, Chengyu; Gregory, Irene M.

2012-01-01

This paper explores application of adaptive control architecture to a light, high-aspect ratio, flexible aircraft configuration that exhibits strong rigid body/flexible mode coupling. Specifically, an L(sub 1) adaptive output feedback controller is developed for a semi-span wind tunnel model capable of motion. The wind tunnel mount allows the semi-span model to translate vertically and pitch at the wing root, resulting in better simulation of an aircraft s rigid body motion. The control objective is to design a pitch control with altitude hold while suppressing body freedom flutter. The controller is an output feedback nominal controller (LQG) augmented by an L(sub 1) adaptive loop. A modification to the L(sub 1) output feedback is proposed to make it more suitable for flexible structures. The new control law relaxes the required bounds on the unmatched uncertainty and allows dependence on the state as well as time, i.e. a more general unmatched nonlinearity. The paper presents controller development and simulated performance responses. Simulation is conducted by using full state flexible wing models derived from test data at 10 different dynamic pressure conditions. An L(sub 1) adaptive output feedback controller is designed for a single test point and is then applied to all the test cases. The simulation results show that the L(sub 1) augmented controller can stabilize and meet the performance requirements for all 10 test conditions ranging from 30 psf to 130 psf dynamic pressure.

Active control of helicopter air resonance in hover and forward flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Takahashi, M. D.; Friedman, P. P.

1988-01-01

A coupled rotor/fuselage helicopter analysis is presented. The accuracy of the model is illustrated by comparing it with experimental data. The sensitivity of the open loop damping of the unstable resonance mode to such modeling effects as blade torsional flexibility, unsteady aerodynamics, forward flight, periodic terms, and trim solution is illustrated by numerous examples. Subsequently, the model is used in conjunction with linear optimal control theory to stabilize the air resonance mode. The influence of the modeling effects mentioned before on active resonance control is then investigated.

The effect of metallicity on the atmospheres of exoplanets with fully coupled 3D hydrodynamics, equilibrium chemistry, and radiative transfer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drummond, B.; Mayne, N. J.; Baraffe, I.; Tremblin, P.; Manners, J.; Amundsen, D. S.; Goyal, J.; Acreman, D.

2018-05-01

In this work, we have performed a series of simulations of the atmosphere of GJ 1214b assuming different metallicities using the Met Office Unified Model (UM). The UM is a general circulation model (GCM) that solves the deep, non-hydrostatic equations of motion and uses a flexible and accurate radiative transfer scheme, based on the two-stream and correlated-k approximations, to calculate the heating rates. In this work we consistently couple a well-tested Gibbs energy minimisation scheme to solve for the chemical equilibrium abundances locally in each grid cell for a general set of elemental abundances, further improving the flexibility and accuracy of the model. As the metallicity of the atmosphere is increased we find significant changes in the dynamical and thermal structure, with subsequent implications for the simulated phase curve. The trends that we find are qualitatively consistent with previous works, though with quantitative differences. We investigate in detail the effect of increasing the metallicity by splitting the mechanism into constituents, involving the mean molecular weight, the heat capacity and the opacities. We find the opacity effect to be the dominant mechanism in altering the circulation and thermal structure. This result highlights the importance of accurately computing the opacities and radiative transfer in 3D GCMs.

Coupling long and short term decisions in the design of urban water supply infrastructure for added reliability and flexibility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marques, G.; Fraga, C. C. S.; Medellin-Azuara, J.

2016-12-01

The expansion and operation of urban water supply systems under growing demands, hydrologic uncertainty and water scarcity requires a strategic combination of supply sources for reliability, reduced costs and improved operational flexibility. The design and operation of such portfolio of water supply sources involves integration of long and short term planning to determine what and when to expand, and how much to use of each supply source accounting for interest rates, economies of scale and hydrologic variability. This research presents an integrated methodology coupling dynamic programming optimization with quadratic programming to optimize the expansion (long term) and operations (short term) of multiple water supply alternatives. Lagrange Multipliers produced by the short-term model provide a signal about the marginal opportunity cost of expansion to the long-term model, in an iterative procedure. A simulation model hosts the water supply infrastructure and hydrologic conditions. Results allow (a) identification of trade offs between cost and reliability of different expansion paths and water use decisions; (b) evaluation of water transfers between urban supply systems; and (c) evaluation of potential gains by reducing water system losses as a portfolio component. The latter is critical in several developing countries where water supply system losses are high and often neglected in favor of more system expansion.

Extended Neural Metastability in an Embodied Model of Sensorimotor Coupling

PubMed Central

Aguilera, Miguel; Bedia, Manuel G.; Barandiaran, Xabier E.

2016-01-01

The hypothesis that brain organization is based on mechanisms of metastable synchronization in neural assemblies has been popularized during the last decades of neuroscientific research. Nevertheless, the role of body and environment for understanding the functioning of metastable assemblies is frequently dismissed. The main goal of this paper is to investigate the contribution of sensorimotor coupling to neural and behavioral metastability using a minimal computational model of plastic neural ensembles embedded in a robotic agent in a behavioral preference task. Our hypothesis is that, under some conditions, the metastability of the system is not restricted to the brain but extends to the system composed by the interaction of brain, body and environment. We test this idea, comparing an agent in continuous interaction with its environment in a task demanding behavioral flexibility with an equivalent model from the point of view of “internalist neuroscience.” A statistical characterization of our model and tools from information theory allow us to show how (1) the bidirectional coupling between agent and environment brings the system closer to a regime of criticality and triggers the emergence of additional metastable states which are not found in the brain in isolation but extended to the whole system of sensorimotor interaction, (2) the synaptic plasticity of the agent is fundamental to sustain open structures in the neural controller of the agent flexibly engaging and disengaging different behavioral patterns that sustain sensorimotor metastable states, and (3) these extended metastable states emerge when the agent generates an asymmetrical circular loop of causal interaction with its environment, in which the agent responds to variability of the environment at fast timescales while acting over the environment at slow timescales, suggesting the constitution of the agent as an autonomous entity actively modulating its sensorimotor coupling with the world. We conclude with a reflection about how our results contribute in a more general way to current progress in neuroscientific research. PMID:27721746

Extended Neural Metastability in an Embodied Model of Sensorimotor Coupling.

PubMed

Aguilera, Miguel; Bedia, Manuel G; Barandiaran, Xabier E

2016-01-01

The hypothesis that brain organization is based on mechanisms of metastable synchronization in neural assemblies has been popularized during the last decades of neuroscientific research. Nevertheless, the role of body and environment for understanding the functioning of metastable assemblies is frequently dismissed. The main goal of this paper is to investigate the contribution of sensorimotor coupling to neural and behavioral metastability using a minimal computational model of plastic neural ensembles embedded in a robotic agent in a behavioral preference task. Our hypothesis is that, under some conditions, the metastability of the system is not restricted to the brain but extends to the system composed by the interaction of brain, body and environment. We test this idea, comparing an agent in continuous interaction with its environment in a task demanding behavioral flexibility with an equivalent model from the point of view of "internalist neuroscience." A statistical characterization of our model and tools from information theory allow us to show how (1) the bidirectional coupling between agent and environment brings the system closer to a regime of criticality and triggers the emergence of additional metastable states which are not found in the brain in isolation but extended to the whole system of sensorimotor interaction, (2) the synaptic plasticity of the agent is fundamental to sustain open structures in the neural controller of the agent flexibly engaging and disengaging different behavioral patterns that sustain sensorimotor metastable states, and (3) these extended metastable states emerge when the agent generates an asymmetrical circular loop of causal interaction with its environment, in which the agent responds to variability of the environment at fast timescales while acting over the environment at slow timescales, suggesting the constitution of the agent as an autonomous entity actively modulating its sensorimotor coupling with the world. We conclude with a reflection about how our results contribute in a more general way to current progress in neuroscientific research.

Flexibility in flood management design: proactive planning under uncertainty

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smet, K.; de Neufville, R.; van der Vlist, M.

2016-12-01

This paper presents a value-enhancing approach for proactive planning and design of long-lived flood management infrastructure given uncertain future flooding threats. Designing infrastructure that can be adapted over time is a method to safeguard the efficacy of current design decisions given future uncertainties. We explore the value of embedding "options" in a physical structure, where an option is the right but not the obligation to do something at a later date (e.g. over-dimensioning a floodwall foundation now facilitates a future height addition in response to observed increases in sea level; building extra pump bays in a drainage pumping station enables the easy addition of pumping capacity whenever increased precipitation warrants an expansion.) The proposed approach couples a simulation model that captures future climate induced changes to the hydrologic operating environment of a structure, with an economic model that estimates the lifetime economic performance of alternative investment strategies. The economic model uses Real "In" Options analysis, a type of cash flow analysis that quantifies the implicit value of options and the flexibility they provide. We demonstrate the approach using replacement planning for the multi-functional pumping station IJmuiden on the North Sea Canal in the Netherlands. The analysis models flexibility in design decisions, varying the size and specific options included in the new structure. Results indicate that the incorporation of options within the structural design has the potential to improve its economic performance, as compared to more traditional, "build it once and build it big" designs where flexibility is not an explicit design criterion. The added value resulting from the incorporation of flexibility varies with the range of future conditions considered, and the specific options examined. This approach could be applied to explore investment strategies for the design of other flood management structures, as well as be expanded to look more at flexibility within an infrastructure network rather than a single structure. Flexibility in flood management design:proactive planning under uncertainty

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Deng, Mingsen; Guizhou Provincial Key Laboratory of Computational Nano-Material Science, Institute of Applied Physics, Guizhou Normal College, Guiyang, 550018; Ye, Gui

The probe of flexible molecular conformation is crucial for the electric application of molecular systems. We have developed a theoretical procedure to analyze the couplings of molecular local vibrations with the electron transportation process, which enables us to evaluate the structural fingerprints of some vibrational modes in the inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy (IETS). Based on a model molecule of Bis-(4-mercaptophenyl)-ether with a flexible center angle, we have revealed and validated a simple mathematical relationship between IETS signals and molecular angles. Our results might open a route to quantitatively measure key geometrical parameters of molecular junctions, which helps to achieve precisemore » control of molecular devices.« less

Integrating surrogate models into subsurface simulation framework allows computation of complex reactive transport scenarios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Lucia, Marco; Kempka, Thomas; Jatnieks, Janis; Kühn, Michael

2017-04-01

Reactive transport simulations - where geochemical reactions are coupled with hydrodynamic transport of reactants - are extremely time consuming and suffer from significant numerical issues. Given the high uncertainties inherently associated with the geochemical models, which also constitute the major computational bottleneck, such requirements may seem inappropriate and probably constitute the main limitation for their wide application. A promising way to ease and speed-up such coupled simulations is achievable employing statistical surrogates instead of "full-physics" geochemical models [1]. Data-driven surrogates are reduced models obtained on a set of pre-calculated "full physics" simulations, capturing their principal features while being extremely fast to compute. Model reduction of course comes at price of a precision loss; however, this appears justified in presence of large uncertainties regarding the parametrization of geochemical processes. This contribution illustrates the integration of surrogates into the flexible simulation framework currently being developed by the authors' research group [2]. The high level language of choice for obtaining and dealing with surrogate models is R, which profits from state-of-the-art methods for statistical analysis of large simulations ensembles. A stand-alone advective mass transport module was furthermore developed in order to add such capability to any multiphase finite volume hydrodynamic simulator within the simulation framework. We present 2D and 3D case studies benchmarking the performance of surrogates and "full physics" chemistry in scenarios pertaining the assessment of geological subsurface utilization. [1] Jatnieks, J., De Lucia, M., Dransch, D., Sips, M.: "Data-driven surrogate model approach for improving the performance of reactive transport simulations.", Energy Procedia 97, 2016, p. 447-453. [2] Kempka, T., Nakaten, B., De Lucia, M., Nakaten, N., Otto, C., Pohl, M., Chabab [Tillner], E., Kühn, M.: "Flexible Simulation Framework to Couple Processes in Complex 3D Models for Subsurface Utilization Assessment.", Energy Procedia, 97, 2016 p. 494-501.

Reactive transport modeling in the subsurface environment with OGS-IPhreeqc

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Wenkui; Beyer, Christof; Fleckenstein, Jan; Jang, Eunseon; Kalbacher, Thomas; Naumov, Dimitri; Shao, Haibing; Wang, Wenqing; Kolditz, Olaf

2015-04-01

Worldwide, sustainable water resource management becomes an increasingly challenging task due to the growth of population and extensive applications of fertilizer in agriculture. Moreover, climate change causes further stresses to both water quantity and quality. Reactive transport modeling in the coupled soil-aquifer system is a viable approach to assess the impacts of different land use and groundwater exploitation scenarios on the water resources. However, the application of this approach is usually limited in spatial scale and to simplified geochemical systems due to the huge computational expense involved. Such computational expense is not only caused by solving the high non-linearity of the initial boundary value problems of water flow in the unsaturated zone numerically with rather fine spatial and temporal discretization for the correct mass balance and numerical stability, but also by the intensive computational task of quantifying geochemical reactions. In the present study, a flexible and efficient tool for large scale reactive transport modeling in variably saturated porous media and its applications are presented. The open source scientific software OpenGeoSys (OGS) is coupled with the IPhreeqc module of the geochemical solver PHREEQC. The new coupling approach makes full use of advantages from both codes: OGS provides a flexible choice of different numerical approaches for simulation of water flow in the vadose zone such as the pressure-based or mixed forms of Richards equation; whereas the IPhreeqc module leads to a simplification of data storage and its communication with OGS, which greatly facilitates the coupling and code updating. Moreover, a parallelization scheme with MPI (Message Passing Interface) is applied, in which the computational task of water flow and mass transport is partitioned through domain decomposition, whereas the efficient parallelization of geochemical reactions is achieved by smart allocation of computational workload over multiple compute nodes. The plausibility of the new coupling is verified by several benchmark tests. In addition, the efficiency of the new coupling approach is demonstrated by its application in a large scale scenario, in which the environmental fate of pesticides in a complex soil-aquifer system is studied.

Reactive transport modeling in variably saturated porous media with OGS-IPhreeqc

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, W.; Beyer, C.; Fleckenstein, J. H.; Jang, E.; Kalbacher, T.; Shao, H.; Wang, W.; Kolditz, O.

2014-12-01

Worldwide, sustainable water resource management becomes an increasingly challenging task due to the growth of population and extensive applications of fertilizer in agriculture. Moreover, climate change causes further stresses to both water quantity and quality. Reactive transport modeling in the coupled soil-aquifer system is a viable approach to assess the impacts of different land use and groundwater exploitation scenarios on the water resources. However, the application of this approach is usually limited in spatial scale and to simplified geochemical systems due to the huge computational expense involved. Such computational expense is not only caused by solving the high non-linearity of the initial boundary value problems of water flow in the unsaturated zone numerically with rather fine spatial and temporal discretization for the correct mass balance and numerical stability, but also by the intensive computational task of quantifying geochemical reactions. In the present study, a flexible and efficient tool for large scale reactive transport modeling in variably saturated porous media and its applications are presented. The open source scientific software OpenGeoSys (OGS) is coupled with the IPhreeqc module of the geochemical solver PHREEQC. The new coupling approach makes full use of advantages from both codes: OGS provides a flexible choice of different numerical approaches for simulation of water flow in the vadose zone such as the pressure-based or mixed forms of Richards equation; whereas the IPhreeqc module leads to a simplification of data storage and its communication with OGS, which greatly facilitates the coupling and code updating. Moreover, a parallelization scheme with MPI (Message Passing Interface) is applied, in which the computational task of water flow and mass transport is partitioned through domain decomposition, whereas the efficient parallelization of geochemical reactions is achieved by smart allocation of computational workload over multiple compute nodes. The plausibility of the new coupling is verified by several benchmark tests. In addition, the efficiency of the new coupling approach is demonstrated by its application in a large scale scenario, in which the environmental fate of pesticides in a complex soil-aquifer system is studied.

Diagnosing the Nature of Land-Atmosphere Coupling During the 2006-7 Dry/Wet Extremes in the U. S. Southern Great Plains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Santanello, Joseph A.; Peters-Lidard, Christa D.; Kennedy, Aaron D.; Kumar, Sujay; Dong, Xiquan

2011-01-01

Land-atmosphere (L-A) interactions play a critical role in determining the diurnal evolution of land surface and planetary boundary layer (PBL) temperature and moisture states and fluxes. In turn, these interactions regulate the strength of the connection between surface moisture and precipitation in a coupled system. To address deficiencies in numerical weather prediction and climate models due to improper treatment of L-A interactions, recent studies have focused on development of diagnostics to quantify the strength and accuracy of the land-PBL coupling at the process-level. In this study, a diagnosis of the nature and impacts of local land-atmosphere coupling (LoCo) during dry and wet extreme conditions is presented using a combination of models and observations during the summers of2006-7 in the U.S. Southern Great Plains. Specifically, the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model has been coupled to NASA's Land Information System (LIS), which provides a flexible and high resolution representation and initialization of land surface physics and states. A range of diagnostics exploring the links and feedbacks between soil moisture and precipitation are examined for the dry/wet regimes of this region, along with the behavior and accuracy of different land-PBL scheme couplings under these conditions. Results demonstrate how LoCo diagnostics can be applied to coupled model components in the context of their integrated impacts on the process-chain connecting the land surface to the PBL and support of hydrological anomalies.

Implementation and use of direct-flow connections in a coupled ground-water and surface-water model

USGS Publications Warehouse

Swain, Eric D.

1994-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey's MODFLOW finite-difference ground-water flow model has been coupled with three surface-water packages - the MODBRANCH, River, and Stream packages - to simulate surface water and its interaction with ground water. Prior to the development of the coupling packages, the only interaction between these modeling packages was that leakage values could be passed between MODFLOW and the three surface-water packages. To facilitate wider and more flexible uses of the models, a computer program was developed and added to MODFLOW to allow direct flows or stages to be passed between any of the packages and MODFLOW. The flows or stages calculated in one package can be set as boundary discharges or stages to be used in another package. Several modeling packages can be used in the same simulation depending upon the level of sophistication needed in the various reaches being modeled. This computer program is especially useful when any of the River, Stream, or MODBRANCH packages are used to model a river flowing directly into or out of wetlands in direct connection with the aquifer and represented in the model as an aquifer block. A field case study is shown to illustrate an application.

State-of-The-Art of Modeling Methodologies and Optimization Operations in Integrated Energy System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Zhan; Zhang, Yongjun

2017-08-01

Rapid advances in low carbon technologies and smart energy communities are reshaping future patterns. Uncertainty in energy productions and demand sides are paving the way towards decentralization management. Current energy infrastructures could not meet with supply and consumption challenges, along with emerging environment and economic requirements. Integrated Energy System(IES) whereby electric power, natural gas, heating couples with each other demonstrates that such a significant technique would gradually become one of main comprehensive and optimal energy solutions with high flexibility, friendly renewables absorption and improving efficiency. In these global energy trends, we summarize this literature review. Firstly the accurate definition and characteristics of IES have been presented. Energy subsystem and coupling elements modeling issues are analyzed. It is pointed out that decomposed and integrated analysis methods are the key algorithms for IES optimization operations problems, followed by exploring the IES market mechanisms. Finally several future research tendencies of IES, such as dynamic modeling, peer-to-peer trading, couple market design, sare under discussion.

U.S. POSTAL SERVICE. Moving Forward on Financial and Transformation Challenges

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-05-13

recovers. The Service’s basic business model, Page 3 GAO-02-694T which assumes that rising mail volume will cover rising costs and mitigate rate increases...in the ratemaking and new products areas, it will be important that any additional flexibility be coupled with an appropriate level of transparency...the Service’s basic business model is not sustainable and that much larger declines in mail volume may be in the offing if mailers increasingly shift

Optimum Wing Shape Determination of Highly Flexible Morphing Aircraft for Improved Flight Performance.

PubMed

Su, Weihua; Swei, Sean Shan-Min; Zhu, Guoming G

2016-09-01

In this paper, optimum wing bending and torsion deformations are explored for a mission adaptive, highly flexible morphing aircraft. The complete highly flexible aircraft is modeled using a strain-based geometrically nonlinear beam formulation, coupled with unsteady aerodynamics and 6-dof rigid-body motions. Since there are no conventional discrete control surfaces for trimming the flexible aircraft, the design space for searching the optimum wing geometries is enlarged. To achieve high performance flight, the wing geometry is best tailored according to the specific flight mission needs. In this study, the steady level flight and the coordinated turn flight are considered, and the optimum wing deformations with the minimum drag at these flight conditions are searched by utilizing a modal-based optimization procedure, subject to the trim and other constraints. The numerical study verifies the feasibility of the modal-based optimization approach, and shows the resulting optimum wing configuration and its sensitivity under different flight profiles.

Optimum Wing Shape Determination of Highly Flexible Morphing Aircraft for Improved Flight Performance

PubMed Central

Su, Weihua; Swei, Sean Shan-Min; Zhu, Guoming G.

2018-01-01

In this paper, optimum wing bending and torsion deformations are explored for a mission adaptive, highly flexible morphing aircraft. The complete highly flexible aircraft is modeled using a strain-based geometrically nonlinear beam formulation, coupled with unsteady aerodynamics and 6-dof rigid-body motions. Since there are no conventional discrete control surfaces for trimming the flexible aircraft, the design space for searching the optimum wing geometries is enlarged. To achieve high performance flight, the wing geometry is best tailored according to the specific flight mission needs. In this study, the steady level flight and the coordinated turn flight are considered, and the optimum wing deformations with the minimum drag at these flight conditions are searched by utilizing a modal-based optimization procedure, subject to the trim and other constraints. The numerical study verifies the feasibility of the modal-based optimization approach, and shows the resulting optimum wing configuration and its sensitivity under different flight profiles. PMID:29348697

Predicting The Type Of Pregnancy Using Flexible Discriminate Analysis And Artificial Neural Networks: A Comparison Study

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hooman, A.; Mohammadzadeh, M

Some medical and epidemiological surveys have been designed to predict a nominal response variable with several levels. With regard to the type of pregnancy there are four possible states: wanted, unwanted by wife, unwanted by husband and unwanted by couple. In this paper, we have predicted the type of pregnancy, as well as the factors influencing it using three different models and comparing them. Regarding the type of pregnancy with several levels, we developed a multinomial logistic regression, a neural network and a flexible discrimination based on the data and compared their results using tow statistical indices: Surface under curvemore » (ROC) and kappa coefficient. Based on these tow indices, flexible discrimination proved to be a better fit for prediction on data in comparison to other methods. When the relations among variables are complex, one can use flexible discrimination instead of multinomial logistic regression and neural network to predict the nominal response variables with several levels in order to gain more accurate predictions.« less

Optimum Wing Shape of Highly Flexible Morphing Aircraft for Improved Flight Performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Su, Weihua; Swei, Sean Shan-Min; Zhu, Guoming G.

2016-01-01

In this paper, optimum wing bending and torsion deformations are explored for a mission adaptive, highly flexible morphing aircraft. The complete highly flexible aircraft is modeled using a strain-based geometrically nonlinear beam formulation, coupled with unsteady aerodynamics and six-degrees-of-freedom rigid-body motions. Since there are no conventional discrete control surfaces for trimming the flexible aircraft, the design space for searching the optimum wing geometries is enlarged. To achieve high performance flight, the wing geometry is best tailored according to the specific flight mission needs. In this study, the steady level flight and the coordinated turn flight are considered, and the optimum wing deformations with the minimum drag at these flight conditions are searched by utilizing a modal-based optimization procedure, subject to the trim and other constraints. The numerical study verifies the feasibility of the modal-based optimization approach, and shows the resulting optimum wing configuration and its sensitivity under different flight profiles.

Hybrid regulatory models: a statistically tractable approach to model regulatory network dynamics.

PubMed

Ocone, Andrea; Millar, Andrew J; Sanguinetti, Guido

2013-04-01

Computational modelling of the dynamics of gene regulatory networks is a central task of systems biology. For networks of small/medium scale, the dominant paradigm is represented by systems of coupled non-linear ordinary differential equations (ODEs). ODEs afford great mechanistic detail and flexibility, but calibrating these models to data is often an extremely difficult statistical problem. Here, we develop a general statistical inference framework for stochastic transcription-translation networks. We use a coarse-grained approach, which represents the system as a network of stochastic (binary) promoter and (continuous) protein variables. We derive an exact inference algorithm and an efficient variational approximation that allows scalable inference and learning of the model parameters. We demonstrate the power of the approach on two biological case studies, showing that the method allows a high degree of flexibility and is capable of testable novel biological predictions. http://homepages.inf.ed.ac.uk/gsanguin/software.html. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Coupled vibration analysis of Maglev vehicle-guideway while standing still or moving at low speeds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Ki-Jung; Han, Jong-Boo; Han, Hyung-Suk; Yang, Seok-Jo

2015-04-01

Dynamic instability, that is, resonance, may occur on an electromagnetic suspension-type Maglev that runs over the elevated guideway, particularly at very low speeds, due to the flexibility of the guideway. An analysis of the dynamic interaction between the vehicle and guideway is required at the design stage to investigate such instability, setting slender guideway in design direction for reducing construction costs. In addition, it is essential to design an effective control algorithm to solve the problem of instability. In this article, a more detailed model for the dynamic interaction of vehicle/guideway is proposed. The proposed model incorporates a 3D full vehicle model based on virtual prototyping, flexible guideway by a modal superposition method and levitation electromagnets including feedback controller into an integrated model. By applying the proposed model to an urban Maglev vehicle newly developed for commercial application, an analysis of the instability phenomenon and an investigation of air gap control performance are carried out through a simulation.

Quantum path integral simulation of isotope effects in the melting temperature of ice Ih.

PubMed

Ramírez, R; Herrero, C P

2010-10-14

The isotope effect in the melting temperature of ice Ih has been studied by free energy calculations within the path integral formulation of statistical mechanics. Free energy differences between isotopes are related to the dependence of their kinetic energy on the isotope mass. The water simulations were performed by using the q-TIP4P/F model, a point charge empirical potential that includes molecular flexibility and anharmonicity in the OH stretch of the water molecule. The reported melting temperature at ambient pressure of this model (T=251 K) increases by 6.5±0.5 and 8.2±0.5 K upon isotopic substitution of hydrogen by deuterium and tritium, respectively. These temperature shifts are larger than the experimental ones (3.8 and 4.5 K, respectively). In the classical limit, the melting temperature is nearly the same as that for tritiated ice. This unexpected behavior is rationalized by the coupling between intermolecular interactions and molecular flexibility. This coupling makes the kinetic energy of the OH stretching modes larger in the liquid than in the solid phase. However, the opposite behavior is found for intramolecular modes, which display larger kinetic energy in ice than in liquid water.

Preliminary Assessment of Optimal Longitudinal-Mode Control for Drag Reduction through Distributed Aeroelastic Shaping

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ippolito, Corey; Nguyen, Nhan; Lohn, Jason; Dolan, John

2014-01-01

The emergence of advanced lightweight materials is resulting in a new generation of lighter, flexible, more-efficient airframes that are enabling concepts for active aeroelastic wing-shape control to achieve greater flight efficiency and increased safety margins. These elastically shaped aircraft concepts require non-traditional methods for large-scale multi-objective flight control that simultaneously seek to gain aerodynamic efficiency in terms of drag reduction while performing traditional command-tracking tasks as part of a complete guidance and navigation solution. This paper presents results from a preliminary study of a notional multi-objective control law for an aeroelastic flexible-wing aircraft controlled through distributed continuous leading and trailing edge control surface actuators. This preliminary study develops and analyzes a multi-objective control law derived from optimal linear quadratic methods on a longitudinal vehicle dynamics model with coupled aeroelastic dynamics. The controller tracks commanded attack-angle while minimizing drag and controlling wing twist and bend. This paper presents an overview of the elastic aircraft concept, outlines the coupled vehicle model, presents the preliminary control law formulation and implementation, presents results from simulation, provides analysis, and concludes by identifying possible future areas for research

Diagnosing the Nature of Land-Atmosphere Coupling During the 2006-7 Dry/Wet Extremes in the U.S. Southern Great Plains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Santanello, Joseph A., Jr.; Peters-Lidard, Christa D.; Kumar, Sujay V.; Dong, Xiquan; Kennedy, Aaron D.

2011-01-01

Land-atmosphere interactions play a critical role in determining the. diurnal evolution of both planetary boundary layer (PBL) and land surface temperature and moisture states. The degree of coupling between the land surface and PBL in numerical weather prediction and climate models remains largely unexplored and undiagnosed due to the complex interactions and feedbacks present across a range of scales. Further, uncoupled systems or experiments (e.g., the Project for Intercomparison of Land Parameterization Schemes, PILPS) may lead to inaccurate water and energy cycle process understanding by neglecting feedback processes such as PBL-top entrainment. In this study, a framework for diagnosing local land-atmosphere coupling (LoCo) is presented using a coupled mesoscale model with a suite of PBL and land surface model (LSM) options along with observations during the summers of 200617 in the U.S. Southern Great Plains. Specifically, the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model has been coupled to NASA's Land Information System (LIS), which provides a flexible and high-resolution representation and initialization of land surface physics and states. A range of diagnostics exploring the links and feedbacks between soil moisture and precipitation are examined for the dry/wet extremes of this region, along with the sensitivity of PBL-LSM coupling to perturbations in soil moisture. As such, this methodology provides a potential pathway to study factors controlling local land-atmosphere coupling (LoCo) using the LIS-WRF system, which is serving as a testbed for LoCo experiments to evaluate coupling diagnostics within the community.

O-Acetyl Side-Chains in Monosaccharides: Redundant NMR Spin-Couplings and Statistical Models for Acetate Ester Conformational Analysis.

PubMed

Turney, Toby; Pan, Qingfeng; Sernau, Luke; Carmichael, Ian; Zhang, Wenhui; Wang, Xiaocong; Woods, Robert J; Serianni, Anthony S

2017-01-12

α- and β-d-glucopyranose monoacetates 1-3 were prepared with selective 13 C enrichment in the O-acetyl side-chain, and ensembles of 13 C- 1 H and 13 C- 13 C NMR spin-couplings (J-couplings) were measured involving the labeled carbons. Density functional theory (DFT) was applied to a set of model structures to determine which J-couplings are sensitive to rotation of the ester bond θ. Eight J-couplings ( 1 J CC , 2 J CH , 2 J CC , 3 J CH , and 3 J CC ) were found to be sensitive to θ, and four equations were parametrized to allow quantitative interpretations of experimental J-values. Inspection of J-coupling ensembles in 1-3 showed that O-acetyl side-chain conformation depends on molecular context, with flanking groups playing a dominant role in determining the properties of θ in solution. To quantify these effects, ensembles of J-couplings containing four values were used to determine the precision and accuracy of several 2-parameter statistical models of rotamer distributions across θ in 1-3. The statistical method used to generate these models has been encoded in a newly developed program, MA'AT, which is available for public use. These models were compared to O-acetyl side-chain behavior observed in a representative sample of crystal structures, and in molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of O-acetylated model structures. While the functional form of the model had little effect on the precision of the calculated mean of θ in 1-3, platykurtic models were found to give more precise estimates of the width of the distribution about the mean (expressed as circular standard deviations). Validation of these 2-parameter models to interpret ensembles of redundant J-couplings using the O-acetyl system as a test case enables future extension of the approach to other flexible elements in saccharides, such as glycosidic linkage conformation.

A model for active control of helicopter air resonance in hover and forward flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Takahashi, M. D.; Friedmann, P. P.

1988-01-01

A coupled rotor/fuselage helicopter analysis is presented. The accuracy of the model is verified by comparing it with the experimental data. The sensitivity of the open loop damping of the unstable air resonance mode to such modeling effects as blade torsional flexibility, unsteady aerodynamics, forward flight, periodic terms, and trim solution is illustrated by numerous examples. Subsequently, the model is used in conjunction with linear optimal control theory to stabilize the air resonance mode. The influence of the modeling effects mentioned before on active air resonance control is then investigated.

One-dimensional potential of mean force underestimates activation barrier for transport across flexible lipid membranes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kopelevich, Dmitry I.

2013-10-01

Transport of a fullerene-like nanoparticle across a lipid bilayer is investigated by coarse-grained molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Potentials of mean force (PMF) acting on the nanoparticle in a flexible bilayer suspended in water and a bilayer restrained to a flat surface are computed by constrained MD simulations. The rate of the nanoparticle transport into the bilayer interior is predicted using one-dimensional Langevin models based on these PMFs. The predictions are compared with the transport rates obtained from a series of direct (unconstrained) MD simulations of the solute transport into the flexible bilayer. It is observed that the PMF acting on the solute in the flexible membrane underestimates the transport rate by more than an order of magnitude while the PMF acting on the solute in the restrained membrane yields an accurate estimate of the activation energy for transport into the flexible membrane. This paradox is explained by a coexistence of metastable membrane configurations for a range of the solute positions inside and near the flexible membrane. This leads to a significant reduction of the contribution of the transition state to the mean force acting on the solute. Restraining the membrane shape ensures that there is only one stable membrane configuration corresponding to each solute position and thus the transition state is adequately represented in the PMF. This mechanism is quite general and thus this phenomenon is expected to occur in a wide range of interfacial systems. A simple model for the free energy landscape of the coupled solute-membrane system is proposed and validated. This model explicitly accounts for effects of the membrane deformations on the solute transport and yields an accurate prediction of the activation energy for the solute transport.

Modeling and Simulation of Variable Mass, Flexible Structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tobbe, Patrick A.; Matras, Alex L.; Wilson, Heath E.

2009-01-01

The advent of the new Ares I launch vehicle has highlighted the need for advanced dynamic analysis tools for variable mass, flexible structures. This system is composed of interconnected flexible stages or components undergoing rapid mass depletion through the consumption of solid or liquid propellant. In addition to large rigid body configuration changes, the system simultaneously experiences elastic deformations. In most applications, the elastic deformations are compatible with linear strain-displacement relationships and are typically modeled using the assumed modes technique. The deformation of the system is approximated through the linear combination of the products of spatial shape functions and generalized time coordinates. Spatial shape functions are traditionally composed of normal mode shapes of the system or even constraint modes and static deformations derived from finite element models of the system. Equations of motion for systems undergoing coupled large rigid body motion and elastic deformation have previously been derived through a number of techniques [1]. However, in these derivations, the mode shapes or spatial shape functions of the system components were considered constant. But with the Ares I vehicle, the structural characteristics of the system are changing with the mass of the system. Previous approaches to solving this problem involve periodic updates to the spatial shape functions or interpolation between shape functions based on system mass or elapsed mission time. These solutions often introduce misleading or even unstable numerical transients into the system. Plus, interpolation on a shape function is not intuitive. This paper presents an approach in which the shape functions are held constant and operate on the changing mass and stiffness matrices of the vehicle components. Each vehicle stage or component finite element model is broken into dry structure and propellant models. A library of propellant models is used to describe the distribution of mass in the fuel tank or Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) case for various propellant levels. Based on the mass consumed by the liquid engine or SRB, the appropriate propellant model is coupled with the dry structure model for the stage. Then using vehicle configuration data, the integrated vehicle model is assembled and operated on by the constant system shape functions. The system mode shapes and frequencies can then be computed from the resulting generalized mass and stiffness matrices for that mass configuration. The rigid body mass properties of the vehicle are derived from the integrated vehicle model. The coupling terms between the vehicle rigid body motion and elastic deformation are also updated from the constant system shape functions and the integrated vehicle model. This approach was first used to analyze variable mass spinning beams and then prototyped into a generic dynamics simulation engine. The resulting code was tested against Crew Launch Vehicle (CLV-)class problems worked in the TREETOPS simulation package and by Wilson [2]. The Ares I System Integration Laboratory (SIL) is currently being developed at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) to test vehicle avionics hardware and software in a hardware-in-the-loop (HWIL) environment and certify that the integrated system is prepared for flight. The Ares I SIL utilizes the Ares Real-Time Environment for Modeling, Integration, and Simulation (ARTEMIS) tool to simulate the launch vehicle and stimulate avionics hardware. Due to the presence of vehicle control system filters and the thrust oscillation suppression system, which are tuned to the structural characteristics of the vehicle, ARTEMIS must incorporate accurate structural models of the Ares I launch vehicle. The ARTEMIS core dynamics simulation models the highly coupled nature of the vehicle flexible body dynamics, propellant slosh, and vehicle nozzle inertia effects combined with mass and flexible body properties that vary significant with time during the flight. All forces that act on the vehicle during flight must be simulated, including deflected engine thrust force, spatially distributed aerodynamic forces, gravity, and reaction control jet thrust forces. These forces are used to excite an integrated flexible vehicle, slosh, and nozzle dynamics model for the vehicle stack that simulates large rigid body translations and rotations along with small elastic deformations. Highly effective matrix math operations on a distributed, threaded high-performance simulation node allow ARTEMIS to retain up to 30 modes of flex for real-time simulation. Stage elements that separate from the stack during flight are propagated as independent rigid six degrees of freedom (6DOF) bodies. This paper will present the formulation of the resulting equations of motion, solutions to example problems, and describe the resulting dynamics simulation engine within ARTEMIS.

Flexible packaging for microelectronic devices

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Anderson, Benjamin John; Nielson, Gregory N.; Cruz-Campa, Jose Luis

An apparatus, method, and system, the apparatus and system including a flexible microsystems enabled microelectronic device package including a microelectronic device positioned on a substrate; an encapsulation layer encapsulating the microelectronic device and the substrate; a protective layer positioned around the encapsulating layer; and a reinforcing layer coupled to the protective layer, wherein the substrate, encapsulation layer, protective layer and reinforcing layer form a flexible and optically transparent package around the microelectronic device. The method including encapsulating a microelectronic device positioned on a substrate within an encapsulation layer; sealing the encapsulated microelectronic device within a protective layer; and coupling themore » protective layer to a reinforcing layer, wherein the substrate, encapsulation layer, protective layer and reinforcing layer form a flexible and optically transparent package around the microelectronic device.« less

Sexual values as the key to maintaining satisfying sex after prostate cancer treatment: the physical pleasure-relational intimacy model of sexual motivation.

PubMed

Beck, Andrea M; Robinson, John W; Carlson, Linda E

2013-11-01

Sexual dysfunction is the most significant long lasting effect of prostate cancer (PrCa) treatment. Despite the many medical treatments for erectile dysfunction, many couples report that they are dissatisfied with their sexual relationship and eventually cease sexual relations altogether. We sought to understand what distinguishes successful couples from those who are not successful in adjusting to changes in sexual function subsequent to PrCa treatment. Ten couples who maintained satisfying sexual intimacy after PrCa treatment and seven couples that did not were interviewed conjointly and individually. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using grounded theory methodology. The theory that resulted suggests that individuals are motivated to engage in sex primarily because of physical pleasure and relational intimacy. The couples who valued sex primarily for relational intimacy were more likely to successfully adjust to changes in sexual function than those who primarily valued sex for physical pleasure. The attributes of acceptance, flexibility, and persistence helped sustain couples through the process of adjustment. Based on these findings, a new theory, the Physical Pleasure-Relational Intimacy Model of Sexual Motivation (PRISM) is presented. The results elucidate the main motives for engaging in sexual activity-physical pleasure and/or relational intimacy-as a determining factor in the successful maintenance of satisfying sexual intimacy after PrCa treatment. The PRISM model predicts that couples who place a greater value on sex for relational intimacy will better adjust to the sexual challenges after PrCa treatment than couples who place a lower value on sex for relational intimacy. Implications of the model for counselling are discussed. This model remains to be tested in future research.

The sympathy of two pendulum clocks: beyond Huygens’ observations

PubMed Central

Peña Ramirez, Jonatan; Olvera, Luis Alberto; Nijmeijer, Henk; Alvarez, Joaquin

2016-01-01

This paper introduces a modern version of the classical Huygens’ experiment on synchronization of pendulum clocks. The version presented here consists of two monumental pendulum clocks—ad hoc designed and fabricated—which are coupled through a wooden structure. It is demonstrated that the coupled clocks exhibit ‘sympathetic’ motion, i.e. the pendula of the clocks oscillate in consonance and in the same direction. Interestingly, when the clocks are synchronized, the common oscillation frequency decreases, i.e. the clocks become slow and inaccurate. In order to rigorously explain these findings, a mathematical model for the coupled clocks is obtained by using well-established physical and mechanical laws and likewise, a theoretical analysis is conducted. Ultimately, the sympathy of two monumental pendulum clocks, interacting via a flexible coupling structure, is experimentally, numerically, and analytically demonstrated. PMID:27020903

Analysis of Flexible Car Body of Straddle Monorail Vehicle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhong, Yuanmu

2018-03-01

Based on the finite element model of straddle monorail vehicle, a rigid-flexible coupling dynamic model considering vehicle body’s flexibility is established. The influence of vertical stiffness and vertical damping of the running wheel on the modal parameters of the car body is analyzed. The effect of flexible car body on modal parameters and vehicle ride quality is also studied. The results show that when the vertical stiffness of running wheel is less than 1 MN / m, the car body bounce and pitch frequency increase with the increasing of the vertical stiffness of the running wheel, when the running wheel vertical stiffness is 1MN / m or more, car body bounce and pitch frequency remained unchanged; When the vertical stiffness of the running wheel is below 1.8 MN / m, the vehicle body bounce and pitch damping ratio increase with the increasing of the vertical stiffness of the running wheel; When the running wheel vertical stiffness is 1.8MN / m or more, the car body bounce and pitch damping ratio remained unchanged; The running wheel vertical damping on the car body bounce and pitch frequency has no effect; Car body bounce and pitch damping ratio increase with the increasing of the vertical damping of the running wheel. The flexibility of the car body has no effect on the modal parameters of the car, which will improve the vehicle ride quality index.

Coupled ice sheet-ocean modelling to investigate ocean driven melting of marine ice sheets in Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jong, Lenneke; Gladstone, Rupert; Galton-Fenzi, Ben

2017-04-01

Ocean induced melting below the ice shelves of marine ice sheets is a major source of uncertainty for predictions of ice mass loss and Antarctica's resultant contribution to future sea level rise. The floating ice shelves provide a buttressing force against the flow of ice across the grounding line into the ocean. Thinning of these ice shelves due to an increase in melting reduces this force and can lead to an increase in the discharge of grounded ice. Fully coupled modelling of ice sheet-ocean interactions is key to improving understanding the influence of the Southern ocean on the evolution of the Antarctic ice sheet, and to predicting its future behaviour under changing climate conditions. Coupling of ocean and ice sheet models is needed to provide more realistic melt rates at the base of ice shelves and hence make better predictions of the behaviour of the grounding line and the shape of the ice-shelf cavity as the ice sheet evolves. The Framework for Ice Sheet - Ocean Coupling (FISOC) has been developed to provide a flexible platform for performing coupled ice sheet - ocean modelling experiments. We present preliminary results using FISOC to couple the Regional Ocean Modelling System (ROMS) with Elmer/Ice in idealised experiments Marine Ice Sheet-Ocean Model Intercomparison Project (MISOMIP). These experiments use an idealised geometry motivated by that of Pine Island glacier and the adjacent Amundsen Sea in West Antarctica, a region which has shown shown signs of thinning ice and grounding line retreat.

Use of family-friendly work arrangements and work-family conflict: Crossover effects in dual-earner couples.

PubMed

Schooreel, Tess; Verbruggen, Marijke

2016-01-01

This study uses a dyadic approach to examine how an employee's work-family conflict is affected when his or her partner makes use of family-friendly work arrangements. We focused on 2 types of family-friendly practices, that is, reduced work hours and schedule or workplace flexibility. Hypotheses were tested with multilevel structural equation modeling using information of 186 dual-earner couples. In line with our hypotheses, we found support for both a positive and a negative crossover effect, though the results showed differences between the 2 types of family-friendly work arrangements. First, a positive crossover effect was found for both reduced work hours and schedule or workplace flexibility; however, the specific mechanisms explaining this effect differed per type of arrangements. In particular, employees whose partner made use of reduced work hours were found to experience less home demands, which was in turn associated with lower family-to-work conflict, whereas employees whose partner made use of schedule or workplace flexibility experienced a similar positive crossover effect but through an increase in the social support they perceived. Second, a negative crossover effect was found only for reduced work hours and not for schedule or workplace flexibility. Specifically, employees whose partner made use of reduced work hours were found to work on average more hours a week, which was in turn related with more work-to-family conflict, whereas employees whose partner made use of schedule or workplace flexibility worked on average fewer hours a week and consequently experienced lower work-to-family conflict. Implications for literature and practice are discussed. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

W-band PELDOR with 1 kW microwave power: molecular geometry, flexibility and exchange coupling.

PubMed

Reginsson, Gunnar W; Hunter, Robert I; Cruickshank, Paul A S; Bolton, David R; Sigurdsson, Snorri Th; Smith, Graham M; Schiemann, Olav

2012-03-01

A technique that is increasingly being used to determine the structure and conformational flexibility of biomacromolecules is Pulsed Electron-Electron Double Resonance (PELDOR or DEER), an Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) based technique. At X-band frequencies (9.5 GHz), PELDOR is capable of precisely measuring distances in the range of 1.5-8 nm between paramagnetic centres but the orientation selectivity is weak. In contrast, working at higher frequencies increases the orientation selection but usually at the expense of decreased microwave power and PELDOR modulation depth. Here it is shown that a home-built high-power pulsed W-band EPR spectrometer (HiPER) with a large instantaneous bandwidth enables one to achieve PELDOR data with a high degree of orientation selectivity and large modulation depths. We demonstrate a measurement methodology that gives a set of PELDOR time traces that yield highly constrained data sets. Simulating the resulting time traces provides a deeper insight into the conformational flexibility and exchange coupling of three bisnitroxide model systems. These measurements provide strong evidence that W-band PELDOR may prove to be an accurate and quantitative tool in assessing the relative orientations of nitroxide spin labels and to correlate those orientations to the underlying biological structure and dynamics. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sound absorption and transmission through flexible micro-perforated panels backed by an air layer and a thin plate.

PubMed

Bravo, Teresa; Maury, Cédric; Pinhède, Cédric

2012-05-01

This paper describes theoretical and experimental investigations into the sound absorption and transmission properties of micro-perforated panels (MPP) backed by an air cavity and a thin plate. A fully coupled modal approach is proposed to calculate the absorption coefficient and the transmission loss of finite-sized micro-perforated panels-cavity-panel (MPPCP) partitions with conservative boundary conditions. It is validated against infinite partition models and experimental data. A practical methodology is proposed using collocated pressure-velocity sensors to evaluate in an anechoic environment the transmission and absorption properties of conventional MPPCPs. Results show under which conditions edge scattering effects should be accounted for at low frequencies. Coupled mode analysis is also performed and analytical approximations are derived from the resonance frequencies and mode shapes of a flexible MPPCP. It is found that the Helmholtz-type resonance frequency is deduced from the one associated to the rigidly backed MPPCP absorber shifted up by the mass-air mass resonance of the flexible non-perforated double-panel. Moreover, it is shown analytically and experimentally that the absorption mechanisms at the resonances are governed by a large air-frame relative velocity over the MPP surface, with either in-phase or out-of-phase relationships, depending on the MPPCP parameters.

The Role of Large-Scale Motions in Catalysis by Dihydrofolate Reductase

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Dihydrofolate reductase has long been used as a model system to study the coupling of protein motions to enzymatic hydride transfer. By studying environmental effects on hydride transfer in dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) from the cold-adapted bacterium Moritella profunda (MpDHFR) and comparing the flexibility of this enzyme to that of DHFR from Escherichia coli (EcDHFR), we demonstrate that factors that affect large-scale (i.e., long-range, but not necessarily large amplitude) protein motions have no effect on the kinetic isotope effect on hydride transfer or its temperature dependence, although the rates of the catalyzed reaction are affected. Hydrogen/deuterium exchange studies by NMR-spectroscopy show that MpDHFR is a more flexible enzyme than EcDHFR. NMR experiments with EcDHFR in the presence of cosolvents suggest differences in the conformational ensemble of the enzyme. The fact that enzymes from different environmental niches and with different flexibilities display the same behavior of the kinetic isotope effect on hydride transfer strongly suggests that, while protein motions are important to generate the reaction ready conformation, an optimal conformation with the correct electrostatics and geometry for the reaction to occur, they do not influence the nature of the chemical step itself; large-scale motions do not couple directly to hydride transfer proper in DHFR. PMID:22060818

Schistosoma mansoni cercariae swim efficiently by exploiting an elastohydrodynamic coupling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krishnamurthy, Deepak; Katsikis, Georgios; Bhargava, Arjun; Prakash, Manu

2017-03-01

The motility of many parasites is critical for infecting their host, as exemplified in the transmission cycle of the parasite Schistosoma mansoni. In its human infectious stage, submillimetre-scale forms of the parasite known as cercariae swim in freshwater and infect humans by penetrating the skin. This infection causes schistosomiasis, a disease comparable to malaria in global socio-economic impact. Given that cercariae do not feed and hence have a lifetime of around 12 hours, efficient motility is crucial for schistosomiasis transmission. Despite this, a first-principles understanding of how cercariae swim is lacking. Combining biological experiments, a novel theoretical model and its robotic realization, we show that cercariae use their forked tail to swim against gravity using a novel swimming gait, described here as a `T-swimmer gait'. During this gait, cercariae beat their tail periodically while maintaining an increased flexibility near their posterior and anterior ends. This flexibility allows an interaction between fluid drag and bending resistance--an elastohydrodynamic coupling, to naturally break time-reversal symmetry and enable locomotion at small length scales. Finally, we find that cercariae maintain this flexibility at an optimal regime for efficient swimming. We anticipate that our work sets the ground for linking the swimming of cercariae to disease transmission, and could potentially enable explorations of novel strategies for schistosomiasis control and prevention.

High-resolution coupled physics solvers for analysing fine-scale nuclear reactor design problems

DOE PAGES

Mahadevan, Vijay S.; Merzari, Elia; Tautges, Timothy; ...

2014-06-30

An integrated multi-physics simulation capability for the design and analysis of current and future nuclear reactor models is being investigated, to tightly couple neutron transport and thermal-hydraulics physics under the SHARP framework. Over several years, high-fidelity, validated mono-physics solvers with proven scalability on petascale architectures have been developed independently. Based on a unified component-based architecture, these existing codes can be coupled with a mesh-data backplane and a flexible coupling-strategy-based driver suite to produce a viable tool for analysts. The goal of the SHARP framework is to perform fully resolved coupled physics analysis of a reactor on heterogeneous geometry, in ordermore » to reduce the overall numerical uncertainty while leveraging available computational resources. Finally, the coupling methodology and software interfaces of the framework are presented, along with verification studies on two representative fast sodium-cooled reactor demonstration problems to prove the usability of the SHARP framework.« less

Dynamic modelling and control of a rotating Euler-Bernoulli beam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, J. B.; Jiang, L. J.; Chen, D. CH.

2004-07-01

Flexible motion of a uniform Euler-Bernoulli beam attached to a rotating rigid hub is investigated. Fully coupled non-linear integro-differential equations, describing axial, transverse and rotational motions of the beam, are derived by using the extended Hamilton's principle. The centrifugal stiffening effect is included in the derivation. A finite-dimensional model, including couplings of axial and transverse vibrations, and of elastic deformations and rigid motions, is obtained by the finite element method. By neglecting the axial motion, a simplified modelling, suitable for studying the transverse vibration and control of a beam with large angle and high-speed rotation, is presented. And suppressions of transverse vibrations of a rotating beam are simulated with the model by combining positive position feedback and momentum exchange feedback control laws. It is indicated that an improved performance for vibration control can be achieved with the method.

Modeling and Experiments with a High-Performance Flexible Swimming Robot

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wiens, Alexander; Hosoi, Anette

2017-11-01

Conventionally, fish-like swimming robots consist of a chain of rigid links connected by a series of rigid actuators. Devices of this nature have demonstrated impressive speeds and maneuverability, but from a practical perspective, their mechanical complexity makes them expensive to build and prone to failure. To address this problem, we present an alternative design approach which employs a single actuator to generate undulatory waves along a passive flexible structure. Through simulations and experiments we find that our robot can match the speed and agility of its rigid counterparts, while being simple, robust, and significantly less expensive. Physically, our robot consists of a small ellipsoidal head connected to a long flexible beam. Actuation is provided by a motor-driven flywheel within the head, which oscillates to produce a periodic torque. This torque propagates along the beam to generate an undulatory wave and propel the robot forwards. We construct a numerical model of the system using Lighthill's large-amplitude elongated-body theory coupled with a nonlinear model of elastic beam deformation. We then use this simulation to optimize the velocity and efficiency of the robot. The optimized design is validated through experiments with a prototype device. NSF DMS-1517842.

Hydrodynamic and elastic interactions of sedimenting flexible fibers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ekiel-Jezewska, Maria L.; Bukowicki, Marek

2017-11-01

Dynamics of flexible micro and nano filaments in fluids is intensively investigated in many laboratories, with a perspective of numerous applications in biology, medicine or modern technology. In the literature, different theoretical models of elastic interactions between flexible fiber segments are applied. The task of this work is to examine the impact of a chosen elastic model on the dynamics of fibers settling in a viscous fluid under low Reynolds number. To this goal, we construct two trumbbells, each made of three beads connected by springs and with a bending resistance, and we describe hydrodynamic interactions of the beads in terms of the Rotne-Prager mobility tensors. Using the harmonic bending potential, and coupling it to the spring potential by the Young's modulus, we find simple benchmark solutions: stable stationary configurations of a single elastic trumbbell and a fast horizontal attraction of two elastic trumbbells towards a periodic long-lasting orbit. We show that for sufficiently large bending angles, other models of bending interactions can lead to qualitatively and quantitatively different spurious effects. We also demonstrate examples of essential differences between the dynamics of elastic dumbbells and trumbbells. This work was supported in part by Narodowe Centrum Nauki under Grant No. 2014/15/B/ST8/04359.

Electrical features of new DNC, CNC system viewed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fritzsch, W.; Kochan, D.; Schaller, J.; Zander, H. J.

1985-03-01

Control structures capable of solving the problems of a flexible minial-labor manufacturing process are analyzed. The present state of development of equipment technology is described, and possible ways of modeling control processes are surveyed. Concepts which are frequently differently interpreted in various specialized disciplines are systematized, with a view toward creating the prerequisites for interdisciplinary cooperation. Problems and information flow during the preparatory and performance phases of manufacturing are examined with respect to coupling CAD/CAM functions. Mathematical modeling for direct numerical control is explored.

Defense Science Board 1988 Summer Study on the Defense Industrial and Technology Base. Volume 2. Subgroup Appendices

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-12-01

tion. Use of war reserves in support of very low levels of conflict further suggests that flexibility in production rate, probably coupled to inventory...data used and the input/output models have been agreed to by all industry sections in MITI and did not represent just one group’s view of their...study completed in July 1988, the Logistics Manage- ment Institute (LMI) modeled the combined effect of three of these policy changes: revised profit

Modeling the Multi-Body System Dynamics of a Flexible Solar Sail Spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kim, Young; Stough, Robert; Whorton, Mark

2005-01-01

Solar sail propulsion systems enable a wide range of space missions that are not feasible with current propulsion technology. Hardware concepts and analytical methods have matured through ground development to the point that a flight validation mission is now realizable. Much attention has been given to modeling the structural dynamics of the constituent elements, but to date an integrated system level dynamics analysis has been lacking. Using a multi-body dynamics and control analysis tool called TREETOPS, the coupled dynamics of the sailcraft bus, sail membranes, flexible booms, and control system sensors and actuators of a representative solar sail spacecraft are investigated to assess system level dynamics and control issues. With this tool, scaling issues and parametric trade studies can be performed to study achievable performance, control authority requirements, and control/structure interaction assessments.

A Community Framework for Integrative, Coupled Modeling of Human-Earth Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barton, C. M.; Nelson, G. C.; Tucker, G. E.; Lee, A.; Porter, C.; Ullah, I.; Hutton, E.; Hoogenboom, G.; Rogers, K. G.; Pritchard, C.

2017-12-01

We live today in a humanized world, where critical zone dynamics are driven by coupled human and biophysical processes. First generation modeling platforms have been invaluable in providing insight into dynamics of biophysical systems and social systems. But to understand today's humanized planet scientifically and to manage it sustainably, we need integrative modeling of this coupled human-Earth system. To address both scientific and policy questions, we also need modeling that can represent variable combinations of human-Earth system processes at multiple scales. Simply adding more code needed to do this to large, legacy first generation models is impractical, expensive, and will make them even more difficult to evaluate or understand. We need an approach to modeling that mirrors and benefits from the architecture of the complexly coupled systems we hope to model. Building on a series of international workshops over the past two years, we present a community framework to enable and support an ecosystem of diverse models as components that can be interconnected as needed to facilitate understanding of a range of complex human-earth systems interactions. Models are containerized in Docker to make them platform independent. A Basic Modeling Interface and Standard Names ontology (developed by the Community Surface Dynamics Modeling System) is applied to make them interoperable. They are then transformed into RESTful micro-services to allow them to be connected and run in a browser environment. This enables a flexible, multi-scale modeling environment to help address diverse issues with combinations of smaller, focused, component models that are easier to understand and evaluate. We plan to develop, deploy, and maintain this framework for integrated, coupled modeling in an open-source collaborative development environment that can democratize access to advanced technology and benefit from diverse global participation in model development. We also present an initial proof-of-concept of this framework, coupling a widely used agricultural crop model (DSSAT) with a widely used hydrology model (TopoFlow).

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hao, He; Lian, Jianming; Kalsi, Karanjit

The HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air- Conditioning) system of commercial buildings is a complex system with a large number of dynamically interacting components. In particular, the thermal dynamics of each zone are coupled with those of the neighboring zones. In this paper, we study a multi-agent based approach to model and control commercial building HVAC system for providing grid services. In the multi-agent system (MAS), individual zones are modeled as agents that can communicate, interact, and negotiate with one another to achieve a common objective. We first propose a distributed characterization method on the aggregated airflow (and thus fan power)more » flexibility that the HVAC system can provide to the ancillary service market. Then, we propose a Nash-bargaining based airflow allocation strategy to track a dispatch signal (that is within the offered flexibility limit) while respecting the preference and flexibility of individual zones. Moreover, we devise a distributed algorithm to obtain the Nash bargaining solution via dual decomposition and average consensus. Numerical simulations illustrate that the proposed distributed protocols are much more scalable than the centralized approaches especially when the system becomes larger and more complex.« less

Specificity and Affinity Quantification of Flexible Recognition from Underlying Energy Landscape Topography

PubMed Central

Chu, Xiakun; Wang, Jin

2014-01-01

Flexibility in biomolecular recognition is essential and critical for many cellular activities. Flexible recognition often leads to moderate affinity but high specificity, in contradiction with the conventional wisdom that high affinity and high specificity are coupled. Furthermore, quantitative understanding of the role of flexibility in biomolecular recognition is still challenging. Here, we meet the challenge by quantifying the intrinsic biomolecular recognition energy landscapes with and without flexibility through the underlying density of states. We quantified the thermodynamic intrinsic specificity by the topography of the intrinsic binding energy landscape and the kinetic specificity by association rate. We found that the thermodynamic and kinetic specificity are strongly correlated. Furthermore, we found that flexibility decreases binding affinity on one hand, but increases binding specificity on the other hand, and the decreasing or increasing proportion of affinity and specificity are strongly correlated with the degree of flexibility. This shows more (less) flexibility leads to weaker (stronger) coupling between affinity and specificity. Our work provides a theoretical foundation and quantitative explanation of the previous qualitative studies on the relationship among flexibility, affinity and specificity. In addition, we found that the folding energy landscapes are more funneled with binding, indicating that binding helps folding during the recognition. Finally, we demonstrated that the whole binding-folding energy landscapes can be integrated by the rigid binding and isolated folding energy landscapes under weak flexibility. Our results provide a novel way to quantify the affinity and specificity in flexible biomolecular recognition. PMID:25144525

Specificity and affinity quantification of flexible recognition from underlying energy landscape topography.

PubMed

Chu, Xiakun; Wang, Jin

2014-08-01

Flexibility in biomolecular recognition is essential and critical for many cellular activities. Flexible recognition often leads to moderate affinity but high specificity, in contradiction with the conventional wisdom that high affinity and high specificity are coupled. Furthermore, quantitative understanding of the role of flexibility in biomolecular recognition is still challenging. Here, we meet the challenge by quantifying the intrinsic biomolecular recognition energy landscapes with and without flexibility through the underlying density of states. We quantified the thermodynamic intrinsic specificity by the topography of the intrinsic binding energy landscape and the kinetic specificity by association rate. We found that the thermodynamic and kinetic specificity are strongly correlated. Furthermore, we found that flexibility decreases binding affinity on one hand, but increases binding specificity on the other hand, and the decreasing or increasing proportion of affinity and specificity are strongly correlated with the degree of flexibility. This shows more (less) flexibility leads to weaker (stronger) coupling between affinity and specificity. Our work provides a theoretical foundation and quantitative explanation of the previous qualitative studies on the relationship among flexibility, affinity and specificity. In addition, we found that the folding energy landscapes are more funneled with binding, indicating that binding helps folding during the recognition. Finally, we demonstrated that the whole binding-folding energy landscapes can be integrated by the rigid binding and isolated folding energy landscapes under weak flexibility. Our results provide a novel way to quantify the affinity and specificity in flexible biomolecular recognition.

The Integrated Plasma Simulator: A Flexible Python Framework for Coupled Multiphysics Simulation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Foley, Samantha S; Elwasif, Wael R; Bernholdt, David E

2011-11-01

High-fidelity coupled multiphysics simulations are an increasingly important aspect of computational science. In many domains, however, there has been very limited experience with simulations of this sort, therefore research in coupled multiphysics often requires computational frameworks with significant flexibility to respond to the changing directions of the physics and mathematics. This paper presents the Integrated Plasma Simulator (IPS), a framework designed for loosely coupled simulations of fusion plasmas. The IPS provides users with a simple component architecture into which a wide range of existing plasma physics codes can be inserted as components. Simulations can take advantage of multiple levels ofmore » parallelism supported in the IPS, and can be controlled by a high-level ``driver'' component, or by other coordination mechanisms, such as an asynchronous event service. We describe the requirements and design of the framework, and how they were implemented in the Python language. We also illustrate the flexibility of the framework by providing examples of different types of simulations that utilize various features of the IPS.« less

Structure Topology Optimization of Brake Pad in Large- megawatt Wind Turbine Brake Considering Thermal- structural Coupling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, S. F.; Yin, J.; Liu, Y.; Sha, Z. H.; Ma, F. J.

2016-11-01

There always exists severe non-uniform wear of brake pad in large-megawatt wind turbine brake during the braking process, which has the brake pad worn out in advance and even threats the safety production of wind turbine. The root cause of this phenomenon is the non-uniform deformation caused by thermal-structural coupling effect between brake pad and disc while braking under the conditions of both high speed and heavy load. For this problem, mathematical model of thermal-structural coupling analysis is built. Based on the topology optimization method of Solid Isotropic Microstructures with Penalization, SIMP, structure topology optimization of brake pad is developed considering the deformation caused by thermal-structural coupling effect. The objective function is the minimum flexibility, and the structure topology optimization model of brake pad is established after indirect thermal- structural coupling analysis. Compared with the optimization result considering non-thermal- structural coupling, the conspicuous influence of thermal effect on brake pad wear and deformation is proven as well as the rationality of taking thermal-structural coupling effect as optimization condition. Reconstructed model is built according to the result, meanwhile analysis for verification is carried out with the same working condition. This study provides theoretical foundation for the design of high-speed and heavy-load brake pad. The new structure may provide design reference for improving the stress condition between brake pad and disc, enhancing the use ratio of friction material and increasing the working performance of large-megawatt wind turbine brake.

Flutter Phenomenon in Flow Driven Energy Harvester-A Unified Theoretical Model for "Stiff" and "Flexible" Materials.

PubMed

Chen, Yu; Mu, Xiaojing; Wang, Tao; Ren, Weiwei; Yang, Ya; Wang, Zhong Lin; Sun, Chengliang; Gu, Alex Yuandong

2016-10-14

Here, we report a stable and predictable aero-elastic motion in the flow-driven energy harvester, which is different from flapping and vortex-induced-vibration (VIV). A unified theoretical frame work that describes the flutter phenomenon observed in both "stiff" and "flexible" materials for flow driven energy harvester was presented in this work. We prove flutter in both types of materials is the results of the coupled effects of torsional and bending modes. Compared to "stiff" materials, which has a flow velocity-independent flutter frequency, flexible material presents a flutter frequency that almost linearly scales with the flow velocity. Specific to "flexible" materials, pre-stress modulates the frequency range in which flutter occurs. It is experimentally observed that a double-clamped "flexible" piezoelectric P(VDF-TrFE) thin belt, when driven into the flutter state, yields a 1,000 times increase in the output voltage compared to that of the non-fluttered state. At a fixed flow velocity, increase in pre-stress level of the P(VDF-TrFE) thin belt up-shifts the flutter frequency. In addition, this work allows the rational design of flexible piezoelectric devices, including flow-driven energy harvester, triboelectric energy harvester, and self-powered wireless flow speed sensor.

A templated approach for multi-physics modeling of hybrid energy systems in Modelica

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Greenwood, Michael Scott; Cetiner, Sacit M.; Harrison, Thomas J.

A prototypical hybrid energy system (HES) couples a primary thermal power generator (i.e., nuclear power plant) with one or more additional subsystems beyond the traditional balance of plant electricity generation system. The definition and architecture of an HES can be adapted based on the needs and opportunities of a given local market. For example, locations in need of potable water may be best served by coupling a desalination plant to the HES. A location near an oil refinery may have a need for emission-free hydrogen production. The flexible, multidomain capabilities of Modelica are being used to investigate the dynamics (e.g.,more » thermal hydraulics and electrical generation/consumption) of such a hybrid system. This paper examines the simulation infrastructure created to enable the coupling of multiphysics subsystem models for HES studies. A demonstration of a tightly coupled nuclear hybrid energy system implemented using the Modelica based infrastructure is presented for two representative cases. An appendix is also included providing a step-by-step procedure for using the template-based infrastructure.« less

Diagnosing the Nature of Land-Atmosphere Coupling: A Case Study of Dry/Wet Extremes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Santanello, Joseph A., Jr.; Peters-Lidard, Christa; Kennedy, Aaron D.

2012-01-01

Land-atmosphere (L-A) interactions play a critical role in determining the diurnal evolution of land surface and planetary boundary layer (PBL) temperature and moisture states and fluxes. In turn, these interactions regulate the strength of the connection between surface moisture and precipitation in a coupled system. To address deficiencies in numerical weather prediction and climate models due to improper treatment of L-A interactions, recent studies have focused on development of diagnostics to quantify the strength and accuracy of the land-PBL coupling at the process-level. In this study, a diagnosis of the nature and impacts oflocalland-atmosphere coupling (LoCo) during dry and wet extreme conditions is presented using a combination of models and observations during the summers of2006-7 in the U.S. Southern Great Plains. Specifically, the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model has been coupled to NASA's Land Information System (LIS), which provides a flexible and high-resolution representation and initialization of land surface physics and states. A range of diagnostics exploring the links and feedbacks between soil moisture and precipitation are examined for the dry/wet regimes of this region, along with the behavior and accuracy of different land-PBL scheme couplings under these conditions. In addition, we examine the impact of improved specification ofland surface states, anomalies, and fluxes that are obtained through the use of a hew optimization and uncertainty module in LIS, on the L-A coupling in WRF forecasts. Results demonstrate how LoCo diagnostics can be applied to coupled model components in the context of their integrated impacts on the process-chain connecting the land surface to the PBL and support of hydrological anomalies.

GLOFRIM v1.0 - A globally applicable computational framework for integrated hydrological-hydrodynamic modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoch, Jannis M.; Neal, Jeffrey C.; Baart, Fedor; van Beek, Rens; Winsemius, Hessel C.; Bates, Paul D.; Bierkens, Marc F. P.

2017-10-01

We here present GLOFRIM, a globally applicable computational framework for integrated hydrological-hydrodynamic modelling. GLOFRIM facilitates spatially explicit coupling of hydrodynamic and hydrologic models and caters for an ensemble of models to be coupled. It currently encompasses the global hydrological model PCR-GLOBWB as well as the hydrodynamic models Delft3D Flexible Mesh (DFM; solving the full shallow-water equations and allowing for spatially flexible meshing) and LISFLOOD-FP (LFP; solving the local inertia equations and running on regular grids). The main advantages of the framework are its open and free access, its global applicability, its versatility, and its extensibility with other hydrological or hydrodynamic models. Before applying GLOFRIM to an actual test case, we benchmarked both DFM and LFP for a synthetic test case. Results show that for sub-critical flow conditions, discharge response to the same input signal is near-identical for both models, which agrees with previous studies. We subsequently applied the framework to the Amazon River basin to not only test the framework thoroughly, but also to perform a first-ever benchmark of flexible and regular grids on a large-scale. Both DFM and LFP produce comparable results in terms of simulated discharge with LFP exhibiting slightly higher accuracy as expressed by a Kling-Gupta efficiency of 0.82 compared to 0.76 for DFM. However, benchmarking inundation extent between DFM and LFP over the entire study area, a critical success index of 0.46 was obtained, indicating that the models disagree as often as they agree. Differences between models in both simulated discharge and inundation extent are to a large extent attributable to the gridding techniques employed. In fact, the results show that both the numerical scheme of the inundation model and the gridding technique can contribute to deviations in simulated inundation extent as we control for model forcing and boundary conditions. This study shows that the presented computational framework is robust and widely applicable. GLOFRIM is designed as open access and easily extendable, and thus we hope that other large-scale hydrological and hydrodynamic models will be added. Eventually, more locally relevant processes would be captured and more robust model inter-comparison, benchmarking, and ensemble simulations of flood hazard on a large scale would be allowed for.

SMA actuators for morphing wings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brailovski, V.; Terriault, P.; Georges, T.; Coutu, D.

An experimental morphing laminar wing was developed to prove the feasibility of aircraft fuel consumption reduction through enhancement of the laminar flow regime over the wing extrados. The morphing wing prototype designed for subsonic cruise flight conditions (Mach 0.2 … 0.3; angle of attack - 1 … +2∘), combines three principal subsystems: (1) flexible extrados, (2) rigid intrados and (3) an actuator group located inside the wing box. The morphing capability of the wing relies on controlled deformation of the wing extrados under the action of shape memory alloys (SMA) actuators. A coupled fluid-structure model of the morphing wing was used to evaluate its mechanical and aerodynamic performances in different flight conditions. A 0.5 m chord and 1 m span prototype of the morphing wing was tested in a subsonic wind tunnel. In this work, SMA actuators for morphing wings were modeled using a coupled thermo-mechanical finite element model and they were windtunnel validated. If the thermo-mechanical model of SMA actuators presented in this work is coupled with the previously developed structureaerodynamic model of the morphing wing, it could serve for the optimization of the entire morphing wing system.

Discrete piezoelectric sensors and actuators for active control of two-dimensional spacecraft components

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bayer, Janice I.; Varadan, V. V.; Varadan, V. K.

1991-01-01

This paper describes research into the use of discrete piezoelectric sensors and actuators for active modal control of flexible two-dimensional structures such as might be used as components for spacecraft. A dynamic coupling term is defined between the sensor/actuator and the structure in terms of structural model shapes, location and piezoelectric behavior. The relative size of the coupling term determines sensor/actuator placement. Results are shown for a clamped square plate and for a large antenna. An experiment was performed on a thin foot-square plate clamped on all sides. Sizable vibration control was achieved for first, second/third (degenerate) and fourth modes.

Progressive Stereo Locking (PSL): A Residual Dipolar Coupling Based Force Field Method for Determining the Relative Configuration of Natural Products and Other Small Molecules.

PubMed

Cornilescu, Gabriel; Ramos Alvarenga, René F; Wyche, Thomas P; Bugni, Tim S; Gil, Roberto R; Cornilescu, Claudia C; Westler, William M; Markley, John L; Schwieters, Charles D

2017-08-18

Establishing the relative configuration of a bioactive natural product represents the most challenging part in determining its structure. Residual dipolar couplings (RDCs) are sensitive probes of the relative spatial orientation of internuclear vectors. We adapted a force field structure calculation methodology to allow free sampling of both R and S configurations of the stereocenters of interest. The algorithm uses a floating alignment tensor in a simulated annealing protocol to identify the conformations and configurations that best fit experimental RDC and distance restraints (from NOE and J-coupling data). A unique configuration (for rigid molecules) or a very small number of configurations (for less rigid molecules) of the structural models having the lowest chiral angle energies and reasonable magnitudes of the alignment tensor are provided as the best predictions of the unknown configuration. For highly flexible molecules, the progressive locking of their stereocenters into their statistically dominant R or S state dramatically reduces the number of possible relative configurations. The result is verified by checking that the same configuration is obtained by initiating the locking from different regions of the molecule. For all molecules tested having known configurations (with conformations ranging from mostly rigid to highly flexible), the method accurately determined the correct configuration.

Synchronous dynamics of a coupled shaft/bearing/housing system with auxiliary support from a clearance bearing: Analysis and experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lawen, James L., Jr.; Flowers, George T.

1995-01-01

This study examines the response of a flexible rotor supported by load sharing between linear bearings and an auxiliary clearance bearing. The objective is to develop a better understanding of the dynamical behavior of a magnetic bearing supported rotor system interacting with auxiliary bearings during a critical operating condition. Of particular interest is the effect of coupling between the bearing/housing and shaft vibration on the rotordynamical responses. A simulation model is developed and a number of studies are performed for various parametric configurations. An experimental investigation is also conducted to compare and verify the rotordynamic behavior predicted by the simulation studies. A strategy for reducing synchronous shaft vibration through appropriate design of coupled shaft/bearing/housing vibration modes is identified.

Model updating in flexible-link multibody systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belotti, R.; Caneva, G.; Palomba, I.; Richiedei, D.; Trevisani, A.

2016-09-01

The dynamic response of flexible-link multibody systems (FLMSs) can be predicted through nonlinear models based on finite elements, to describe the coupling between rigid- body and elastic behaviour. Their accuracy should be as high as possible to synthesize controllers and observers. Model updating based on experimental measurements is hence necessary. By taking advantage of the experimental modal analysis, this work proposes a model updating procedure for FLMSs and applies it experimentally to a planar robot. Indeed, several peculiarities of the model of FLMS should be carefully tackled. On the one hand, nonlinear models of a FLMS should be linearized about static equilibrium configurations. On the other, the experimental mode shapes should be corrected to be consistent with the elastic displacements represented in the model, which are defined with respect to a fictitious moving reference (the equivalent rigid link system). Then, since rotational degrees of freedom are also represented in the model, interpolation of the experimental data should be performed to match the model displacement vector. Model updating has been finally cast as an optimization problem in the presence of bounds on the feasible values, by also adopting methods to improve the numerical conditioning and to compute meaningful updated inertial and elastic parameters.

Coupling molecular dynamics with lattice Boltzmann method based on the immersed boundary method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Jifu; Sinno, Talid; Diamond, Scott

2017-11-01

The study of viscous fluid flow coupled with rigid or deformable solids has many applications in biological and engineering problems, e.g., blood cell transport, drug delivery, and particulate flow. We developed a partitioned approach to solve this coupled Multiphysics problem. The fluid motion was solved by Palabos (Parallel Lattice Boltzmann Solver), while the solid displacement and deformation was simulated by LAMMPS (Large-scale Atomic/Molecular Massively Parallel Simulator). The coupling was achieved through the immersed boundary method (IBM). The code modeled both rigid and deformable solids exposed to flow. The code was validated with the classic problem of rigid ellipsoid particle orbit in shear flow, blood cell stretching test and effective blood viscosity, and demonstrated essentially linear scaling over 16 cores. An example of the fluid-solid coupling was given for flexible filaments (drug carriers) transport in a flowing blood cell suspensions, highlighting the advantages and capabilities of the developed code. NIH 1U01HL131053-01A1.

Roll type conducting polymer legs for rigid-flexible thermoelectric generator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Teahoon; Lim, Hanwhuy; Hwang, Jong Un; Na, Jongbeom; Lee, Hyunki; Kim, Eunkyoung

2017-07-01

A roll-type conducting polymer film was explored as a flexible organic p-type thermoelectric leg using poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) doped with tosylate. The PEDOT films were prepared through solution casting polymerization and rolled up for a roll-type leg. Due to the high flexibility, the roll-type PEDOT leg enabled easy contact to both top and bottom electrodes. Simulation on the dynamic heat transfer and convective cooling for a vertically roosted rod- and roll-type PEDOT leg showed that the temperature difference (ΔT) between the hot and cold sides of the leg was much higher in the roll than that of the rod. The PEDOT legs were integrated with n-type Bi2Te3 blocks, to give a 36-couple rigid-flexible thermoelectric generator (RF-TEG). The maximum output voltage from the 36-couple RF-TEG under a ΔT of 7.9 K was determined as 36.7 mV along with a high output power of 115 nW. A wearable RF-TEG was prepared upon the combination of the 36-couple RF-TEG with an arm warmer, to afford an output voltage of 10.6 mV, which was generated constantly and steadily from human wrist heat.

Disk/Shaft Vibration Induced by Bearing Clearance Effects: Analysis and Experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Flowers, George T.; Wu, Fangsheng

1996-01-01

This study presents an investigation of the dynamics of a rotor system with bearing clearance. Of particular interest is the influence of such effects on coupled disk/shaft vibration. Experimental results for a rotor system with a flexible disk are presented and compared to predictions from a simulation model. Some insights and conclusions are obtained with regard to the conditions under which such vibration may be significant.

New ghost-node method for linking different models with varied grid refinement

USGS Publications Warehouse

James, S.C.; Dickinson, J.E.; Mehl, S.W.; Hill, M.C.; Leake, S.A.; Zyvoloski, G.A.; Eddebbarh, A.-A.

2006-01-01

A flexible, robust method for linking grids of locally refined ground-water flow models constructed with different numerical methods is needed to address a variety of hydrologic problems. This work outlines and tests a new ghost-node model-linking method for a refined "child" model that is contained within a larger and coarser "parent" model that is based on the iterative method of Steffen W. Mehl and Mary C. Hill (2002, Advances in Water Res., 25, p. 497-511; 2004, Advances in Water Res., 27, p. 899-912). The method is applicable to steady-state solutions for ground-water flow. Tests are presented for a homogeneous two-dimensional system that has matching grids (parent cells border an integer number of child cells) or nonmatching grids. The coupled grids are simulated by using the finite-difference and finite-element models MODFLOW and FEHM, respectively. The simulations require no alteration of the MODFLOW or FEHM models and are executed using a batch file on Windows operating systems. Results indicate that when the grids are matched spatially so that nodes and child-cell boundaries are aligned, the new coupling technique has error nearly equal to that when coupling two MODFLOW models. When the grids are nonmatching, model accuracy is slightly increased compared to that for matching-grid cases. Overall, results indicate that the ghost-node technique is a viable means to couple distinct models because the overall head and flow errors relative to the analytical solution are less than if only the regional coarse-grid model was used to simulate flow in the child model's domain.

Centralized, decentralized, and independent control of a flexible manipulator on a flexible base

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Li, Feiyue; Bainum, Peter M.; Xu, Jianke

1991-01-01

The dynamics and control of a flexible manipulator arm with payload mass on a flexible base in space are considered. The controllers are provided by one torquer at the center of the base and one torquer at the connection joint of the robot and the base. The nonlinear dynamics of the system is modeled by applying the finite element method and Lagrangian formula. Three control strategies are considered and compared, i.e., centralized control, decentralized control, and independent control. All these control designs are based on the linear quadratic regulator theory. A mathematical decomposition is used in the decentralization process so that the coupling between the subsystems is weak, while a physical decomposition is used in the independent control design process. For both the decentralized and the independent controls, the stability of the overall linear system is checked before a numerical simulations is initiated. Two numerical examples show that the response of the independent control system are close to those of the centralized control system, while the responses of the decentralized control system are not.

Temperature dependence of internal friction in enzyme reactions.

PubMed

Rauscher, Anna Á; Simon, Zoltán; Szöllosi, Gergely J; Gráf, László; Derényi, Imre; Malnasi-Csizmadia, Andras

2011-08-01

Our aim was to elucidate the physical background of internal friction of enzyme reactions by investigating the temperature dependence of internal viscosity. By rapid transient kinetic methods, we directly measured the rate constant of trypsin 4 activation, which is an interdomain conformational rearrangement, as a function of temperature and solvent viscosity. We found that the apparent internal viscosity shows an Arrhenius-like temperature dependence, which can be characterized by the activation energy of internal friction. Glycine and alanine mutations were introduced at a single position of the hinge of the interdomain region to evaluate how the flexibility of the hinge affects internal friction. We found that the apparent activation energies of the conformational change and the internal friction are interconvertible parameters depending on the protein flexibility. The more flexible a protein was, the greater proportion of the total activation energy of the reaction was observed as the apparent activation energy of internal friction. Based on the coupling of the internal and external movements of the protein during its conformational change, we constructed a model that quantitatively relates activation energy, internal friction, and protein flexibility.

FLEXIBLE COUPLING

DOEpatents

Babelay, E.F.

1962-02-13

A flexible shaft coupling for operation at speeds in excess of 14,000 rpm is designed which requires no lubrication. A driving sleeve member and a driven sleeve member are placed in concentric spaced relationship. A torque force is transmitted to the driven member from the driving member through a plurality of nylon balls symmetrically disposed between the spaced sleeves. The balls extend into races and recesses within the respective sleeve members. The sleeve members have a suitable clearance therebetween and the balls have a suitable radial clearance during operation of the coupling to provide a relatively loose coupling. These clearances accommodate for both parallel and/or angular misalignments and avoid metal-tometal contact between the sleeve members during operation. Thus, no lubrication is needed, and a minimum of vibrations is transmitted between the sleeve members. (AEC)

Recursive thoughts on the simulation of the flexible multibody dynamics of slender offshore structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schilder, J.; Ellenbroek, M.; de Boer, A.

2017-12-01

In this work, the floating frame of reference formulation is used to create a flexible multibody model of slender offshore structures such as pipelines and risers. It is shown that due to the chain-like topology of the considered structures, the equation of motion can be expressed in terms of absolute interface coordinates. In the presented form, kinematic constraint equations are satisfied explicitly and the Lagrange multipliers are eliminated from the equations. Hence, the structures can be conveniently coupled to finite element or multibody models of for example seabed and vessel. The chain-like topology enables the efficient use of recursive solution procedures for both transient dynamic analysis and equilibrium analysis. For this, the transfer matrix method is used. In order to improve the convergence of the equilibrium analysis, the analytical solution of an ideal catenary is used as an initial configuration, reducing the number of required iterations.

Structure of flexible and semiflexible polyelectrolyte chains in confined spaces of slit micro/nanochannels.

PubMed

Jeon, Jonggu; Chun, Myung-Suk

2007-04-21

Understanding the behavior of a polyelectrolyte in confined spaces has direct relevance in design and manipulation of microfluidic devices, as well as transport in living organisms. In this paper, a coarse-grained model of anionic semiflexible polyelectrolyte is applied, and its structure and dynamics are fully examined with Brownian dynamics (BD) simulations both in bulk solution and under confinement between two negatively charged parallel plates. The modeling is based on the nonlinear bead-spring discretization of a continuous chain with additional long-range electrostatic, Lennard-Jones, and hydrodynamic interactions between pairs of beads. The authors also consider the steric and electrostatic interactions between the bead and the confining wall. Relevant model parameters are determined from experimental rheology data on the anionic polysaccharide xanthan reported previously. For comparison, both flexible and semiflexible models are developed accompanying zero and finite intrinsic persistence lengths, respectively. The conformational changes of the polyelectrolyte chain induced by confinements and their dependence on the screening effect of the electrolyte solution are faithfully characterized with BD simulations. Depending on the intrinsic rigidity and the medium ionic strength, the polyelectrolyte can be classified as flexible, semiflexible, or rigid. Confined flexible and semiflexible chains exhibit a nonmonotonic variation in size, as measured by the radius of gyration and end-to-end distance, with changing slit width. For the semiflexible chain, this is coupled to the variations in long-range bond vector correlation. The rigid chain, realized at low ionic strength, does not have minima in size but exhibits a sigmoidal transition. The size of confined semiflexible and rigid polyelectrolytes can be well described by the wormlike chain model once the electrostatic effects are taken into account by the persistence length measured at long length scale.

Adaptive super twisting vibration control of a flexible spacecraft with state rate estimation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malekzadeh, Maryam; Karimpour, Hossein

2018-05-01

The robust attitude and vibration control of a flexible spacecraft trying to perform accurate maneuvers in spite of various sources of uncertainty is addressed here. Difficulties for achieving precise and stable pointing arise from noisy onboard sensors, parameters indeterminacy, outer disturbances as well as un-modeled or hidden dynamics interactions. Based on high-order sliding-mode methods, the non-minimum phase nature of the problem is dealt with through output redefinition. An adaptive super-twisting algorithm (ASTA) is incorporated with its observer counterpart on the system under consideration to get reliable attitude and vibration control in the presence of sensor noise and momentum coupling. The closed-loop efficiency is verified through simulations under various indeterminate situations and got compared to other methods.

Fully-Coupled Dynamical Jitter Modeling of Momentum Exchange Devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alcorn, John

A primary source of spacecraft jitter is due to mass imbalances within momentum exchange devices (MEDs) used for fine pointing, such as reaction wheels (RWs) and variable-speed control moment gyroscopes (VSCMGs). Although these effects are often characterized through experimentation in order to validate pointing stability requirements, it is of interest to include jitter in a computer simulation of the spacecraft in the early stages of spacecraft development. An estimate of jitter amplitude may be found by modeling MED imbalance torques as external disturbance forces and torques on the spacecraft. In this case, MED mass imbalances are lumped into static and dynamic imbalance parameters, allowing jitter force and torque to be simply proportional to wheel speed squared. A physically realistic dynamic model may be obtained by defining mass imbalances in terms of a wheel center of mass location and inertia tensor. The fully-coupled dynamic model allows for momentum and energy validation of the system. This is often critical when modeling additional complex dynamical behavior such as flexible dynamics and fuel slosh. Furthermore, it is necessary to use the fully-coupled model in instances where the relative mass properties of the spacecraft with respect to the RWs cause the simplified jitter model to be inaccurate. This thesis presents a generalized approach to MED imbalance modeling of a rigid spacecraft hub with N RWs or VSCMGs. A discussion is included to convert from manufacturer specifications of RW imbalances to the parameters introduced within each model. Implementations of the fully-coupled RW and VSCMG models derived within this thesis are released open-source as part of the Basilisk astrodynamics software.

Self-rolling and light-trapping in flexible quantum well–embedded nanomembranes for wide-angle infrared photodetectors

PubMed Central

Wang, Han; Zhen, Honglou; Li, Shilong; Jing, Youliang; Huang, Gaoshan; Mei, Yongfeng; Lu, Wei

2016-01-01

Three-dimensional (3D) design and manufacturing enable flexible nanomembranes to deliver unique properties and applications in flexible electronics, photovoltaics, and photonics. We demonstrate that a quantum well (QW)–embedded nanomembrane in a rolled-up geometry facilitates a 3D QW infrared photodetector (QWIP) device with enhanced responsivity and detectivity. Circular geometry of nanomembrane rolls provides the light coupling route; thus, there are no external light coupling structures, which are normally necessary for QWIPs. This 3D QWIP device under tube-based light-trapping mode presents broadband enhancement of coupling efficiency and omnidirectional detection under a wide incident angle (±70°), offering a unique solution to high-performance focal plane array. The winding number of these rolled-up QWIPs provides well-tunable blackbody photocurrents and responsivity. 3D self-assembly of functional nanomembranes offers a new path for high conversion efficiency between light and electricity in photodetectors, solar cells, and light-emitting diodes. PMID:27536723

Coupling of Processes and Data in PennState Integrated Hydrologic Modeling (PIHM) System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, M.; Duffy, C.

2007-12-01

Full physical coupling, "natural" numerical coupling and parsimonious but accurate data coupling is needed to comprehensively and accurately capture the interaction between different components of a hydrologic continuum. Here we present a physically based, spatially distributed hydrologic model that incorporates all the three coupling strategies. Physical coupling of interception, snow melt, transpiration, overland flow, subsurface flow, river flow, macropore based infiltration and stormflow, flow through and over hydraulic structures likes weirs and dams, and evaporation from interception, ground and overland flow is performed. All the physically coupled components are numerically coupled through semi-discrete form of ordinary differential equations, that define each hydrologic process, using Finite-Volume based approach. The fully implicit solution methodology using CVODE solver solves for all the state variables simultaneously at each adaptive time steps thus providing robustness, stability and accuracy. The accurate data coupling is aided by use of constrained unstructured meshes, flexible data model and use of PIHMgis. The spatial adaptivity of decomposed domain and temporal adaptivity of the numerical solver facilitates capture of varied spatio-temporal scales that are inherent in hydrologic process interactions. The implementation of the model has been performed on a meso-scale Little-Juniata Watershed. Model results are validated by comparison of streamflow at multiple locations. We discuss some of the interesting hydrologic interactions between surface, subsurface and atmosphere witnessed during the year long simulation such as a) inverse relationship between evaporation from interception storage and transpiration b) relative influence of forcing (precipitation, temperature and radiation) and source (soil moisture and overland flow) on evaporation c) influence of local topography on gaining, loosing or "flow-through" behavior of river-aquifer interactions d) role of macropores on base flow during wetting and drying conditions. In addition to its use as a potential predictive and exploratory science tool, we present a test case for the application of model in water management by mapping of water table decline index for the whole watershed. Also discussed will be the efficient parallelization strategy of the model for high spatio-temporal resolution simulations.

Preliminary analysis of the PreFlexMS molten salt once-through steam generator dynamics and control strategy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trabucchi, Stefano; Casella, Francesco; Maioli, Tommaso; Elsido, Cristina; Franzini, Davide; Ramond, Mathieu

2017-06-01

Concentrated Solar Power plants (CSP) coupled with thermal storage have the potential to guarantee both flexible and continuous energy production, thus being competitive with conventional fossil fuel and hydro power plants, in terms of dispatchability and provision of ancillary services. Hence, the plant equipment and control design have to be focused on flexible operation on one hand, and on plant safety concerning the molten salt freezing on the other hand. The PreFlexMS European project aims to introduce a molten salt Once-Through Steam Generator (OTSG) within a Rankine cycle based power unit, a technology that has greater flexibility potential if compared to steam drum boilers, currently used in CSP plants. The dynamic modelling and simulation from the early design stages is, thus, of paramount importance, to assess the plant dynamic behavior and controllability, and to predict the achievable closed-loop dynamic performance, potentially saving money and time during the detailed design, construction and commissioning phases. The present paper reports the main results of the analysis carried out during the first part of the project, regarding the system analysis and control design. In particular, two different control systems have been studied and tested with the plant dynamic model: a decentralized control strategy based on PI controllers and a Linear Model Predictive Control (LMPC).

Shear-flexible finite-element models of laminated composite plates and shells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Noor, A. K.; Mathers, M. D.

1975-01-01

Several finite-element models are applied to the linear static, stability, and vibration analysis of laminated composite plates and shells. The study is based on linear shallow-shell theory, with the effects of shear deformation, anisotropic material behavior, and bending-extensional coupling included. Both stiffness (displacement) and mixed finite-element models are considered. Discussion is focused on the effects of shear deformation and anisotropic material behavior on the accuracy and convergence of different finite-element models. Numerical studies are presented which show the effects of increasing the order of the approximating polynomials, adding internal degrees of freedom, and using derivatives of generalized displacements as nodal parameters.

Generalized thick strip modelling for vortex-induced vibration of long flexible cylinders

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bao, Y., E-mail: ybao@sjtu.edu.cn; Department of Aeronautics, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London; Palacios, R., E-mail: r.palacios@imperial.ac.uk

2016-09-15

We propose a generalized strip modelling method that is computationally efficient for the VIV prediction of long flexible cylinders in three-dimensional incompressible flow. In order to overcome the shortcomings of conventional strip-theory-based 2D models, the fluid domain is divided into “thick” strips, which are sufficiently thick to locally resolve the small scale turbulence effects and three dimensionality of the flow around the cylinder. An attractive feature of the model is that we independently construct a three-dimensional scale resolving model for individual strips, which have local spanwise scale along the cylinder's axial direction and are only coupled through the structural modelmore » of the cylinder. Therefore, this approach is able to cover the full spectrum for fully resolved 3D modelling to 2D strip theory. The connection between these strips is achieved through the calculation of a tensioned beam equation, which is used to represent the dynamics of the flexible body. In the limit, however, a single “thick” strip would fill the full 3D domain. A parallel Fourier spectral/hp element method is employed to solve the 3D flow dynamics in the strip-domain, and then the VIV response prediction is achieved through the strip–structure interactions. Numerical tests on both laminar and turbulent flows as well as the comparison against the fully resolved DNS are presented to demonstrate the applicability of this approach.« less

The Modular Modeling System (MMS): A toolbox for water- and environmental-resources management

USGS Publications Warehouse

Leavesley, G.H.; Markstrom, S.L.; Viger, R.J.; Hay, L.E.; ,

2005-01-01

The increasing complexity of water- and environmental-resource problems require modeling approaches that incorporate knowledge from a broad range of scientific and software disciplines. To address this need, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has developed the Modular Modeling System (MMS). MMS is an integrated system of computer software for model development, integration, and application. Its modular design allows a high level of flexibility and adaptability to enable modelers to incorporate their own software into a rich array of built-in models and modeling tools. These include individual process models, tightly coupled models, loosely coupled models, and fully- integrated decision support systems. A geographic information system (GIS) interface, the USGS GIS Weasel, has been integrated with MMS to enable spatial delineation and characterization of basin and ecosystem features, and to provide objective parameter-estimation methods for models using available digital data. MMS provides optimization and sensitivity-analysis tools to analyze model parameters and evaluate the extent to which uncertainty in model parameters affects uncertainty in simulation results. MMS has been coupled with the Bureau of Reclamation object-oriented reservoir and river-system modeling framework, RiverWare, to develop models to evaluate and apply optimal resource-allocation and management strategies to complex, operational decisions on multipurpose reservoir systems and watersheds. This decision support system approach has been developed, tested, and implemented in the Gunnison, Yakima, San Joaquin, Rio Grande, and Truckee River basins of the western United States. MMS is currently being coupled with the U.S. Forest Service model SIMulating Patterns and Processes at Landscape Scales (SIMPPLLE) to assess the effects of alternative vegetation-management strategies on a variety of hydrological and ecological responses. Initial development and testing of the MMS-SIMPPLLE integration is being conducted on the Colorado Plateau region of the western United Sates.

TerraFERMA: The Transparent Finite Element Rapid Model Assembler for multiphysics problems in Earth sciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilson, Cian R.; Spiegelman, Marc; van Keken, Peter E.

2017-02-01

We introduce and describe a new software infrastructure TerraFERMA, the Transparent Finite Element Rapid Model Assembler, for the rapid and reproducible description and solution of coupled multiphysics problems. The design of TerraFERMA is driven by two computational needs in Earth sciences. The first is the need for increased flexibility in both problem description and solution strategies for coupled problems where small changes in model assumptions can lead to dramatic changes in physical behavior. The second is the need for software and models that are more transparent so that results can be verified, reproduced, and modified in a manner such that the best ideas in computation and Earth science can be more easily shared and reused. TerraFERMA leverages three advanced open-source libraries for scientific computation that provide high-level problem description (FEniCS), composable solvers for coupled multiphysics problems (PETSc), and an options handling system (SPuD) that allows the hierarchical management of all model options. TerraFERMA integrates these libraries into an interface that organizes the scientific and computational choices required in a model into a single options file from which a custom compiled application is generated and run. Because all models share the same infrastructure, models become more reusable and reproducible, while still permitting the individual researcher considerable latitude in model construction. TerraFERMA solves partial differential equations using the finite element method. It is particularly well suited for nonlinear problems with complex coupling between components. TerraFERMA is open-source and available at http://terraferma.github.io, which includes links to documentation and example input files.

Flexible word meaning in embodied agents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wellens, Peter; Loetzsch, Martin; Steels, Luc

2008-06-01

Learning the meanings of words requires coping with referential uncertainty - a learner hearing a novel word cannot be sure which aspects or properties of the referred object or event comprise the meaning of the word. Data from developmental psychology suggest that human learners grasp the important aspects of many novel words after just a few exposures, a phenomenon known as fast mapping. Traditionally, word learning is viewed as a mapping task, in which the learner has to map a set of forms onto a set of pre-existing concepts. We criticise this approach and argue instead for a flexible nature of the coupling between form and meanings as a solution to the problem of referential uncertainty. We implemented and tested the model in populations of humanoid robots that play situated language games about objects in their shared environment. Results show that the model can handle an exponential increase in uncertainty and allows scaling towards very large meaning spaces, while retaining the ability to grasp an operational meaning almost instantly for a great number of words. In addition, the model captures some aspects of the flexibility of form-meaning associations found in human languages. Meanings of words can shift between being very specific (names) and general (e.g. 'small'). We show that this specificity is biased not by the model itself but by the distribution of object properties in the world.

Modeling and Observational Framework for Diagnosing Local Land-Atmosphere Coupling on Diurnal Time Scales

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Santanello, Joseph A., Jr.; Peters-Lidard, Christa D.; Kumar, Sujay V.; Alonge, Charles; Tao, Wei-Kuo

2009-01-01

Land-atmosphere interactions play a critical role in determining the diurnal evolution of both planetary boundary layer (PBL) and land surface temperature and moisture states. The degree of coupling between the land surface and PBL in numerical weather prediction and climate models remains largely unexplored and undiagnosed due to the complex interactions and feedbacks present across a range of scales. Further, uncoupled systems or experiments (e.g., the Project for Intercomparison of Land Parameterization Schemes, PILPS) may lead to inaccurate water and energy cycle process understanding by neglecting feedback processes such as PBL-top entrainment. In this study, a framework for diagnosing local land-atmosphere coupling is presented using a coupled mesoscale model with a suite of PBL and land surface model (LSM) options along with observations during field experiments in the U. S. Southern Great Plains. Specifically, the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model has been coupled to the Land Information System (LIS), which provides a flexible and high-resolution representation and initialization of land surface physics and states. Within this framework, the coupling established by each pairing of the available PBL schemes in WRF with the LSMs in LIS is evaluated in terms of the diurnal temperature and humidity evolution in the mixed layer. The co-evolution of these variables and the convective PBL is sensitive to and, in fact, integrative of the dominant processes that govern the PBL budget, which are synthesized through the use of mixing diagrams. Results show how the sensitivity of land-atmosphere interactions to the specific choice of PBL scheme and LSM varies across surface moisture regimes and can be quantified and evaluated against observations. As such, this methodology provides a potential pathway to study factors controlling local land-atmosphere coupling (LoCo) using the LIS-WRF system, which will serve as a testbed for future experiments to evaluate coupling diagnostics within the community.

Rapid rotational/translational maneuvering experiments of a flexible steel beam

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Juang, Jer-Nan; Yang, Li-Farn; Huanag, Jen-Kuang; Macauley, Richard

1989-01-01

Future space manipulators may need translational base motion to expand the access region of a manipulator. An experiment was conducted to demonstrate slewing of flexible structures with coupled rotational and translational axes while simultaneously suppressing vibrational motion during the maneuver. In the experiment, a flexible steel beam carried by a translational cart was maneuvered by an active controller to perform position-control tasks. Experimental results are presented to show how the flexibility of the steel beam influences the multi-input multi-output feedback controller.

GLOFRIM - A globally applicable framework for integrated hydrologic-hydrodynamic inundation modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoch, J. M.; Neal, J. C.; Baart, F.; Van Beek, L. P.; Winsemius, H.; Bates, P. D.; Bierkens, M. F.

2017-12-01

Currently, many approaches to provide detailed flood hazard and risk estimates are built upon specific hydrologic or hydrodynamic model routines. By applying these routines in stand-alone mode important processes can however not accurately be described. For instance, global hydrologic models run at coarse spatial resolution, not supporting the detailed simulation of flood hazard. Hydrodynamic models excel in the computations of open water flow dynamics, but dependent on specific runoff or observed discharge as input. In most cases hydrodynamic models are forced at the boundaries and thus cannot account for water sources within the model domain, limiting the simulation of inundation dynamics to reaches fed by upstream boundaries. Recently, Hoch et al. (HESS, 2017) coupled PCR-GLOBWB (PCR) with the hydrodynamic model Delft3D Flexible Mesh (DFM). By means of the Basic Model Interface both models were connected on a cell-by-cell basis, allowing for spatially explicit coupling. Model results showed that discharge simulations can profit from model coupling compared to stand-alone runs. As model results of a coupled simulation depend on the quality of the models, it would be worthwhile to allow a suite of models to be coupled. To facilitate this, we present GLOFRIM, a globally applicable framework for integrated hydrologic-hydrodynamic inundation modelling. In the current version coupling between PCR and both DFM and LISFLOOD-FP (LFP) can be established (Hoch et al., GMDD, 2017). First results show that differences between both hydrodynamic models are present in the timing of peak discharge which is most likely due to differences in channel-floodplain interactions and bathymetry processing. Having benchmarked inundation extent, LFP and DFM agree for around half of the inundated area which is attributable to variations in grid size. Results also indicate that, despite using identical boundary conditions and forcing, the schematization itself as well as internal processes can still greatly influence results. In general, the application of GLOFRIM brings several advantages. For example, with PCR being a global model, it is possible to reduce the dependency of observation data for discharge boundaries, and benchmarking of hydrodynamic models is greatly facilitated by employing identical hydrologic forcing.

Synchronous dynamics of a coupled shaft/bearing/housing system with auxiliary support from a clearance bearing: Analysis and experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lawen, James, Jr.; Flowers, George T.

1992-01-01

This study examines the response of a flexible rotor supported by load sharing between linear bearings and an auxiliary clearance bearing. The objective of the work is to develop a better understanding of the dynamical behavior of a magnetic bearing supported rotor system interacting with auxiliary bearings during a critical operating condition. Of particular interest is the effect of coupling between the bearing/housing and shaft vibration on the rotordynamical responses. A simulation model is developed and a number of studies are performed for various parametric configurations. An experimental investigation is also conducted to compare and verify the rotordynamic behavior predicted by the simulation studies. A strategy for reducing synchronous shaft vibration through appropriate design of coupled shaft/bearing/housing vibration modes is identified. The results are presented and discussed.

Aeroelastic effects in multi-rotor vehicles with application to a hybrid heavy lift system. Part 1: Formulation of equations of motion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Venkatesan, C.; Friedman, P.

1984-01-01

This report presents a set of governing coupled differential equations for a model of a hybrid aircraft. The model consists of multiple rotor systems connected by an elastic interconnecting structure, with options to add any combination of or all of the following components; i.e., thrusters, a buoyant hull, and an underslung weight. The dynamic equations are written for the individual blade with hub motions, for the rigid body motions of the whole model, and also for the flexible modes of the interconnecting structure. One of the purposes of this study is to serve as the basis of a numerical study aimed at determining the aeroelastic stability and structural response characteristics of a Hybrid Heavy Lift Airship (HHLA). It is also expected that the formulation may be applicable to analyzing stability and responses of dual rotor helicopters such as a Heavy Lift Helicopter (HLH). Futhermore, the model is capable of representing coupled rotor/body aeromechanical problems of single rotor helicopters.

Structure Prediction of the Second Extracellular Loop in G-Protein-Coupled Receptors

PubMed Central

Kmiecik, Sebastian; Jamroz, Michal; Kolinski, Michal

2014-01-01

G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) play key roles in living organisms. Therefore, it is important to determine their functional structures. The second extracellular loop (ECL2) is a functionally important region of GPCRs, which poses significant challenge for computational structure prediction methods. In this work, we evaluated CABS, a well-established protein modeling tool for predicting ECL2 structure in 13 GPCRs. The ECL2s (with between 13 and 34 residues) are predicted in an environment of other extracellular loops being fully flexible and the transmembrane domain fixed in its x-ray conformation. The modeling procedure used theoretical predictions of ECL2 secondary structure and experimental constraints on disulfide bridges. Our approach yielded ensembles of low-energy conformers and the most populated conformers that contained models close to the available x-ray structures. The level of similarity between the predicted models and x-ray structures is comparable to that of other state-of-the-art computational methods. Our results extend other studies by including newly crystallized GPCRs. PMID:24896119

Seismic analysis of offshore wind turbines on bottom-fixed support structures.

PubMed

Alati, Natale; Failla, Giuseppe; Arena, Felice

2015-02-28

This study investigates the seismic response of a horizontal axis wind turbine on two bottom-fixed support structures for transitional water depths (30-60 m), a tripod and a jacket, both resting on pile foundations. Fully coupled, nonlinear time-domain simulations on full system models are carried out under combined wind-wave-earthquake loadings, for different load cases, considering fixed and flexible foundation models. It is shown that earthquake loading may cause a significant increase of stress resultant demands, even for moderate peak ground accelerations, and that fully coupled nonlinear time-domain simulations on full system models are essential to capture relevant information on the moment demand in the rotor blades, which cannot be predicted by analyses on simplified models allowed by existing standards. A comparison with some typical design load cases substantiates the need for an accurate seismic assessment in sites at risk from earthquakes. © 2015 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.

Reduction of initial shock in decadal predictions using a new initialization strategy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Yujun; Wang, Bin; Liu, Mimi; Liu, Li; Yu, Yongqiang; Liu, Juanjuan; Li, Ruizhe; Zhang, Cheng; Xu, Shiming; Huang, Wenyu; Liu, Qun; Wang, Yong; Li, Feifei

2017-08-01

A novel full-field initialization strategy based on the dimension-reduced projection four-dimensional variational data assimilation (DRP-4DVar) is proposed to alleviate the well-known initial shock occurring in the early years of decadal predictions. It generates consistent initial conditions, which best fit the monthly mean oceanic analysis data along the coupled model trajectory in 1 month windows. Three indices to measure the initial shock intensity are also proposed. Results indicate that this method does reduce the initial shock in decadal predictions by Flexible Global Ocean-Atmosphere-Land System model, Grid-point version 2 (FGOALS-g2) compared with the three-dimensional variational data assimilation-based nudging full-field initialization for the same model and is comparable to or even better than the different initialization strategies for other fifth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) models. Better hindcasts of global mean surface air temperature anomalies can be obtained than in other FGOALS-g2 experiments. Due to the good model response to external forcing and the reduction of initial shock, higher decadal prediction skill is achieved than in other CMIP5 models.

Static Aeroelastic Analysis with an Inviscid Cartesian Method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rodriguez, David L.; Aftosmis, Michael J.; Nemec, Marian; Smith, Stephen C.

2014-01-01

An embedded-boundary Cartesian-mesh flow solver is coupled with a three degree-offreedom structural model to perform static, aeroelastic analysis of complex aircraft geometries. The approach solves the complete system of aero-structural equations using a modular, loosely-coupled strategy which allows the lower-fidelity structural model to deform the highfidelity CFD model. The approach uses an open-source, 3-D discrete-geometry engine to deform a triangulated surface geometry according to the shape predicted by the structural model under the computed aerodynamic loads. The deformation scheme is capable of modeling large deflections and is applicable to the design of modern, very-flexible transport wings. The interface is modular so that aerodynamic or structural analysis methods can be easily swapped or enhanced. This extended abstract includes a brief description of the architecture, along with some preliminary validation of underlying assumptions and early results on a generic 3D transport model. The final paper will present more concrete cases and validation of the approach. Preliminary results demonstrate convergence of the complete aero-structural system and investigate the accuracy of the approximations used in the formulation of the structural model.

Solving iTOUGH2 simulation and optimization problems using the PEST protocol

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Finsterle, S.A.; Zhang, Y.

2011-02-01

The PEST protocol has been implemented into the iTOUGH2 code, allowing the user to link any simulation program (with ASCII-based inputs and outputs) to iTOUGH2's sensitivity analysis, inverse modeling, and uncertainty quantification capabilities. These application models can be pre- or post-processors of the TOUGH2 non-isothermal multiphase flow and transport simulator, or programs that are unrelated to the TOUGH suite of codes. PEST-style template and instruction files are used, respectively, to pass input parameters updated by the iTOUGH2 optimization routines to the model, and to retrieve the model-calculated values that correspond to observable variables. We summarize the iTOUGH2 capabilities and demonstratemore » the flexibility added by the PEST protocol for the solution of a variety of simulation-optimization problems. In particular, the combination of loosely coupled and tightly integrated simulation and optimization routines provides both the flexibility and control needed to solve challenging inversion problems for the analysis of multiphase subsurface flow and transport systems.« less

A Finite-Volume approach for compressible single- and two-phase flows in flexible pipelines with fluid-structure interaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daude, F.; Galon, P.

2018-06-01

A Finite-Volume scheme for the numerical computations of compressible single- and two-phase flows in flexible pipelines is proposed based on an approximate Godunov-type approach. The spatial discretization is here obtained using the HLLC scheme. In addition, the numerical treatment of abrupt changes in area and network including several pipelines connected at junctions is also considered. The proposed approach is based on the integral form of the governing equations making it possible to tackle general equations of state. A coupled approach for the resolution of fluid-structure interaction of compressible fluid flowing in flexible pipes is considered. The structural problem is solved using Euler-Bernoulli beam finite elements. The present Finite-Volume method is applied to ideal gas and two-phase steam-water based on the Homogeneous Equilibrium Model (HEM) in conjunction with a tabulated equation of state in order to demonstrate its ability to tackle general equations of state. The extensive application of the scheme for both shock tube and other transient flow problems demonstrates its capability to resolve such problems accurately and robustly. Finally, the proposed 1-D fluid-structure interaction model appears to be computationally efficient.

Dynamics and control of high precision magnetically levitated vibration isolation systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Youcef-Toumi, K.; Yeh, T-J.

1992-01-01

Vibration control of flexible structures has received a great deal of interest in recent years. Several authors have investigated this topic in the areas of robot manipulators, space structures, and flexible rotors. Key issues associated with the dynamics and control of vibration isolation systems are addressed. Among other important issues to consider in the control of such systems, the location and number of actuators and sensors are essential to effectively control and suppress vibration. We first address the selection of proper actuator and sensor locations leading to a controllable and observable system. The Rayleigh-Ritz modal analysis method is used to develop a lumped-parameter model of a flexible vibration isolation table top. This model is then used to investigate the system's controllability and observability including the coupling effects introduced by the magnetic bearing. This analysis results in necessary and sufficient conditions for proper selection of actuator and sensor locations. These locations are also important for both controller system's complexity and stability of point of views. A favorable pole-zero plot of the open loop transfer functions is presented. Necessary and sufficient conditions for reducing the controller complexity are derived. The results are illustrated by examples using approximate mode shape functions.

Intermittent Swimming with a Flexible Propulsor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akoz, Emre; Moored, Keith

2017-11-01

Aquatic animals use a variety of swimming gaits to propel themselves efficiently through the oceans. One type of gait known as intermittent or burst-and-coast swimming is used by species such as saithe, cod and trout. Recent studies have shown that this gait can save up to 60% of a swimmer's energy by exploiting an inviscid Garrick mechanism. These detailed studies have examined the effects of an intermittent swimming gait on rigid propulsors, yet the caudal fins of intermittent swimmers are in fact highly flexible propulsors. In this respect, to gain a comprehensive understanding of intermittent swimming, the effect of elasticity on the swimming performance and wake flow of an intermittent swimmer is investigated. To accomplish this a torsional spring structural model is strongly coupled to a fast boundary element method solver that captures the fluid-structure interaction of a two-dimensional self-propelled intermittently pitching hydrofoil. It is shown that flexibility introduces extra vortices to the coasting phase of motion that can either promote or diminish thrust production depending upon the hydrofoil parameters. An optimal intermittent flexible swimmer is shown to increase its efficiency by as much as 28% when compared to an optimal continuous flexible swimmer. Supported by the Office of Naval Research under Program Director Dr. Bob Brizzolara, MURI Grant Number N00014-14-1-0533.

Flexible thermal apparatus for mounting of thermoelectric cooler

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, Jack A. (Inventor); Petrick, S. Walter (Inventor); Bard, Steven (Inventor)

1991-01-01

A flexible heat transfer apparatus used to flexibly connect and thermally couple a thermoelectric cooler to an object to be cooled is disclosed. The flexible heat transfer apparatus consists of a pair of flexible corrugated sheets made from high thermal conductivity materials such as copper, aluminum, gold, or silver. The ridges of the corrugated sheets are oriented perpendicular to one another and bonded sandwich-fashion between three plates to define an upper section and a lower section. The upper section provides X flexure, the lower section provides Y flexure, and both sections together provide Z flexure.

Study of the Forced Response of a Clamped Circular Plate Coupled to a Uni-Dimensional Acoustic Cavity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Curà, F.; Curti, G.; Mantovani, M.

1996-03-01

The subject of this paper is an experimental and analytical study of a structural-acoustical coupling problem. To simplify the issue, the analytical model considered here consists of a uni-dimensional acoustic cavity coupled to a one-degree-of-freedom system (mass, spring and damper). An harmonic excitation force is applied to the mass of the oscillator. In the theoretical analysis, the uni-dimensional cavity is subjected, in correspondence of its end sections, to boundary conditions, which are either the usual ones (closed or open ended) or those deriving from the coupling with the oscillator. This simple model proved to be very useful to investigate the influence of the variation of both the geometrical parameters (i.e., the length of the cavity) and the physical parameters (i.e., mass, damping coefficient and stiffness of the oscillator). The analytical results are compared to those obtained experimentally on a real coupled system, consisting of a cavity enclosed by an acoustically rigid steel cylinder, closed at one end by a movable, acoustically rigid piston and at the other end by a flexible plate, clamped around its edge by the cylinder. Thus the length of the cavity can be varied by simply moving the rigid piston.

High-Precision Coupling Mechanism Operable By Robots

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Voellmer, George

1992-01-01

Coupling mechanism has features making it easily operable by hand and suitable for operation by robots: tolerates some initial misalignment, imposes precise final alignment, and protects itself against overtightening. Typically used to mount equipment module on structure. Mechanism includes kinematic mounts, which tolerate small initial misalignment and enforce precise final alignment as two assemblies brought together. Clamping force applied to kinematic mounts via two flexible plates. Bolt and nut tightened on flexible plates to impose spring clamping load. Repeatability of interface tested and found to be better than forty-millionths of inch.

Drive-train dynamics technology - State-of-the-art and design of a test facility for advanced development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Badgley, R. H.; Fleming, D. P.; Smalley, A. J.

1975-01-01

A program for the development and verification of drive-train dynamic technology is described along with its basis and the results expected from it. A central feature of this program is a drive-train test facility designed for the testing and development of advanced drive-train components, including shaft systems, dampers, and couplings. Previous efforts in designing flexible dynamic drive-train systems are reviewed, and the present state of the art is briefly summarized. The design of the test facility is discussed with major attention given to the formulation of the test-rig concept, dynamic scaling of model shafts, and the specification of design parameters. Specific efforts envisioned for the test facility are briefly noted, including evaluations of supercritical test shafts, stability thresholds for various sources and types of instabilities that can exist in shaft systems, effects of structural flexibility on the dynamic performance of dampers, and methods for vibration control in two-level and three-level flexible shaft systems.

Modeling and control of flexible space platforms with articulated payloads

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Graves, Philip C.; Joshi, Suresh M.

1989-01-01

The first steps in developing a methodology for spacecraft control-structure interaction (CSI) optimization are identification and classification of anticipated missions, and the development of tractable mathematical models in each mission class. A mathematical model of a generic large flexible space platform (LFSP) with multiple independently pointed rigid payloads is considered. The objective is not to develop a general purpose numerical simulation, but rather to develop an analytically tractable mathematical model of such composite systems. The equations of motion for a single payload case are derived, and are linearized about zero steady-state. The resulting model is then extended to include multiple rigid payloads, yielding the desired analytical form. The mathematical models developed clearly show the internal inertial/elastic couplings, and are therefore suitable for analytical and numerical studies. A simple decentralized control law is proposed for fine pointing the payloads and LFSP attitude control, and simulation results are presented for an example problem. The decentralized controller is shown to be adequate for the example problem chosen, but does not, in general, guarantee stability. A centralized dissipative controller is then proposed, requiring a symmetric form of the composite system equations. Such a controller guarantees robust closed loop stability despite unmodeled elastic dynamics and parameter uncertainties.

Collaborative Project: Understanding Climate Model Biases in Tropical Atlantic and Their Impact on Simulations of Extreme Climate Events

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chang, Ping

Recent studies have revealed that among all the tropical oceans, the tropical Atlantic has experienced the most pronounced warming trend over the 20th century. Many extreme climate events affecting the U.S., such as hurricanes, severe precipitation and drought events, are influenced by conditions in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. It is therefore imperative to have accurate simulations of the climatic mean and variability in the Atlantic region to be able to make credible projections of future climate change affecting the U.S. and other countries adjoining the Atlantic Ocean. Unfortunately, almost all global climate models exhibit large biasesmore » in their simulations of tropical Atlantic climate. The atmospheric convection simulation errors in the Amazon region and the associated errors in the trade wind simulations are hypothesized to be a leading cause of the tropical Atlantic biases in climate models. As global climate models have resolutions that are too coarse to resolve some of the atmospheric and oceanic processes responsible for the model biases, we propose to use a high-resolution coupled regional climate model (CRCM) framework to address the tropical bias issue. We propose to combine the expertise in tropical coupled atmosphere-ocean modeling at Texas A&M University (TAMU) and the coupled land-atmosphere modeling expertise at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to develop a comprehensive CRCM for the Atlantic sector within a general and flexible modeling framework. The atmospheric component of the CRCM will be the NCAR WRF model and the oceanic component will be the Rutgers/UCLA ROMS. For the land component, we will use CLM modified at PNNL to include more detailed representations of vegetation and soil hydrology processes. The combined TAMU-PNNL CRCM model will be used to simulate the Atlantic climate, and the associated land-atmosphere-ocean interactions at a horizontal resolution of 9 km or finer. A particular focus of the model development effort will be to optimize the performance of WRF and ROMS over several thousand of cores by focusing on both the parallel communication libraries and the I/O interfaces, in order to achieve the sustained throughput needed to perform simulations on such fine resolution grids. The CRCM model will be developed within the framework of the Coupler (CPL7) software that is part of the NCAR Community Earth System Model (CESM). Through efforts at PNNL and within the community, WRF and CLM have already been coupled via CPL7. Using the flux coupler approach for the whole CRCM model will allow us to flexibly couple WRF, ROMS, and CLM with each model running on its own grid at different resolutions. In addition, this framework will allow us to easily port parameterizations between CESM and the CRCM, and potentially allow partial coupling between the CESM and the CRCM. TAMU and PNNL will contribute cooperatively to this research endeavor. The TAMU team led by Chang and Saravanan has considerable experience in studying atmosphere-ocean interactions within tropical Atlantic sector and will focus on modeling issues that relate to coupling WRF and ROMS. The PNNL team led by Leung has extensive expertise in atmosphere-land interaction and will be responsible for improving the land surface parameterization. Both teams will jointly work on integrating WRF-ROMS and WRF-CLM to couple WRF, ROMS, and CLM through CPL7. Montuoro of the TAMU Supercomputing Center will be responsible for improving the MPI and Parallel IO interfaces of the CRCM. Both teams will contribute to the design and execution of the proposed numerical experiments and jointly perform analysis of the numerical experiments.« less

Flexibility in Flood Management Design: Proactive Planning Under Climate Change Uncertainty

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smet, K.; de Neufville, R.; van der Vlist, M.

2015-12-01

This paper presents an innovative, value-enhancing procedure for effective planning and design of long-lived flood management infrastructure given uncertain future flooding threats due to climate change. Designing infrastructure that can be adapted over time is a method to safeguard the efficacy of current design decisions given uncertainty about rates and future impacts of climate change. This paper explores the value of embedding "options" in a physical structure, where an option is the right but not the obligation to do something at a later date (e.g. over-dimensioning a floodwall foundation now facilitates a future height addition in response to observed increases in sea level; building of extra pump bays in a pumping station now enables the addition of pumping capacity whenever increased precipitation warrants an expansion.) The proposed procedure couples a simulation model that captures future climate induced changes to the hydrologic operating environment of a structure, with an economic model that estimates the lifetime economic performance of alternative investments. The economic model uses Real "In" Options analysis, a type of cash flow analysis that quantifies the implicit value of options and the flexibility they provide. This procedure is demonstrated using replacement planning for the multi-functional pumping station IJmuiden on the North Sea Canal in the Netherlands. Flexibility in design decisions is modelled, varying the size and specific options included in the new structure. Results indicate that the incorporation of options within the structural design has the potential to improve its economic performance, as compared to more traditional, "build it once and build it big" designs where flexibility is not an explicit design criterion. The added value resulting from the incorporation of flexibility varies with the range of future conditions considered, as well as the options examined. This procedure could be applied more broadly to explore investment strategies for the design of other flood management structures.

Nanoscale electromechanical parametric amplifier

DOEpatents

Aleman, Benjamin Jose; Zettl, Alexander

2016-09-20

This disclosure provides systems, methods, and apparatus related to a parametric amplifier. In one aspect, a device includes an electron source electrode, a counter electrode, and a pumping electrode. The electron source electrode may include a conductive base and a flexible conductor. The flexible conductor may have a first end and a second end, with the second end of the flexible conductor being coupled to the conductive base. A cross-sectional dimension of the flexible conductor may be less than about 100 nanometers. The counter electrode may be disposed proximate the first end of the flexible conductor and spaced a first distance from the first end of the flexible conductor. The pumping electrode may be disposed proximate a length of the flexible conductor and spaced a second distance from the flexible conductor.

Modern Perspectives on Numerical Modeling of Cardiac Pacemaker Cell

PubMed Central

Maltsev, Victor A.; Yaniv, Yael; Maltsev, Anna V.; Stern, Michael D.; Lakatta, Edward G.

2015-01-01

Cardiac pacemaking is a complex phenomenon that is still not completely understood. Together with experimental studies, numerical modeling has been traditionally used to acquire mechanistic insights in this research area. This review summarizes the present state of numerical modeling of the cardiac pacemaker, including approaches to resolve present paradoxes and controversies. Specifically we discuss the requirement for realistic modeling to consider symmetrical importance of both intracellular and cell membrane processes (within a recent “coupled-clock” theory). Promising future developments of the complex pacemaker system models include the introduction of local calcium control, mitochondria function, and biochemical regulation of protein phosphorylation and cAMP production. Modern numerical and theoretical methods such as multi-parameter sensitivity analyses within extended populations of models and bifurcation analyses are also important for the definition of the most realistic parameters that describe a robust, yet simultaneously flexible operation of the coupled-clock pacemaker cell system. The systems approach to exploring cardiac pacemaker function will guide development of new therapies, such as biological pacemakers for treating insufficient cardiac pacemaker function that becomes especially prevalent with advancing age. PMID:24748434

Improved Large-Scale Inundation Modelling by 1D-2D Coupling and Consideration of Hydrologic and Hydrodynamic Processes - a Case Study in the Amazon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoch, J. M.; Bierkens, M. F.; Van Beek, R.; Winsemius, H.; Haag, A.

2015-12-01

Understanding the dynamics of fluvial floods is paramount to accurate flood hazard and risk modeling. Currently, economic losses due to flooding constitute about one third of all damage resulting from natural hazards. Given future projections of climate change, the anticipated increase in the World's population and the associated implications, sound knowledge of flood hazard and related risk is crucial. Fluvial floods are cross-border phenomena that need to be addressed accordingly. Yet, only few studies model floods at the large-scale which is preferable to tiling the output of small-scale models. Most models cannot realistically model flood wave propagation due to a lack of either detailed channel and floodplain geometry or the absence of hydrologic processes. This study aims to develop a large-scale modeling tool that accounts for both hydrologic and hydrodynamic processes, to find and understand possible sources of errors and improvements and to assess how the added hydrodynamics affect flood wave propagation. Flood wave propagation is simulated by DELFT3D-FM (FM), a hydrodynamic model using a flexible mesh to schematize the study area. It is coupled to PCR-GLOBWB (PCR), a macro-scale hydrological model, that has its own simpler 1D routing scheme (DynRout) which has already been used for global inundation modeling and flood risk assessments (GLOFRIS; Winsemius et al., 2013). A number of model set-ups are compared and benchmarked for the simulation period 1986-1996: (0) PCR with DynRout; (1) using a FM 2D flexible mesh forced with PCR output and (2) as in (1) but discriminating between 1D channels and 2D floodplains, and, for comparison, (3) and (4) the same set-ups as (1) and (2) but forced with observed GRDC discharge values. Outputs are subsequently validated against observed GRDC data at Óbidos and flood extent maps from the Dartmouth Flood Observatory. The present research constitutes a first step into a globally applicable approach to fully couple hydrologic with hydrodynamic computations while discriminating between 1D-channels and 2D-floodplains. Such a fully-fledged set-up would be able to provide higher-order flood hazard information, e.g. time to flooding and flood duration, ultimately leading to improved flood risk assessment and management at the large scale.

Using thermography to detect misalignment in coupled equipment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kelch, Craig K.; Grover, Paul E.

1996-03-01

This paper describes and reports the findings of a study performed by the Miller Brewing Company. The researchers assembled a test bed consisting of a motor and generator linked by seven different interchangeable flexible couplings. They then misaligned the motor and generator and used different predictive technologies to monitor any coupling changes.

77 FR 72200 - Airworthiness Directives; The Boeing Company Airplanes

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-12-05

... correctly on the engine fuel feed manifold couplings. This AD also requires inspecting the assembly of the engine fuel feed manifold rigid and full flexible couplings. This AD was prompted by reports of fuel leaks due to improperly assembled engine fuel feed manifold couplings. We are issuing this AD to detect...

A comprehensive model of the railway wheelset-track interaction in curves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martínez-Casas, José; Di Gialleonardo, Egidio; Bruni, Stefano; Baeza, Luis

2014-09-01

Train-track interaction has been extensively studied in the last 40 years at least, leading to modelling approaches that can deal satisfactorily with many dynamic problems arising at the wheel/rail interface. However, the available models are usually not considering specifically the running dynamics of the vehicle in a curve, whereas a number of train-track interaction phenomena are specific to curve negotiation. The aim of this paper is to define a model for a flexible wheelset running on a flexible curved track. The main novelty of this work is to combine a trajectory coordinate set with Eulerian modal coordinates; the former permits to consider curved tracks, and the latter models the small relative displacements between the trajectory frame and the solid. In order to reduce the computational complexity of the problem, one single flexible wheelset is considered instead of one complete bogie, and suitable forces are prescribed at the primary suspension seats so that the mean values of the creepages and contact forces are consistent with the low frequency curving dynamics of the complete vehicle. The wheelset model is coupled to a cyclic track model having constant curvature by means of a wheel/rail contact model which accounts for the actual geometry of the contacting profiles and for the nonlinear relationship between creepages and creep forces. The proposed model can be used to analyse a variety of dynamic problems for railway vehicles, including rail corrugation and wheel polygonalisation, squeal noise, numerical estimation of the wheelset service loads. In this paper, simulation results are presented for some selected running conditions to exemplify the application of the model to the study of realistic train-track interaction cases and to point out the importance of curve negotiation effects specifically addressed in the work.

Multilayered Electromagnetic Interference Shielding Structures for Suppressing Magnetic Field Coupling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watanabe, Atom O.; Raj, Pulugurtha Markondeya; Wong, Denny; Mullapudi, Ravi; Tummala, Rao

2018-05-01

Control of electromagnetic interference (EMI) represents a major challenge for emerging consumer electronics, the Internet of Things, automotive electronics, and wireless communication systems. This paper discusses innovative EMI shielding materials and structures that offer higher shielding effectiveness compared with copper. To create high shielding effectiveness in the frequency range of 1 MHz to 100 MHz, multilayered shielding topologies with electrically conductive and nanomagnetic materials were modeled, designed, fabricated, and characterized. In addition, suppression of out-of-plane and in-plane magnetic-field coupling noise with these structures is compared with that of traditional single-layer copper or nickel-iron films. Compared with single-layered copper shields, multilayered structures consisting of copper, nickel-iron, and titanium showed a 3.9 times increase in shielding effectiveness in suppressing out-of-plane or vertically coupled noise and 1.3 times increase in lateral coupling. The superiority of multilayered thin-film shields over conventional shielding enables greater design flexibility, higher shielding effectiveness, and further miniaturization of emerging radiofrequency (RF) and power modules.

Coupling Spectral-bin Cloud Microphysics with the MOSAIC Aerosol Model in WRF-Chem: Methodology and Results for Marine Stratocumulus Clouds

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gao, Wenhua; Fan, Jiwen; Easter, Richard C.

Aerosol-cloud interaction processes can be represented more physically with bin cloud microphysics relative to bulk microphysical parameterizations. However, due to computational power limitations in the past, bin cloud microphysics was often run with very simple aerosol treatments. The purpose of this study is to represent better aerosol-cloud interaction processes in the Chemistry version of Weather Research and Forecast model (WRF-Chem) at convection-permitting scales by coupling spectral-bin cloud microphysics (SBM) with the MOSAIC sectional aerosol model. A flexible interface is built that exchanges cloud and aerosol information between them. The interface contains a new bin aerosol activation approach, which replaces themore » treatments in the original SBM. It also includes the modified aerosol resuspension and in-cloud wet removal processes with the droplet loss tendencies and precipitation fluxes from SBM. The newly coupled system is evaluated for two marine stratocumulus cases over the Southeast Pacific Ocean with either a simplified aerosol setup or full-chemistry. We compare the aerosol activation process in the newly-coupled SBM-MOSAIC against the SBM simulation without chemistry using a simplified aerosol setup, and the results show consistent activation rates. A longer time simulation reinforces that aerosol resuspension through cloud drop evaporation plays an important role in replenishing aerosols and impacts cloud and precipitation in marine stratocumulus clouds. Evaluation of the coupled SBM-MOSAIC with full-chemistry using aircraft measurements suggests that the new model works realistically for the marine stratocumulus clouds, and improves the simulation of cloud microphysical properties compared to a simulation using MOSAIC coupled with the Morrison two-moment microphysics.« less

Coupling spectral-bin cloud microphysics with the MOSAIC aerosol model in WRF-Chem: Methodology and results for marine stratocumulus clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Wenhua; Fan, Jiwen; Easter, R. C.; Yang, Qing; Zhao, Chun; Ghan, Steven J.

2016-09-01

Aerosol-cloud interaction processes can be represented more physically with bin cloud microphysics relative to bulk microphysical parameterizations. However, due to computational power limitations in the past, bin cloud microphysics was often run with very simple aerosol treatments. The purpose of this study is to represent better aerosol-cloud interaction processes in the Chemistry version of Weather Research and Forecast model (WRF-Chem) at convection-permitting scales by coupling spectral-bin cloud microphysics (SBM) with the MOSAIC sectional aerosol model. A flexible interface is built that exchanges cloud and aerosol information between them. The interface contains a new bin aerosol activation approach, which replaces the treatments in the original SBM. It also includes the modified aerosol resuspension and in-cloud wet removal processes with the droplet loss tendencies and precipitation fluxes from SBM. The newly coupled system is evaluated for two marine stratocumulus cases over the Southeast Pacific Ocean with either a simplified aerosol setup or full-chemistry. We compare the aerosol activation process in the newly coupled SBM-MOSAIC against the SBM simulation without chemistry using a simplified aerosol setup, and the results show consistent activation rates. A longer time simulation reinforces that aerosol resuspension through cloud drop evaporation plays an important role in replenishing aerosols and impacts cloud and precipitation in marine stratocumulus clouds. Evaluation of the coupled SBM-MOSAIC with full-chemistry using aircraft measurements suggests that the new model works realistically for the marine stratocumulus clouds, and improves the simulation of cloud microphysical properties compared to a simulation using MOSAIC coupled with the Morrison two-moment microphysics.

Propulsion and Instability of a Flexible Helical Rod Rotating in a Viscous Fluid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jawed, M. K.; Khouri, N. K.; Da, F.; Grinspun, E.; Reis, P. M.

2015-10-01

We combine experiments with simulations to investigate the fluid-structure interaction of a flexible helical rod rotating in a viscous fluid, under low Reynolds number conditions. Our analysis takes into account the coupling between the geometrically nonlinear behavior of the elastic rod with a nonlocal hydrodynamic model for the fluid loading. We quantify the resulting propulsive force, as well as the buckling instability of the originally helical filament that occurs above a critical rotation velocity. A scaling analysis is performed to rationalize the onset of this instability. A universal phase diagram is constructed to map out the region of successful propulsion and the corresponding boundary of stability is established. Comparing our results with data for flagellated bacteria suggests that this instability may be exploited in nature for physiological purposes.

Simulation study of GaAsP/Si tandem cells including the impact of threading dislocations on the luminescent coupling between the cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Onno, Arthur; Harder, Nils-Peter; Oberbeck, Lars; Liu, Huiyun

2016-03-01

A model, derived from the detailed balance model from Shockley and Queisser, has been adapted to monolithically grown GaAsP/Si tandem dual junction solar cells. In this architecture, due to the difference of lattice parameters between the silicon bottom cell - acting as the substrate - and the GaAsP top cell, threading dislocations (TDs) arise at the IIIV/ Si interface and propagate in the top cell. These TDs act as non-radiative recombination centers, degrading the performances of the tandem cell. Our model takes into account the impact of TDs by integrating the NTT model developed by Yamaguchi et. al.. Two surface geometries have been investigated: flat and ideally textured. Finally the model considers the luminescent coupling (LC) between the cells due to reemitted photons from the top cell cascading to the bottom cell. Without dislocations, LC allows a greater flexibility in the cell design by rebalancing the currents between the two cells when the top cell presents a higher short-circuit current. However we show that, as the TD density (TDD) increases, nonradiative recombinations take over radiative recombinations in the top cell and the LC is quenched. As a result, nonoptimized tandem cells with higher short-circuit current in the top cell experience a very fast degradation of efficiency for TDDs over 104cm-2. On the other hand optimized cells with matching currents only experience a small efficiency drop for TDDs up to 105cm-2. High TDD cells therefore need to be current-matched for optimal performances as the flexibility due to LC is lost.

Thermal shock induced dynamics of a spacecraft with a flexible deploying boom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Zhenxing; Li, Huijian; Liu, Xiaoning; Hu, Gengkai

2017-12-01

The dynamics in the process of deployment of a flexible extendible boom as a deployable structure on the spacecraft is studied. For determining the thermally induced vibrations of the boom subjected to an incident solar heat flux, an axially moving thermal-dynamic beam element based on the absolute nodal coordinate formulation which is able to precisely describe the large displacement, rotation and deformation of flexible body is presented. For the elastic forces formulation of variable-length beam element, the enhanced continuum mechanics approach is adopted, which can eliminate the Poisson locking effect, and take into account the tension-bending-torsion coupling deformations. The main body of the spacecraft, modeled as a rigid body, is described using the natural coordinates method. In the derived nonlinear thermal-dynamic equations of rigid-flexible multibody system, the mass matrix is time-variant, and a pseudo damping matrix which is without actual energy dissipation, and a heat conduction matrix which is relative to the moving speed and the number of beam element are arisen. Numerical results give the dynamic and thermal responses of the nonrotating and spinning spacecraft, respectively, and show that thermal shock has a significant influence on the dynamics of spacecraft.

Two-Time Scale Virtual Sensor Design for Vibration Observation of a Translational Flexible-Link Manipulator Based on Singular Perturbation and Differential Games

PubMed Central

Ju, Jinyong; Li, Wei; Wang, Yuqiao; Fan, Mengbao; Yang, Xuefeng

2016-01-01

Effective feedback control requires all state variable information of the system. However, in the translational flexible-link manipulator (TFM) system, it is unrealistic to measure the vibration signals and their time derivative of any points of the TFM by infinite sensors. With the rigid-flexible coupling between the global motion of the rigid base and the elastic vibration of the flexible-link manipulator considered, a two-time scale virtual sensor, which includes the speed observer and the vibration observer, is designed to achieve the estimation for the vibration signals and their time derivative of the TFM, as well as the speed observer and the vibration observer are separately designed for the slow and fast subsystems, which are decomposed from the dynamic model of the TFM by the singular perturbation. Additionally, based on the linear-quadratic differential games, the observer gains of the two-time scale virtual sensor are optimized, which aims to minimize the estimation error while keeping the observer stable. Finally, the numerical calculation and experiment verify the efficiency of the designed two-time scale virtual sensor. PMID:27801840

Developing Flexible Networked Lighting Control Systems

Science.gov Websites

, Bluetooth, ZigBee and others are increasingly used for building control purposes. Low-cost computation : Bundling digital intelligence at the sensors and lights adds virtually no incremental cost. Coupled with cost. Research Goals and Objectives This project "Developing Flexible, Networked Lighting Control

Dynamically balanced, hydraulically driven compressor/pump apparatus for resonant free piston Stirling engines

DOEpatents

Corey, John A.

1984-05-29

A compressor, pump, or alternator apparatus is designed for use with a resonant free piston Stirling engine so as to isolate apparatus fluid from the periodically pressurized working fluid of the Stirling engine. The apparatus housing has a first side closed by a power coupling flexible diaphragm (the engine working member) and a second side closed by a flexible diaphragm gas spring. A reciprocally movable piston is disposed in a transverse cylinder in the housing and moves substantially at right angles relative to the flexible diaphragms. An incompressible fluid fills the housing which is divided into two separate chambers by suitable ports. One chamber provides fluid coupling between the power diaphragm of the RFPSE and the piston and the second chamber provides fluid coupling between the gas spring diaphragm and the opposite side of the piston. The working members of a gas compressor, pump, or alternator are driven by the piston. Sealing and wearing parts of the apparatus are mounted at the external ends of the transverse cylinder in a double acting arrangement for accessibility. An annular counterweight is mounted externally of the reciprocally movable piston and is driven by incompressible fluid coupling in a direction opposite to the piston so as to damp out transverse vibrations.

A Coupled Modeling Framework of the Co-evolution of Humans and Water: Case Study of Tarim River Basin, Western China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, D.; Tian, F.; Lin, M.; Sivapalan, M.

2014-12-01

The complex interactions and feedbacks between humans and water are very essential issues but are poorly understood in the newly proposed discipline of socio-hydrology (Sivapalan et al., 2012). An exploratory model with the appropriate level of simplification can be valuable to improve our understanding of the co-evolution and self-organization of socio-hydrological systems driven by interactions and feedbacks operating at different scales. In this study, a simple coupled modeling framework for socio-hydrology co-evolution is developed for the Tarim River Basin in Western China, and is used to illustrate the explanatory power of such a model. The study area is the mainstream of the Tarim River, which is divided into two modeling units. The socio-hydrological system is composed of four parts, i.e., social sub-system, economic sub-system, ecological sub-system, and hydrological sub-system. In each modeling unit, four coupled ordinary differential equations are used to simulate the dynamics of the social sub-system represented by human population, the economic sub-system represented by irrigated crop area, the ecological sub-system represented by natural vegetation cover and the hydrological sub-system represented by stream discharge. The coupling and feedback processes of the four dominant sub-systems (and correspondingly four state variables) are integrated into several internal system characteristics interactively and jointly determined by themselves and by other coupled systems. For example, the stream discharge is coupled to the irrigated crop area by the colonization rate and mortality rate of the irrigated crop area in the upper reach and the irrigated area is coupled to stream discharge through irrigation water consumption. The co-evolution of the Tarim socio-hydrological system is then analyzed within this modeling framework to gain insights into the overall system dynamics and its sensitivity to the external drivers and internal system variables. In the modeling framework, the state of each subsystem is holistically described by one state variable and the framework is flexible enough to comprise more processes and constitutive relationships if they are needed to illustrate the interaction and feedback mechanisms of the human-water system.

Modeling ecological synergies and trade-offs in livestock production systems in Kenya

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kowal, V. A.; Chaplin-Kramer, R.; Hamel, P.

2016-12-01

Livestock production is critical to maintaining livelihoods in many of the world's rural economies, and interacts with complex ecological processes in ways that present both opportunities and risks for ecosystems and the benefits they provide to people. We present a new dynamic simulation model to examine cattle production in the savannas of East Africa, and its synergies and trade-offs with co-benefits such as wildlife conservation and related tourism. The InVEST rangeland production model couples biomass production from the CENTURY model with diet selection and herbivore physiology from the GRAZPLAN animal biology model. This powerful and flexible model demonstrates that through their interactions mediated by forage availability and tick-borne disease, cattle and wildlife may benefit from integration.

Refining Inquiry with Multi-Form Assessment: Formative and summative assessment functions for flexible inquiry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zuiker, Steven; Reid Whitaker, J.

2014-04-01

This paper describes the 5E+I/A inquiry model and reports a case study of one curricular enactment by a US fifth-grade classroom. A literature review establishes the model's conceptual adequacy with respect to longstanding research related to both the 5E inquiry model and multiple, incremental innovations of it. As a collective line of research, the review highlights a common emphasis on formative assessment, at times coupled either with differentiated instruction strategies or with activities that target the generalization of learning. The 5E+I/A model contributes a multi-level assessment strategy that balances formative and summative functions of multiple forms of assessment in order to support classroom participation while still attending to individual achievement. The case report documents the enactment of a weeklong 5E+I/A curricular design as a preliminary account of the model's empirical adequacy. A descriptive and analytical narrative illustrates variable ways that multi-level assessment makes student thinking visible and pedagogical decision-making more powerful. In light of both, it also documents productive adaptations to a flexible curricular design and considers future research to advance this collective line of inquiry.

Nonlinear Large Deflection Theory with Modified Aeroelastic Lifting Line Aerodynamics for a High Aspect Ratio Flexible Wing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nguyen, Nhan; Ting, Eric; Chaparro, Daniel

2017-01-01

This paper investigates the effect of nonlinear large deflection bending on the aerodynamic performance of a high aspect ratio flexible wing. A set of nonlinear static aeroelastic equations are derived for the large bending deflection of a high aspect ratio wing structure. An analysis is conducted to compare the nonlinear bending theory with the linear bending theory. The results show that the nonlinear bending theory is length-preserving whereas the linear bending theory causes a non-physical effect of lengthening the wing structure under the no axial load condition. A modified lifting line theory is developed to compute the lift and drag coefficients of a wing structure undergoing a large bending deflection. The lift and drag coefficients are more accurately estimated by the nonlinear bending theory due to its length-preserving property. The nonlinear bending theory yields lower lift and span efficiency than the linear bending theory. A coupled aerodynamic-nonlinear finite element model is developed to implement the nonlinear bending theory for a Common Research Model (CRM) flexible wing wind tunnel model to be tested in the University of Washington Aeronautical Laboratory (UWAL). The structural stiffness of the model is designed to give about 10% wing tip deflection which is large enough that could cause the nonlinear deflection effect to become significant. The computational results show that the nonlinear bending theory yields slightly less lift than the linear bending theory for this wind tunnel model. As a result, the linear bending theory is deemed adequate for the CRM wind tunnel model.

Electromagnetically induced transparency control in terahertz metasurfaces based on bright-bright mode coupling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yahiaoui, R.; Burrow, J. A.; Mekonen, S. M.; Sarangan, A.; Mathews, J.; Agha, I.; Searles, T. A.

2018-04-01

We demonstrate a classical analog of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in a highly flexible planar terahertz metamaterial (MM) comprised of three-gap split-ring resonators. The keys to achieve EIT in this system are the frequency detuning and hybridization processes between two bright modes coexisting in the same unit cell as opposed to bright-dark modes. We present experimental verification of two bright modes coupling for a terahertz EIT-MM in the context of numerical results and theoretical analysis based on a coupled Lorentz oscillator model. In addition, a hybrid variation of the EIT-MM is proposed and implemented numerically to dynamically tune the EIT window by incorporating photosensitive silicon pads in the split gap region of the resonators. As a result, this hybrid MM enables the active optical control of a transition from the on state (EIT mode) to the off state (dipole mode).

Grid computing in large pharmaceutical molecular modeling.

PubMed

Claus, Brian L; Johnson, Stephen R

2008-07-01

Most major pharmaceutical companies have employed grid computing to expand their compute resources with the intention of minimizing additional financial expenditure. Historically, one of the issues restricting widespread utilization of the grid resources in molecular modeling is the limited set of suitable applications amenable to coarse-grained parallelization. Recent advances in grid infrastructure technology coupled with advances in application research and redesign will enable fine-grained parallel problems, such as quantum mechanics and molecular dynamics, which were previously inaccessible to the grid environment. This will enable new science as well as increase resource flexibility to load balance and schedule existing workloads.

Flexible pipe crawling device having articulated two axis coupling

DOEpatents

Zollinger, William T.

1994-01-01

An apparatus for moving through the linear and non-linear segments of piping systems. The apparatus comprises a front leg assembly, a rear leg assembly, a mechanism for extension and retraction of the front and rear leg assembles with respect to each other, such as an air cylinder, and a pivoting joint. One end of the flexible joint attaches to the front leg assembly and the other end to the air cylinder, which is also connected to the rear leg assembly. The air cylinder allows the front and rear leg assemblies to progress through a pipe in "inchworm" fashion, while the joint provides the flexibility necessary for the pipe crawler to negotiate non-linear piping segments. The flexible connecting joint is coupled with a spring-force suspension system that urges alignment of the front and rear leg assemblies with respect to each other. The joint and suspension system cooperate to provide a firm yet flexible connection between the front and rear leg assemblies to allow the pivoting of one with respect to the other while moving around a non-linear pipe segment, but restoring proper alignment coming out of the pipe bend.

Flexible pipe crawling device having articulated two axis coupling

DOEpatents

Zollinger, W.T.

1994-05-10

An apparatus is described for moving through the linear and non-linear segments of piping systems. The apparatus comprises a front leg assembly, a rear leg assembly, a mechanism for extension and retraction of the front and rear leg assembles with respect to each other, such as an air cylinder, and a pivoting joint. One end of the flexible joint attaches to the front leg assembly and the other end to the air cylinder, which is also connected to the rear leg assembly. The air cylinder allows the front and rear leg assemblies to progress through a pipe in inchworm' fashion, while the joint provides the flexibility necessary for the pipe crawler to negotiate non-linear piping segments. The flexible connecting joint is coupled with a spring-force suspension system that urges alignment of the front and rear leg assemblies with respect to each other. The joint and suspension system cooperate to provide a firm yet flexible connection between the front and rear leg assemblies to allow the pivoting of one with respect to the other while moving around a non-linear pipe segment, but restoring proper alignment coming out of the pipe bend. 4 figures.

Coupled diffusion processes and 2D affinities of adhesion molecules at synthetic membrane junctions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peel, Christopher; Choudhuri, Kaushik; Schmid, Eva M.; Bakalar, Matthew H.; Ann, Hyoung Sook; Fletcher, Daniel A.; Journot, Celine; Turberfield, Andrew; Wallace, Mark; Dustin, Michael

A more complete understanding of the physically intrinsic mechanisms underlying protein mobility at cellular interfaces will provide additional insights into processes driving adhesion and organization in signalling junctions such as the immunological synapse. We observed diffusional slowing of structurally diverse binding proteins at synthetic interfaces formed by giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) on supported lipid bilayers (SLBs) that shows size dependence not accounted for by existing models. To model the effects of size and intermembrane spacing on interfacial reaction-diffusion processes, we describe a multistate diffusion model incorporating entropic effects of constrained binding. This can be merged with hydrodynamic theories of receptor-ligand diffusion and coupling to thermal membrane roughness. A novel synthetic membrane adhesion assay based on reversible and irreversible DNA-mediated interactions between GUVs and SLBs is used to precisely vary length, affinity, and flexibility, and also provides a platform to examine these effects on the dynamics of processes such as size-based segregation of binding and non-binding species.

Cross-frequency and band-averaged response variance prediction in the hybrid deterministic-statistical energy analysis method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reynders, Edwin P. B.; Langley, Robin S.

2018-08-01

The hybrid deterministic-statistical energy analysis method has proven to be a versatile framework for modeling built-up vibro-acoustic systems. The stiff system components are modeled deterministically, e.g., using the finite element method, while the wave fields in the flexible components are modeled as diffuse. In the present paper, the hybrid method is extended such that not only the ensemble mean and variance of the harmonic system response can be computed, but also of the band-averaged system response. This variance represents the uncertainty that is due to the assumption of a diffuse field in the flexible components of the hybrid system. The developments start with a cross-frequency generalization of the reciprocity relationship between the total energy in a diffuse field and the cross spectrum of the blocked reverberant loading at the boundaries of that field. By making extensive use of this generalization in a first-order perturbation analysis, explicit expressions are derived for the cross-frequency and band-averaged variance of the vibrational energies in the diffuse components and for the cross-frequency and band-averaged variance of the cross spectrum of the vibro-acoustic field response of the deterministic components. These expressions are extensively validated against detailed Monte Carlo analyses of coupled plate systems in which diffuse fields are simulated by randomly distributing small point masses across the flexible components, and good agreement is found.

A cost-effective quasi-distributed liquid leakage sensor based on the polymer optical fiber and flexible lamp belt with LEDs.

PubMed

Zhang, Yingzi; Hou, Yulong; Zhang, Yanjun; Hu, Yanjun; Zhang, Liang; Gao, Xiaolong; Zhang, Huixin; Liu, Wenyi

2018-04-16

A quasi-distributed liquid leakage (QDLL) sensor in local area is proposed and experimentally demonstrated, providing a real-time yet low-cost method than the existing local QDLL sensor. The sensor mainly consists of a flexible lamp belt (FLB) with light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and a polymer optical fiber (POF) processed with side-coupling structures. The side-coupling structures are illuminated by the LEDs one by one, forming a series of sensing probes. The lights are side-coupled into the POF through the side-coupling structure and pulse sequences are obtained from the power meters connected to the both ends of the POF. Each pulse represents a sensing probe, and the intensity of them increase when the coupling medium changes from air to liquid. The location of the leakage incident can be got by the position of each pulse in its output sequence. The influence of different side-coupling structures on side-coupling ratio are investigated. The experiment results validate the detection and localization abilities of the QDLL sensor along a 1 m-long POF with a spatial resolution of 0.1 m, which can be improved by adjusting the side-coupling structure. Furthermore, the temperature dependence is studied and can be compensated.

A continuum model for dynamic analysis of the Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomas, Segun

1989-01-01

Dynamic analysis of the International Space Station using MSC/NASTRAN had 1312 rod elements, 62 beam elements, 489 nodes and 1473 dynamic degrees of freedom. A realtime, man-in-the-loop simulation of such a model is impractical. This paper discusses the mathematical model for realtime dynamic simulation of the Space Station. Several key questions in structures and structural dynamics are addressed. First, to achieve a significant reduction in the number of dynamic degrees of freedom, a continuum equivalent representation of the Space Station truss structure which accounted for the unsymmetry of the basic configuration and resulted in the coupling of extensional and transverse deformation, is developed. Next, dynamic equations for the continuum equivalent of the Space Station truss structure are formulated using a matrix version of Kane's dynamical equations. Flexibility is accounted for by using a theory that accommodates extension, bending in two principal planes and shear displacement. Finally, constraint equations suitable for dynamic analysis of flexible bodies with closed loop configuration are developed and solution of the resulting system of equations is based on the zero eigenvalue theorem.

Decentralized control of large flexible structures by joint decoupling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Su, Tzu-Jeng; Juang, Jer-Nan

1992-01-01

A decentralized control design method is presented for large complex flexible structures by using the idea of joint decoupling. The derivation is based on a coupled substructure state-space model, which is obtained from enforcing conditions of interface compatibility and equilibrium to the substructure state-space models. It is shown that by restricting the control law to be localized state feedback and by setting the joint actuator input commands to decouple joint 'degrees of freedom' (dof) from interior dof, the global structure control design problem can be decomposed into several substructure control design problems. The substructure control gains and substructure observers are designed based on modified substructure state-space models. The controllers produced by the proposed method can operate successfully at the individual substructure level as well as at the global structure level. Therefore, not only control design but also control implementation is decentralized. Stability and performance requirement of the closed-loop system can be achieved by using any existing state feedback control design method. A two-component mass-spring damper system and a three-truss structure are used as examples to demonstrate the proposed method.

Falling films on flexible inclines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matar, O. K.; Craster, R. V.; Kumar, S.

2007-11-01

The nonlinear stability and dynamic behavior of falling fluid films is studied for flow over a flexible substrate. We use asymptotic methods to deduce governing equations valid in various limits. Long-wave theory is used to derive Benney-like coupled equations for the film thickness and substrate deflection. Weakly nonlinear equations are then derived from these equations that, in the limit of large wall damping and/or large wall tension, reduce to the Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equation. These models break down when inertia becomes more significant, so we also use a long-wave approximation in conjunction with integral theory to derive three strongly coupled nonlinear evolution equations for the film thickness, substrate deflection, and film volumetric flow rate valid at higher Reynolds numbers. These equations, accounting for inertia, capillary, viscous, wall tension, and damping effects, are solved over a wide range of parameters. Our results suggest that decreasing wall damping and/or wall tension can promote the development of chaos in the weakly nonlinear regime and lead to severe substrate deformations in the strongly nonlinear regime; these can give rise to situations in which the free surface and underlying substrate come into contact in finite time.

Managing ecological thresholds in coupled environmental–human systems

PubMed Central

Horan, Richard D.; Fenichel, Eli P.; Drury, Kevin L. S.; Lodge, David M.

2011-01-01

Many ecosystems appear subject to regime shifts—abrupt changes from one state to another after crossing a threshold or tipping point. Thresholds and their associated stability landscapes are determined within a coupled socioeconomic–ecological system (SES) where human choices, including those of managers, are feedback responses. Prior work has made one of two assumptions about managers: that they face no institutional constraints, in which case the SES may be managed to be fairly robust to shocks and tipping points are of little importance, or that managers are rigidly constrained with no flexibility to adapt, in which case the inferred thresholds may poorly reflect actual managerial flexibility. We model a multidimensional SES to investigate how alternative institutions affect SES stability landscapes and alter tipping points. With institutionally dependent human feedbacks, the stability landscape depends on institutional arrangements. Strong institutions that account for feedback responses create the possibility for desirable states of the world and can cause undesirable states to cease to exist. Intermediate institutions interact with ecological relationships to determine the existence and nature of tipping points. Finally, weak institutions can eliminate tipping points so that only undesirable states of the world remain. PMID:21502517

The OGO attitude control subsystem redesign as a result of OGO 3 experience. Volume 1: System analysis and design studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mckenna, K. J.

1967-01-01

An oscillation in the OGO-3 roll control channel, resulting from the EP-5 and EP-6 boom motion coupling into the control channel and causing loss of attitude control, is investigated. The study includes (1) an analysis of the OGO-3 and OGO-2 flight data to determine the nature and extent of the roll oscillation phenomena, (2) design analysis of the complete attitude control subsystem (ACS) to evolve changes which would prevent recurrences of the coupled ACS boom oscillation observed on OGO-3, and (3) analog simulations to verify the performance of the design changes selected. Portions of OGO-3 and OGO-2 flight data are illustrated and the major flexible body oscillation are identified. A model of the major flexible appendage dynamics is developed and is shown analytically and through analog simulations to reproduce the OGO-3 oscillation phenomena. The design changes which were found necessary are: a reversal delay logic for the roll reaction wheels, widening of the solar array dead zone from 0.5 to 1.0 deg, and modification of the OPEP control loop to include a filter and stabilizing feedback loops.

Evaluation of coupling approaches for thermomechanical simulations

DOE PAGES

Novascone, S. R.; Spencer, B. W.; Hales, J. D.; ...

2015-08-10

Many problems of interest, particularly in the nuclear engineering field, involve coupling between the thermal and mechanical response of an engineered system. The strength of the two-way feedback between the thermal and mechanical solution fields can vary significantly depending on the problem. Contact problems exhibit a particularly high degree of two-way feedback between those fields. This paper describes and demonstrates the application of a flexible simulation environment that permits the solution of coupled physics problems using either a tightly coupled approach or a loosely coupled approach. In the tight coupling approach, Newton iterations include the coupling effects between all physics,more » while in the loosely coupled approach, the individual physics models are solved independently, and fixed-point iterations are performed until the coupled system is converged. These approaches are applied to simple demonstration problems and to realistic nuclear engineering applications. The demonstration problems consist of single and multi-domain thermomechanics with and without thermal and mechanical contact. Simulations of a reactor pressure vessel under pressurized thermal shock conditions and a simulation of light water reactor fuel are also presented. Here, problems that include thermal and mechanical contact, such as the contact between the fuel and cladding in the fuel simulation, exhibit much stronger two-way feedback between the thermal and mechanical solutions, and as a result, are better solved using a tight coupling strategy.« less

Effect of linear and non-linear blade modelling techniques on simulated fatigue and extreme loads using Bladed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beardsell, Alec; Collier, William; Han, Tao

2016-09-01

There is a trend in the wind industry towards ever larger and more flexible turbine blades. Blade tip deflections in modern blades now commonly exceed 10% of blade length. Historically, the dynamic response of wind turbine blades has been analysed using linear models of blade deflection which include the assumption of small deflections. For modern flexible blades, this assumption is becoming less valid. In order to continue to simulate dynamic turbine performance accurately, routine use of non-linear models of blade deflection may be required. This can be achieved by representing the blade as a connected series of individual flexible linear bodies - referred to in this paper as the multi-part approach. In this paper, Bladed is used to compare load predictions using single-part and multi-part blade models for several turbines. The study examines the impact on fatigue and extreme loads and blade deflection through reduced sets of load calculations based on IEC 61400-1 ed. 3. Damage equivalent load changes of up to 16% and extreme load changes of up to 29% are observed at some turbine load locations. It is found that there is no general pattern in the loading differences observed between single-part and multi-part blade models. Rather, changes in fatigue and extreme loads with a multi-part blade model depend on the characteristics of the individual turbine and blade. Key underlying causes of damage equivalent load change are identified as differences in edgewise- torsional coupling between the multi-part and single-part models, and increased edgewise rotor mode damping in the multi-part model. Similarly, a causal link is identified between torsional blade dynamics and changes in ultimate load results.

Endockscope: using mobile technology to create global point of service endoscopy.

PubMed

Sohn, William; Shreim, Samir; Yoon, Renai; Huynh, Victor B; Dash, Atreya; Clayman, Ralph; Lee, Hak J

2013-09-01

Recent advances and the widespread availability of smartphones have ushered in a new wave of innovations in healthcare. We present our initial experience with Endockscope, a new docking system that optimizes the coupling of the iPhone 4S with modern endoscopes. Using the United States Air Force resolution target, we compared the image resolution (line pairs/mm) of a flexible cystoscope coupled to the Endockscope+iPhone to the Storz high definition (HD) camera (H3-Z Versatile). We then used the Munsell ColorChecker chart to compare the color resolution with a 0° laparoscope. Furthermore, 12 expert endoscopists blindly compared and evaluated images from a porcine model using a cystoscope and ureteroscope for both systems. Finally, we also compared the cost (average of two company listed prices) and weight (lb) of the two systems. Overall, the image resolution allowed by the Endockscope was identical to the traditional HD camera (4.49 vs 4.49 lp/mm). Red (ΔE=9.26 vs 9.69) demonstrated better color resolution for iPhone, but green (ΔE=7.76 vs 10.95), and blue (ΔE=12.35 vs 14.66) revealed better color resolution with the Storz HD camera. Expert reviews of cystoscopic images acquired with the HD camera were superior in image, color, and overall quality (P=0.002, 0.042, and 0.003). In contrast, the ureteroscopic reviews yielded no statistical difference in image, color, and overall (P=1, 0.203, and 0.120) quality. The overall cost of the Endockscope+iPhone was $154 compared with $46,623 for a standard HD system. The weight of the mobile-coupled system was 0.47 lb and 1.01 lb for the Storz HD camera. Endockscope demonstrated feasibility of coupling endoscopes to a smartphone. The lighter and inexpensive Endockscope acquired images of the same resolution and acceptable color resolution. When evaluated by expert endoscopists, the quality of the images overall were equivalent for flexible ureteroscopy and somewhat inferior, but still acceptable for flexible cystoscopy.

Endockscope: Using Mobile Technology to Create Global Point of Service Endoscopy

PubMed Central

Sohn, William; Shreim, Samir; Yoon, Renai; Huynh, Victor B.; Dash, Atreya; Clayman, Ralph

2013-01-01

Abstract Background and Purpose Recent advances and the widespread availability of smartphones have ushered in a new wave of innovations in healthcare. We present our initial experience with Endockscope, a new docking system that optimizes the coupling of the iPhone 4S with modern endoscopes. Materials and Methods Using the United States Air Force resolution target, we compared the image resolution (line pairs/mm) of a flexible cystoscope coupled to the Endockscope+iPhone to the Storz high definition (HD) camera (H3-Z Versatile). We then used the Munsell ColorChecker chart to compare the color resolution with a 0° laparoscope. Furthermore, 12 expert endoscopists blindly compared and evaluated images from a porcine model using a cystoscope and ureteroscope for both systems. Finally, we also compared the cost (average of two company listed prices) and weight (lb) of the two systems. Results Overall, the image resolution allowed by the Endockscope was identical to the traditional HD camera (4.49 vs 4.49 lp/mm). Red (ΔE=9.26 vs 9.69) demonstrated better color resolution for iPhone, but green (ΔE=7.76 vs 10.95), and blue (ΔE=12.35 vs 14.66) revealed better color resolution with the Storz HD camera. Expert reviews of cystoscopic images acquired with the HD camera were superior in image, color, and overall quality (P=0.002, 0.042, and 0.003). In contrast, the ureteroscopic reviews yielded no statistical difference in image, color, and overall (P=1, 0.203, and 0.120) quality. The overall cost of the Endockscope+iPhone was $154 compared with $46,623 for a standard HD system. The weight of the mobile-coupled system was 0.47 lb and 1.01 lb for the Storz HD camera. Conclusion Endockscope demonstrated feasibility of coupling endoscopes to a smartphone. The lighter and inexpensive Endockscope acquired images of the same resolution and acceptable color resolution. When evaluated by expert endoscopists, the quality of the images overall were equivalent for flexible ureteroscopy and somewhat inferior, but still acceptable for flexible cystoscopy. PMID:23701228

Simulated glass-forming polymer melts: dynamic scattering functions, chain length effects, and mode-coupling theory analysis.

PubMed

Frey, S; Weysser, F; Meyer, H; Farago, J; Fuchs, M; Baschnagel, J

2015-02-01

We present molecular-dynamics simulations for a fully flexible model of polymer melts with different chain length N ranging from short oligomers (N = 4) to values near the entanglement length (N = 64). For these systems we explore the structural relaxation of the supercooled melt near the critical temperature T c of mode-coupling theory (MCT). Coherent and incoherent scattering functions are analyzed in terms of the idealized MCT. For temperatures T > T c we provide evidence for the space-time factorization property of the β relaxation and for the time-temperature superposition principle (TTSP) of the α relaxation, and we also discuss deviations from these predictions for T ≈ T c. For T larger than the smallest temperature where the TTSP holds we perform a quantitative analysis of the dynamics with the asymptotic MCT predictions for the late β regime. Within MCT a key quantity, in addition to T c, is the exponent parameter λ. For the fully flexible polymer models studied we find that λ is independent of N and has a value (λ = 0.735 ) typical of simple glass-forming liquids. On the other hand, the critical temperature increases with chain length toward an asymptotic value T c (∞) . This increase can be described by T c (∞) - T c(N) ∼ 1/N and may be interpreted in terms of the N dependence of the monomer density ρ, if we assume that the MCT glass transition is ruled by a soft-sphere-like constant coupling parameter Γ c = ρ c T c (-1/4), where ρ c is the monomer density at T c. In addition, we also estimate T c from a Hansen-Verlet-like criterion and MCT calculations based on structural input from the simulation. For our polymer model both the Hansen-Verlet criterion and the MCT calculations suggest T c to decrease with increasing chain length, in contrast to the direct analysis of the simulation data.

A finite element analysis modeling tool for solid oxide fuel cell development: coupled electrochemistry, thermal and flow analysis in MARC®

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Khaleel, Mohammad A.; Lin, Zijing; Singh, Prabhakar

2004-05-03

A 3D simulation tool for modeling solid oxide fuel cells is described. The tool combines the versatility and efficiency of a commercial finite element analysis code, MARC{reg_sign}, with an in-house developed robust and flexible electrochemical (EC) module. Based upon characteristic parameters obtained experimentally and assigned by the user, the EC module calculates the current density distribution, heat generation, and fuel and oxidant species concentration, taking the temperature profile provided by MARC{reg_sign} and operating conditions such as the fuel and oxidant flow rate and the total stack output voltage or current as the input. MARC{reg_sign} performs flow and thermal analyses basedmore » on the initial and boundary thermal and flow conditions and the heat generation calculated by the EC module. The main coupling between MARC{reg_sign} and EC is for MARC{reg_sign} to supply the temperature field to EC and for EC to give the heat generation profile to MARC{reg_sign}. The loosely coupled, iterative scheme is advantageous in terms of memory requirement, numerical stability and computational efficiency. The coupling is iterated to self-consistency for a steady-state solution. Sample results for steady states as well as the startup process for stacks with different flow designs are presented to illustrate the modeling capability and numerical performance characteristic of the simulation tool.« less

Identification of cracks in thick beams with a cracked beam element model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hou, Chuanchuan; Lu, Yong

2016-12-01

The effect of a crack on the vibration of a beam is a classical problem, and various models have been proposed, ranging from the basic stiffness reduction method to the more sophisticated model involving formulation based on the additional flexibility due to a crack. However, in the damage identification or finite element model updating applications, it is still common practice to employ a simple stiffness reduction factor to represent a crack in the identification process, whereas the use of a more realistic crack model is rather limited. In this paper, the issues with the simple stiffness reduction method, particularly concerning thick beams, are highlighted along with a review of several other crack models. A robust finite element model updating procedure is then presented for the detection of cracks in beams. The description of the crack parameters is based on the cracked beam flexibility formulated by means of the fracture mechanics, and it takes into consideration of shear deformation and coupling between translational and longitudinal vibrations, and thus is particularly suitable for thick beams. The identification procedure employs a global searching technique using Genetic Algorithms, and there is no restriction on the location, severity and the number of cracks to be identified. The procedure is verified to yield satisfactory identification for practically any configurations of cracks in a beam.

Coarse-grained component concurrency in Earth system modeling: parallelizing atmospheric radiative transfer in the GFDL AM3 model using the Flexible Modeling System coupling framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balaji, V.; Benson, Rusty; Wyman, Bruce; Held, Isaac

2016-10-01

Climate models represent a large variety of processes on a variety of timescales and space scales, a canonical example of multi-physics multi-scale modeling. Current hardware trends, such as Graphical Processing Units (GPUs) and Many Integrated Core (MIC) chips, are based on, at best, marginal increases in clock speed, coupled with vast increases in concurrency, particularly at the fine grain. Multi-physics codes face particular challenges in achieving fine-grained concurrency, as different physics and dynamics components have different computational profiles, and universal solutions are hard to come by. We propose here one approach for multi-physics codes. These codes are typically structured as components interacting via software frameworks. The component structure of a typical Earth system model consists of a hierarchical and recursive tree of components, each representing a different climate process or dynamical system. This recursive structure generally encompasses a modest level of concurrency at the highest level (e.g., atmosphere and ocean on different processor sets) with serial organization underneath. We propose to extend concurrency much further by running more and more lower- and higher-level components in parallel with each other. Each component can further be parallelized on the fine grain, potentially offering a major increase in the scalability of Earth system models. We present here first results from this approach, called coarse-grained component concurrency, or CCC. Within the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) Flexible Modeling System (FMS), the atmospheric radiative transfer component has been configured to run in parallel with a composite component consisting of every other atmospheric component, including the atmospheric dynamics and all other atmospheric physics components. We will explore the algorithmic challenges involved in such an approach, and present results from such simulations. Plans to achieve even greater levels of coarse-grained concurrency by extending this approach within other components, such as the ocean, will be discussed.

Integrated flexible handheld probe for imaging and evaluation of iridocorneal angle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shinoj, Vengalathunadakal K.; Murukeshan, Vadakke Matham; Baskaran, Mani; Aung, Tin

2015-01-01

An imaging probe is designed and developed by integrating a miniaturized charge-coupled diode camera and light-emitting diode light source, which enables evaluation of the iridocorneal region inside the eye. The efficiency of the prototype probe instrument is illustrated initially by using not only eye models, but also samples such as pig eye. The proposed methodology and developed scheme are expected to find potential application in iridocorneal angle documentation, glaucoma diagnosis, and follow-up management procedures.

Simplified aeroelastic modeling of horizontal axis wind turbines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wendell, J. H.

1982-01-01

Certain aspects of the aeroelastic modeling and behavior of the horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT) are examined. Two simple three degree of freedom models are described in this report, and tools are developed which allow other simple models to be derived. The first simple model developed is an equivalent hinge model to study the flap-lag-torsion aeroelastic stability of an isolated rotor blade. The model includes nonlinear effects, preconing, and noncoincident elastic axis, center of gravity, and aerodynamic center. A stability study is presented which examines the influence of key parameters on aeroelastic stability. Next, two general tools are developed to study the aeroelastic stability and response of a teetering rotor coupled to a flexible tower. The first of these tools is an aeroelastic model of a two-bladed rotor on a general flexible support. The second general tool is a harmonic balance solution method for the resulting second order system with periodic coefficients. The second simple model developed is a rotor-tower model which serves to demonstrate the general tools. This model includes nacelle yawing, nacelle pitching, and rotor teetering. Transient response time histories are calculated and compared to a similar model in the literature. Agreement between the two is very good, especially considering how few harmonics are used. Finally, a stability study is presented which examines the effects of support stiffness and damping, inflow angle, and preconing.

Boundary control of anti-symmetric vibration of satellite with flexible appendages in planar motion with exponential stability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rad, Hossein Kaviani; Salarieh, Hassan; Alasty, Aria; Vatankhah, Ramin

2018-06-01

In this research, we have investigated the planar maneuver of a flexible satellite with appendages anti-symmetric vibration. The hybrid governing equations are comprised of coupled partial and ordinary differential equations which are derived by employing Hamilton's principle. In this paper, control goals are the tracking desired pitch angle along with the flexible appendages vibration suppression simultaneously by using only one control torque which is applied to the central hub. The boundary control is proposed to fulfill these control aims; furthermore, this boundary control ensures that spillover instability phenomenon is eliminated, and in-domain sensors and actuators implement are excluded. Indeed, the proposed boundary control is able to stabilize an infinite number of vibration modes, which is one of the important benefits of the proposed control when it is considered that different factors including external disturbances and even the satellite maneuver can excite the various vibration modes of the flexible appendages and consequently the excitement of the high order vibration modes will be possible. Lyapunov's direct method is used to prove the exponential stability; moreover, this Proof is achieved in absence of any damping effect in modeling the vibrations of flexible appendages. In addition, the procedure for finding the boundary control coefficients which ensures the exponential stability is provided. Eventually, numerical simulations are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed boundary control.

Sparse Additive Ordinary Differential Equations for Dynamic Gene Regulatory Network Modeling.

PubMed

Wu, Hulin; Lu, Tao; Xue, Hongqi; Liang, Hua

2014-04-02

The gene regulation network (GRN) is a high-dimensional complex system, which can be represented by various mathematical or statistical models. The ordinary differential equation (ODE) model is one of the popular dynamic GRN models. High-dimensional linear ODE models have been proposed to identify GRNs, but with a limitation of the linear regulation effect assumption. In this article, we propose a sparse additive ODE (SA-ODE) model, coupled with ODE estimation methods and adaptive group LASSO techniques, to model dynamic GRNs that could flexibly deal with nonlinear regulation effects. The asymptotic properties of the proposed method are established and simulation studies are performed to validate the proposed approach. An application example for identifying the nonlinear dynamic GRN of T-cell activation is used to illustrate the usefulness of the proposed method.

46 CFR 56.30-40 - Flexible pipe couplings of the compression or slip-on type.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... or slip-on type must not be used as expansion joints. To ensure that the maximum axial displacement... couplings must not be used in cargo holds or in any other space where leakage, undetected flooding, or...

46 CFR 56.30-40 - Flexible pipe couplings of the compression or slip-on type.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... or slip-on type must not be used as expansion joints. To ensure that the maximum axial displacement... couplings must not be used in cargo holds or in any other space where leakage, undetected flooding, or...

46 CFR 56.30-40 - Flexible pipe couplings of the compression or slip-on type.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... or slip-on type must not be used as expansion joints. To ensure that the maximum axial displacement... couplings must not be used in cargo holds or in any other space where leakage, undetected flooding, or...

46 CFR 56.30-40 - Flexible pipe couplings of the compression or slip-on type.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... or slip-on type must not be used as expansion joints. To ensure that the maximum axial displacement... couplings must not be used in cargo holds or in any other space where leakage, undetected flooding, or...

46 CFR 56.30-40 - Flexible pipe couplings of the compression or slip-on type.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... or slip-on type must not be used as expansion joints. To ensure that the maximum axial displacement... couplings must not be used in cargo holds or in any other space where leakage, undetected flooding, or...

Rational design and dynamics of self-propelled colloidal bead chains: from rotators to flagella.

PubMed

Vutukuri, Hanumantha Rao; Bet, Bram; van Roij, René; Dijkstra, Marjolein; Huck, Wilhelm T S

2017-12-01

The quest for designing new self-propelled colloids is fuelled by the demand for simple experimental models to study the collective behaviour of their more complex natural counterparts. Most synthetic self-propelled particles move by converting the input energy into translational motion. In this work we address the question if simple self-propelled spheres can assemble into more complex structures that exhibit rotational motion, possibly coupled with translational motion as in flagella. We exploit a combination of induced dipolar interactions and a bonding step to create permanent linear bead chains, composed of self-propelled Janus spheres, with a well-controlled internal structure. Next, we study how flexibility between individual swimmers in a chain can affect its swimming behaviour. Permanent rigid chains showed only active rotational or spinning motion, whereas longer semi-flexible chains showed both translational and rotational motion resembling flagella like-motion, in the presence of the fuel. Moreover, we are able to reproduce our experimental results using numerical calculations with a minimal model, which includes full hydrodynamic interactions with the fluid. Our method is general and opens a new way to design novel self-propelled colloids with complex swimming behaviours, using different complex starting building blocks in combination with the flexibility between them.

Flexible nanomembrane photonic-crystal cavities for tensilely strained-germanium light emission

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yin, Jian; Wang, Xiaowei; Paiella, Roberto

2016-06-13

Flexible photonic-crystal cavities in the form of Si-column arrays embedded in polymeric films are developed on Ge nanomembranes using direct membrane assembly. The resulting devices can sustain large biaxial tensile strain under mechanical stress, as a way to enhance the Ge radiative efficiency. Pronounced emission peaks associated with photonic-crystal cavity resonances are observed in photoluminescence measurements. These results show that ultrathin nanomembrane active layers can be effectively coupled to an optical cavity, while still preserving their mechanical flexibility. Thus, they are promising for the development of strain-enabled Ge lasers, and more generally uniquely flexible optoelectronic devices.

Mechanical interface having multiple grounded actuators

DOEpatents

Martin, Kenneth M.; Levin, Mike D.; Rosenberg, Louis B.

1998-01-01

An apparatus and method for interfacing the motion of a user-manipulable object with a computer system includes a user object physically contacted or grasped by a user. A 3-D spatial mechanism is coupled to the user object, such as a stylus or a medical instrument, and provides three degrees of freedom to the user object. Three grounded actuators provide forces in the three degrees of freedom. Two of the degrees of freedom are a planar workspace provided by a closed-loop linkage of members, and the third degree of freedom is rotation of the planar workspace provided by a rotatable carriage. Capstan drive mechanisms transmit forces between actuators and the user object and include drums coupled to the carriage, pulleys coupled to grounded actuators, and flexible cables transmitting force between the pulleys and the drums. The flexibility of the cable allows the drums to rotate with the carriage while the pulleys and actuators remain fixed to ground. The interface also may include a floating gimbal mechanism coupling the linkage to the user object. The floating gimbal mechanism includes rotatably coupled gimbal members that provide three degrees of freedom to the user object and capstan mechanisms coupled between sensors and the gimbal members for providing enhanced sensor resolution.

The Role of Flexibility and Conformational Selection in the Binding Promiscuity of PDZ Domains

PubMed Central

Münz, Márton; Hein, Jotun; Biggin, Philip C.

2012-01-01

In molecular recognition, it is often the case that ligand binding is coupled to conformational change in one or both of the binding partners. Two hypotheses describe the limiting cases involved; the first is the induced fit and the second is the conformational selection model. The conformational selection model requires that the protein adopts conformations that are similar to the ligand-bound conformation in the absence of ligand, whilst the induced-fit model predicts that the ligand-bound conformation of the protein is only accessible when the ligand is actually bound. The flexibility of the apo protein clearly plays a major role in these interpretations. For many proteins involved in signaling pathways there is the added complication that they are often promiscuous in that they are capable of binding to different ligand partners. The relationship between protein flexibility and promiscuity is an area of active research and is perhaps best exemplified by the PDZ domain family of proteins. In this study we use molecular dynamics simulations to examine the relationship between flexibility and promiscuity in five PDZ domains: the human Dvl2 (Dishevelled-2) PDZ domain, the human Erbin PDZ domain, the PDZ1 domain of InaD (inactivation no after-potential D protein) from fruit fly, the PDZ7 domain of GRIP1 (glutamate receptor interacting protein 1) from rat and the PDZ2 domain of PTP-BL (protein tyrosine phosphatase) from mouse. We show that despite their high structural similarity, the PDZ binding sites have significantly different dynamics. Importantly, the degree of binding pocket flexibility was found to be closely related to the various characteristics of peptide binding specificity and promiscuity of the five PDZ domains. Our findings suggest that the intrinsic motions of the apo structures play a key role in distinguishing functional properties of different PDZ domains and allow us to make predictions that can be experimentally tested. PMID:23133356

Cortex Inspired Model for Inverse Kinematics Computation for a Humanoid Robotic Finger

PubMed Central

Gentili, Rodolphe J.; Oh, Hyuk; Molina, Javier; Reggia, James A.; Contreras-Vidal, José L.

2013-01-01

In order to approach human hand performance levels, artificial anthropomorphic hands/fingers have increasingly incorporated human biomechanical features. However, the performance of finger reaching movements to visual targets involving the complex kinematics of multi-jointed, anthropomorphic actuators is a difficult problem. This is because the relationship between sensory and motor coordinates is highly nonlinear, and also often includes mechanical coupling of the two last joints. Recently, we developed a cortical model that learns the inverse kinematics of a simulated anthropomorphic finger. Here, we expand this previous work by assessing if this cortical model is able to learn the inverse kinematics for an actual anthropomorphic humanoid finger having its two last joints coupled and controlled by pneumatic muscles. The findings revealed that single 3D reaching movements, as well as more complex patterns of motion of the humanoid finger, were accurately and robustly performed by this cortical model while producing kinematics comparable to those of humans. This work contributes to the development of a bioinspired controller providing adaptive, robust and flexible control of dexterous robotic and prosthetic hands. PMID:23366569

On the Coupling Between the Incus and the Stapes in the Cat

PubMed Central

Heng Siah, T.; McKee, Marc D.; Daniel, Sam J.; Decraemer, Willem F.

2005-01-01

The connection between the long process and the lenticular process of the incus is extremely fine, so much so that some authors have treated the lenticular process as a separate bone. We review descriptions of the lenticular process that have appeared in the literature, and present some new histological observations. We discuss the dimensions and composition of the lenticular process and of the incudostapedial joint, and present estimates of the material properties for the bone, cartilage, and ligament of which they are composed. We present a preliminary finite-element model which includes the lenticular plate, the bony pedicle connecting the lenticular plate to the long process, the head of the stapes, and the incudostapedial joint. The model has a much simplified geometry. We present simulation results for ranges of values for the material properties. We then present simulation results for this model when it is incorporated into an overall model of the middle ear of the cat. For the geometries and material properties used here, the bony pedicle is found to contribute significant flexibility to the coupling between the incus and the stapes. PMID:15735938

DEM Based Modeling: Grid or TIN? The Answer Depends

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ogden, F. L.; Moreno, H. A.

2015-12-01

The availability of petascale supercomputing power has enabled process-based hydrological simulations on large watersheds and two-way coupling with mesoscale atmospheric models. Of course with increasing watershed scale come corresponding increases in watershed complexity, including wide ranging water management infrastructure and objectives, and ever increasing demands for forcing data. Simulations of large watersheds using grid-based models apply a fixed resolution over the entire watershed. In large watersheds, this means an enormous number of grids, or coarsening of the grid resolution to reduce memory requirements. One alternative to grid-based methods is the triangular irregular network (TIN) approach. TINs provide the flexibility of variable resolution, which allows optimization of computational resources by providing high resolution where necessary and low resolution elsewhere. TINs also increase required effort in model setup, parameter estimation, and coupling with forcing data which are often gridded. This presentation discusses the costs and benefits of the use of TINs compared to grid-based methods, in the context of large watershed simulations within the traditional gridded WRF-HYDRO framework and the new TIN-based ADHydro high performance computing watershed simulator.

Structure prediction of the second extracellular loop in G-protein-coupled receptors.

PubMed

Kmiecik, Sebastian; Jamroz, Michal; Kolinski, Michal

2014-06-03

G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) play key roles in living organisms. Therefore, it is important to determine their functional structures. The second extracellular loop (ECL2) is a functionally important region of GPCRs, which poses significant challenge for computational structure prediction methods. In this work, we evaluated CABS, a well-established protein modeling tool for predicting ECL2 structure in 13 GPCRs. The ECL2s (with between 13 and 34 residues) are predicted in an environment of other extracellular loops being fully flexible and the transmembrane domain fixed in its x-ray conformation. The modeling procedure used theoretical predictions of ECL2 secondary structure and experimental constraints on disulfide bridges. Our approach yielded ensembles of low-energy conformers and the most populated conformers that contained models close to the available x-ray structures. The level of similarity between the predicted models and x-ray structures is comparable to that of other state-of-the-art computational methods. Our results extend other studies by including newly crystallized GPCRs. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Flexible Strategies for Coping with Rainfall Variability: Seasonal Adjustments in Cropped Area in the Ganges Basin

PubMed Central

Siderius, Christian; Biemans, Hester; van Walsum, Paul E. V.; van Ierland, Ekko C.; Kabat, Pavel; Hellegers, Petra J. G. J.

2016-01-01

One of the main manifestations of climate change will be increased rainfall variability. How to deal with this in agriculture will be a major societal challenge. In this paper we explore flexibility in land use, through deliberate seasonal adjustments in cropped area, as a specific strategy for coping with rainfall variability. Such adjustments are not incorporated in hydro-meteorological crop models commonly used for food security analyses. Our paper contributes to the literature by making a comprehensive model assessment of inter-annual variability in crop production, including both variations in crop yield and cropped area. The Ganges basin is used as a case study. First, we assessed the contribution of cropped area variability to overall variability in rice and wheat production by applying hierarchical partitioning on time-series of agricultural statistics. We then introduced cropped area as an endogenous decision variable in a hydro-economic optimization model (WaterWise), coupled to a hydrology-vegetation model (LPJmL), and analyzed to what extent its performance in the estimation of inter-annual variability in crop production improved. From the statistics, we found that in the period 1999–2009 seasonal adjustment in cropped area can explain almost 50% of variability in wheat production and 40% of variability in rice production in the Indian part of the Ganges basin. Our improved model was well capable of mimicking existing variability at different spatial aggregation levels, especially for wheat. The value of flexibility, i.e. the foregone costs of choosing not to crop in years when water is scarce, was quantified at 4% of gross margin of wheat in the Indian part of the Ganges basin and as high as 34% of gross margin of wheat in the drought-prone state of Rajasthan. We argue that flexibility in land use is an important coping strategy to rainfall variability in water stressed regions. PMID:26934389

Transonic analysis of canted winglets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rosen, B. S.

1984-01-01

A computational method developed to provide a transonic analysis for upper/lower surface wing-tip mounted winglets is described. Winglets with arbitrary planform, cant and toe angle, and airfoil section can be modeled. The embedded grid approach provides high flow field resolution and the required geometric flexibility. In particular, coupled Cartesian/cylindrical grid systems are used to model the complex geometry presented by canted upper/lower surface winglets. A new rotated difference scheme is introduced in order to maintain the stability of the small-disturbance formulation in the presence of large spanwise velocities. Wing and winglet viscous effects are modeled using a two-dimensional 'strip' boundary layer analysis. Correlations with wind tunnel and flight test data for three transport configurations are included.

Piezoelectric ribbons printed onto rubber for flexible energy conversion.

PubMed

Qi, Yi; Jafferis, Noah T; Lyons, Kenneth; Lee, Christine M; Ahmad, Habib; McAlpine, Michael C

2010-02-10

The development of a method for integrating highly efficient energy conversion materials onto stretchable, biocompatible rubbers could yield breakthroughs in implantable or wearable energy harvesting systems. Being electromechanically coupled, piezoelectric crystals represent a particularly interesting subset of smart materials that function as sensors/actuators, bioMEMS devices, and energy converters. Yet, the crystallization of these materials generally requires high temperatures for maximally efficient performance, rendering them incompatible with temperature-sensitive plastics and rubbers. Here, we overcome these limitations by presenting a scalable and parallel process for transferring crystalline piezoelectric nanothick ribbons of lead zirconate titanate from host substrates onto flexible rubbers over macroscopic areas. Fundamental characterization of the ribbons by piezo-force microscopy indicates that their electromechanical energy conversion metrics are among the highest reported on a flexible medium. The excellent performance of the piezo-ribbon assemblies coupled with stretchable, biocompatible rubber may enable a host of exciting avenues in fundamental research and novel applications.

Reduction of initial shock in decadal predictions using a new initialization strategy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Yujun; Wang, Bin

2017-04-01

Initial shock is a well-known problem occurring in the early years of a decadal prediction when assimilating full-field observations into a coupled model, which directly affects the prediction skill. For the purpose to alleviate this problem, we propose a novel full-field initialization method based on dimension-reduced projection four-dimensional variational data assimilation (DRP-4DVar). Different from the available solution strategies including anomaly assimilation and bias correction, it substantially reduces the initial shock through generating more consistent initial conditions for the coupled model, which, along with the model trajectory in one-month windows, best fit the monthly mean analysis data of oceanic temperature and salinity. We evaluate the performance of initialized hindcast experiments according to three proposed indices to measure the intensity of the initial shock. The results indicate that this strategy can obviously reduce the initial shock in decadal predictions by FGOALS-g2 (the Flexible Global Ocean-Atmosphere-Land System model, Grid-point Version 2) compared with the commonly-used nudging full-field initialization for the same model as well as the different full-field initialization strategies for other CMIP5 (the fifth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project) models whose decadal prediction results are available. It is also comparable to or even better than the anomaly initialization methods. Better hindcasts of global mean surface air temperature anomaly are obtained due to the reduction of initial shock by the new initialization scheme.

Single-molecule quantum dot as a Kondo simulator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hiraoka, R.; Minamitani, E.; Arafune, R.; Tsukahara, N.; Watanabe, S.; Kawai, M.; Takagi, N.

2017-06-01

Structural flexibility of molecule-based systems is key to realizing the novel functionalities. Tuning the structure in the atomic scale enables us to manipulate the quantum state in the molecule-based system. Here we present the reversible Hamiltonian manipulation in a single-molecule quantum dot consisting of an iron phthalocyanine molecule attached to an Au electrode and a scanning tunnelling microscope tip. We precisely controlled the position of Fe2+ ion in the molecular cage by using the tip, and tuned the Kondo coupling between the molecular spins and the Au electrode. Then, we realized the crossover between the strong-coupling Kondo regime and the weak-coupling regime governed by spin-orbit interaction in the molecule. The results open an avenue to simulate low-energy quantum many-body physics and quantum phase transition through the molecular flexibility.

Performance Optimizing Adaptive Control with Time-Varying Reference Model Modification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nguyen, Nhan T.; Hashemi, Kelley E.

2017-01-01

This paper presents a new adaptive control approach that involves a performance optimization objective. The control synthesis involves the design of a performance optimizing adaptive controller from a subset of control inputs. The resulting effect of the performance optimizing adaptive controller is to modify the initial reference model into a time-varying reference model which satisfies the performance optimization requirement obtained from an optimal control problem. The time-varying reference model modification is accomplished by the real-time solutions of the time-varying Riccati and Sylvester equations coupled with the least-squares parameter estimation of the sensitivities of the performance metric. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated by an application of maneuver load alleviation control for a flexible aircraft.

Chemically Crosslinked Hydrogel Film Leads to Integrated Flexible Supercapacitors with Superior Performance.

PubMed

Wang, Kai; Zhang, Xiong; Li, Chen; Sun, Xianzhong; Meng, Qinghai; Ma, Yanwei; Wei, Zhixiang

2015-12-02

A high-strength poly(vinyl alcohol) chemical hydrogel (PCH) film is prepared by coupling covalent crosslinking with a film-casting process. Conducting polyaniline (PANI) is then embedded in the PCH film by in situ growth to form a composite film with a PANI-hydrogel-PANI configuration, which leads to a new conceptual flexible supercapacitor with all-in-one configuration that exhibits superior electrochemical performance and mechanical flexibility. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

REMOTELY OPERATED MANIPULATOR

DOEpatents

Hutto, E.L.

1961-08-15

A manipulator is described for performing, within an entirely enclosed cell containling radioactive materials, various mechanical operations. A rod with flexible fingers is encompassed by a tubular sleeve shorter than the rod. Relative movement between the rod and sleeve causes the fingers to open and close. This relative movement is effected by relative movement of permanent magnets in magnetic coupling relation to magnetic followers affixed to the ends of the rod and sleeve. The rod and its sleeve may be moved as a unit axially or may be rotated by means of the magnetic couplings. The manipulator is enclosed within a tubular member which is flexibly sealed to an opening in the cell. (AEC)

Taichi-inspired rigid-flexible coupling cellulose-supported solid polymer electrolyte for high-performance lithium batteries

PubMed Central

Zhang, Jianjun; Yue, Liping; Hu, Pu; Liu, Zhihong; Qin, Bingsheng; Zhang, Bo; Wang, Qingfu; Ding, Guoliang; Zhang, Chuanjian; Zhou, Xinhong; Yao, Jianhua; Cui, Guanglei; Chen, Liquan

2014-01-01

Inspired by Taichi, we proposed rigid-flexible coupling concept and herein developed a highly promising solid polymer electrolyte comprised of poly (ethylene oxide), poly (cyano acrylate), lithium bis(oxalate)borate and robust cellulose nonwoven. Our investigation revealed that this new class solid polymer electrolyte possessed comprehensive properties in high mechanical integrity strength, sufficient ionic conductivity (3 × 10−4 S cm−1) at 60°C and improved dimensional thermostability (up to 160°C). In addition, the lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4)/lithium (Li) cell using such solid polymer electrolyte displayed superior rate capacity (up to 6 C) and stable cycle performance at 80°C. Furthermore, the LiFePO4/Li battery could also operate very well even at an elevated temperature of 160°C, thus improving enhanced safety performance of lithium batteries. The use of this solid polymer electrolyte mitigates the safety risk and widens the operation temperature range of lithium batteries. Thus, this fascinating study demonstrates a proof of concept of the use of rigid-flexible coupling solid polymer electrolyte toward practical lithium battery applications with improved reliability and safety. PMID:25183416

Vicinal 1H-1H NMR coupling constants from density functional theory as reliable tools for stereochemical analysis of highly flexible multichiral center molecules.

PubMed

López-Vallejo, Fabian; Fragoso-Serrano, Mabel; Suárez-Ortiz, Gloria Alejandra; Hernández-Rojas, Adriana C; Cerda-García-Rojas, Carlos M; Pereda-Miranda, Rogelio

2011-08-05

A protocol for stereochemical analysis, based on the systematic comparison between theoretical and experimental vicinal (1)H-(1)H NMR coupling constants, was developed and applied to a series of flexible compounds (1-8) derived from the 6-heptenyl-5,6-dihydro-2H-pyran-2-one framework. The method included a broad conformational search, followed by geometry optimization at the DFT B3LYP/DGDZVP level, calculation of the vibrational frequencies, thermochemical parameters, magnetic shielding tensors, and the total NMR spin-spin coupling constants. Three scaling factors, depending on the carbon atom hybridizations, were found for the (1)H-C-C-(1)H vicinal coupling constants: f((sp3)-(sp3)) = 0.910, f((sp3)-(sp2)) = 0.929, and f((sp2)-(sp2))= 0.977. A remarkable correlation between the theoretical (J(pre)) and experimental (1)H-(1)H NMR (J(exp)) coupling constants for spicigerolide (1), a cytotoxic natural product, and some of its synthetic stereoisomers (2-4) demonstrated the predictive value of this approach for the stereochemical assignment of highly flexible compounds containing multiple chiral centers. The stereochemistry of two natural 6-heptenyl-5,6-dihydro-2H-pyran-2-ones (14 and 15) containing diverse functional groups in the heptenyl side chain was also analyzed by application of this combined theoretical and experimental approach, confirming its reliability. Additionally, a geometrical analysis for the conformations of 1-8 revealed that weak hydrogen bonds substantially guide the conformational behavior of the tetraacyloxy-6-heptenyl-2H-pyran-2-ones.

A new dynamic model of rotor-blade systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Hui; Lu, Yang; Wu, Zhiyuan; Tai, Xingyu; Li, Hui; Wen, Bangchun

2015-11-01

A new dynamic model of rotor-blade systems is developed in this paper considering the lateral and torsional deformations of the shaft, gyroscopic effects of the rotor which consists of shaft and disk, and the centrifugal stiffening, spin softening and Coriolis force of the blades. In this model, the rotating flexible blades are represented by Timoshenko beams. The shaft and rigid disk are described by multiple lumped mass points (LMPs), and these points are connected by massless springs which have both lateral and torsional stiffness. LMPs are represented by the corresponding masses and mass moments of inertia in lateral and rotational directions, where each point has five degrees of freedom (dofs) excluding axial dof. Equations of motion of the rotor-blade system are derived using Hamilton's principle in conjunction with the assumed modes method to describe blade deformation. The proposed model is compared with both finite element (FE) model and real experiments. The proposed model is first validated by comparing the model natural frequencies and vibration responses with those obtained from an FE model. A further verification of the model is then performed by comparing the model natural frequencies at zero rotational speed with those obtained from experimental studies. The results shown a good agreement between the model predicted system characteristics and those obtained from the FE model and experimental tests. Moreover, the following interesting phenomena have been revealed from the new model based analysis: The torsional natural frequency of the system decreases with the increase of rotational speed, and the frequency veering phenomenon has been observed at high rotational speed; The complicated coupling modes, such as the blade-blade coupling mode (BB), the coupling mode between the rotor lateral vibration and blade bending (RBL), and the coupling mode between the rotor torsional vibration and blade bending (RBT), have also been observed when the number of blades increases.

Dynamic Characteristics of Micro-Beams Considering the Effect of Flexible Supports

PubMed Central

Zhong, Zuo-Yang; Zhang, Wen-Ming; Meng, Guang

2013-01-01

Normally, the boundaries are assumed to allow small deflections and moments for MEMS beams with flexible supports. The non-ideal boundary conditions have a significant effect on the qualitative dynamical behavior. In this paper, by employing the principle of energy equivalence, rigorous theoretical solutions of the tangential and rotational equivalent stiffness are derived based on the Boussinesq's and Cerruti's displacement equations. The non-dimensional differential partial equation of the motion, as well as coupled boundary conditions, are solved analytically using the method of multiple time scales. The closed-form solution provides a direct insight into the relationship between the boundary conditions and vibration characteristics of the dynamic system, in which resonance frequencies increase with the nonlinear mechanical spring effect but decrease with the effect of flexible supports. The obtained results of frequencies and mode shapes are compared with the cases of ideal boundary conditions, and the differences between them are contrasted on frequency response curves. The influences of the support material property on the equivalent stiffness and resonance frequency shift are also discussed. It is demonstrated that the proposed model with the flexible supports boundary conditions has significant effect on the rigorous quantitative dynamical analysis of the MEMS beams. Moreover, the proposed analytical solutions are in good agreement with those obtained from finite element analyses.

Coupling for joining a ball nut to a machine tool carriage

DOEpatents

Gerth, Howard L.

1979-01-01

The present invention relates to an improved coupling for joining a lead screw ball nut to a machine tool carriage. The ball nut is coupled to the machine tool carriage by a plurality of laterally flexible bolts which function as hinges during the rotation of the lead screw for substantially reducing lateral carriage movement due to wobble in the lead screw.

Torque-balanced vibrationless rotary coupling

DOEpatents

Miller, Donald M.

1980-01-01

This disclosure describes a torque-balanced vibrationless rotary coupling for transmitting rotary motion without unwanted vibration into the spindle of a machine tool. A drive member drives a driven member using flexible connecting loops which are connected tangentially and at diametrically opposite connecting points through a free floating ring.

OpenCMISS: a multi-physics & multi-scale computational infrastructure for the VPH/Physiome project.

PubMed

Bradley, Chris; Bowery, Andy; Britten, Randall; Budelmann, Vincent; Camara, Oscar; Christie, Richard; Cookson, Andrew; Frangi, Alejandro F; Gamage, Thiranja Babarenda; Heidlauf, Thomas; Krittian, Sebastian; Ladd, David; Little, Caton; Mithraratne, Kumar; Nash, Martyn; Nickerson, David; Nielsen, Poul; Nordbø, Oyvind; Omholt, Stig; Pashaei, Ali; Paterson, David; Rajagopal, Vijayaraghavan; Reeve, Adam; Röhrle, Oliver; Safaei, Soroush; Sebastián, Rafael; Steghöfer, Martin; Wu, Tim; Yu, Ting; Zhang, Heye; Hunter, Peter

2011-10-01

The VPH/Physiome Project is developing the model encoding standards CellML (cellml.org) and FieldML (fieldml.org) as well as web-accessible model repositories based on these standards (models.physiome.org). Freely available open source computational modelling software is also being developed to solve the partial differential equations described by the models and to visualise results. The OpenCMISS code (opencmiss.org), described here, has been developed by the authors over the last six years to replace the CMISS code that has supported a number of organ system Physiome projects. OpenCMISS is designed to encompass multiple sets of physical equations and to link subcellular and tissue-level biophysical processes into organ-level processes. In the Heart Physiome project, for example, the large deformation mechanics of the myocardial wall need to be coupled to both ventricular flow and embedded coronary flow, and the reaction-diffusion equations that govern the propagation of electrical waves through myocardial tissue need to be coupled with equations that describe the ion channel currents that flow through the cardiac cell membranes. In this paper we discuss the design principles and distributed memory architecture behind the OpenCMISS code. We also discuss the design of the interfaces that link the sets of physical equations across common boundaries (such as fluid-structure coupling), or between spatial fields over the same domain (such as coupled electromechanics), and the concepts behind CellML and FieldML that are embodied in the OpenCMISS data structures. We show how all of these provide a flexible infrastructure for combining models developed across the VPH/Physiome community. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Marital Processes Linking Gender Role Attitudes and Marital Satisfaction Among Mexican-Origin Couples: Application of an Actor-Partner Interdependence Mediation Model.

PubMed

Helms, Heather M; Supple, Andrew J; Hengstebeck, Natalie D; Wood, Claire A; Rodriguez, Yuliana

2018-01-24

Informed by dyadic approaches and culturally informed, ecological perspectives of marriage, we applied an actor-partner interdependence mediation model (APIMeM) in a sample of 120 Mexican-origin couples to examine (a) the associations linking Mexican immigrant husbands' and wives' gender role attitudes to marital satisfaction directly and indirectly through marital processes (i.e., warmth and negativity) and (b) whether the associations between spouses' gender role attitudes and marital processes were moderated by wives' employment. Although previous research has identified spouses' gender role attitudes as potential predictors of spouses' marital satisfaction, no study has examined these links in a dyadic model that elucidates how gender role attitudes may operate through processes to shape marital satisfaction and conditions under which associations may differ. We found that when spouses reported less sex-typed attitudes, their partners reported feeling more connected to them and more satisfied with the marriage, regardless of whether wives were employed. Our results suggest that marital satisfaction was highest for those Mexican-origin couples in which marital partners were less sex-typed in their attitudes about marital roles to the extent that partners' attitudinal role flexibility promoted spouses' feelings of warmth and connection to their partner. © 2018 Family Process Institute.

Coupled double-distribution-function lattice Boltzmann method for the compressible Navier-Stokes equations.

PubMed

Li, Q; He, Y L; Wang, Y; Tao, W Q

2007-11-01

A coupled double-distribution-function lattice Boltzmann method is developed for the compressible Navier-Stokes equations. Different from existing thermal lattice Boltzmann methods, this method can recover the compressible Navier-Stokes equations with a flexible specific-heat ratio and Prandtl number. In the method, a density distribution function based on a multispeed lattice is used to recover the compressible continuity and momentum equations, while the compressible energy equation is recovered by an energy distribution function. The energy distribution function is then coupled to the density distribution function via the thermal equation of state. In order to obtain an adjustable specific-heat ratio, a constant related to the specific-heat ratio is introduced into the equilibrium energy distribution function. Two different coupled double-distribution-function lattice Boltzmann models are also proposed in the paper. Numerical simulations are performed for the Riemann problem, the double-Mach-reflection problem, and the Couette flow with a range of specific-heat ratios and Prandtl numbers. The numerical results are found to be in excellent agreement with analytical and/or other solutions.

Vibration and aeroelastic analysis of highly flexible HALE aircraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Chong-Seok

The highly flexible HALE (High Altitude Long Endurance) aircraft analysis methodology is of interest because early studies indicated that HALE aircraft might have different vibration and aeroelastic characteristics from those of conventional aircraft. Recently the computer code Nonlinear Aeroelastic Trim And Stability of HALE Aircraft (NATASHA) was developed under NASA sponsorship. NATASHA can predict the flight dynamics and aeroelastic behavior for HALE aircraft with a flying wing configuration. Further analysis improvements for NATASHA were required to extend its capability to the ground vibration test (GVT) environment and to both GVT and aeroelastic behavior of HALE aircraft with other configurations. First, the analysis methodology, based on geometrically exact fully intrinsic beam theory, was extended to treat other aircraft cofigurations. Conventional aircraft with flexible fuselage and tail can now be modeled by treating the aircraft as an assembly of beam elements. NATASHA is now applicable to any aircraft cofiguration that can be modeled this way. The intrinsic beam formulation, which is a fundamental structural modeling approach, is now capable of being applying to a structure consisting of multiple beams by relating the virtual displacements and rotations at points where two or more beam elements are connected to each other. Additional aspects are also considered in the analysis such as auxiliary elevator input in the horizontal tail and fuselage aerodynamics. Second, the modeling approach was extended to treat the GVT environment for HALE aircraft, which have highly flexible wings. GVT has its main purpose to provide modal characteristics for model validation. A bungee formulation was developed by the augmented Lagrangian method and coupled to the intrinsic beam formulation for the GVT modeling. After the coupling procedure, the whole formulation cannot be fully intrinsic because the geometric constraint by bungee cords makes the system statically indeterminate. Displacement and rotation variables need to be introduced, but only at points to which bungee cords are attached. Third, because many HALE aircraft are propeller driven, the structural modeling was extended to include an engine/nacelle/propeller system using a two-degree-of-freedom model with pitch and yaw angles. This step was undertaken to predict a dynamic instability called "whirl flutter," which can be exhibited in such HALE aircraft. It can investigate how the nacelle whirling and wing motions affect each other. For simplicity, two fundamental assumptions are made regarding the propeller aerodynamics and inertia matrix of two-bladed propeller system. The propeller airloads are evaluated by the constant approximation which uses the averaged values for one revolution per blade. Periodic side forces and hub moments are evaluated based on how they affect the trim condition determined by the constant approximation. The next assumption is for certain HALE aircraft which can use a two-bladed propeller system. The inertia matrix appears as periodic in time in the governing equations. If the periodic inertia effect is negligible, then the inertia matrix can be replaced by that of equivalent three-bladed propeller system so that the stability analysis can obviate the need for Floquet theory. These new development have been fully integrated into the current version of NATASHA. Finally, a parametric study for representative HALE aircraft is presented to show how the current methodology can be utilized as a unified preliminary analysis tool for the vibration and aeroelastic analysis of highly flexible HALE aircraft.

Flexibility in the patterning and control of axial locomotor networks in lamprey.

PubMed

Buchanan, James T

2011-12-01

In lower vertebrates, locomotor burst generators for axial muscles generally produce unitary bursts that alternate between the two sides of the body. In lamprey, a lower vertebrate, locomotor activity in the axial ventral roots of the isolated spinal cord can exhibit flexibility in the timings of bursts to dorsally-located myotomal muscle fibers versus ventrally-located myotomal muscle fibers. These episodes of decreased synchrony can occur spontaneously, especially in the rostral spinal cord where the propagating body waves of swimming originate. Application of serotonin, an endogenous spinal neurotransmitter known to presynaptically inhibit excitatory synapses in lamprey, can promote decreased synchrony of dorsal-ventral bursting. These observations suggest the possible existence of dorsal and ventral locomotor networks with modifiable coupling strength between them. Intracellular recordings of motoneurons during locomotor activity provide some support for this model. Pairs of motoneurons innervating myotomal muscle fibers of similar ipsilateral dorsoventral location tend to have higher correlations of fast synaptic activity during fictive locomotion than do pairs of motoneurons innervating myotomes of different ipsilateral dorsoventral locations, suggesting their control by different populations of premotor interneurons. Further, these different motoneuron pools receive different patterns of excitatory and inhibitory inputs from individual reticulospinal neurons, conveyed in part by different sets of premotor interneurons. Perhaps, then, the locomotor network of the lamprey is not simply a unitary burst generator on each side of the spinal cord that activates all ipsilateral body muscles simultaneously. Instead, the burst generator on each side may comprise at least two coupled burst generators, one controlling motoneurons innervating dorsal body muscles and one controlling motoneurons innervating ventral body muscles. The coupling strength between these two ipsilateral burst generators may be modifiable and weakening when greater swimming maneuverability is required. Variable coupling of intrasegmental burst generators in the lamprey may be a precursor to the variable coupling of burst generators observed in the control of locomotion in the joints of limbed vertebrates.

Experimental modal substructuring to couple and uncouple substructures with flexible fixtures and multi-point connections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allen, Matthew S.; Mayes, Randall L.; Bergman, Elizabeth J.

2010-11-01

Modal substructuring or component mode synthesis (CMS) has been standard practice for many decades in the analytical realm, yet a number of significant difficulties have been encountered when attempting to combine experimentally derived modal models with analytical ones or when predicting the effect of structural modifications using experimental measurements. This work presents a new method that removes the effects of a flexible fixture from an experimentally obtained modal model. It can be viewed as an extension to the approach where rigid masses are removed from a structure. The approach presented here improves the modal basis of the substructure, so that it can be used to more accurately estimate the modal parameters of the built-up system. New types of constraints are also presented, which constrain the modal degrees of freedom of the substructures, avoiding the need to estimate the connection point displacements and rotations. These constraints together with the use of a flexible fixture enable a new approach for joining structures, especially those with statically indeterminate multi-point connections, such as two circular flanges that are joined by many more bolts than required to enforce compatibility if the substructures were rigid. Fixture design is discussed, one objective of which is to achieve a mass-loaded boundary condition that exercises the substructure at the connection point as it is in the built up system. The proposed approach is demonstrated with two examples using experimental measurements from laboratory systems. The first is a simple problem of joining two beams of differing lengths, while the second consists of a three-dimensional structure comprising a circular plate that is bolted at eight locations to a flange on a cylindrical structure. In both cases frequency response functions predicted by the substructuring methods agree well with those of the actual coupled structures over a significant range of frequencies.

The Cloud Feedback Model Intercomparison Project Observational Simulator Package: Version 2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Swales, Dustin J.; Pincus, Robert; Bodas-Salcedo, Alejandro

2018-01-01

The Cloud Feedback Model Intercomparison Project Observational Simulator Package (COSP) gathers together a collection of observation proxies or satellite simulators that translate model-simulated cloud properties to synthetic observations as would be obtained by a range of satellite observing systems. This paper introduces COSP2, an evolution focusing on more explicit and consistent separation between host model, coupling infrastructure, and individual observing proxies. Revisions also enhance flexibility by allowing for model-specific representation of sub-grid-scale cloudiness, provide greater clarity by clearly separating tasks, support greater use of shared code and data including shared inputs across simulators, and follow more uniform software standards to simplify implementation across a wide range of platforms. The complete package including a testing suite is freely available.

A flexible, gigahertz, and free-standing thin film piezoelectric MEMS resonator with high figure of merit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Yuan; Zhang, Menglun; Duan, Xuexin; Zhang, Hao; Pang, Wei

2017-07-01

In this paper, a 2.6 GHz air-gap type thin film piezoelectric MEMS resonator was fabricated on a flexible polyethylene terephthalate film. A fabrication process combining transfer printing and hot-embossing was adopted to form a free-standing structure. The flexible radio frequency MEMS resonator possesses a quality factor of 946 and an effective coupling coefficient of 5.10%, and retains its high performance at a substrate bending radius of 1 cm. The achieved performance is comparable to that of conventional resonators on rigid silicon wafers. Our demonstration provides a viable approach to realizing universal MEMS devices on flexible polymer substrates, which is of great significance for building future fully integrated and multi-functional wireless flexible electronic systems.

Apparatus and method for detecting tampering in flexible structures

DOEpatents

Maxey, Lonnie C [Knoxville, TN; Haynes, Howard D [Knoxville, TN

2011-02-01

A system for monitoring or detecting tampering in a flexible structure includes taking electrical measurements on a sensing cable coupled to the structure, performing spectral analysis on the measured data, and comparing the spectral characteristics of the event to those of known benign and/or known suspicious events. A threshold or trigger value may used to identify an event of interest and initiate data collection. Alternatively, the system may be triggered at preset intervals, triggered manually, or triggered by a signal from another sensing device such as a motion detector. The system may be used to monitor electrical cables and conduits, hoses and flexible ducts, fences and other perimeter control devices, structural cables, flexible fabrics, and other flexible structures.

Validated simulator for space debris removal with nets and other flexible tethers applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gołębiowski, Wojciech; Michalczyk, Rafał; Dyrek, Michał; Battista, Umberto; Wormnes, Kjetil

2016-12-01

In the context of active debris removal technologies and preparation activities for the e.Deorbit mission, a simulator for net-shaped elastic bodies dynamics and their interactions with rigid bodies, has been developed. Its main application is to aid net design and test scenarios for space debris deorbitation. The simulator can model all the phases of the debris capturing process: net launch, flight and wrapping around the target. It handles coupled simulation of rigid and flexible bodies dynamics. Flexible bodies were implemented using Cosserat rods model. It allows to simulate flexible threads or wires with elasticity and damping for stretching, bending and torsion. Threads may be combined into structures of any topology, so the software is able to simulate nets, pure tethers, tether bundles, cages, trusses, etc. Full contact dynamics was implemented. Programmatic interaction with simulation is possible - i.e. for control implementation. The underlying model has been experimentally validated and due to significant gravity influence, experiment had to be performed in microgravity conditions. Validation experiment for parabolic flight was a downscaled process of Envisat capturing. The prepacked net was launched towards the satellite model, it expanded, hit the model and wrapped around it. The whole process was recorded with 2 fast stereographic camera sets for full 3D trajectory reconstruction. The trajectories were used to compare net dynamics to respective simulations and then to validate the simulation tool. The experiments were performed on board of a Falcon-20 aircraft, operated by National Research Council in Ottawa, Canada. Validation results show that model reflects phenomenon physics accurately enough, so it may be used for scenario evaluation and mission design purposes. The functionalities of the simulator are described in detail in the paper, as well as its underlying model, sample cases and methodology behind validation. Results are presented and typical use cases are discussed showing that the software may be used to design throw nets for space debris capturing, but also to simulate deorbitation process, chaser control system or general interactions between rigid and elastic bodies - all in convenient and efficient way. The presented work was led by SKA Polska under the ESA contract, within the CleanSpace initiative.

A simple integrated assessment approach to global change simulation and evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ogutu, Keroboto; D'Andrea, Fabio; Ghil, Michael

2016-04-01

We formulate and study the Coupled Climate-Economy-Biosphere (CoCEB) model, which constitutes the basis of our idealized integrated assessment approach to simulating and evaluating global change. CoCEB is composed of a physical climate module, based on Earth's energy balance, and an economy module that uses endogenous economic growth with physical and human capital accumulation. A biosphere model is likewise under study and will be coupled to the existing two modules. We concentrate on the interactions between the two subsystems: the effect of climate on the economy, via damage functions, and the effect of the economy on climate, via a control of the greenhouse gas emissions. Simple functional forms of the relation between the two subsystems permit simple interpretations of the coupled effects. The CoCEB model is used to make hypotheses on the long-term effect of investment in emission abatement, and on the comparative efficacy of different approaches to abatement, in particular by investing in low carbon technology, in deforestation reduction or in carbon capture and storage (CCS). The CoCEB model is very flexible and transparent, and it allows one to easily formulate and compare different functional representations of climate change mitigation policies. Using different mitigation measures and their cost estimates, as found in the literature, one is able to compare these measures in a coherent way.

Multiscale Enaction Model (MEM): the case of complexity and “context-sensitivity” in vision

PubMed Central

Laurent, Éric

2014-01-01

I review the data on human visual perception that reveal the critical role played by non-visual contextual factors influencing visual activity. The global perspective that progressively emerges reveals that vision is sensitive to multiple couplings with other systems whose nature and levels of abstraction in science are highly variable. Contrary to some views where vision is immersed in modular hard-wired modules, rather independent from higher-level or other non-cognitive processes, converging data gathered in this article suggest that visual perception can be theorized in the larger context of biological, physical, and social systems with which it is coupled, and through which it is enacted. Therefore, any attempt to model complexity and multiscale couplings, or to develop a complex synthesis in the fields of mind, brain, and behavior, shall involve a systematic empirical study of both connectedness between systems or subsystems, and the embodied, multiscale and flexible teleology of subsystems. The conceptual model (Multiscale Enaction Model [MEM]) that is introduced in this paper finally relates empirical evidence gathered from psychology to biocomputational data concerning the human brain. Both psychological and biocomputational descriptions of MEM are proposed in order to help fill in the gap between scales of scientific analysis and to provide an account for both the autopoiesis-driven search for information, and emerging perception. PMID:25566115

Incorporating Plant Phenology Dynamics in a Biophysical Canopy Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barata, Raquel A.; Drewry, Darren

2012-01-01

The Multi-Layer Canopy Model (MLCan) is a vegetation model created to capture plant responses to environmental change. Themodel vertically resolves carbon uptake, water vapor and energy exchange at each canopy level by coupling photosynthesis, stomatal conductance and leaf energy balance. The model is forced by incoming shortwave and longwave radiation, as well as near-surface meteorological conditions. The original formulation of MLCan utilized canopy structural traits derived from observations. This project aims to incorporate a plant phenology scheme within MLCan allowing these structural traits to vary dynamically. In the plant phenology scheme implemented here, plant growth is dependent on environmental conditions such as air temperature and soil moisture. The scheme includes functionality that models plant germination, growth, and senescence. These growth stages dictate the variation in six different vegetative carbon pools: storage, leaves, stem, coarse roots, fine roots, and reproductive. The magnitudes of these carbon pools determine land surface parameters such as leaf area index, canopy height, rooting depth and root water uptake capacity. Coupling this phenology scheme with MLCan allows for a more flexible representation of the structure and function of vegetation as it responds to changing environmental conditions.

Analysis and experiments for delay compensation in attitude control of flexible spacecraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sabatini, Marco; Palmerini, Giovanni B.; Leonangeli, Nazareno; Gasbarri, Paolo

2014-11-01

Space vehicles are often characterized by highly flexible appendages, with low natural frequencies which can generate coupling phenomena during orbital maneuvering. The stability and delay margins of the controlled system are deeply affected by the presence of bodies with different elastic properties, assembled to form a complex multibody system. As a consequence, unstable behavior can arise. In this paper the problem is first faced from a numerical point of view, developing accurate multibody mathematical models, as well as relevant navigation and control algorithms. One of the main causes of instability is identified with the unavoidable presence of time delays in the GNC loop. A strategy to compensate for these delays is elaborated and tested using the simulation tool, and finally validated by means of a free floating platform, replicating the flexible spacecraft attitude dynamics (single axis rotation). The platform is equipped with thrusters commanded according to the on-off modulation of the Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) control law. The LQR is based on the estimate of the full state vector, i.e. including both rigid - attitude - and elastic variables, that is possible thanks to the on line measurement of the flexible displacements, realized by processing the images acquired by a dedicated camera. The accurate mathematical model of the system and the rigid and elastic measurements enable a prediction of the state, so that the control is evaluated taking the predicted state relevant to a delayed time into account. Both the simulations and the experimental campaign demonstrate that by compensating in this way the time delay, the instability is eliminated, and the maneuver is performed accurately.

Wave Resource Characterization Using an Unstructured Grid Modeling Approach

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wu, Wei-Cheng; Yang, Zhaoqing; Wang, Taiping

This paper presents a modeling study conducted on the central Oregon coast for wave resource characterization using the unstructured-grid SWAN model coupled with a nested-grid WWIII model. The flexibility of models of various spatial resolutions and the effects of open- boundary conditions simulated by a nested-grid WWIII model with different physics packages were evaluated. The model results demonstrate the advantage of the unstructured-grid modeling approach for flexible model resolution and good model skills in simulating the six wave resource parameters recommended by the International Electrotechnical Commission in comparison to the observed data in Year 2009 at National Data Buoy Centermore » Buoy 46050. Notably, spectral analysis indicates that the ST4 physics package improves upon the model skill of the ST2 physics package for predicting wave power density for large waves, which is important for wave resource assessment, device load calculation, and risk management. In addition, bivariate distributions show the simulated sea state of maximum occurrence with the ST4 physics package matched the observed data better than that with the ST2 physics package. This study demonstrated that the unstructured-grid wave modeling approach, driven by the nested-grid regional WWIII outputs with the ST4 physics package, can efficiently provide accurate wave hindcasts to support wave resource characterization. Our study also suggests that wind effects need to be considered if the dimension of the model domain is greater than approximately 100 km, or O (10^2 km).« less

Finite element modeling of the electromechanical coupling in ionic polymer transducers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akle, Barbar; Habchi, Wassim; Wallmersperger, Thomas; Leo, Donald

2010-04-01

Several researchers are actively studying Ionomeric polymer transducers (IPT) as a large strain low voltage Electro- Active Polymer (EAP) actuator. EAPs are devices that do not contain any moving parts leading to a potential large life time. Furthermore, they are light weight and flexible. An IPT is made of an ion saturated polymer usually Nafion, sandwiched between two electrodes made of a mixture of Nafion and electrically conductive particles usually RuO2 or platinum. Nafion is an acid membrane in which the cations are mobile while the anions are covalently fixed to the polymer structure. Upon the application of an electric potential on the order of 2V at the electrodes the mobile positive ions migrate towards the cathode leading to bending strains in the order of 5%. Our earlier studies demonstrate that the cations develop thin boundary layers around the electrode. Later developments in this finite element model captured the importance of adding particles in the electrode. This study presents the electromechanical coupling in ionic polymer transducers. Since all our earlier models were restricted to the electro-chemical part, here we will introduce the chemomechanical coupling. This coupling is performed based on previous studies (Akle and Leo) in which the authors experimentally showed that the mechanical strain in IPTs is proportional to a linear term and a quadratic term of the charge accumulated at the electrode. The values of the linear and quadratic terms are extracted from experimental data.

Guided by curvature: shaping cells by coupling curved membrane proteins and cytoskeletal forces.

PubMed

Gov, N S

2018-05-26

Eukaryote cells have flexible membranes that allow them to have a variety of dynamical shapes. The shapes of the cells serve important biological functions, both for cells within an intact tissue, and during embryogenesis and cellular motility. How cells control their shapes and the structures that they form on their surface has been a subject of intensive biological research, exposing the building blocks that cells use to deform their membranes. These processes have also drawn the interest of theoretical physicists, aiming to develop models based on physics, chemistry and nonlinear dynamics. Such models explore quantitatively different possible mechanisms that the cells can employ to initiate the spontaneous formation of shapes and patterns on their membranes. We review here theoretical work where one such class of mechanisms was investigated: the coupling between curved membrane proteins, and the cytoskeletal forces that they recruit. Theory indicates that this coupling gives rise to a rich variety of membrane shapes and dynamics, while experiments indicate that this mechanism appears to drive many cellular shape changes.This article is part of the theme issue 'Self-organization in cell biology'. © 2018 The Author(s).

GPCR-ModSim: A comprehensive web based solution for modeling G-protein coupled receptors

PubMed Central

Esguerra, Mauricio; Siretskiy, Alexey; Bello, Xabier; Sallander, Jessica; Gutiérrez-de-Terán, Hugo

2016-01-01

GPCR-ModSim (http://open.gpcr-modsim.org) is a centralized and easy to use service dedicated to the structural modeling of G-protein Coupled Receptors (GPCRs). 3D molecular models can be generated from amino acid sequence by homology-modeling techniques, considering different receptor conformations. GPCR-ModSim includes a membrane insertion and molecular dynamics (MD) equilibration protocol, which can be used to refine the generated model or any GPCR structure uploaded to the server, including if desired non-protein elements such as orthosteric or allosteric ligands, structural waters or ions. We herein revise the main characteristics of GPCR-ModSim and present new functionalities. The templates used for homology modeling have been updated considering the latest structural data, with separate profile structural alignments built for inactive, partially-active and active groups of templates. We have also added the possibility to perform multiple-template homology modeling in a unique and flexible way. Finally, our new MD protocol considers a series of distance restraints derived from a recently identified conserved network of helical contacts, allowing for a smoother refinement of the generated models which is particularly advised when there is low homology to the available templates. GPCR- ModSim has been tested on the GPCR Dock 2013 competition with satisfactory results. PMID:27166369

Quantum Photonic in Hybrid Cavity Systems with Strong Matter-Light Couplings

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-08-24

properties. [Ref 1, 6] 2. Confinement and coupling of microcavity polaritons were readily implemented by design of the photonic crystal in the new...cavity structure, allowing flexible device design and integration of the polariton system. Zero-dimensional polariton systems were created by reducing...the area of the photonic crystal, coupling between multiple zero-dimensional polariton systems was controlled by design of the boundaries of the

Dynamical downscaling of historical climate over CORDEX East Asia domain: A comparison of regional ocean-atmosphere coupled model to stand-alone RCM simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zou, Liwei; Zhou, Tianjun; Peng, Dongdong

2016-02-01

The FROALS (flexible regional ocean-atmosphere-land system) model, a regional ocean-atmosphere coupled model, has been applied to the Coordinated Regional Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX) East Asia domain. Driven by historical simulations from a global climate system model, dynamical downscaling for the period from 1980 to 2005 has been conducted at a uniform horizontal resolution of 50 km. The impacts of regional air-sea couplings on the simulations of East Asian summer monsoon rainfall have been investigated, and comparisons have been made to corresponding simulations performed using a stand-alone regional climate model (RCM). The added value of the FROALS model with respect to the driving global climate model was evident in terms of both climatology and the interannual variability of summer rainfall over East China by the contributions of both the high horizontal resolution and the reasonably simulated convergence of the moisture fluxes. Compared with the stand-alone RCM simulations, the spatial pattern of the simulated low-level monsoon flow over East Asia and the western North Pacific was improved in the FROALS model due to its inclusion of regional air-sea coupling. The results indicated that the simulated sea surface temperature (SSTs) resulting from the regional air-sea coupling were lower than those derived directly from the driving global model over the western North Pacific north of 15°N. These colder SSTs had both positive and negative effects. On the one hand, they strengthened the western Pacific subtropical high, which improved the simulation of the summer monsoon circulation over East Asia. On the other hand, the colder SSTs suppressed surface evaporation and favored weaker local interannual variability in the SST, which led to less summer rainfall and weaker interannual rainfall variability over the Korean Peninsula and Japan. Overall, the reference simulation performed using the FROALS model is reasonable in terms of rainfall over the land area of East Asia and will become the basis for the generation of climate change scenarios for the CORDEX East Asia domain that will be described in future reports.

Thermally induced vibrations of smart solar panel in a low-orbit satellite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azadi, E.; Fazelzadeh, S. Ahmad; Azadi, M.

2017-03-01

In this paper, a smart flexible satellite moving in a circular orbit with two flexible panels are studied. The panels have been modeled as clamped-free-free-free rectangular plates with attached piezoelectric actuators. It is assumed that the satellite has a pitch angle rotation maneuver. Rapid temperature changes at day-night transitions in orbit generate time dependent bending moments. Satellite maneuver and temperature varying induce vibrations in the appendages. So, to simulate the system, heat radiation effects on the appendages have been considered. The nonlinear equations of motion and the heat transfer equations are coupled and solved simultaneously. So, the governing equations of motion are nonlinear and very complicated ones. Finally, the whole system is simulated and the effects of the heat radiation, radius of the orbit, piezoelectric voltages, and piezoelectric locations on the response of the system are studied.

Study on Earthquake Response of High Voltage Electrical Equipment Coupling System with Flexible Busbar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Chuncheng; Qu, Da; Wang, Chongyang; Lv, Chunlei; Li, Guoqiang

2017-12-01

With the rapid development of technology and society, all walks of life in China are becoming more and more dependent on power systems. When earthquake occurs, the electrical equipment of substation is prone to damage because of its own structural features, top-heavy, and brittleness of main body. At the same time, due to the complex coupling of the soft electrical connection of substation electrical equipment, the negative impact can not be estimated. In this paper, the finite element model of the coupling system of the single unit of high voltage electrical equipment with the connecting soft bus is established and the seismic response is analysed. The results showed that there is a significant difference between the simple analysis for the seismic response of electrical equipment monomer and the analytical results of electrical equipment systems, and the impact on different electrical equipment is different. It lays a foundation for the future development of seismic performance analysis of extra high voltage electrical equipment.

Alcohol-Focused Behavioral Couple Therapy

PubMed Central

McCrady, Barbara; Wilson, Adam; Muñoz, Rosa; Fink, Brandi; Fokas, Kathryn; Borders, Adrienne

2016-01-01

Alcohol Behavioral Couple Therapy (ABCT) has emerged over the last 30 years as a highly efficacious treatment for those with alcohol use disorders. This review highlights the historical and conceptual underpinnings of ABCT, as well as the specific treatment elements and structure. Proposed active ingredients, moderators, and mediators of treatment outcome are discussed. Efficacy is evaluated for reductions in identified patient drinking, improved relationship functioning, and reductions in intimate partner violence. Adaptations of ABCT for substances other than alcohol are described. Other adaptations, including brief interventions, interventions addressing PTSD and TBI along with alcohol use, and interventions deliverable via technology platforms are described. Additional cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness findings supporting the economic value of ABCT are noted. Future directions for research in this area include possible adaptations for female identified patients, non-traditional couples, LGBT partners and dyads involving non-intimate partner relationships. The development of more flexible models and enhanced dissemination strategies may improve clinical uptake and utility as well as increasing the feasibility of this treatment for integrated healthcare settings. PMID:27369809

Hydroelectromechanical modelling of a piezoelectric wave energy converter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Renzi, E.

2016-11-01

We investigate the hydroelectromechanical-coupled dynamics of a piezoelectric wave energy converter. The converter is made of a flexible bimorph plate, clamped at its ends and forced to motion by incident ocean surface waves. The piezoceramic layers are connected in series and transform the elastic motion of the plate into useful electricity by means of the piezoelectric effect. By using a distributed-parameter analytical approach, we couple the linear piezoelectric constitutive equations for the plate with the potential-flow equations for the surface water waves. The resulting system of governing partial differential equations yields a new hydroelectromechanical dispersion relation, whose complex roots are determined with a numerical approach. The effect of the piezoelectric coupling in the hydroelastic domain generates a system of short- and long-crested weakly damped progressive waves travelling along the plate. We show that the short-crested flexural wave component gives a dominant contribution to the generated power. We determine the hydroelectromechanical resonant periods of the device, at which the power output is significant.

Alcohol-Focused Behavioral Couple Therapy.

PubMed

McCrady, Barbara S; Wilson, Adam D; Muñoz, Rosa E; Fink, Brandi C; Fokas, Kathryn; Borders, Adrienne

2016-09-01

Alcohol Behavioral Couple Therapy (ABCT) has emerged over the last 30 years as a highly efficacious treatment for those with alcohol use disorders. This review highlights the historical and conceptual underpinnings of ABCT, as well as the specific treatment elements and structure. Proposed active ingredients, moderators, and mediators of treatment outcome are discussed. Efficacy is evaluated for reductions in identified patient drinking, improved relationship functioning, and reductions in intimate partner violence. Adaptations of ABCT for substances other than alcohol are described. Other adaptations, including brief interventions, interventions addressing PTSD and TBI along with alcohol use, and interventions deliverable via technology platforms are described. Additional cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness findings supporting the economic value of ABCT are noted. Future directions for research in this area include possible adaptations for female identified patients, nontraditional couples, LGBT partners and dyads involving nonintimate partner relationships. The development of more flexible models and enhanced dissemination strategies may improve clinical uptake and utility as well as increasing the feasibility of this treatment for integrated healthcare settings. © 2016 Family Process Institute.

OC5 Project Phase Ib: Validation of hydrodynamic loading on a fixed, flexible cylinder for offshore wind applications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Robertson, Amy N.; Wendt, Fabian; Jonkman, Jason M.

This paper summarizes the findings from Phase Ib of the Offshore Code Comparison, Collaboration, Continued with Correlation (OC5) project. OC5 is a project run under the International Energy Agency (IEA) Wind Research Task 30, and is focused on validating the tools used for modelling offshore wind systems through the comparison of simulated responses of select offshore wind systems (and components) to physical test data. For Phase Ib of the project, simulated hydrodynamic loads on a flexible cylinder fixed to a sloped bed were validated against test measurements made in the shallow water basin at the Danish Hydraulic Institute (DHI) withmore » support from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). The first phase of OC5 examined two simple cylinder structures (Phase Ia and Ib) to focus on validation of hydrodynamic models used in the various tools before moving on to more complex offshore wind systems and the associated coupled physics. As a result, verification and validation activities such as these lead to improvement of offshore wind modelling tools, which will enable the development of more innovative and cost-effective offshore wind designs.« less

Glass-like stress relaxation of a permanent gelatin network as a signature of pretransitional helix-coil fluctuations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caroli, Christiane; Ronsin, Olivier; Lemaître, Anaël

2018-02-01

The stress response of permanently crosslinked gelatin gels was recently observed to display glass-like features, namely, a stretched-exponential behavior terminated by an exponential decay, the characteristic time scales of which increase dramatically with decreasing temperature. This phenomenon is studied here using a model of flexible polymer gel network where relaxation proceeds via elementary monomer exchanges between helix and coil segments. The relaxation dynamics of a full network simulation is found to be nearly identical to that of a model of independent strands, which shows that for flexible polymer gels in the range of elastic moduli of interest, both strand contour length disorder and elastic couplings are irrelevant. We thus focus on the independent strand model and find it not only to explain the observed functional form of the stress relaxation curves but also to yield predictions that match very satisfactorily the experimental measurements of final relaxation time and total stress drop. The system under study thus constitutes a rare case where the origin of glass-like behavior can be unambiguously identified, namely, as the signature of the enhancement of helix content fluctuations when approaching from above the mean-field helix-coil transition of strands.

OC5 Project Phase Ib: Validation of hydrodynamic loading on a fixed, flexible cylinder for offshore wind applications

DOE PAGES

Robertson, Amy N.; Wendt, Fabian; Jonkman, Jason M.; ...

2016-10-13

This paper summarizes the findings from Phase Ib of the Offshore Code Comparison, Collaboration, Continued with Correlation (OC5) project. OC5 is a project run under the International Energy Agency (IEA) Wind Research Task 30, and is focused on validating the tools used for modelling offshore wind systems through the comparison of simulated responses of select offshore wind systems (and components) to physical test data. For Phase Ib of the project, simulated hydrodynamic loads on a flexible cylinder fixed to a sloped bed were validated against test measurements made in the shallow water basin at the Danish Hydraulic Institute (DHI) withmore » support from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). The first phase of OC5 examined two simple cylinder structures (Phase Ia and Ib) to focus on validation of hydrodynamic models used in the various tools before moving on to more complex offshore wind systems and the associated coupled physics. As a result, verification and validation activities such as these lead to improvement of offshore wind modelling tools, which will enable the development of more innovative and cost-effective offshore wind designs.« less

Dynamics of a flexible helical filament rotating in a viscous fluid near a rigid boundary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jawed, M. K.; Reis, P. M.

2017-03-01

We study the effect of a no-slip rigid boundary on the dynamics of a flexible helical filament rotating in a viscous fluid, at low Reynolds number conditions (Stokes limit). This system is taken as a reduced model for the propulsion of uniflagellar bacteria, whose locomotion is known to be modified near solid boundaries. Specifically, we focus on how the propulsive force generated by the filament, as well as its buckling onset, are modified by the presence of a wall. We tackle this problem through numerical simulations that couple the elasticity of the filament, the hydrodynamic loading, and the wall effect. Each of these three ingredients is respectively modeled by the discrete elastic rods method (for a geometrically nonlinear description of the filament), Lighthill's slender body theory (for a nonlocal fluid force model), and the method of images (to emulate the boundary). The simulations are systematically validated by precision experiments on a rescaled macroscopic apparatus. We find that the propulsive force increases near the wall, while the critical rotation frequency for the onset of buckling usually decreases. A systematic parametric study is performed to quantify the dependence of the wall effects on the geometric parameters of the helical filament.

A fluid-structure interaction model of soft robotics using an active strain approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hess, Andrew; Lin, Zhaowu; Gao, Tong

2017-11-01

Soft robotic swimmers exhibit rich dynamics that stem from the non-linear interplay of the fluid and immersed soft elastic body. Due to the difficulty of handling the nonlinear two-way coupling of hydrodynamic flow and deforming elastic body, studies of flexible swimmers often employ either one-way coupling strategies with imposed motions of the solid body or some simplified elasticity models. To explore the nonlinear dynamics of soft robots powered by smart soft materials, we develop a computational model to deal with the two-way fluid/elastic structure interactions using the fictitious domain method. To mimic the dynamic response of the functional soft material under external actuations, we assume the solid phase to be neo-Hookean, and employ an active strain approach to incorporate actuation, which is based on the multiplicative decomposition of the deformation gradient tensor. We demonstrate the capability of our algorithm by performing a series of numerical explorations that manipulate an elastic structure with finite thickness, starting from simple rectangular or circular plates to soft robot prototypes such as stingrays and jellyfish.

Aeroelastic oscillations of a cantilever with structural nonlinearities: theory and numerical simulation.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Robinson, Brandon; Rocha da Costa, Leandro Jose; Poirel, Dominique

Our study details the derivation of the nonlinear equations of motion for the axial, biaxial bending and torsional vibrations of an aeroelastic cantilever undergoing rigid body (pitch) rotation at the base. The primary attenstion is focussed on the geometric nonlinearities of the system, whereby the aeroelastic load is modeled by the theory of linear quasisteady aerodynamics. This modelling effort is intended to mimic the wind-tunnel experimental setup at the Royal Military College of Canada. While the derivation closely follows the work of Hodges and Dowell [1] for rotor blades, this aeroelastic system contains new inertial terms which stem from themore » fundamentally different kinematics than those exhibited by helicopter or wind turbine blades. Using the Hamilton’s principle, a set of coupled nonlinear partial differential equations (PDEs) and an ordinary differential equation (ODE) are derived which describes the coupled axial-bending-bending-torsion-pitch motion of the aeroelastic cantilever with the pitch rotation. The finite dimensional approximation of the coupled system of PDEs are obtained using the Galerkin projection, leading to a coupled system of ODEs. Subsequently, these nonlinear ODEs are solved numerically using the built-in MATLAB implicit ODE solver and the associated numerical results are compared with those obtained using Houbolt’s method. It is demonstrated that the system undergoes coalescence flutter, leading to a limit cycle oscillation (LCO) due to coupling between the rigid body pitching mode and teh flexible mode arising from the flapwise bending motion.« less

Optimal decentralized feedback control for a truss structure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cagle, A.; Ozguner, U.

1989-01-01

One approach to the decentralized control of large flexible space structures involves the design of controllers for the substructures of large systems and their subsequent application to the entire coupled system. This approach is presently developed for the case of active vibration damping on an experimental large struss structure. The isolated boundary loading method is used to define component models by FEM; component controllers are designed using an interlocking control concept which minimizes the motion of the boundary nodes, thereby reducing the exchange of mechanical disturbances among components.

Energy based simulation of a Timoshenko beam in non-forced rotation. Influence of the piano hammer shank flexibility on the sound

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chabassier, Juliette; Duruflé, Marc

2014-12-01

A nonlinear model for a vibrating Timoshenko beam in non-forced unknown rotation is derived from the virtual work principle applied to a system of beam with mass at the end. The system represents a piano hammer shank coupled to a hammer head. An energy-based numerical scheme is then provided, obtained by non-classical approaches. A major difficulty for time discretization comes from the nonlinear behavior of the kinetic energy of the system. This new numerical scheme is then coupled to a global energy-preserving numerical solution for the whole piano. The obtained numerical simulations show that the pianistic touch clearly influences the spectrum of the piano sound of equally loud isolated notes. These differences do not come from a possible shock excitation on the structure, or from a changing impact point, or a “longitudinal rubbing motion” on the string, since neither of these features is modeled in our study.

Parametric Dependencies in Aero-Elastic, Articulated, Flapping Flight

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Willis, D. J.; Persson, P.; Peraire, J.; Breuer, K. S.

2006-11-01

Aero-elastic coupling and wing articulation both play a vital role in the generation of lift and propulsion in birds, bats and fish. We present results from a computational study that employs several tools of varying fidelity to explore the role of flexible structures on the performance and efficiency of bird and bat flight mechanics. The tools (both 2-D and 3-D) include a Wake only ``Betz'' analysis following the work of Hall, Pigott and Hall (J. Aircaft, 1998), a potential flow model coupled to a free-vortex wake (Willis, Peraire & White, AIAA 2005-0854), and lastly, a discontinuous Galerkin solver (Persson & Peraire, AIAA 2006-0113) for the full Navier-Stokes equations. Structural models include springs, beams and membranes to represent compliant biological structures. The results demonstrate the changes in efficiency that can be achieved by different parametric variations in the flight behavior, including the effects of increasing kinematic degrees of freedom (e.g. articulated wings) and the effect of compliance in wing and skeletal structures.

Free-Flight-Tunnel Investigation of the Dynamic Stability and Control Characteristics of a Chance Vought F7U-3 Airplane in Towed Flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grana, David C.; Shanks, Robert E.

1952-01-01

As part of a program to determine the feasibility of using a fighter airplane as a parasite in combination with a Consolidated Vultee RB-36 for long-range reconnaissance missions (project FICON), an experimental investigation has been made in the Langley free-flight tunnel to determine the dynamic stability and control characteristics of a 1/17.5-scale model of a Chance Vought F7U-3 airplane in several tow configurations. The investigation consisted of flight tests in which the model was towed from a strut in the tunnel by a towline and by a direct coupling which provided complete angular freedom. The tests with the direct coupling also included a study of the effect of spring restraint in roll in order to simulate approximately the proposed full-scale arrangement in which the only freedom is that permitted by the flexibility of the launching and retrieving trapeze carried by the-bomber. For the tow configurations in which a towline was used (15 and 38 feet full scale), the model had a very unstable lateral oscillation which could not be controlled. The stability was also unsatisfactory for the tow configuration in Which the model was coupled directly to the strut with complete angular freedom. When spring restraint in roll was added, however, the stability was satisfactory. The use of the yaw damper which increased the damping in yaw to about six times the normal value of the model appeared to have no appreciable effect on the lateral oscillations in the towline configurations, but produced a slight improvement in the case of the direct coupling configurations. The longitudinal stability was satisfactory for those cases in which the lateral stability was good enough to permit study of longitudinal motions.

Small core fiber coupled 60-W laser diode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernie, Douglas P.; Mannonen, Ilkka; Raven, Anthony L.

1995-05-01

Semiconductor laser diodes are compact, efficient and reliable sources of laser light and 25 W fiber coupled systems developed by Diomed have been in clinical use for over three years. For certain applications, particularly in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia and flexible endoscopy, higher powers are desirable. In these applications the use of flexible optical fibers of no more than 600 micrometers core diameter is essential for compatibility with most commercial delivery fibers and instrumentation. A high power 60 W diode laser system for driving these small core fibers has been developed. The design requirements for medical applications are analyzed and system performance and results of use in gastroenterology and urology with small core fibers will be presented.

X-HALE: A Very Flexible UAV for Nonlinear Aeroelastic Tests

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-04-01

Theseus (right) showing large wing deflections (Courtesy NASA Dryden) Figure 2. Three different “Sensorcraft” configurations1 More...Shearer, C. M., Coupled Nonlinear Flight Dynamics, Aeroelasticity, and Control of Very Flexible Aircraft, Ph.D. thesis , The University of Michigan... Thesis , Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 2003. 24. Cesnik, C.E.S. and Ortega-Morales, M

Structural vibration and acoustic radiation of coupled propeller-shafting and submarine hull system due to propeller forces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qu, Yegao; Su, Jinpeng; Hua, Hongxing; Meng, Guang

2017-08-01

This paper investigates the structural and acoustic responses of a coupled propeller-shafting and submarine pressure hull system under different propeller force excitations. The entire system, which consists of a rigid propeller, a main shaft, two bearings and an orthogonally stiffened pressure hull, is submerged in a heavy fluid. The shaft is elastically connected to the pressure hull by a radial bearing and a thrust bearing. The theoretical model of the structural system is formulated based on a modified variational method, in which the propeller, the main shaft and the bearings are treated as a lumped mass, an elastic beam and spatially distributed spring-damper systems, respectively. The rings and stringers in the pressure hull are modeled as discrete structural elements. The acoustic field generated by the hull is calculated using a spectral Kirchhoff-Helmholtz integral formulation. A strongly coupled structure-acoustic interaction analysis is employed to achieve reasonable solutions for the coupled system. The displacement of the pressure hull and the sound pressure of the fluid are expanded in the form of a double mixed series using Fourier series and Chebyshev orthogonal polynomials, providing a flexible way for the present method to account for the individual contributions of circumferential wave modes to the vibration and acoustic responses of the pressure hull in an analytical manner. The contributions of different circumferential wave modes of the pressure hull to the structural and acoustic responses of the coupled system under axial, transversal and vertical propeller forces are investigated. Computed results are compared with those solutions obtained from the coupled finite element/boundary element method. Effects of the ring and the bearing stiffness on the acoustic responses of the coupled system are discussed.

A Bayesian compound stochastic process for modeling nonstationary and nonhomogeneous sequence evolution.

PubMed

Blanquart, Samuel; Lartillot, Nicolas

2006-11-01

Variations of nucleotidic composition affect phylogenetic inference conducted under stationary models of evolution. In particular, they may cause unrelated taxa sharing similar base composition to be grouped together in the resulting phylogeny. To address this problem, we developed a nonstationary and nonhomogeneous model accounting for compositional biases. Unlike previous nonstationary models, which are branchwise, that is, assume that base composition only changes at the nodes of the tree, in our model, the process of compositional drift is totally uncoupled from the speciation events. In addition, the total number of events of compositional drift distributed across the tree is directly inferred from the data. We implemented the method in a Bayesian framework, relying on Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithms, and applied it to several nucleotidic data sets. In most cases, the stationarity assumption was rejected in favor of our nonstationary model. In addition, we show that our method is able to resolve a well-known artifact. By Bayes factor evaluation, we compared our model with 2 previously developed nonstationary models. We show that the coupling between speciations and compositional shifts inherent to branchwise models may lead to an overparameterization, resulting in a lesser fit. In some cases, this leads to incorrect conclusions, concerning the nature of the compositional biases. In contrast, our compound model more flexibly adapts its effective number of parameters to the data sets under investigation. Altogether, our results show that accounting for nonstationary sequence evolution may require more elaborate and more flexible models than those currently used.

A coupled modeling framework of the co-evolution of humans and water: case study of Tarim River Basin, western China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, D.; Tian, F.; Lin, M.; Sivapalan, M.

2014-04-01

The complex interactions and feedbacks between humans and water are very essential issues but are poorly understood in the newly proposed discipline of socio-hydrology (Sivapalan et al., 2012). An exploratory model with the appropriate level of simplification can be valuable to improve our understanding of the co-evolution and self-organization of socio-hydrological systems driven by interactions and feedbacks operating at different scales. In this study, a simple coupled modeling framework for socio-hydrology co-evolution is developed for the Tarim River Basin in Western China, and is used to illustrate the explanatory power of such a model. The study area is the mainstream of the Tarim River, which is divided into two modeling units. The socio-hydrological system is composed of four parts, i.e. social sub-system, economic sub-system, ecological sub-system, and hydrological sub-system. In each modeling unit, four coupled ordinary differential equations are used to simulate the dynamics of the social sub-system represented by human population, the economic sub-system represented by irrigated crop area, the ecological sub-system represented by natural vegetation cover and the hydrological sub-system represented by stream discharge. The coupling and feedback processes of the four dominant sub-systems (and correspondingly four state variables) are integrated into several internal system characteristics interactively and jointly determined by themselves and by other coupled systems. For example, the stream discharge is coupled to the irrigated crop area by the colonization rate and mortality rate of the irrigated crop area in the upper reach and the irrigated area is coupled to stream discharge through irrigation water consumption. In a similar way, the stream discharge and natural vegetation cover are coupled together. The irrigated crop area is coupled to human population by the colonization rate and mortality rate of the population. The inflow of the lower reach is determined by the outflow from the upper reach. The natural vegetation cover in the lower reach is coupled to the outflow from the upper reach and governed by regional water resources management policy. The co-evolution of the Tarim socio-hydrological system is then analyzed within this modeling framework to gain insights into the overall system dynamics and its sensitivity to the external drivers and internal system variables. In the modeling framework, the state of each subsystem is holistically described by one state variable and the framework is flexible enough to comprise more processes and constitutive relationships if they are needed to illustrate the interaction and feedback mechanisms of the human-water system.

Mechanistic design concepts for conventional flexible pavements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elliott, R. P.; Thompson, M. R.

1985-02-01

Mechanical design concepts for convetional flexible pavement (asphalt concrete (AC) surface plus granular base/subbase) for highways are proposed and validated. The procedure is based on ILLI-PAVE, a stress dependent finite element computer program, coupled with appropriate transfer functions. Two design criteria are considered: AC flexural fatigue cracking and subgrade rutting. Algorithms were developed relating pavement response parameters (stresses, strains, deflections) to AC thickness, AC moduli, granular layer thickness, and subgrade moduli. Extensive analyses of the AASHO Road Test flexible pavement data are presented supporting the validity of the proposed concepts.

Dynamical analysis of rendezvous and docking with very large space infrastructures in non-Keplerian orbits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colagrossi, Andrea; Lavagna, Michèle

2018-03-01

A space station in the vicinity of the Moon can be exploited as a gateway for future human and robotic exploration of the solar system. The natural location for a space system of this kind is about one of the Earth-Moon libration points. The study addresses the dynamics during rendezvous and docking operations with a very large space infrastructure in an EML2 Halo orbit. The model takes into account the coupling effects between the orbital and the attitude motion in a circular restricted three-body problem environment. The flexibility of the system is included, and the interaction between the modes of the structure and those related with the orbital motion is investigated. A lumped parameter technique is used to represents the flexible dynamics. The parameters of the space station are maintained as generic as possible, in a way to delineate a global scenario of the mission. However, the developed model can be tuned and updated according to the information that will be available in the future, when the whole system will be defined with a higher level of precision.

An Ensemble-Based Forecasting Framework to Optimize Reservoir Releases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramaswamy, V.; Saleh, F.

2017-12-01

Increasing frequency of extreme precipitation events are stressing the need to manage water resources on shorter timescales. Short-term management of water resources becomes proactive when inflow forecasts are available and this information can be effectively used in the control strategy. This work investigates the utility of short term hydrological ensemble forecasts for operational decision making during extreme weather events. An advanced automated hydrologic prediction framework integrating a regional scale hydrologic model, GIS datasets and the meteorological ensemble predictions from the European Center for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF) was coupled to an implicit multi-objective dynamic programming model to optimize releases from a water supply reservoir. The proposed methodology was evaluated by retrospectively forecasting the inflows to the Oradell reservoir in the Hackensack River basin in New Jersey during the extreme hydrologic event, Hurricane Irene. Additionally, the flexibility of the forecasting framework was investigated by forecasting the inflows from a moderate rainfall event to provide important perspectives on using the framework to assist reservoir operations during moderate events. The proposed forecasting framework seeks to provide a flexible, assistive tool to alleviate the complexity of operational decision-making.

Multi-Dimensional Quantum Effect Simulation Using a Density-Gradient Model and Script-Level Programming Techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rafferty, Connor S.; Biegel, Bryan A.; Yu, Zhi-Ping; Ancona, Mario G.; Bude, J.; Dutton, Robert W.; Saini, Subhash (Technical Monitor)

1998-01-01

A density-gradient (DG) model is used to calculate quantum-mechanical corrections to classical carrier transport in MOS (Metal Oxide Semiconductor) inversion/accumulation layers. The model is compared to measured data and to a fully self-consistent coupled Schrodinger and Poisson equation (SCSP) solver. Good agreement is demonstrated for MOS capacitors with gate oxide as thin as 21 A. It is then applied to study carrier distribution in ultra short MOSFETs (Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor) with surface roughness. This work represents the first implementation of the DG formulation on multidimensional unstructured meshes. It was enabled by a powerful scripting approach which provides an easy-to-use and flexible framework for solving the fourth-order PDEs (Partial Differential Equation) of the DG model.

Spatial Guilds in the Serengeti Food Web Revealed by a Bayesian Group Model

PubMed Central

Baskerville, Edward B.; Dobson, Andy P.; Bedford, Trevor; Allesina, Stefano; Anderson, T. Michael; Pascual, Mercedes

2011-01-01

Food webs, networks of feeding relationships in an ecosystem, provide fundamental insights into mechanisms that determine ecosystem stability and persistence. A standard approach in food-web analysis, and network analysis in general, has been to identify compartments, or modules, defined by many links within compartments and few links between them. This approach can identify large habitat boundaries in the network but may fail to identify other important structures. Empirical analyses of food webs have been further limited by low-resolution data for primary producers. In this paper, we present a Bayesian computational method for identifying group structure using a flexible definition that can describe both functional trophic roles and standard compartments. We apply this method to a newly compiled plant-mammal food web from the Serengeti ecosystem that includes high taxonomic resolution at the plant level, allowing a simultaneous examination of the signature of both habitat and trophic roles in network structure. We find that groups at the plant level reflect habitat structure, coupled at higher trophic levels by groups of herbivores, which are in turn coupled by carnivore groups. Thus the group structure of the Serengeti web represents a mixture of trophic guild structure and spatial pattern, in contrast to the standard compartments typically identified. The network topology supports recent ideas on spatial coupling and energy channels in ecosystems that have been proposed as important for persistence. Furthermore, our Bayesian approach provides a powerful, flexible framework for the study of network structure, and we believe it will prove instrumental in a variety of biological contexts. PMID:22219719

Polymer subtrates for dry-coupled ultrasonic transducers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Komsky, Igor N.

2003-07-01

Dry-coupled inspection techniques are very important for applications on components with non-uniform surfaces and for inspections of advanced materials or coatings that are porous or otherwise sensitive to the application of water, gel, or some other ultrasonic couplants. To overcome the problems associated with the liquid coupling medium, a number of polymer films have been developed to transmit the ultrasound through a dry interface. These materials are very flexible so even low pressure loading is sufficient to adapt the films to the irregular inspection surfaces. Several polymer films have been evaluated to develop dry-coupled substrates for transducer modules. The modules will be utilized to detect and characterize fatigue cracks and corrosion spots in the aircraft structures. Ultrasonic properties of the polymer films were measured and compared with the properties of plastic or rubber-like materials commonly used for ultrasonic applications. Experiments have been carried out to analyze propagation of longitudinal and shear waves in the films. Two different types of the ultrasonic modules with the flexible polymer substrates are being developed. The influence of the surface condition on the module performance was evaluated for both types of the modules.

Liquid-phase tuning of porous PVDF-TrFE film on flexible substrate for energy harvesting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Dajing; Chen, Kaina; Brown, Kristopher; Hang, Annie; Zhang, John X. J.

2017-04-01

Emerging wearable and implantable biomedical energy harvesting devices demand efficient power conversion, flexible structures, and lightweight construction. This paper presents Polyvinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene (PVDF-TrFE) micro-porous structures, which can be tuned to specific mechanical flexibilities and optimized for piezoelectric power conversion. Specifically, the water vapor phase separation method was developed to control microstructure formation, pore diameter, porosity, and mechanical flexibility. Furthermore, we investigated the effects of the piezoelectric layer to supporting layer Young's modulus ratio, through using both analytical calculation and experimentation. Both structure flexibility and stress-induced voltage were considered in the analyses. Specification of electromechanical coupling efficiency, made possible by carefully designed three-dimensional porous structures, was shown to increase the power output by five-fold relative to uncoupled structures. Therefore, flexible PVDF-TrFE films with tunable microstructures, paired with substrates of different rigidities, provide highly efficient designs of compact piezoelectric energy generating devices.

Nonlinear dynamic analysis and optimal trajectory planning of a high-speed macro-micro manipulator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Yi-ling; Wei, Yan-ding; Lou, Jun-qiang; Fu, Lei; Zhao, Xiao-wei

2017-09-01

This paper reports the nonlinear dynamic modeling and the optimal trajectory planning for a flexure-based macro-micro manipulator, which is dedicated to the large-scale and high-speed tasks. In particular, a macro- micro manipulator composed of a servo motor, a rigid arm and a compliant microgripper is focused. Moreover, both flexure hinges and flexible beams are considered. By combining the pseudorigid-body-model method, the assumed mode method and the Lagrange equation, the overall dynamic model is derived. Then, the rigid-flexible-coupling characteristics are analyzed by numerical simulations. After that, the microscopic scale vibration excited by the large-scale motion is reduced through the trajectory planning approach. Especially, a fitness function regards the comprehensive excitation torque of the compliant microgripper is proposed. The reference curve and the interpolation curve using the quintic polynomial trajectories are adopted. Afterwards, an improved genetic algorithm is used to identify the optimal trajectory by minimizing the fitness function. Finally, the numerical simulations and experiments validate the feasibility and the effectiveness of the established dynamic model and the trajectory planning approach. The amplitude of the residual vibration reduces approximately 54.9%, and the settling time decreases 57.1%. Therefore, the operation efficiency and manipulation stability are significantly improved.

On the accuracy of modelling the dynamics of large space structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Diarra, C. M.; Bainum, P. M.

1985-01-01

Proposed space missions will require large scale, light weight, space based structural systems. Large space structure technology (LSST) systems will have to accommodate (among others): ocean data systems; electronic mail systems; large multibeam antenna systems; and, space based solar power systems. The structures are to be delivered into orbit by the space shuttle. Because of their inherent size, modelling techniques and scaling algorithms must be developed so that system performance can be predicted accurately prior to launch and assembly. When the size and weight-to-area ratio of proposed LSST systems dictate that the entire system be considered flexible, there are two basic modeling methods which can be used. The first is a continuum approach, a mathematical formulation for predicting the motion of a general orbiting flexible body, in which elastic deformations are considered small compared with characteristic body dimensions. This approach is based on an a priori knowledge of the frequencies and shape functions of all modes included within the system model. Alternatively, finite element techniques can be used to model the entire structure as a system of lumped masses connected by a series of (restoring) springs and possibly dampers. In addition, a computational algorithm was developed to evaluate the coefficients of the various coupling terms in the equations of motion as applied to the finite element model of the Hoop/Column.

A flexible Monte Carlo tool for patient or phantom specific calculations: comparison with preliminary validation measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davidson, S.; Cui, J.; Followill, D.; Ibbott, G.; Deasy, J.

2008-02-01

The Dose Planning Method (DPM) is one of several 'fast' Monte Carlo (MC) computer codes designed to produce an accurate dose calculation for advanced clinical applications. We have developed a flexible machine modeling process and validation tests for open-field and IMRT calculations. To complement the DPM code, a practical and versatile source model has been developed, whose parameters are derived from a standard set of planning system commissioning measurements. The primary photon spectrum and the spectrum resulting from the flattening filter are modeled by a Fatigue function, cut-off by a multiplying Fermi function, which effectively regularizes the difficult energy spectrum determination process. Commonly-used functions are applied to represent the off-axis softening, increasing primary fluence with increasing angle ('the horn effect'), and electron contamination. The patient dependent aspect of the MC dose calculation utilizes the multi-leaf collimator (MLC) leaf sequence file exported from the treatment planning system DICOM output, coupled with the source model, to derive the particle transport. This model has been commissioned for Varian 2100C 6 MV and 18 MV photon beams using percent depth dose, dose profiles, and output factors. A 3-D conformal plan and an IMRT plan delivered to an anthropomorphic thorax phantom were used to benchmark the model. The calculated results were compared to Pinnacle v7.6c results and measurements made using radiochromic film and thermoluminescent detectors (TLD).

Model-based extended quaternion Kalman filter to inertial orientation tracking of arbitrary kinematic chains.

PubMed

Szczęsna, Agnieszka; Pruszowski, Przemysław

2016-01-01

Inertial orientation tracking is still an area of active research, especially in the context of out-door, real-time, human motion capture. Existing systems either propose loosely coupled tracking approaches where each segment is considered independently, taking the resulting drawbacks into account, or tightly coupled solutions that are limited to a fixed chain with few segments. Such solutions have no flexibility to change the skeleton structure, are dedicated to a specific set of joints, and have high computational complexity. This paper describes the proposal of a new model-based extended quaternion Kalman filter that allows for estimation of orientation based on outputs from the inertial measurements unit sensors. The filter considers interdependencies resulting from the construction of the kinematic chain so that the orientation estimation is more accurate. The proposed solution is a universal filter that does not predetermine the degree of freedom at the connections between segments of the model. To validation the motion of 3-segments single link pendulum captured by optical motion capture system is used. The next step in the research will be to use this method for inertial motion capture with a human skeleton model.

An approximate block Newton method for coupled iterations of nonlinear solvers: Theory and conjugate heat transfer applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yeckel, Andrew; Lun, Lisa; Derby, Jeffrey J.

2009-12-01

A new, approximate block Newton (ABN) method is derived and tested for the coupled solution of nonlinear models, each of which is treated as a modular, black box. Such an approach is motivated by a desire to maintain software flexibility without sacrificing solution efficiency or robustness. Though block Newton methods of similar type have been proposed and studied, we present a unique derivation and use it to sort out some of the more confusing points in the literature. In particular, we show that our ABN method behaves like a Newton iteration preconditioned by an inexact Newton solver derived from subproblem Jacobians. The method is demonstrated on several conjugate heat transfer problems modeled after melt crystal growth processes. These problems are represented by partitioned spatial regions, each modeled by independent heat transfer codes and linked by temperature and flux matching conditions at the boundaries common to the partitions. Whereas a typical block Gauss-Seidel iteration fails about half the time for the model problem, quadratic convergence is achieved by the ABN method under all conditions studied here. Additional performance advantages over existing methods are demonstrated and discussed.

A micro-coupling for micro mechanical systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Wei; Zhou, Zhixiong; Zhang, Bi; Xiao, Yunya

2016-05-01

The error motions of micro mechanical systems, such as micro-spindles, increase with the increasing of the rotational speed, which not only decreases the rotational accuracy, but also promotes instability and limits the maximum operational speed. One effective way to deal with it is to use micro-flexible couplings between the drive and driven shafts so as to reduce error motions of the driven shaft. But the conventional couplings, such as diaphragm couplings, elastomeric couplings, bellows couplings, and grooved couplings, etc, cannot be directly used because of their large and complicated structures. This study presents a novel micro-coupling that consists of a flexible coupling and a shape memory alloy (SMA)-based clamp for micro mechanical systems. It is monolithic and can be directly machined from a shaft. The study performs design optimization and provides manufacturing considerations, including thermo-mechanical training of the SMA ring for the desired Two-Way-Shape-Memory effect (TWSMe). A prototype micro-coupling and a prototype micro-spindle using the proposed coupling are fabricated and tested. The testing results show that the prototype micro-coupling can bear a torque of above 5 N • mm and an axial force of 8.5 N and be fitted with an SMA ring for clamping action at room temperature (15 °C) and unclamping action below-5 °C. At the same time, the prototype micro-coupling can work at a rotational speed of above 200 kr/min with the application to a high-speed precision micro-spindle. Moreover, the radial runout error of the artifact, as a substitute for the micro-tool, is less than 3 μm while that of turbine shaft is above 7 μm. It can be concluded that the micro-coupling successfully accommodates misalignment errors of the prototype micro-spindle. This research proposes a micro-coupling which is featured with an SMA ring, and it is designed to clamp two shafts, and has smooth transmission, simple assembly, compact structure, zero-maintenance and balanced motions.

Flexible system model reduction and control system design based upon actuator and sensor influence functions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yam, Yeung; Johnson, Timothy L.; Lang, Jeffrey H.

1987-01-01

A model reduction technique based on aggregation with respect to sensor and actuator influence functions rather than modes is presented for large systems of coupled second-order differential equations. Perturbation expressions which can predict the effects of spillover on both the reduced-order plant model and the neglected plant model are derived. For the special case of collocated actuators and sensors, these expressions lead to the derivation of constraints on the controller gains that are, given the validity of the perturbation technique, sufficient to guarantee the stability of the closed-loop system. A case study demonstrates the derivation of stabilizing controllers based on the present technique. The use of control and observation synthesis in modifying the dimension of the reduced-order plant model is also discussed. A numerical example is provided for illustration.

A Design Verification of the Parallel Pipelined Image Processings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wasaki, Katsumi; Harai, Toshiaki

2008-11-01

This paper presents a case study of the design and verification of a parallel and pipe-lined image processing unit based on an extended Petri net, which is called a Logical Colored Petri net (LCPN). This is suitable for Flexible-Manufacturing System (FMS) modeling and discussion of structural properties. LCPN is another family of colored place/transition-net(CPN) with the addition of the following features: integer value assignment of marks, representation of firing conditions as marks' value based formulae, and coupling of output procedures with transition firing. Therefore, to study the behavior of a system modeled with this net, we provide a means of searching the reachability tree for markings.

Flexible Thin Metal Film Thermal Sensing System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomsen, Donald Laurence (Inventor)

2012-01-01

A flexible thin metal film thermal sensing system is provided. A thermally-conductive film made from a thermally-insulating material is doped with thermally-conductive material. At least one layer of electrically-conductive metal is deposited directly onto a surface of the thermally-conductive film. One or more devices are coupled to the layer(s) to measure an electrical characteristic associated therewith as an indication of temperature.

EwE-F 1.0: an implementation of Ecopath with Ecosim in Fortran 95/2003 for coupling and integration with other models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akoglu, E.; Libralato, S.; Salihoglu, B.; Oguz, T.; Solidoro, C.

2015-08-01

Societal and scientific challenges foster the implementation of the ecosystem approach to marine ecosystem analysis and management, which is a comprehensive means of integrating the direct and indirect effects of multiple stressors on the different components of ecosystems, from physical to chemical and biological and from viruses to fishes and marine mammals. Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE) is a widely used software package, which offers capability for a dynamic description of the multiple interactions occurring within a food web, and, potentially, a crucial component of an integrated platform supporting the ecosystem approach. However, being written for the Microsoft .NET framework, seamless integration of this code with Fortran-based physical and/or biogeochemical oceanographic models is technically not straightforward. In this work we release a re-coding of EwE in Fortran (EwE-F). We believe that the availability of a Fortran version of EwE is an important step towards setting up coupled/integrated modelling schemes utilising this widely adopted software because it (i) increases portability of the EwE models and (ii) provides additional flexibility towards integrating EwE with Fortran-based modelling schemes. Furthermore, EwE-F might help modellers using the Fortran programming language to get close to the EwE approach. In the present work, first fundamentals of EwE-F are introduced, followed by validation of EwE-F against standard EwE utilising sample models. Afterwards, an end-to-end (E2E) ecological representation of the Gulf of Trieste (northern Adriatic Sea) ecosystem is presented as an example of online two-way coupling between an EwE-F food web model and a biogeochemical model. Finally, the possibilities that having EwE-F opens up are discussed.

Experimental study of sound propagation in a flexible duct

PubMed

Huang; Choy; So; Chong

2000-08-01

Propagation of sound in a flexible duct is investigated both theoretically and experimentally. Strong coupling of sound and flexural waves on the duct wall is found when the wall-to-air mass ratio is of the order of unity. The axial phase speed of sound approaches the in vacuo speed of flexural waves (subsonic in this case) at low frequencies. However, a speed higher than the isentropic sound speed in free space (340 m/s) is found beyond a critical frequency which is a function of the mass ratio. Experiments using a duct with a finite section of tensioned membrane are compared with the propagating modes pertaining to the infinite membrane model. Satisfactory quantitative agreement is obtained and the measured phase speed ranges from 8.3 to 1348 m/s. In the moderate frequency range, the theory predicts high spatial damping rate for the subsonic waves, which is consistent with the experimental observation that subsonic waves become increasingly undetectable as the frequency increases. Substantial sound reflection is observed at the interface between the rigid and the flexible segments of the duct without cross-section discontinuity, which, together with the high spatial damping, could form a basis for passive control of low-frequency duct noise.

Coating graphene paper with 2D-assembly of electrocatalytic nanoparticles: a modular approach toward high-performance flexible electrodes.

PubMed

Xiao, Fei; Song, Jibin; Gao, Hongcai; Zan, Xiaoli; Xu, Rong; Duan, Hongwei

2012-01-24

The development of flexible electrodes is of considerable current interest because of the increasing demand for modern electronics, portable medical products, and compact energy devices. We report a modular approach to fabricating high-performance flexible electrodes by structurally integrating 2D-assemblies of nanoparticles with freestanding graphene paper. We have shown that the 2D array of gold nanoparticles at oil-water interfaces can be transferred on freestanding graphene oxide paper, leading to a monolayer of densely packed gold nanoparticles of uniform sizes loaded on graphene oxide paper. One major finding is that the postassembly electrochemical reduction of graphene oxide paper restores the ordered structure and electron-transport properties of graphene, and gives rise to robust and biocompatible freestanding electrodes with outstanding electrocatalytic activities, which have been manifested by the sensitive and selective detection of two model analytes: glucose and hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) secreted by live cells. The modular nature of this approach coupled with recent progress in nanocrystal synthesis and surface engineering opens new possibilities to systematically study the dependence of catalytic performance on the structural parameters and chemical compositions of the nanocrystals. © 2011 American Chemical Society

Gearbox Reliability Collaborative Analytic Formulation for the Evaluation of Spline Couplings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Guo, Yi; Keller, Jonathan; Errichello, Robert

2013-12-01

Gearboxes in wind turbines have not been achieving their expected design life; however, they commonly meet and exceed the design criteria specified in current standards in the gear, bearing, and wind turbine industry as well as third-party certification criteria. The cost of gearbox replacements and rebuilds, as well as the down time associated with these failures, has elevated the cost of wind energy. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Gearbox Reliability Collaborative (GRC) was established by the U.S. Department of Energy in 2006; its key goal is to understand the root causes of premature gearbox failures and improve their reliabilitymore » using a combined approach of dynamometer testing, field testing, and modeling. As part of the GRC program, this paper investigates the design of the spline coupling often used in modern wind turbine gearboxes to connect the planetary and helical gear stages. Aside from transmitting the driving torque, another common function of the spline coupling is to allow the sun to float between the planets. The amount the sun can float is determined by the spline design and the sun shaft flexibility subject to the operational loads. Current standards address spline coupling design requirements in varying detail. This report provides additional insight beyond these current standards to quickly evaluate spline coupling designs.« less

Preparation of Potassium Alkoxymethyltrifluoroborates and Their Cross-Coupling with Aryl Chlorides

PubMed Central

Canturk, Belgin

2015-01-01

A wide variety of alkoxymethyltrifluoroborate substrates were prepared via SN2 displacement of potassium bromomethyltrifluoroborate with various alkoxides in excellent yields. These alkoxymethyltrifluoroborates were effectively cross-coupled with several aryl chlorides. This method provides a unique dissonant disconnect that allows greater flexibility in the design of new and improved synthetic pathways. PMID:18439019

Stable integrated hyper-parametric oscillator based on coupled optical microcavities.

PubMed

Armaroli, Andrea; Feron, Patrice; Dumeige, Yannick

2015-12-01

We propose a flexible scheme based on three coupled optical microcavities that permits us to achieve stable oscillations in the microwave range, the frequency of which depends only on the cavity coupling rates. We find that the different dynamical regimes (soft and hard excitation) affect the oscillation intensity, but not their periods. This configuration may permit us to implement compact hyper-parametric sources on an integrated optical circuit with interesting applications in communications, sensing, and metrology.

Decrypting the structural, dynamic, and energetic basis of a monomeric kinesin interacting with a tubulin dimer in three ATPase states by all-atom molecular dynamics simulation.

PubMed

Chakraborty, Srirupa; Zheng, Wenjun

2015-01-27

We have employed molecular dynamics (MD) simulation to investigate, with atomic details, the structural dynamics and energetics of three major ATPase states (ADP, APO, and ATP state) of a human kinesin-1 monomer in complex with a tubulin dimer. Starting from a recently solved crystal structure of ATP-like kinesin-tubulin complex by the Knossow lab, we have used flexible fitting of cryo-electron-microscopy maps to construct new structural models of the kinesin-tubulin complex in APO and ATP state, and then conducted extensive MD simulations (total 400 ns for each state), followed by flexibility analysis, principal component analysis, hydrogen bond analysis, and binding free energy analysis. Our modeling and simulation have revealed key nucleotide-dependent changes in the structure and flexibility of the nucleotide-binding pocket (featuring a highly flexible and open switch I in APO state) and the tubulin-binding site, and allosterically coupled motions driving the APO to ATP transition. In addition, our binding free energy analysis has identified a set of key residues involved in kinesin-tubulin binding. On the basis of our simulation, we have attempted to address several outstanding issues in kinesin study, including the possible roles of β-sheet twist and neck linker docking in regulating nucleotide release and binding, the structural mechanism of ADP release, and possible extension and shortening of α4 helix during the ATPase cycle. This study has provided a comprehensive structural and dynamic picture of kinesin's major ATPase states, and offered promising targets for future mutational and functional studies to investigate the molecular mechanism of kinesin motors.

Space Station flexible dynamics under plume impingement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, Trevor

1993-01-01

Assembly of the Space Station requires numerous construction flights by the Space Shuttle. A particularly challenging problem is that of control of each intermediate station configuration when the shuttle orbiter is approaching it to deliver the next component. The necessary braking maneuvers cause orbiter thruster plumes to impinge on the station, especially its solar arrays. This in turn causes both overall attitude errors and excitation of flexible-body vibration modes. These plume loads are predicted to lead to CMG saturation during the approach of the orbiter to the SC-5 station configuration, necessitating the use of the station RCS jets for desaturation. They are also expected to lead to significant excitation of solar array vibrations. It is therefore of great practical importance to investigate the effects of plume loads on the flexible dynamics of station configuration SC-5 as accurately as possible. However, this system possesses a great many flexible modes (89 below 5 rad/s), making analysis time-consuming and complicated. Model reduction techniques can be used to overcome this problem, reducing the system model to one which retains only the significant dynamics, i.e. those which are strongly excited by the control inputs or plume disturbance forces and which strongly couple with the measured outputs. The particular technique to be used in this study is the subsystem balancing approach which was previously developed by the present investigator. This method is very efficient computationally. Furthermore, it gives accurate results even for the difficult case where the structure has many closed-spaced natural frequencies, when standard modal truncation can give misleading results. Station configuration SC-5 is a good example of such a structure.

Determination of hyporheic travel time distributions and other parameters from concurrent conservative and reactive tracer tests by local-in-global optimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knapp, Julia L. A.; Cirpka, Olaf A.

2017-06-01

The complexity of hyporheic flow paths requires reach-scale models of solute transport in streams that are flexible in their representation of the hyporheic passage. We use a model that couples advective-dispersive in-stream transport to hyporheic exchange with a shape-free distribution of hyporheic travel times. The model also accounts for two-site sorption and transformation of reactive solutes. The coefficients of the model are determined by fitting concurrent stream-tracer tests of conservative (fluorescein) and reactive (resazurin/resorufin) compounds. The flexibility of the shape-free models give rise to multiple local minima of the objective function in parameter estimation, thus requiring global-search algorithms, which is hindered by the large number of parameter values to be estimated. We present a local-in-global optimization approach, in which we use a Markov-Chain Monte Carlo method as global-search method to estimate a set of in-stream and hyporheic parameters. Nested therein, we infer the shape-free distribution of hyporheic travel times by a local Gauss-Newton method. The overall approach is independent of the initial guess and provides the joint posterior distribution of all parameters. We apply the described local-in-global optimization method to recorded tracer breakthrough curves of three consecutive stream sections, and infer section-wise hydraulic parameter distributions to analyze how hyporheic exchange processes differ between the stream sections.

Bayesian inference in an extended SEIR model with nonparametric disease transmission rate: an application to the Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone.

PubMed

Frasso, Gianluca; Lambert, Philippe

2016-10-01

SummaryThe 2014 Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone is analyzed using a susceptible-exposed-infectious-removed (SEIR) epidemic compartmental model. The discrete time-stochastic model for the epidemic evolution is coupled to a set of ordinary differential equations describing the dynamics of the expected proportions of subjects in each epidemic state. The unknown parameters are estimated in a Bayesian framework by combining data on the number of new (laboratory confirmed) Ebola cases reported by the Ministry of Health and prior distributions for the transition rates elicited using information collected by the WHO during the follow-up of specific Ebola cases. The time-varying disease transmission rate is modeled in a flexible way using penalized B-splines. Our framework represents a valuable stochastic tool for the study of an epidemic dynamic even when only irregularly observed and possibly aggregated data are available. Simulations and the analysis of the 2014 Sierra Leone Ebola data highlight the merits of the proposed methodology. In particular, the flexible modeling of the disease transmission rate makes the estimation of the effective reproduction number robust to the misspecification of the initial epidemic states and to underreporting of the infectious cases. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Aeroelastic effects in multirotor vehicles. Part 2: Methods of solution and results illustrating coupled rotor/body aeromechanical stability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Venkatesan, C.; Friedmann, P. P.

1987-01-01

This report is a sequel to the earlier report titled, Aeroelastic Effects in Multi-Rotor Vehicles with Application to Hybrid Heavy Lift System, Part 1: Formulation of Equations of Motion (NASA CR-3822). The trim and stability equations are presented for a twin rotor system with a buoyant envelope and an underslung load attached to a flexible supporting structure. These equations are specialized for the case of hovering flight. A stability analysis, for such a vehicle with 31 degrees of freedom, yields a total of 62 eigenvalues. A careful parametric study is performed to identify the various blade and vehicle modes, as well as the coupling between various modes. Finally, it is shown that the coupled rotor/vehicle stability analysis provides information on both the aeroelastic stability as well as complete vehicle dynamic stability. Also presented are the results of an analytical study aimed at predicting the aeromechanical stability of a single rotor helicopter in ground resonance. The theoretical results are found to be in good agreement with the experimental results, thereby validating the analytical model for the dynamics of the coupled rotor/support system.

Free-energy landscape of intrinsically disordered proteins investigated by all-atom multicanonical molecular dynamics.

PubMed

Higo, Junichi; Umezawa, Koji

2014-01-01

We introduce computational studies on intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs). Especially, we present our multicanonical molecular dynamics (McMD) simulations of two IDP-partner systems: NRSF-mSin3 and pKID-KIX. McMD is one of enhanced conformational sampling methods useful for conformational sampling of biomolecular systems. IDP adopts a specific tertiary structure upon binding to its partner molecule, although it is unstructured in the unbound state (i.e. the free state). This IDP-specific property is called "coupled folding and binding". The McMD simulation treats the biomolecules with an all-atom model immersed in an explicit solvent. In the initial configuration of simulation, IDP and its partner molecules are set to be distant from each other, and the IDP conformation is disordered. The computationally obtained free-energy landscape for coupled folding and binding has shown that native- and non-native-complex clusters distribute complicatedly in the conformational space. The all-atom simulation suggests that both of induced-folding and population-selection are coupled complicatedly in the coupled folding and binding. Further analyses have exemplified that the conformational fluctuations (dynamical flexibility) in the bound and unbound states are essentially important to characterize IDP functioning.

Buried and accessible surface area control intrinsic protein flexibility.

PubMed

Marsh, Joseph A

2013-09-09

Proteins experience a wide variety of conformational dynamics that can be crucial for facilitating their diverse functions. How is the intrinsic flexibility required for these motions encoded in their three-dimensional structures? Here, the overall flexibility of a protein is demonstrated to be tightly coupled to the total amount of surface area buried within its fold. A simple proxy for this, the relative solvent-accessible surface area (Arel), therefore shows excellent agreement with independent measures of global protein flexibility derived from various experimental and computational methods. Application of Arel on a large scale demonstrates its utility by revealing unique sequence and structural properties associated with intrinsic flexibility. In particular, flexibility as measured by Arel shows little correspondence with intrinsic disorder, but instead tends to be associated with multiple domains and increased α-helical structure. Furthermore, the apparent flexibility of monomeric proteins is found to be useful for identifying quaternary-structure errors in published crystal structures. There is also a strong tendency for the crystal structures of more flexible proteins to be solved to lower resolutions. Finally, local solvent accessibility is shown to be a primary determinant of local residue flexibility. Overall, this work provides both fundamental mechanistic insight into the origin of protein flexibility and a simple, practical method for predicting flexibility from protein structures. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Control of flexible robots with prismatic joints and hydraulic drives

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Love, L.J.; Kress, R.L.; Jansen, J.F.

1997-03-01

The design and control of long-reach, flexible manipulators has been an active research topic for over 20 years. Most of the research to date has focused on single link, fixed length, single plane of vibration test beds. In addition, actuation has been predominantly based upon electromagnetic motors. Ironically, these elements are rarely found in the existing industrial long-reach systems. One example is the Modified Light Duty Utility Arm (MLDUA) designed and built by Spar Aerospace for Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). This arm operates in larger, underground waste storage tanks located at ORNL. The size and nature of the tanksmore » require that the robot have a reach of approximately 15 ft and a payload capacity of 250 lb. In order to achieve these criteria, each joint is hydraulically actuated. Furthermore, the robot has a prismatic degree-of-freedom to ease deployment. When fully extended, the robot`s first natural frequency is 1.76 Hz. Many of the projected tasks, coupled with the robot`s flexibility, present an interesting problem. How will many of the existing flexure control algorithms perform on a hydraulic, long-reach manipulator with prismatic links? To minimize cost and risk of testing these algorithms on the MLDUA, the authors have designed a new test bed that contains many of the same elements. This manuscript described a new hydraulically actuated, long-reach manipulator with a flexible prismatic link at ORNL. Focus is directed toward both modeling and control of hydraulic actuators as well as flexible links that have variable natural frequencies.« less

Quantifying the topography of the intrinsic energy landscape of flexible biomolecular recognition

PubMed Central

Chu, Xiakun; Gan, Linfeng; Wang, Erkang; Wang, Jin

2013-01-01

Biomolecular functions are determined by their interactions with other molecules. Biomolecular recognition is often flexible and associated with large conformational changes involving both binding and folding. However, the global and physical understanding for the process is still challenging. Here, we quantified the intrinsic energy landscapes of flexible biomolecular recognition in terms of binding–folding dynamics for 15 homodimers by exploring the underlying density of states, using a structure-based model both with and without considering energetic roughness. By quantifying three individual effective intrinsic energy landscapes (one for interfacial binding, two for monomeric folding), the association mechanisms for flexible recognition of 15 homodimers can be classified into two-state cooperative “coupled binding–folding” and three-state noncooperative “folding prior to binding” scenarios. We found that the association mechanism of flexible biomolecular recognition relies on the interplay between the underlying effective intrinsic binding and folding energy landscapes. By quantifying the whole global intrinsic binding–folding energy landscapes, we found strong correlations between the landscape topography measure Λ (dimensionless ratio of energy gap versus roughness modulated by the configurational entropy) and the ratio of the thermodynamic stable temperature versus trapping temperature, as well as between Λ and binding kinetics. Therefore, the global energy landscape topography determines the binding–folding thermodynamics and kinetics, crucial for the feasibility and efficiency of realizing biomolecular function. We also found “U-shape” temperature-dependent kinetic behavior and a dynamical cross-over temperature for dividing exponential and nonexponential kinetics for two-state homodimers. Our study provides a unique way to bridge the gap between theory and experiments. PMID:23754431

A bidirectional coupling procedure applied to multiscale respiratory modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuprat, A. P.; Kabilan, S.; Carson, J. P.; Corley, R. A.; Einstein, D. R.

2013-07-01

In this study, we present a novel multiscale computational framework for efficiently linking multiple lower-dimensional models describing the distal lung mechanics to imaging-based 3D computational fluid dynamics (CFDs) models of the upper pulmonary airways in order to incorporate physiologically appropriate outlet boundary conditions. The framework is an extension of the modified Newton's method with nonlinear Krylov accelerator developed by Carlson and Miller [1], Miller [2] and Scott and Fenves [3]. Our extensions include the retention of subspace information over multiple timesteps, and a special correction at the end of a timestep that allows for corrections to be accepted with verified low residual with as little as a single residual evaluation per timestep on average. In the case of a single residual evaluation per timestep, the method has zero additional computational cost compared to uncoupled or unidirectionally coupled simulations. We expect these enhancements to be generally applicable to other multiscale coupling applications where timestepping occurs. In addition we have developed a "pressure-drop" residual which allows for stable coupling of flows between a 3D incompressible CFD application and another (lower-dimensional) fluid system. We expect this residual to also be useful for coupling non-respiratory incompressible fluid applications, such as multiscale simulations involving blood flow. The lower-dimensional models that are considered in this study are sets of simple ordinary differential equations (ODEs) representing the compliant mechanics of symmetric human pulmonary airway trees. To validate the method, we compare the predictions of hybrid CFD-ODE models against an ODE-only model of pulmonary airflow in an idealized geometry. Subsequently, we couple multiple sets of ODEs describing the distal lung to an imaging-based human lung geometry. Boundary conditions in these models consist of atmospheric pressure at the mouth and intrapleural pressure applied to the multiple sets of ODEs. In both the simplified geometry and in the imaging-based geometry, the performance of the method was comparable to that of monolithic schemes, in most cases requiring only a single CFD evaluation per time step. Thus, this new accelerator allows us to begin combining pulmonary CFD models with lower-dimensional models of pulmonary mechanics with little computational overhead. Moreover, because the CFD and lower-dimensional models are totally separate, this framework affords great flexibility in terms of the type and breadth of the adopted lower-dimensional model, allowing the biomedical researcher to appropriately focus on model design. Research funded by the National Heart and Blood Institute Award 1RO1HL073598.

Fluid-Structure Interactions with Flexible and Rigid Bodies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Daily, David Jesse

Fluid structure interactions occur to some extent in nearly every type of fluid flow. Understanding how structures interact with fluids and visa-versa is of vital importance in many engineering applications. The purpose of this research is to explore how fluids interact with flexible and rigid structures. A computational model was used to model the fluid structure interactions of vibrating synthetic vocal folds. The model simulated the coupling of the fluid and solid domains using a fluid-structure interface boundary condition. The fluid domain used a slightly compressible flow solver to allow for the possibility of acoustic coupling with the subglottal geometry and vibration of the vocal fold model. As the subglottis lengthened, the frequency of vibration decreased until a new acoustic mode could form in the subglottis. Synthetic aperture particle image velocimetry (SAPIV) is a three-dimensional particle tracking technique. SAPIV was used to image the jet of air that emerges from vibrating human vocal folds (glottal jet) during phonation. The three-dimensional reconstruction of the glottal jet found faint evidence of flow characteristics seen in previous research, such as axis-switching, but did not have sufficient resolution to detect small features. SAPIV was further applied to reconstruct the smaller flow characteristics of the glottal jet of vibrating synthetic vocal folds. Two- and four-layer synthetic vocal fold models were used to determine how the glottal jet from the synthetic models compared to the glottal jet from excised human vocal folds. The two- and four-layer models clearly exhibited axis-switching which has been seen in other 3D analyses of the glottal jet. Cavitation in a quiescent fluid can break a rigid structure such as a glass bottle. A new cavitation number was derived to include acceleration and pressure head at cavitation onset. A cavitation stick was used to validate the cavitation number by filling it with different depths and hitting the stick to cause fluid cavitation. Acceleration was measured using an accelerometer and cavitation bubbles were detected using a high-speed camera. Cavitation in an accelerating fluid occurred at a cavitation number of 1. Keywords: Fluid structure interaction, vocal folds, acoustics, SAPIV, cavitation, slightly compressible

Multiphysics elastodynamic finite element analysis of space debris deorbit stability and efficiency by electrodynamic tethers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Gangqiang; Zhu, Zheng H.; Ruel, Stephane; Meguid, S. A.

2017-08-01

This paper developed a new multiphysics finite element method for the elastodynamic analysis of space debris deorbit by a bare flexible electrodynamic tether. Orbital motion limited theory and dynamics of flexible electrodynamic tethers are discretized by the finite element method, where the motional electric field is variant along the tether and coupled with tether deflection and motion. Accordingly, the electrical current and potential bias profiles of tether are solved together with the tether dynamics by the nodal position finite element method. The newly proposed multiphysics finite element method is applied to analyze the deorbit dynamics of space debris by electrodynamic tethers with a two-stage energy control strategy to ensure an efficient and stable deorbit process. Numerical simulations are conducted to study the coupled effect between the motional electric field and the tether dynamics. The results reveal that the coupling effect has a significant influence on the tether stability and the deorbit performance. It cannot be ignored when the libration and deflection of the tether are significant.

Modeling G Protein-Coupled Receptors: a Concrete Possibility

PubMed Central

Costanzi, Stefano

2010-01-01

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are a large superfamily of membrane bound signaling proteins that are involved in the regulation of a wide range of physiological functions and constitute the most common target for therapeutic intervention. Due to the paucity of crystal structures, homology modeling has become a widespread technique for the construction of GPCR models, which have been applied to the study of their structure-function relationships and to the identification of lead ligands through virtual screening. Rhodopsin has been for years the only available template. However, recent breakthroughs in GPCR crystallography have led to the solution of the structures of a few additional receptors. In light of these newly elucidated crystal structures, we have been able to produce a substantial amount of data to demonstrate that accurate models of GPCRs in complex with their ligands can be constructed through homology modeling followed by fully flexible molecular docking. These results have been confirmed by our success in the first blind assessment of GPCR modeling and docking, organized in coordination with the solution of the X-ray structure of the adenosine A2A receptor. Taken together, these data indicate that: a) the transmembrane helical bundle can be modeled with considerable accuracy; b) predicting the binding mode of a ligand, although doable, is challenging; c) modeling of the extracellular and intracellular loops is still problematic. PMID:21253444

Coupling of fingertip somatosensory information to head and body sway

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jeka, J. J.; Schoner, G.; Dijkstra, T.; Ribeiro, P.; Lackner, J. R.

1997-01-01

Light touch contact of a fingertip with a stationary surface can provide orientation information that enhances control of upright stance. Slight changes in contact force at the fingertip provide sensory cues about the direction of body sway, allowing attenuation of sway. In the present study, we asked to which extent somatosensory cues are part of the postural control system, that is, which sensory signal supports this coupling? We investigated postural control not only when the contact surface was stationary, but also when it was moving rhythmically (from 0.1 to 0.5 Hz). In doing so, we brought somatosensory cues from the hand into conflict with other parts of the postural control system. Our focus was the temporal relationship between body sway and the contact surface. Postural sway was highly coherent with contact surface motion. Head and body sway assumed the frequency of the moving contact surface at all test frequencies. To account for these results, a simple model was formulated by approximating the postural control system as a second-order linear dynamical system. The influence of the touch stimulus was captured as the difference between the velocity of the contact surface and the velocity of body sway, multiplied by a coupling constant. Comparison of empirical results (relative phase, coherence, and gain) with model predictions supports the hypothesis of coupling between body sway and touch cues through the velocity of the somatosensory stimulus at the fingertip. One subject, who perceived movement of the touch surface, demonstrated weaker coupling than other subjects, suggesting that cognitive mechanisms introduce flexibility into the postural control scheme.

Investment Vehicles for School Funds.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holman, Paul C.

1987-01-01

School administrators are advised to invest school funds for maximum return, coupled with safety and flexibility. The advantages and disadvantages of a variety of investment instruments are explained. (MLF)

Measurement of Residual Flexibility for Substructures Having Prominent Flexible Interfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tinker, Michael L.; Bookout, Paul S.

1994-01-01

Verification of a dynamic model of a constrained structure requires a modal survey test of the physical structure and subsequent modification of the model to obtain the best agreement possible with test data. Constrained-boundary or fixed-base testing has historically been the most common approach for verifying constrained mathematical models, since the boundary conditions of the test article are designed to match the actual constraints in service. However, there are difficulties involved with fixed-base testing, in some cases making the approach impractical. It is not possible to conduct a truly fixed-base test due to coupling between the test article and the fixture. In addition, it is often difficult to accurately simulate the actual boundary constraints, and the cost of designing and constructing the fixture may be prohibitive. For use when fixed-base testing proves impractical or undesirable, alternate free-boundary test methods have been investigated, including the residual flexibility technique. The residual flexibility approach has been treated analytically in considerable detail and has had limited frequency response measurements for the method. This concern is well-justified for a number of reasons. First, residual flexibilities are very small numbers, typically on the order of 1.0E-6 in/lb for translational diagonal terms, and orders of magnitude smaller for off-diagonal values. This poses difficulty in obtaining accurate and noise-free measurements, especially for points removed from the excitation source. A second difficulty encountered in residual measurements lies in obtaining a clean residual function in the process of subtracting synthesized modal data from a measured response function. Inaccuracies occur since modes are not subtracted exactly, but only to the accuracy of the curve fits for each mode; these errors are compounded with increasing distance from the excitation point. In this paper, the residual flexibility method is applied to a simple structure in both test and analysis. Measured and predicted residual functions are compared, and regions of poor data in the measured curves are described. It is found that for accurate residual measurements, frequency response functions having prominent stiffness lines in the acceleration/force format are needed. The lack of such stiffness lines increases measurement errors. Interface drive point frequency respose functions for shuttle orbiter payloads exhibit dominant stiffness lines, making the residual test approach a good candidate for payload modal tests when constrained tests are inappropriate. Difficulties in extracting a residual flexibility value from noisy test data are discussed. It is shown that use of a weighted second order least-squares curve fit of the measured residual function allows identification of residual flexibility that compares very well with predictions for the simple structure. This approach also provides an estimate of second order residual mass effects.

Optical coupling of bare optoelectronic components and flexographically printed polymer waveguides in planar optronic systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yixiao; Wolfer, Tim; Lange, Alex; Overmeyer, Ludger

2016-05-01

Large scale, planar optronic systems allowing spatially distributed functionalities can be well used in diverse sensor networks, such as for monitoring the environment by measuring various physical quantities in medicine or aeronautics. In these systems, mechanically flexible and optically transparent polymeric foils, e.g. polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET), are employed as carrier materials. A benefit of using these materials is their low cost. The optical interconnections from light sources to light transmission structures in planar optronic systems occupy a pivotal position for the sensing functions. As light sources, we employ the optoelectronic components, such as edgeemitting laser diodes, in form of bare chips, since their extremely small structures facilitate a high integration compactness and ensure sufficient system flexibility. Flexographically printed polymer optical waveguides are deployed as light guiding structures for short-distance communication in planar optronic systems. Printing processes are utilized for this generation of waveguides to achieve a cost-efficient large scale and high-throughput production. In order to attain a high-functional optronic system for sensing applications, one of the most essential prerequisites is the high coupling efficiency between the light sources and the waveguides. Therefore, in this work, we focus on the multimode polymer waveguide with a parabolic cross-section and investigate its optical coupling with the bare laser diode. We establish the geometrical model of the alignment based on the previous works on the optodic bonding of bare laser diodes and the fabrication process of polymer waveguides with consideration of various parameters, such as the beam profile of the laser diode, the employed polymer properties of the waveguides as well as the carrier substrates etc. Accordingly, the optical coupling of the bare laser diodes and the polymer waveguides was simulated. Additionally, we demonstrate optical links by adopting the aforementioned processes used for defining the simulation. We verify the feasibility of the developed processes for planar optronic systems by using an active alignment and conduct discussions for further improvements of optical alignment.

A Bidirectional Coupling Procedure Applied to Multiscale Respiratory Modeling☆

PubMed Central

Kuprat, A.P.; Kabilan, S.; Carson, J.P.; Corley, R.A.; Einstein, D.R.

2012-01-01

In this study, we present a novel multiscale computational framework for efficiently linking multiple lower-dimensional models describing the distal lung mechanics to imaging-based 3D computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models of the upper pulmonary airways in order to incorporate physiologically appropriate outlet boundary conditions. The framework is an extension of the Modified Newton’s Method with nonlinear Krylov accelerator developed by Carlson and Miller [1, 2, 3]. Our extensions include the retention of subspace information over multiple timesteps, and a special correction at the end of a timestep that allows for corrections to be accepted with verified low residual with as little as a single residual evaluation per timestep on average. In the case of a single residual evaluation per timestep, the method has zero additional computational cost compared to uncoupled or unidirectionally coupled simulations. We expect these enhancements to be generally applicable to other multiscale coupling applications where timestepping occurs. In addition we have developed a “pressure-drop” residual which allows for stable coupling of flows between a 3D incompressible CFD application and another (lower-dimensional) fluid system. We expect this residual to also be useful for coupling non-respiratory incompressible fluid applications, such as multiscale simulations involving blood flow. The lower-dimensional models that are considered in this study are sets of simple ordinary differential equations (ODEs) representing the compliant mechanics of symmetric human pulmonary airway trees. To validate the method, we compare the predictions of hybrid CFD-ODE models against an ODE-only model of pulmonary airflow in an idealized geometry. Subsequently, we couple multiple sets of ODEs describing the distal lung to an imaging-based human lung geometry. Boundary conditions in these models consist of atmospheric pressure at the mouth and intrapleural pressure applied to the multiple sets of ODEs. In both the simplified geometry and in the imaging-based geometry, the performance of the method was comparable to that of monolithic schemes, in most cases requiring only a single CFD evaluation per time step. Thus, this new accelerator allows us to begin combining pulmonary CFD models with lower-dimensional models of pulmonary mechanics with little computational overhead. Moreover, because the CFD and lower-dimensional models are totally separate, this framework affords great flexibility in terms of the type and breadth of the adopted lower-dimensional model, allowing the biomedical researcher to appropriately focus on model design. Research funded by the National Heart and Blood Institute Award 1RO1HL073598. PMID:24347680

Mechanisms test bed math model modification and simulation support

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gilchrist, Andrea C.; Tobbe, Patrick A.

1995-01-01

This report summarizes the work performed under contract NAS8-38771 in support of the Marshall Space Flight Center Six Degree of Freedom Motion Facility and Flight Robotics Laboratory. The contract activities included the development of the two flexible body and Remote Manipulator System simulations, Dynamic Overhead Target Simulator control system and operating software, Global Positioning System simulation, and Manipulator Coupled Spacecraft Controls Testbed. Technical support was also provided for the Lightning Imaging Sensor and Solar X-Ray Imaging programs. The cover sheets and introductory sections for the documentation written under this contract are provided as an appendix.

NPAC-Nozzle Performance Analysis Code

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barnhart, Paul J.

1997-01-01

A simple and accurate nozzle performance analysis methodology has been developed. The geometry modeling requirements are minimal and very flexible, thus allowing rapid design evaluations. The solution techniques accurately couple: continuity, momentum, energy, state, and other relations which permit fast and accurate calculations of nozzle gross thrust. The control volume and internal flow analyses are capable of accounting for the effects of: over/under expansion, flow divergence, wall friction, heat transfer, and mass addition/loss across surfaces. The results from the nozzle performance methodology are shown to be in excellent agreement with experimental data for a variety of nozzle designs over a range of operating conditions.

An Aeroelastic Analysis of a Thin Flexible Membrane

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scott, Robert C.; Bartels, Robert E.; Kandil, Osama A.

2007-01-01

Studies have shown that significant vehicle mass and cost savings are possible with the use of ballutes for aero-capture. Through NASA's In-Space Propulsion program, a preliminary examination of ballute sensitivity to geometry and Reynolds number was conducted, and a single-pass coupling between an aero code and a finite element solver was used to assess the static aeroelastic effects. There remain, however, a variety of open questions regarding the dynamic aeroelastic stability of membrane structures for aero-capture, with the primary challenge being the prediction of the membrane flutter onset. The purpose of this paper is to describe and begin addressing these issues. The paper includes a review of the literature associated with the structural analysis of membranes and membrane utter. Flow/structure analysis coupling and hypersonic flow solver options are also discussed. An approach is proposed for tackling this problem that starts with a relatively simple geometry and develops and evaluates analysis methods and procedures. This preliminary study considers a computationally manageable 2-dimensional problem. The membrane structural models used in the paper include a nonlinear finite-difference model for static and dynamic analysis and a NASTRAN finite element membrane model for nonlinear static and linear normal modes analysis. Both structural models are coupled with a structured compressible flow solver for static aeroelastic analysis. For dynamic aeroelastic analyses, the NASTRAN normal modes are used in the structured compressible flow solver and 3rd order piston theories were used with the finite difference membrane model to simulate utter onset. Results from the various static and dynamic aeroelastic analyses are compared.

Strong-interaction-mediated critical coupling at two distinct frequencies.

PubMed

Gupta, S Dutta

2007-06-01

I study a multilayered medium consisting of a metal-dielectric composite film, a spacer layer, and a dielectric Bragg reflector. I demonstrate a greater flexibility over the critical coupling phenomenon [Tischler et al., Opt. Lett. 31, 2045 (2006)], whereby nearly all the incident light energy is absorbed by the composite film through suppression of both transmission and reflection from the structure. For a larger volume fraction of the metal inclusions, strong light-matter coupling is shown to lead to almost total absorption at two distinct frequencies.

Interlocking Molecular Gear Chains Built on Surfaces.

PubMed

Zhao, Rundong; Qi, Fei; Zhao, Yan-Ling; Hermann, Klaus E; Zhang, Rui-Qin; Van Hove, Michel A

2018-05-17

Periodic chains of molecular gears in which molecules couple with each other and rotate on surfaces have been previously explored by us theoretically using ab initio simulation tools. On the basis of the knowledge and experience gained about the interactions between neighboring molecular gears, we here explore the transmission of rotational motion and energy over larger distances, namely, through a longer chain of gear-like passive "slave" molecules. Such microscopic gears exhibit quite different behaviors compared to rigid cogwheels in the macroscopic world due to their structural flexibility affecting intermolecular interaction. Here, we investigate the capabilities of such gear chains and reveal the mechanisms of the transmission process in terms of both quantum-level density functional theory (DFT) and simple classical mechanics. We find that the transmission of rotation along gear chains depends strongly on the gear-gear distance: short distances can cause tilting of gears and even irregular "creep-then-jump" (or "stick-slip") motion or expulsion of gears; long gear-gear distances cause weak coupling between gears, slipping and skipping. More importantly, for transmission of rotation at intermediate gear-gear distances, our modeling clearly exhibits the relative roles of several important factors: flexibility of gear arms, axles, and supports, as well as resulting rotational delays, slippages, and thermal and other effects. These studies therefore allow better informed design of future molecular machine components involving motors, gears, axles, etc.

Acoustic metamaterials with circular sector cavities and programmable densities.

PubMed

Akl, W; Elsabbagh, A; Baz, A

2012-10-01

Considerable interest has been devoted to the development of various classes of acoustic metamaterials that can control the propagation of acoustical wave energy throughout fluid domains. However, all the currently exerted efforts are focused on studying passive metamaterials with fixed material properties. In this paper, the emphasis is placed on the development of a class of composite one-dimensional acoustic metamaterials with effective densities that are programmed to adapt to any prescribed pattern along the metamaterial. The proposed acoustic metamaterial is composed of a periodic arrangement of cell structures, in which each cell consists of a circular sector cavity bounded by actively controlled flexible panels to provide the capability for manipulating the overall effective dynamic density. The theoretical analysis of this class of multilayered composite active acoustic metamaterials (CAAMM) is presented and the theoretical predictions are determined for a cascading array of fluid cavities coupled to flexible piezoelectric active boundaries forming the metamaterial domain with programmable dynamic density. The stiffness of the piezoelectric boundaries is electrically manipulated to control the overall density of the individual cells utilizing the strong coupling with the fluid domain and using direct acoustic pressure feedback. The interaction between the neighboring cells of the composite metamaterial is modeled using a lumped-parameter approach. Numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the performance characteristics of the proposed CAAMM and its potential for generating prescribed spatial and spectral patterns of density variation.

A Flexible Caterpillar-Like Gold Nanoparticle Assemblies with Ultrasmall Nanogaps for Enhanced Dual-Modal Imaging and Photothermal Therapy.

PubMed

Xia, Yuanzhi; Ma, Xuehua; Gao, Junhua; Chen, Guoxin; Li, Zihou; Wu, Xiaoxia; Yu, Zhangsen; Xing, Jie; Sun, Li; Ruan, Huimin; Luo, Lijia; Xiang, Lingchao; Dong, Chen; Ren, Wenzhi; Shen, Zheyu; Wu, Aiguo

2018-05-01

Gold nanoparticle (AuNP) assemblies (GNAs) have attracted attention since enhanced coupling plasmonic resonance (CPR) emerged in the nanogap between coupling AuNPs. For one dimensional GNAs (1D-GNAs), most CPR from the nanogaps could be easily activated by electromagnetic waves and generate drastically enhanced CPR because the nanogaps between coupling AuNPs are linearly distributed in the 1D-GNAs. The reported studies focus on the synthesis of 1D-GNAs and fundamental exploration of CPR. There are still problems which impede further applications in nanomedicine, such as big size (>500 nm), poor water solubility, and/or poor stability. In this study, a kind of 1D flexible caterpillar-like GNAs (CL-GNAs) with ultrasmall nanogaps, good water solubility, and good stability is developed. The CL-GNAs have a flexible structure that can randomly move to change their morphology, which is rarely reported. Numerous ultrasmall nanogaps (<1 nm) are linearly distributed along the structure of CL-GNAs and generate enhanced CPR. The toxicity assessments in vitro and vivo respectively demonstrate that CL-GNAs have a low cytotoxicity and good biocompatibility. The CL-GNAs can be used as an efficient photothermal agent for photothermal therapy, a probe for Raman imaging and photothermal imaging. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Multi-Fluid Moment Simulations of Ganymede using the Next-Generation OpenGGCM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, L.; Germaschewski, K.; Hakim, A.; Bhattacharjee, A.; Raeder, J.

2015-12-01

We coupled the multi-fluid moment code Gkeyll[1,2] to the next-generation OpenGGCM[3], and studied the reconnection dynamics at the Ganymede. This work is part of our effort to tackle the grand challenge of integrating kinetic effects into global fluid models. The multi-fluid moment model integrates kinetic effects in that it can capture crucial kinetic physics like pressure tensor effects by evolving moments of the Vlasov equations for each species. This approach has advantages over previous models: desired kinetic effects, together with other important effects like the Hall effect, are self-consistently embedded in the moment equations, and can be efficiently implemented, while not suffering from severe time-step restriction due to plasma oscillation nor artificial whistler modes. This model also handles multiple ion species naturally, which opens up opportunties in investigating the role of oxygen in magnetospheric reconnection and improved coupling to ionosphere models. In this work, the multi-fluid moment solver in Gkeyll was wrapped as a time-stepping module for the high performance, highly flexible next-generation OpenGGCM. Gkeyll is only used to provide the local plasma solver, while computational aspects like parallelization and boundary conditions are handled entirely by OpenGGCM, including interfacing to other models like ionospheric boundary conditions provided by coupling with CTIM [3]. The coupled code is used to study the dynamics near Ganymede, and the results are compared with MHD and Hall MHD results by Dorelli et al. [4]. Hakim, A. (2008). Journal of Fusion Energy, 27, 36-43. Hakim, A., Loverich, J., & Shumlak, U. (2006). Journal of Computational Physics, 219, 418-442. Raeder, J., Larson, D., Li, W., Kepko, E. L., & Fuller-Rowell, T. (2008). Space Science Reviews, 141(1-4), 535-555. Dorelli, J. C., Glocer, A., Collinson, G., & Tóth, G. (2015). Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, 120.

Tolerancing the alignment of large-core optical fibers, fiber bundles and light guides using a Fourier approach.

PubMed

Sawyer, Travis W; Petersburg, Ryan; Bohndiek, Sarah E

2017-04-20

Optical fiber technology is found in a wide variety of applications to flexibly relay light between two points, enabling information transfer across long distances and allowing access to hard-to-reach areas. Large-core optical fibers and light guides find frequent use in illumination and spectroscopic applications, for example, endoscopy and high-resolution astronomical spectroscopy. Proper alignment is critical for maximizing throughput in optical fiber coupling systems; however, there currently are no formal approaches to tolerancing the alignment of a light-guide coupling system. Here, we propose a Fourier alignment sensitivity (FAS) algorithm to determine the optimal tolerances on the alignment of a light guide by computing the alignment sensitivity. The algorithm shows excellent agreement with both simulated and experimentally measured values and improves on the computation time of equivalent ray-tracing simulations by two orders of magnitude. We then apply FAS to tolerance and fabricate a coupling system, which is shown to meet specifications, thus validating FAS as a tolerancing technique. These results indicate that FAS is a flexible and rapid means to quantify the alignment sensitivity of a light guide, widely informing the design and tolerancing of coupling systems.

Tolerancing the alignment of large-core optical fibers, fiber bundles and light guides using a Fourier approach

PubMed Central

Sawyer, Travis W.; Petersburg, Ryan; Bohndiek, Sarah E.

2017-01-01

Optical fiber technology is found in a wide variety of applications to flexibly relay light between two points, enabling information transfer across long distances and allowing access to hard-to-reach areas. Large-core optical fibers and light guides find frequent use in illumination and spectroscopic applications; for example, endoscopy and high-resolution astronomical spectroscopy. Proper alignment is critical for maximizing throughput in optical fiber coupling systems, however, there currently are no formal approaches to tolerancing the alignment of a light guide coupling system. Here, we propose a Fourier Alignment Sensitivity (FAS) algorithm to determine the optimal tolerances on the alignment of a light guide by computing the alignment sensitivity. The algorithm shows excellent agreement with both simulated and experimentally measured values and improves on the computation time of equivalent ray tracing simulations by two orders of magnitude. We then apply FAS to tolerance and fabricate a coupling system, which is shown to meet specifications, thus validating FAS as a tolerancing technique. These results indicate that FAS is a flexible and rapid means to quantify the alignment sensitivity of a light guide, widely informing the design and tolerancing of coupling systems. PMID:28430250

Database assessment of CMIP5 and hydrological models to determine flood risk areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Limlahapun, Ponthip; Fukui, Hiromichi

2016-11-01

Solutions for water-related disasters may not be solved with a single scientific method. Based on this premise, we involved logic conceptions, associate sequential result amongst models, and database applications attempting to analyse historical and future scenarios in the context of flooding. The three main models used in this study are (1) the fifth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) to derive precipitation; (2) the Integrated Flood Analysis System (IFAS) to extract amount of discharge; and (3) the Hydrologic Engineering Center (HEC) model to generate inundated areas. This research notably focused on integrating data regardless of system-design complexity, and database approaches are significantly flexible, manageable, and well-supported for system data transfer, which makes them suitable for monitoring a flood. The outcome of flood map together with real-time stream data can help local communities identify areas at-risk of flooding in advance.

Application of the actor model to large scale NDE data analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coughlin, Chris

2018-03-01

The Actor model of concurrent computation discretizes a problem into a series of independent units or actors that interact only through the exchange of messages. Without direct coupling between individual components, an Actor-based system is inherently concurrent and fault-tolerant. These traits lend themselves to so-called "Big Data" applications in which the volume of data to analyze requires a distributed multi-system design. For a practical demonstration of the Actor computational model, a system was developed to assist with the automated analysis of Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) datasets using the open source Myriad Data Reduction Framework. A machine learning model trained to detect damage in two-dimensional slices of C-Scan data was deployed in a streaming data processing pipeline. To demonstrate the flexibility of the Actor model, the pipeline was deployed on a local system and re-deployed as a distributed system without recompiling, reconfiguring, or restarting the running application.

Modelling of ‘sub-atomic’ contrast resulting from back-bonding on Si(111)-7×7

PubMed Central

Jarvis, Samuel P; Rashid, Mohammad A

2016-01-01

Summary It has recently been shown that ‘sub-atomic’ contrast can be observed during NC-AFM imaging of the Si(111)-7×7 substrate with a passivated tip, resulting in triangular shaped atoms [Sweetman et al. Nano Lett. 2014, 14, 2265]. The symmetry of the features, and the well-established nature of the dangling bond structure of the silicon adatom means that in this instance the contrast cannot arise from the orbital structure of the atoms, and it was suggested by simple symmetry arguments that the contrast could only arise from the backbonding symmetry of the surface adatoms. However, no modelling of the system has been performed in order to understand the precise origin of the contrast. In this paper we provide a detailed explanation for ‘sub-atomic’ contrast observed on Si(111)-7×7 using a simple model based on Lennard-Jones potentials, coupled with a flexible tip, as proposed by Hapala et al. [Phys. Rev. B 2014, 90, 085421] in the context of interpreting sub-molecular contrast. Our results show a striking similarity to experimental results, and demonstrate how ‘sub-atomic’ contrast can arise from a flexible tip exploring an asymmetric potential created due to the positioning of the surrounding surface atoms. PMID:27547610

Evolution of Flexible Multibody Dynamics for Simulation Applications Supporting Human Spaceflight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huynh, An; Brain, Thomas A.; MacLean, John R.; Quiocho, Leslie J.

2016-01-01

During the course of transition from the Space Shuttle and International Space Station programs to the Orion and Journey to Mars exploration programs, a generic flexible multibody dynamics formulation and associated software implementation has evolved to meet an ever changing set of requirements at the NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC). Challenging problems related to large transitional topologies and robotic free-flyer vehicle capture/ release, contact dynamics, and exploration missions concept evaluation through simulation (e.g., asteroid surface operations) have driven this continued development. Coupled with this need is the requirement to oftentimes support human spaceflight operations in real-time. Moreover, it has been desirable to allow even more rapid prototyping of on-orbit manipulator and spacecraft systems, to support less complex infrastructure software for massively integrated simulations, to yield further computational efficiencies, and to take advantage of recent advances and availability of multi-core computing platforms. Since engineering analysis, procedures development, and crew familiarity/training for human spaceflight is fundamental to JSC's charter, there is also a strong desire to share and reuse models in both the non-realtime and real-time domains, with the goal of retaining as much multibody dynamics fidelity as possible. Three specific enhancements are reviewed here: (1) linked list organization to address large transitional topologies, (2) body level model order reduction, and (3) parallel formulation/implementation. This paper provides a detailed overview of these primary updates to JSC's flexible multibody dynamics algorithms as well as a comparison of numerical results to previous formulations and associated software.

Exploratory High-Fidelity Aerostructural Optimization Using an Efficient Monolithic Solution Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Jenmy Zimi

This thesis is motivated by the desire to discover fuel efficient aircraft concepts through exploratory design. An optimization methodology based on tightly integrated high-fidelity aerostructural analysis is proposed, which has the flexibility, robustness, and efficiency to contribute to this goal. The present aerostructural optimization methodology uses an integrated geometry parameterization and mesh movement strategy, which was initially proposed for aerodynamic shape optimization. This integrated approach provides the optimizer with a large amount of geometric freedom for conducting exploratory design, while allowing for efficient and robust mesh movement in the presence of substantial shape changes. In extending this approach to aerostructural optimization, this thesis has addressed a number of important challenges. A structural mesh deformation strategy has been introduced to translate consistently the shape changes described by the geometry parameterization to the structural model. A three-field formulation of the discrete steady aerostructural residual couples the mesh movement equations with the three-dimensional Euler equations and a linear structural analysis. Gradients needed for optimization are computed with a three-field coupled adjoint approach. A number of investigations have been conducted to demonstrate the suitability and accuracy of the present methodology for use in aerostructural optimization involving substantial shape changes. Robustness and efficiency in the coupled solution algorithms is crucial to the success of an exploratory optimization. This thesis therefore also focuses on the design of an effective monolithic solution algorithm for the proposed methodology. This involves using a Newton-Krylov method for the aerostructural analysis and a preconditioned Krylov subspace method for the coupled adjoint solution. Several aspects of the monolithic solution method have been investigated. These include appropriate strategies for scaling and matrix-vector product evaluation, as well as block preconditioning techniques that preserve the modularity between subproblems. The monolithic solution method is applied to problems with varying degrees of fluid-structural coupling, as well as a wing span optimization study. The monolithic solution algorithm typically requires 20%-70% less computing time than its partitioned counterpart. This advantage increases with increasing wing flexibility. The performance of the monolithic solution method is also much less sensitive to the choice of the solution parameter.

Detached Eddy Simulation of the UH-60 Rotor Wake Using Adaptive Mesh Refinement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chaderjian, Neal M.; Ahmad, Jasim U.

2012-01-01

Time-dependent Navier-Stokes flow simulations have been carried out for a UH-60 rotor with simplified hub in forward flight and hover flight conditions. Flexible rotor blades and flight trim conditions are modeled and established by loosely coupling the OVERFLOW Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code with the CAMRAD II helicopter comprehensive code. High order spatial differences, Adaptive Mesh Refinement (AMR), and Detached Eddy Simulation (DES) are used to obtain highly resolved vortex wakes, where the largest turbulent structures are captured. Special attention is directed towards ensuring the dual time accuracy is within the asymptotic range, and verifying the loose coupling convergence process using AMR. The AMR/DES simulation produced vortical worms for forward flight and hover conditions, similar to previous results obtained for the TRAM rotor in hover. AMR proved to be an efficient means to capture a rotor wake without a priori knowledge of the wake shape.

Coupled production in biorefineries--combined use of biomass as a source of energy, fuels and materials.

PubMed

Lyko, Hildegard; Deerberg, Görge; Weidner, Eckhard

2009-06-01

In spite of high prices for fossil raw materials the production of biomass-based products is rarely economically successful today. Depending on the location feedstock prices are currently so high that products from renewable resources are not marketable when produced in existing process chains. Apart from the higher feedstock costs one reason is that at present no optimized production systems exist in contrast to the chemical and petrochemical industry where these systems have been established over the last decades. If we succeed in developing production systems modelled on those of petroleum refineries where we can provide a flexible coupled production of energy, fuels, materials and chemicals chances are good to enable a lastingly successful production on the basis of renewable resources. Based on examples of fat-based and sugar-based concepts ideas for platform oriented biorefineries are outlined.

High-performance parallel analysis of coupled problems for aircraft propulsion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Felippa, C. A.; Farhat, C.; Lanteri, S.; Maman, N.; Piperno, S.; Gumaste, U.

1994-01-01

This research program deals with the application of high-performance computing methods for the analysis of complete jet engines. We have entitled this program by applying the two dimensional parallel aeroelastic codes to the interior gas flow problem of a bypass jet engine. The fluid mesh generation, domain decomposition, and solution capabilities were successfully tested. We then focused attention on methodology for the partitioned analysis of the interaction of the gas flow with a flexible structure and with the fluid mesh motion that results from these structural displacements. This is treated by a new arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) technique that models the fluid mesh motion as that of a fictitious mass-spring network. New partitioned analysis procedures to treat this coupled three-component problem are developed. These procedures involved delayed corrections and subcycling. Preliminary results on the stability, accuracy, and MPP computational efficiency are reported.

Towards a regional climate model coupled to a comprehensive hydrological model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rasmussen, S. H.; Drews, M.; Christensen, J. H.; Butts, M. B.; Jensen, K. H.; Refsgaard, J.; Hydrological ModellingAssessing Climate Change Impacts At Different Scales (Hyacints)

2010-12-01

When planing new ground water abstractions wells, building areas, roads or other land use activities information about expected future groundwater table location for the lifetime of the construction may be critical. The life time of an abstraction well can be expected to be more than 50 years, while if for buildings may be up to 100 years or more. The construction of an abstraction well is expensive and it is important to know if clean groundwater is available for its expected life time. The future groundwater table is depending on the future climate. With climate change the hydrology is expected to change as well. Traditionally, this assessment has been done by driving hydrological models with output from a climate model. In this way feedback between the groundwater hydrology and the climate is neglected. Neglecting this feedback can lead to imprecise or wrong results. The goal of this work is to couple the regional climate model HIRHAM (Christensen et al. 2006) to the hydrological model MIKE SHE (Graham and Butts, 2006). The coupling exploits the new OpenMI technology that provides a standardized interface to define, describe and transfer data on a time step basis between software components that run simultaneously (Gregersen et al., 2007). HIRHAM runs on a UNIX platform whereas MIKE SHE and OpenMI are under WINDOWS. Therefore the first critical task has been to develop an effective communication link between the platforms. The first step towards assessing the coupled models performance are addressed by looking at simulated land-surface atmosphere feedback through variables such as evapotranspiration, sensible heat flux and soil moisture content. Christensen, O.B., Drews, M., Christensen, J.H., Dethloff, K., Ketelsen, K., Hebestadt, I. and Rinke, A. (2006) The HIRHAM Regional Climate Model. Version 5; DMI Scientific Report 0617. Danish Meteorological Institute. Graham, D.N. and Butts, M.B. (2005) Flexible, integrated watershed modelling with MIKE SHE, In Watershed Models, (Eds. V.P. Singh & D.K. Frevert) CRC Press. Pages 245-272, ISBN: 0849336090. Gregersen, J.B., Gijsbers, P.J.A. and Westen, S.J.P. (2007) OpenMI: Open modelling interface. Journal of Hydroinformatics, 09.3, 175191. doi: 10.2166/hydro.2007.023.

The Endockscope Using Next Generation Smartphones: "A Global Opportunity".

PubMed

Tse, Christina; Patel, Roshan M; Yoon, Renai; Okhunov, Zhamshid; Landman, Jaime; Clayman, Ralph V

2018-06-02

The Endockscope combines a smartphone, a battery powered flashlight and a fiberoptic cystoscope allowing for mobile videocystoscopy. We compared conventional videocystoscopy to the Endockscope paired with next generation smartphones in an ex-vivo porcine bladder model to evaluate its image quality. The Endockscope consists of a three-dimensional (3D) printed attachment that connects a smartphone to a flexible fiberoptic cystoscope plus a 1000 lumen light-emitting diode (LED) cordless light source. Video recordings of porcine cystoscopy with a fiberoptic flexible cystoscope (Storz) were captured for each mobile device (iPhone 6, iPhone 6S, iPhone 7, Samsung S8, and Google Pixel) and for the high-definition H3-Z versatile camera (HD) set-up with both the LED light source and the xenon light (XL) source. Eleven faculty urologists, blinded to the modality used, evaluated each video for image quality/resolution, brightness, color quality, sharpness, overall quality, and acceptability for diagnostic use. When comparing the Endockscope coupled to an Galaxy S8, iPhone 7, and iPhone 6S with the LED portable light source to the HD camera with XL, there were no statistically significant differences in any metric. 82% and 55% of evaluators considered the iPhone 7 + LED light source and iPhone 6S + LED light, respectively, appropriate for diagnostic purposes as compared to 100% who considered the HD camera with XL appropriate. The iPhone 6 and Google Pixel coupled with the LED source were both inferior to the HD camera with XL in all metrics. The Endockscope system with a LED light source when coupled with either an iPhone 7 or Samsung S8 (total cost: $750) is comparable to conventional videocystoscopy with a standard camera and XL light source (total cost: $45,000).

Initial Assessment of a Variable-Camber Continuous Trailing-Edge Flap System on a Rigid Wing for Drag Reduction in Subsonic Cruise

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ippolito, Corey; Nguyen, Nhan; Totah, Joe; Trinh, Khanh; Ting, Eric

2013-01-01

In this paper, we describe an initial optimization study of a Variable-Camber Continuous Trailing-Edge Flap (VCCTEF) system. The VCCTEF provides a light-weight control system for aircraft with long flexible wings, providing efficient high-lift capability for takeoff and landing, and greater efficiency with reduced drag at cruising flight by considering the effects of aeroelastic wing deformations in the control law. The VCCTEF system is comprised of a large number of distributed and individually-actuatable control surfaces that are constrained in movement relative to neighboring surfaces, and are non-trivially coupled through structural aeroelastic dynamics. Minimzation of drag results in a constrained, coupled, non-linear optimization over a high-dimension search space. In this paper, we describe the modeling, analysis, and optimization of the VCCTEF system control inputs for minimum drag in cruise. The purpose of this initial study is to quantify the expected benefits of the system concept. The scope of this analysis is limited to consideration of a rigid wing without structural flexibility in a steady-state cruise condition at various fuel weights. For analysis, we developed an optimization engine that couples geometric synthesis with vortex-lattice analysis to automate the optimization procedure. In this paper, we present and describe the VCCTEF system concept, optimization approach and tools, run-time performance, and results of the optimization at 20%, 50%, and 80% fuel load. This initial limited-scope study finds the VCCTEF system can potentially gain nearly 10% reduction in cruise drag, provides greater drag savings at lower operating weight, and efficiency is negatively impacted by the severity of relative constraints between control surfaces.

Enhancing light emission in flexible AC electroluminescent devices by tetrapod-like zinc oxide whiskers.

PubMed

Wen, Li; Liu, Nishuang; Wang, Siliang; Zhang, Hui; Zhao, Wanqiu; Yang, Zhichun; Wang, Yumei; Su, Jun; Li, Luying; Long, Fei; Zou, Zhengguang; Gao, Yihua

2016-10-03

Flexible alternating current electroluminescent devices (ACEL) are more and more popular and widely used in liquid-crystal display back-lighting, large-scale architectural and decorative lighting due to their uniform light emission, low power consumption and high resolution. However, presently how to acquire high brightness under a certain voltage are confronted with challenges. Here, we demonstrate an electroluminescence (EL) enhancing strategy that tetrapod-like ZnO whiskers (T-ZnOw) are added into the bottom electrode of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) instead of phosphor layer in flexible ACEL devices emitting blue, green and orange lights, and the brightness is greatly enhanced due to the coupling between the T-ZnOw and ZnS phosphor dispersed in the flexible polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) layer. This strategy provides a new routine for the development of high performance, flexible and large-area ACEL devices.

Study of modeling aspects of long period fiber grating using three-layer fiber geometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Amit

2015-03-01

The author studied and demonstrated the various modeling aspects of long period fiber grating (LPFG) such as the core effective index, cladding effective index, coupling coefficient, coupled mode theory, and transmission spectrum of the LPFG using three-layer fiber geometry. Actually, there are two different techniques used for theoretical modeling of the long period fiber grating. The first technique was used by Vengsarkar et al who described the phenomenon of long-period fiber gratings, and the second technique was reported by Erdogan who revealed the inaccuracies and shortcomings of the original method, thereby providing an accurate and updated alternative. The main difference between these two different approaches lies in their fiber geometry. Venserkar et al used two-layer fiber geometry which is simple but employs weakly guided approximation, whereas Erdogan used three-layer fiber geometry which is complex but also the most accurate technique for theoretical study of the LPFG. The author further discussed about the behavior of the transmission spectrum by altering different grating parameters such as the grating length, ultraviolet (UV) induced-index change, and grating period to achieve the desired flexibility. The author simulated the various results with the help of MATLAB.

Advanced space propulsion thruster research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilbur, P. J.

1981-01-01

Experiments showed that stray magnetic fields can adversely affect the capacity of a hollow cathode neutralizer to couple to an ion beam. Magnetic field strength at the neutralizer cathode orifice is a crucial factor influencing the coupling voltage. The effects of electrostatic accelerator grid aperture diameters on the ion current extraction capabilities were examined experimentally to describe the divergence, deflection, and current extraction capabilities of grids with the screen and accelerator apertures displaced relative to one another. Experiments performed in orificed, mercury hollow cathodes support the model of field enhanced thermionic electron mission from cathode inserts. Tests supported the validity of a thermal model of the cathode insert. A theoretical justification of a Saha equation model relating cathode plasma properties is presented. Experiments suggest that ion loss rates to discharge chamber walls can be controlled. A series of new discharge chamber magnetic field configurations were generated in the flexible magnetic field thruster and their effect on performance was examined. A technique used in the thruster to measure ion currents to discharge chamber walls is described. Using these ion currents the fraction of ions produced that are extracted from the discharge chamber and the energy cost of plasma ions are computed.

AEROELASTIC SIMULATION TOOL FOR INFLATABLE BALLUTE AEROCAPTURE

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liever, P. A.; Sheta, E. F.; Habchi, S. D.

2006-01-01

A multidisciplinary analysis tool is under development for predicting the impact of aeroelastic effects on the functionality of inflatable ballute aeroassist vehicles in both the continuum and rarefied flow regimes. High-fidelity modules for continuum and rarefied aerodynamics, structural dynamics, heat transfer, and computational grid deformation are coupled in an integrated multi-physics, multi-disciplinary computing environment. This flexible and extensible approach allows the integration of state-of-the-art, stand-alone NASA and industry leading continuum and rarefied flow solvers and structural analysis codes into a computing environment in which the modules can run concurrently with synchronized data transfer. Coupled fluid-structure continuum flow demonstrations were conducted on a clamped ballute configuration. The feasibility of implementing a DSMC flow solver in the simulation framework was demonstrated, and loosely coupled rarefied flow aeroelastic demonstrations were performed. A NASA and industry technology survey identified CFD, DSMC and structural analysis codes capable of modeling non-linear shape and material response of thin-film inflated aeroshells. The simulation technology will find direct and immediate applications with NASA and industry in ongoing aerocapture technology development programs.

Hydrodynamic coupling of two sharp-edged beams vibrating in a viscous fluid

PubMed Central

Intartaglia, Carmela; Soria, Leonardo; Porfiri, Maurizio

2014-01-01

In this paper, we study flexural vibrations of two thin beams that are coupled through an otherwise quiescent viscous fluid. While most of the research has focused on isolated beams immersed in placid fluids, inertial and viscous hydrodynamic coupling is ubiquitous across a multitude of engineering and natural systems comprising arrays of flexible structures. In these cases, the distributed hydrodynamic loading experienced by each oscillating structure is not only related to its absolute motion but is also influenced by its relative motion with respect to the neighbouring structures. Here, we focus on linear vibrations of two identical beams for low Knudsen, Keulegan–Carpenter and squeeze numbers. Thus, we describe the fluid flow using unsteady Stokes hydrodynamics and we propose a boundary integral formulation to compute pertinent hydrodynamic functions to study the fluid effect. We validate the proposed theoretical approach through experiments on centimetre-size compliant cantilevers that are subjected to underwater base-excitation. We consider different geometric arrangements, beam interdistances and excitation frequencies to ascertain the model accuracy in terms of the relevant non-dimensional parameters. PMID:24511249

Coupling chemical and biological catalysis: a flexible paradigm for producing biobased chemicals.

PubMed

Schwartz, Thomas J; Shanks, Brent H; Dumesic, James A

2016-04-01

Advances in metabolic engineering have allowed for the development of new biological catalysts capable of selectively de-functionalizing biomass to yield platform molecules that can be upgraded to biobased chemicals using high efficiency continuous processing allowed by heterogeneous chemical catalysis. Coupling these disciplines overcomes the difficulties of selectively activating COH bonds by heterogeneous chemical catalysis and producing petroleum analogues by biological catalysis. We show that carboxylic acids, pyrones, and alcohols are highly flexible platforms that can be used to produce biobased chemicals by this approach. More generally, we suggest that molecules with three distinct functionalities may represent a practical upper limit on the extent of functionality present in the platform molecules that serve as the bridge between biological and chemical catalysis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Piezophototronic Effect in Single-Atomic-Layer MoS2 for Strain-Gated Flexible Optoelectronics.

PubMed

Wu, Wenzhuo; Wang, Lei; Yu, Ruomeng; Liu, Yuanyue; Wei, Su-Huai; Hone, James; Wang, Zhong Lin

2016-10-01

Strain-gated flexible optoelectronics are reported based on monolayer MoS 2 . Utilizing the piezoelectric polarization created at the metal-MoS 2 interface to modulate the separation/transport of photogenerated carriers, the piezophototronic effect is applied to implement atomic-layer-thick phototransistor. Coupling between piezoelectricity and photogenerated carriers may enable the development of novel optoelectronics. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Distributed Parameter Analysis of Pressure and Flow Disturbances in Rocket Propellant Feed Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dorsch, Robert G.; Wood, Don J.; Lightner, Charlene

1966-01-01

A digital distributed parameter model for computing the dynamic response of propellant feed systems is formulated. The analytical approach used is an application of the wave-plan method of analyzing unsteady flow. Nonlinear effects are included. The model takes into account locally high compliances at the pump inlet and at the injector dome region. Examples of the calculated transient and steady-state periodic responses of a simple hypothetical propellant feed system to several types of disturbances are presented. Included are flow disturbances originating from longitudinal structural motion, gimbaling, throttling, and combustion-chamber coupling. The analytical method can be employed for analyzing developmental hardware and offers a flexible tool for the calculation of unsteady flow in these systems.

Development of a Distributed Hydrologic Model Using Triangulated Irregular Networks for Continuous, Real-Time Flood Forecasting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ivanov, V. Y.; Vivoni, E. R.; Bras, R. L.; Entekhabi, D.

2001-05-01

The Triangulated Irregular Networks (TINs) are widespread in many finite-element modeling applications stressing high spatial non-uniformity while describing the domain of interest in an optimized fashion that results in superior computational efficiency. TINs, being adaptive to the complexity of any terrain, are capable of maintaining topological relations between critical surface features and therefore afford higher flexibility in data manipulation. The TIN-based Real-time Integrated Basin Simulator (tRIBS) is a distributed hydrologic model that utilizes the mesh architecture and the software environment developed for the CHILD landscape evolution model and employs the hydrologic routines of its raster-oriented version, RIBS. As a totally independent software unit, the tRIBS consolidates the strengths of the distributed approach and efficient computational data platform. The current version couples the unsaturated and the saturated zones and accounts for the interaction of moving infiltration fronts with a variable groundwater surface, allowing the model to handle both storm and interstorm periods in a continuous fashion. Recent model enhancements have included the development of interstorm hydrologic fluxes through an evapotranspiration scheme as well as incorporation of a rainfall interception module. Overall, the tRIBS model has proven to properly mimic successive phases of the distributed catchment response by reproducing various runoff production mechanisms and handling their meteorological constraints. Important improvements in modeling options, robustness to data availability and overall design flexibility have also been accomplished. The current efforts are focused on further model developments as well as the application of the tRIBS to various watersheds.

Atomic model of a cell-wall cross-linking enzyme in complex with an intact bacterial peptidoglycan.

PubMed

Schanda, Paul; Triboulet, Sébastien; Laguri, Cédric; Bougault, Catherine M; Ayala, Isabel; Callon, Morgane; Arthur, Michel; Simorre, Jean-Pierre

2014-12-24

The maintenance of bacterial cell shape and integrity is largely attributed to peptidoglycan, a highly cross-linked biopolymer. The transpeptidases that perform this cross-linking are important targets for antibiotics. Despite this biomedical importance, to date no structure of a protein in complex with an intact bacterial peptidoglycan has been resolved, primarily due to the large size and flexibility of peptidoglycan sacculi. Here we use solid-state NMR spectroscopy to derive for the first time an atomic model of an l,d-transpeptidase from Bacillus subtilis bound to its natural substrate, the intact B. subtilis peptidoglycan. Importantly, the model obtained from protein chemical shift perturbation data shows that both domains-the catalytic domain as well as the proposed peptidoglycan recognition domain-are important for the interaction and reveals a novel binding motif that involves residues outside of the classical enzymatic pocket. Experiments on mutants and truncated protein constructs independently confirm the binding site and the implication of both domains. Through measurements of dipolar-coupling derived order parameters of bond motion we show that protein binding reduces the flexibility of peptidoglycan. This first report of an atomic model of a protein-peptidoglycan complex paves the way for the design of new antibiotic drugs targeting l,d-transpeptidases. The strategy developed here can be extended to the study of a large variety of enzymes involved in peptidoglycan morphogenesis.

Computer program for analysis of coupled-cavity traveling wave tubes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Connolly, D. J.; Omalley, T. A.

1977-01-01

A flexible, accurate, large signal computer program was developed for the design of coupled cavity traveling wave tubes. The program is written in FORTRAN IV for an IBM 360/67 time sharing system. The beam is described by a disk model and the slow wave structure by a sequence of cavities, or cells. The computational approach is arranged so that each cavity may have geometrical or electrical parameters different from those of its neighbors. This allows the program user to simulate a tube of almost arbitrary complexity. Input and output couplers, severs, complicated velocity tapers, and other features peculiar to one or a few cavities may be modeled by a correct choice of input data. The beam-wave interaction is handled by an approach in which the radio frequency fields are expanded in solutions to the transverse magnetic wave equation. All significant space harmonics are retained. The program was used to perform a design study of the traveling-wave tube developed for the Communications Technology Satellite. Good agreement was obtained between the predictions of the program and the measured performance of the flight tube.

Microstructured optical fibers for terahertz waveguiding regime by using an analytical field model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, Dinesh Kumar; Sharma, Anurag; Tripathi, Saurabh Mani

2017-12-01

Microstructured optical fibres (MOFs) are seen as novel optical waveguide for the potential applications in the terahertz (THz) band as they provide a flexible route towards THz waveguiding. Using the analytical field model (Sharma et al., 2014) developed for index-guiding MOFs with hexagonal lattice of circular air-holes in the photonic crystal cladding; we aim to study the propagation characteristics such as effective index, near and the far-field radiation patterns and its evolution from near-to-far-field domain, spot size, effective mode area, and the numerical aperture at the THz regime. Further, we present an analytical field expression for the next higher-order mode of the MOF for studying the modal properties at terahertz frequencies. Also, we investigate the mode cut-off conditions for identifying the single-mode operation range at THz frequencies. Emphasis is put on studying the coupling characteristics of MOF geometries for efficient mode coupling. Comparisons with available experimental and numerical simulation results, e.g., those based on the full-vector finite element method (FEM) and the finite-difference frequency-domain (FDFD) method have been included.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hagberg, Aric; Swart, Pieter; S Chult, Daniel

NetworkX is a Python language package for exploration and analysis of networks and network algorithms. The core package provides data structures for representing many types of networks, or graphs, including simple graphs, directed graphs, and graphs with parallel edges and self loops. The nodes in NetworkX graphs can be any (hashable) Python object and edges can contain arbitrary data; this flexibility mades NetworkX ideal for representing networks found in many different scientific fields. In addition to the basic data structures many graph algorithms are implemented for calculating network properties and structure measures: shortest paths, betweenness centrality, clustering, and degree distributionmore » and many more. NetworkX can read and write various graph formats for eash exchange with existing data, and provides generators for many classic graphs and popular graph models, such as the Erdoes-Renyi, Small World, and Barabasi-Albert models, are included. The ease-of-use and flexibility of the Python programming language together with connection to the SciPy tools make NetworkX a powerful tool for scientific computations. We discuss some of our recent work studying synchronization of coupled oscillators to demonstrate how NetworkX enables research in the field of computational networks.« less

The influence of and the identification of nonlinearity in flexible structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zavodney, Lawrence D.

1988-01-01

Several models were built at NASA Langley and used to demonstrate the following nonlinear behavior: internal resonance in a free response, principal parametric resonance and subcritical instability in a cantilever beam-lumped mass structure, combination resonance in a parametrically excited flexible beam, autoparametric interaction in a two-degree-of-freedom system, instability of the linear solution, saturation of the excited mode, subharmonic bifurcation, and chaotic responses. A video tape documenting these phenomena was made. An attempt to identify a simple structure consisting of two light-weight beams and two lumped masses using the Eigensystem Realization Algorithm showed the inherent difficulty of using a linear based theory to identify a particular nonlinearity. Preliminary results show the technique requires novel interpretation, and hence may not be useful for structural modes that are coupled by a guadratic nonlinearity. A literature survey was also completed on recent work in parametrically excited nonlinear system. In summary, nonlinear systems may possess unique behaviors that require nonlinear identification techniques based on an understanding of how nonlinearity affects the dynamic response of structures. In this was, the unique behaviors of nonlinear systems may be properly identified. Moreover, more accutate quantifiable estimates can be made once the qualitative model has been determined.

Flexible Inhibitor Fluid-Structure Interaction Simulation in RSRM.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wasistho, Bono

2005-11-01

We employ our tightly coupled fluid/structure/combustion simulation code 'Rocstar-3' for solid propellant rocket motors to study 3D flows past rigid and flexible inhibitors in the Reusable Solid Rocket Motor (RSRM). We perform high resolution simulations of a section of the rocket near the center joint slot at 100 seconds after ignition, using inflow conditions based on less detailed 3D simulations of the full RSRM. Our simulations include both inviscid and turbulent flows (using LES dynamic subgrid-scale model), and explore the interaction between the inhibitor and the resulting fluid flow. The response of the solid components is computed by an implicit finite element solver. The internal mesh motion scheme in our block-structured fluid solver enables our code to handle significant changes in geometry. We compute turbulent statistics and determine the compound instabilities originated from the natural hydrodynamic instabilities and the inhibitor motion. The ultimate goal is to studdy the effect of inhibitor flexing on the turbulent field.

The dynamics and control of large flexible space structures. Volume 3, part B: The modelling, dynamics, and stability of large Earth pointing orbiting structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bainum, P. M.; Kumar, V. K.

1980-01-01

The dynamics and stability of large orbiting flexible beams, and platforms and dish type structures oriented along the local horizontal are treated both analytically and numerically. It is assumed that such structures could be gravitationally stabilized by attaching a rigid light-weight dumbbell at the center of mass by a spring loaded hinge which also could provide viscous damping. For the beam, the small amplitude inplane pitch motion, dumbbell librational motion, and the anti-symmetric elastic modes are all coupled. The three dimensional equations of motion for a circular flat plate and shallow spherical shell in orbit with a two-degree-of freedom gimballed dumbbell are also developed and show that only those elastic modes described by a single nodal diameter line are influenced by the dumbbell motion. Stability criteria are developed for all the examples and a sensitivity study of the system response characteristics to the key system parameters is carried out.

The Mini-Mast CSI testbed: Lessons learned

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tanner, Sharon E.; Belvin, W. Keith; Horta, Lucas G.; Pappa, R. S.

1993-01-01

The Mini-Mast testbed was one of the first large scale Controls-Structure-Interaction (CSI) systems used to evaluate state-of-the-art methodology in flexible structure control. Now that all the testing at Langley Research Center has been completed, a look back is warranted to evaluate the program. This paper describes some of the experiences and technology development studies by NASA, university, and industry investigators. Lessons learned are presented from three categories: the testbed development, control methods, and the operation of a guest investigator program. It is shown how structural safety margins provided a realistic environment to simulate on-orbit CSI research, even though they also reduced the research flexibility afforded to investigators. The limited dynamic coupling between the bending and torsion modes of the cantilevered test article resulted in highly successful SISO and MIMO controllers. However, until accurate models were obtained for the torque wheel actuators, sensors, filters, and the structure itself, most controllers were unstable. Controls research from this testbed should be applicable to cantilevered appendages of future large space structures.

Inverse dynamics of a 3 degree of freedom spatial flexible manipulator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bayo, Eduardo; Serna, M.

1989-01-01

A technique is presented for solving the inverse dynamics and kinematics of 3 degree of freedom spatial flexible manipulator. The proposed method finds the joint torques necessary to produce a specified end effector motion. Since the inverse dynamic problem in elastic manipulators is closely coupled to the inverse kinematic problem, the solution of the first also renders the displacements and rotations at any point of the manipulator, including the joints. Furthermore the formulation is complete in the sense that it includes all the nonlinear terms due to the large rotation of the links. The Timoshenko beam theory is used to model the elastic characteristics, and the resulting equations of motion are discretized using the finite element method. An iterative solution scheme is proposed that relies on local linearization of the problem. The solution of each linearization is carried out in the frequency domain. The performance and capabilities of this technique are tested through simulation analysis. Results show the potential use of this method for the smooth motion control of space telerobots.

Investigation of Inner Loop Flight Control Strategies for High-Speed Research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Newman, Brett; Kassem, Ayman

1999-01-01

This report describes the activities and findings conducted under contract NAS1-19858 with NASA Langley Research Center. Subject matter is the investigation of suitable flight control design methodologies and solutions for large, flexible high-speed vehicles. Specifically, methodologies are to address the inner control loops used for stabilization and augmentation of a highly coupled airframe system possibly involving rigid-body motion, structural vibrations, unsteady aerodynamics, and actuator dynamics. Techniques considered in this body of work are primarily conventional-based, and the vehicle of interest is the High-Speed Civil Transport (HSCT). Major findings include 1) current aeroelastic vehicle modeling procedures require further emphasis and refinement, 2) traditional and nontraditional inner loop flight control strategies employing a single feedback loop do not appear sufficient for highly flexible HSCT class vehicles, 3) inner loop flight control systems will, in all likelihood, require multiple interacting feedback loops, and 4) Ref. H HSCT configuration presents major challenges to designing acceptable closed-loop flight dynamics.

A flexible ultrasound transducer array with micro-machined bulk PZT.

PubMed

Wang, Zhe; Xue, Qing-Tang; Chen, Yuan-Quan; Shu, Yi; Tian, He; Yang, Yi; Xie, Dan; Luo, Jian-Wen; Ren, Tian-Ling

2015-01-23

This paper proposes a novel flexible piezoelectric micro-machined ultrasound transducer, which is based on PZT and a polyimide substrate. The transducer is made on the polyimide substrate and packaged with medical polydimethylsiloxane. Instead of etching the PZT ceramic, this paper proposes a method of putting diced PZT blocks into holes on the polyimide which are pre-etched. The device works in d31 mode and the electromechanical coupling factor is 22.25%. Its flexibility, good conformal contacting with skin surfaces and proper resonant frequency make the device suitable for heart imaging. The flexible packaging ultrasound transducer also has a good waterproof performance after hundreds of ultrasonic electric tests in water. It is a promising ultrasound transducer and will be an effective supplementary ultrasound imaging method in the practical applications.

Research study for effects of case flexibility on bearing loads and rotor stability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fenwick, J. R.; Tarn, R. B.

1984-01-01

Methods to evaluate the effect of casing flexibility on rotor stability and component loads were developed. Recent Rocketdyne turbomachinery was surveyed to determine typical properties and frequencies versus running speed. A small generic rotor was run with a flexible case with parametric variations in casing properties for comparison with a rotor attached to rigid supports. A program for the IBM personal computer for interactive evaluation of rotors and casings is developed. The Root locus method is extended for use in rotor dynamics for symmetrical systems by transforming all motion and coupling into a single plane and using a 90 degree criterion when plotting loci.

A homotopy algorithm for synthesizing robust controllers for flexible structures via the maximum entropy design equations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Collins, Emmanuel G., Jr.; Richter, Stephen

1990-01-01

One well known deficiency of LQG compensators is that they do not guarantee any measure of robustness. This deficiency is especially highlighted when considering control design for complex systems such as flexible structures. There has thus been a need to generalize LQG theory to incorporate robustness constraints. Here we describe the maximum entropy approach to robust control design for flexible structures, a generalization of LQG theory, pioneered by Hyland, which has proved useful in practice. The design equations consist of a set of coupled Riccati and Lyapunov equations. A homotopy algorithm that is used to solve these design equations is presented.

Development of Low Density, Flexible Carbon Phenolic Ablators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stackpoole, Mairead; Thornton, Jeremy; Fan, Wendy; Covington, Alan; Doxtad, Evan; Beck, Robin; Gasch, Matt; Arnold, Jim

2012-01-01

Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator (PICA) was the enabling TPS material for the Stardust mission where it was used as a single piece heatshield. PICA has the advantages of low density (approximately 0.27 grams per cubic centimeter) coupled with efficient ablative capability at high heat fluxes. Due to its brittle nature and low strain to failure recent efforts at NASA ARC have focused on alternative architectures to yield flexible and more conformal carbon phenolic materials with comparable densities to PICA. This presentation will discuss flexible alternatives to PICA and include preliminary mechanical and thermal properties as well as recent arc jet and LHMEL screening test results.

Dynamic modeling and ascent flight control of Ares-I Crew Launch Vehicle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du, Wei

This research focuses on dynamic modeling and ascent flight control of large flexible launch vehicles such as the Ares-I Crew Launch Vehicle (CLV). A complete set of six-degrees-of-freedom dynamic models of the Ares-I, incorporating its propulsion, aerodynamics, guidance and control, and structural flexibility, is developed. NASA's Ares-I reference model and the SAVANT Simulink-based program are utilized to develop a Matlab-based simulation and linearization tool for an independent validation of the performance and stability of the ascent flight control system of large flexible launch vehicles. A linearized state-space model as well as a non-minimum-phase transfer function model (which is typical for flexible vehicles with non-collocated actuators and sensors) are validated for ascent flight control design and analysis. This research also investigates fundamental principles of flight control analysis and design for launch vehicles, in particular the classical "drift-minimum" and "load-minimum" control principles. It is shown that an additional feedback of angle-of-attack can significantly improve overall performance and stability, especially in the presence of unexpected large wind disturbances. For a typical "non-collocated actuator and sensor" control problem for large flexible launch vehicles, non-minimum-phase filtering of "unstably interacting" bending modes is also shown to be effective. The uncertainty model of a flexible launch vehicle is derived. The robust stability of an ascent flight control system design, which directly controls the inertial attitude-error quaternion and also employs the non-minimum-phase filters, is verified by the framework of structured singular value (mu) analysis. Furthermore, nonlinear coupled dynamic simulation results are presented for a reference model of the Ares-I CLV as another validation of the feasibility of the ascent flight control system design. Another important issue for a single main engine launch vehicle is stability under mal-function of the roll control system. The roll motion of the Ares-I Crew Launch Vehicle under nominal flight conditions is actively stabilized by its roll control system employing thrusters. This dissertation describes the ascent flight control design problem of Ares-I in the event of disabled or failed roll control. A simple pitch/yaw control logic is developed for such a technically challenging problem by exploiting the inherent versatility of a quaternion-based attitude control system. The proposed scheme requires only the desired inertial attitude quaternion to be re-computed using the actual uncontrolled roll angle information to achieve an ascent flight trajectory identical to the nominal flight case with active roll control. Another approach that utilizes a simple adjustment of the proportional-derivative gains of the quaternion-based flight control system without active roll control is also presented. This approach doesn't require the re-computation of desired inertial attitude quaternion. A linear stability criterion is developed for proper adjustments of attitude and rate gains. The linear stability analysis results are validated by nonlinear simulations of the ascent flight phase. However, the first approach, requiring a simple modification of the desired attitude quaternion, is recommended for the Ares-I as well as other launch vehicles in the event of no active roll control. Finally, the method derived to stabilize a large flexible launch vehicle in the event of uncontrolled roll drift is generalized as a modified attitude quaternion feedback law. It is used to stabilize an axisymmetric rigid body by two independent control torques.

Coupled Solid Rocket Motor Ballistics and Trajectory Modeling for Higher Fidelity Launch Vehicle Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ables, Brett

2014-01-01

Multi-stage launch vehicles with solid rocket motors (SRMs) face design optimization challenges, especially when the mission scope changes frequently. Significant performance benefits can be realized if the solid rocket motors are optimized to the changing requirements. While SRMs represent a fixed performance at launch, rapid design iterations enable flexibility at design time, yielding significant performance gains. The streamlining and integration of SRM design and analysis can be achieved with improved analysis tools. While powerful and versatile, the Solid Performance Program (SPP) is not conducive to rapid design iteration. Performing a design iteration with SPP and a trajectory solver is a labor intensive process. To enable a better workflow, SPP, the Program to Optimize Simulated Trajectories (POST), and the interfaces between them have been improved and automated, and a graphical user interface (GUI) has been developed. The GUI enables real-time visual feedback of grain and nozzle design inputs, enforces parameter dependencies, removes redundancies, and simplifies manipulation of SPP and POST's numerous options. Automating the analysis also simplifies batch analyses and trade studies. Finally, the GUI provides post-processing, visualization, and comparison of results. Wrapping legacy high-fidelity analysis codes with modern software provides the improved interface necessary to enable rapid coupled SRM ballistics and vehicle trajectory analysis. Low cost trade studies demonstrate the sensitivities of flight performance metrics to propulsion characteristics. Incorporating high fidelity analysis from SPP into vehicle design reduces performance margins and improves reliability. By flying an SRM designed with the same assumptions as the rest of the vehicle, accurate comparisons can be made between competing architectures. In summary, this flexible workflow is a critical component to designing a versatile launch vehicle model that can accommodate a volatile mission scope.

Fluid-structure interaction modeling of wind turbines: simulating the full machine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hsu, Ming-Chen; Bazilevs, Yuri

2012-12-01

In this paper we present our aerodynamics and fluid-structure interaction (FSI) computational techniques that enable dynamic, fully coupled, 3D FSI simulation of wind turbines at full scale, and in the presence of the nacelle and tower (i.e., simulation of the "full machine"). For the interaction of wind and flexible blades we employ a nonmatching interface discretization approach, where the aerodynamics is computed using a low-order finite-element-based ALE-VMS technique, while the rotor blades are modeled as thin composite shells discretized using NURBS-based isogeometric analysis (IGA). We find that coupling FEM and IGA in this manner gives a good combination of efficiency, accuracy, and flexibility of the computational procedures for wind turbine FSI. The interaction between the rotor and tower is handled using a non-overlapping sliding-interface approach, where both moving- and stationary-domain formulations of aerodynamics are employed. At the fluid-structure and sliding interfaces, the kinematic and traction continuity is enforced weakly, which is a key ingredient of the proposed numerical methodology. We present several simulations of a three-blade 5~MW wind turbine, with and without the tower. We find that, in the case of no tower, the presence of the sliding interface has no effect on the prediction of aerodynamic loads on the rotor. From this we conclude that weak enforcement of the kinematics gives just as accurate results as the strong enforcement, and thus enables the simulation of rotor-tower interaction (as well as other applications involving mechanical components in relative motion). We also find that the blade passing the tower produces a 10-12 % drop (per blade) in the aerodynamic torque. We feel this finding may be important when it comes to the fatigue-life analysis and prediction for wind turbine blades.

Application of a flexible lattice Boltzmann method based simulation tool for modelling physico-chemical processes at different scales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patel, Ravi A.; Perko, Janez; Jacques, Diederik

2017-04-01

Often, especially in the disciplines related to natural porous media, such as for example vadoze zone or aquifer hydrology or contaminant transport, the relevant spatial and temporal scales on which we need to provide information is larger than the scale where the processes actually occur. Usual techniques used to deal with these problems assume the existence of a REV. However, in order to understand the behavior on larger scales it is important to downscale the problem onto the relevant scale of the processes. Due to the limitations of resources (time, memory) the downscaling can only be made up to the certain lower scale. At this lower scale still several scales may co-exist - the scale which can be explicitly described and a scale which needs to be conceptualized by effective properties. Hence, models which are supposed to provide effective properties on relevant scales should therefor be flexible enough to represent complex pore-structure by explicit geometry on one side, and differently defined processes (e.g. by the effective properties) which emerge on lower scale. In this work we present the state-of-the-art lattice Boltzmann method based simulation tool applicable to advection-diffusion equation coupled to geochemical processes. The lattice Boltzmann transport solver can be coupled with an external geochemical solver which allows to account for a wide range of geochemical reaction networks through thermodynamic databases. The applicability to multiphase systems is ongoing. We provide several examples related to the calculation of an effective diffusion properties, permeability and effective reaction rate based on a continuum scale based on the pore scale geometry.

Mental health professional experiences of the flexible assertive community treatment model: a grounded theory study.

PubMed

Lexén, Annika; Svensson, Bengt

2016-08-01

Despite the lack of evidence for effectiveness of the Flexible Assertive Community Treatment (Flexible ACT), the model is considered feasible and is well received by mental health professionals. No current studies have adequately examined mental health professional experiences of working with Flexible ACT. The aim of this study was to explore mental health professional experiences of working with the Flexible ACT model compared with standard care. The study was guided by grounded theory and based on the interviews with 19 theoretically chosen mental health professionals in Swedish urban areas primarily working with consumers with psychosis, who had worked with the Flexible ACT model for at least 6 months. The analysis resulted in the core category: "Flexible ACT and the shared caseload create a common action space" and three main categories: (1) "Flexible ACT fills the need for a systematic approach to crisis intervention"; (2) "Flexible ACT has advantages in the psychosocial working environment"; and (3) "Flexible ACT increases the quality of care". Mental health professionals may benefit from working with the Flexible ACT model through decreased job-strain and stress, increased feeling of being in control over their work situation, and experiences of providing higher quality of care.

Hybrid modeling for dynamic analysis of cable-pulley systems with time-varying length cable and its application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jing; Qi, Zhaohui; Wang, Gang

2017-10-01

The dynamic analysis of cable-pulley systems is investigated in this paper, where the time-varying length characteristic of the cable as well as the coupling motion between the cable and the pulleys are considered. The dynamic model for cable-pulley systems are presented based on the principle of virtual power. Firstly, the cubic spline interpolation is adopted for modeling the flexible cable elements and the virtual 1powers of tensile strain, inertia and gravity forces on the cable are formulated. Then, the coupled motions between the cable and the movable or fixed pulley are described by the input and output contact points, based on the no-slip assumption and the spatial description. The virtual powers of inertia, gravity and applied forces on the contact segment of the cable, the movable and fixed pulleys are formulated. In particular, the internal node degrees of freedom of spline cable elements are reduced, which results in that only the independent description parameters of the nodes connected to the pulleys are included in the final governing dynamic equations. At last, two cable-pulley lifting mechanisms are considered as demonstrative application examples where the vibration of the lifting process is investigated. The comparison with ADAMS models is given to prove the validity of the proposed method.

Mirror Buckling Transitions in Freestanding Graphene Membranes Induced through Scanning Tunneling Microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schoelz, James K.

Graphene has the ability to provide for a technological revolution. First isolated and characterized in 2004, this material shows promise in the field of flexible electronics. The electronic properties of graphene can be tuned by controlling the shape of the membrane. Of particular interest in this endeavor are the thermal ripples in graphene membranes. Years of theoretical work by such luminaries as Lev Landau, Rudolf Peierls, David Mermin and Herbert Wagner have established that 2D crystals should not be thermodynamically stable. Experimental research on thin films has supported this finding. Yet graphene exists, and freestanding graphene films have been grown on large scales. It turns out that coupling between the bending and stretching phonons can stabilize the graphene in a flat, albeit rippled phase. These ripples have attracted much attention, and recent work has shown how to arrange these ripples in a variety of configurations. In this thesis, I will present work done using a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) to interact with freestanding graphene membranes. First I will present STM images of freestanding graphene and show how these images show signs of distortion under the electrostatic influence of the STM tip. This electrostatic attraction between the STM tip and the graphene sample can be used to pull on the graphene sample. At the same time, by employing Joule heating in order to heat graphene using the tunneling current, and exploiting the negative coefficient of thermal expansion, a repulsive thermal load can be generated. By repeatedly pulling on the graphene using the electrostatic potential, while sequentially increasing the setpoint current we can generate a thermal mirror buckling event. Slowly heating the graphene using the tunneling current, prepares a small convex region of graphene under the tip. By increasing thermal stress, as well as pulling using the out of plane electrostatic force, the graphene suddenly and irreversibly switches the sign of its curvature. This event is discovered using STM measurements and supplemented by molecular dynamics simulations. Finally, I will show how to characterize this transition using the famed Ising model. The ripples are modeled as individual Ising spins, which at low temperature exhibit antiferromagnetic coupling. By heating the graphene membrane, the strain increases, changing the antiferromagnetic coupling to ferromagnetic coupling, which characterizes the irreversible transition from a soft, flexible state to a rigid configuration.

Lead-free 0.5Ba(Zr0.2Ti0.8)O3-0.5(Ba0.7Ca0.3)TiO3 nanowires for energy harvesting.

PubMed

Zhou, Zhi; Bowland, Christopher C; Malakooti, Mohammad H; Tang, Haixiong; Sodano, Henry A

2016-03-07

Lead-free piezoelectric nanowires (NWs) show strong potential in sensing and energy harvesting applications due to their flexibility and ability to convert mechanical energy to electric energy. Currently, most lead-free piezoelectric NWs are produced through low yield synthesis methods and result in low electromechanical coupling, which limit their efficiency as energy harvesters. In order to alleviate these issues, a scalable method is developed to synthesize perovskite type 0.5Ba(Zr0.2Ti0.8)O3-0.5(Ba0.7Ca0.3)TiO3 (BZT-BCT) NWs with high piezoelectric coupling coefficient. The piezoelectric coupling coefficient of the BZT-BCT NWs is measured by a refined piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) testing method and shows the highest reported coupling coefficient for lead-free piezoelectric nanowires of 90 ± 5 pm V(-1). Flexible nanocomposites utilizing dispersed BZT-BCT NWs are fabricated to demonstrate an energy harvesting application with an open circuit voltage of up to 6.25 V and a power density of up to 2.25 μW cm(-3). The high electromechanical coupling coefficient and high power density demonstrated with these lead-free NWs produced via a scalable synthesis method shows the potential for high performance NW-based devices.

Quick-connect fasteners for assembling devices in space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wesselski, Clarence J. (Inventor); Evenson, Erik E. (Inventor); Ruiz, Steve L. (Inventor)

1992-01-01

A quick-connect fastener of a relatively-simple straightforward design is arranged with a tubular body adapted to be engaged against an attachment fitting in coincidental alignment with an opening in that fitting. A tubular collet having flexible finger projecting from its forward end is arranged in the fastener body to be shifted forwardly by an elongated expander member coaxially arranged within the tubular collet for advancing the collet fingers into the opening in the attachment fitting. Biasing means are arranged between the elongated expander member and a rotatable actuator which is threadedly mounted within the tubular collet so as to be rotated for urging the expander member into engagement with the collet fingers. A first coupling member is arranged on the rotatable actuator to be accessible from outside of the fastener so that a second coupling member on the distal end of a flexible shaft can be introduced into the fastener body and coupled to the first coupling member to enable a typical actuating tool coupled to the shaft outside of the fastener body to be operated for advancing the outwardly-enlarged ends of the collet fingers into the opening in the attachment fitting and thereafter rotating the actuator member to expand the fingers to that attachment fitting. Upon expansion of the collet fingers, the biasing means impose a biasing force on the expander to releasably retain the fingers in their latching positions.

Integrated Model Reduction and Control of Aircraft with Flexible Wings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Swei, Sean Shan-Min; Zhu, Guoming G.; Nguyen, Nhan T.

2013-01-01

This paper presents an integrated approach to the modeling and control of aircraft with exible wings. The coupled aircraft rigid body dynamics with a high-order elastic wing model can be represented in a nite dimensional state-space form. Given a set of desired output covariance, a model reduction process is performed by using the weighted Modal Cost Analysis (MCA). A dynamic output feedback controller, which is designed based on the reduced-order model, is developed by utilizing output covariance constraint (OCC) algorithm, and the resulting OCC design weighting matrix is used for the next iteration of the weighted cost analysis. This controller is then validated for full-order evaluation model to ensure that the aircraft's handling qualities are met and the uttering motion of the wings suppressed. An iterative algorithm is developed in CONDUIT environment to realize the integration of model reduction and controller design. The proposed integrated approach is applied to NASA Generic Transport Model (GTM) for demonstration.

Dynamics modeling and adaptive control of flexible manipulators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sasiadek, J. Z.

1991-01-01

An application of Model Reference Adaptive Control (MRAC) to the position and force control of flexible manipulators and robots is presented. A single-link flexible manipulator is analyzed. The problem was to develop a mathematical model of a flexible robot that is accurate. The objective is to show that the adaptive control works better than 'conventional' systems and is suitable for flexible structure control.

The stability of a flexible cantilever in viscous channel flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cisonni, Julien; Lucey, Anthony D.; Elliott, Novak S. J.; Heil, Matthias

2017-05-01

Most studies of the flow-induced flutter instability of a flexible cantilever have assumed inviscid flow because of the high flow speeds and the large scale of the structures encountered in the wide range of applications of this fluid-structure interaction (FSI) system. However, for instance, in the fields of energy harvesting and biomechanics, low flow speeds and small- and micro-scale systems can give relatively low Reynolds numbers so that fluid viscosity needs to be explicitly accounted for to provide reliable predictions of channel-immersed-cantilever stability. In this study, we employ a numerical model coupling the Navier-Stokes equations and a one-dimensional elastic beam model. We conduct a parametric investigation to determine the conditions leading to flutter instability of a slender flexible cantilever immersed in two-dimensional viscous channel flow for Reynolds numbers lower than 1000. The large set of numerical simulations carried out allows predictions of the influence of decreasing Reynolds numbers and of the cantilever confinement on the single-mode neutral stability of the FSI system and on the pre- and post-critical cantilever motion. This model's predictions are also compared to those of a FSI model containing a two-dimensional solid model in order to assess, primarily, the effect of the cantilever slenderness in the simulations. Results show that an increasing contribution of viscosity to the hydrodynamic forces significantly alters the instability boundaries. In general, a decrease in Reynolds number is predicted to produce a stabilisation of the FSI system, which is more pronounced for high fluid-to-solid mass ratios. For particular fluid-to-solid mass ratios, viscous effects can lower the critical velocity and lead to a change in the first unstable structural mode. However, at constant Reynolds number, the effects of viscosity on the system stability are diminished by the confinement of the cantilever, which strengthens the importance of flow inertia.

Large-signal model of the bilayer graphene field-effect transistor targeting radio-frequency applications: Theory versus experiment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pasadas, Francisco, E-mail: Francisco.Pasadas@uab.cat; Jiménez, David

2015-12-28

Bilayer graphene is a promising material for radio-frequency transistors because its energy gap might result in a better current saturation than the monolayer graphene. Because the great deal of interest in this technology, especially for flexible radio-frequency applications, gaining control of it requires the formulation of appropriate models for the drain current, charge, and capacitance. In this work, we have developed them for a dual-gated bilayer graphene field-effect transistor. A drift-diffusion mechanism for the carrier transport has been considered coupled with an appropriate field-effect model taking into account the electronic properties of the bilayer graphene. Extrinsic resistances have been includedmore » considering the formation of a Schottky barrier at the metal-bilayer graphene interface. The proposed model has been benchmarked against experimental prototype transistors, discussing the main figures of merit targeting radio-frequency applications.« less

A common stochastic accumulator with effector-dependent noise can explain eye-hand coordination

PubMed Central

Gopal, Atul; Viswanathan, Pooja

2015-01-01

The computational architecture that enables the flexible coupling between otherwise independent eye and hand effector systems is not understood. By using a drift diffusion framework, in which variability of the reaction time (RT) distribution scales with mean RT, we tested the ability of a common stochastic accumulator to explain eye-hand coordination. Using a combination of behavior, computational modeling and electromyography, we show how a single stochastic accumulator to threshold, followed by noisy effector-dependent delays, explains eye-hand RT distributions and their correlation, while an alternate independent, interactive eye and hand accumulator model does not. Interestingly, the common accumulator model did not explain the RT distributions of the same subjects when they made eye and hand movements in isolation. Taken together, these data suggest that a dedicated circuit underlies coordinated eye-hand planning. PMID:25568161

An fMRI investigation of the relationship between future imagination and cognitive flexibility

PubMed Central

Roberts, R.P.; Wiebels, K.; Sumner, R.L.; van Mulukom, V.; Grady, C.L.; Schacter, D.L.; Addis, D.R.

2016-01-01

While future imagination is largely considered to be a cognitive process grounded in default mode network activity, studies have shown that future imagination recruits regions in both default mode and frontoparietal control networks. In addition, it has recently been shown that the ability to imagine the future is associated with cognitive flexibility, and that tasks requiring cognitive flexibility result in increased coupling of the default mode network with frontoparietal control and salience networks. In the current study, we investigated the neural correlates underlying the association between cognitive flexibility and future imagination in two ways. First, we experimentally varied the degree of cognitive flexibility required during future imagination by manipulating the disparateness of episodic details contributing to imagined events. To this end, participants generated episodic details (persons, locations, objects) within three social spheres; during fMRI scanning they were presented with sets of three episodic details all taken from the same social sphere (Congruent condition) or different social spheres (Incongruent condition) and required to imagine a future event involving the three details. We predicted that, relative to the Congruent condition, future simulation in the Incongruent condition would be associated with increased activity in regions of the default mode, frontoparietal and salience networks. Second, we hypothesized that individual differences in cognitive flexibility, as measured by performance on the Alternate Uses Task, would correspond to individual differences in the brain regions recruited during future imagination. A task partial least squares (PLS) analysis showed that the Incongruent condition resulted in an increase in activity in regions in salience networks (e.g. the insula) but, contrary to our prediction, reduced activity in many regions of the default mode network (including the hippocampus). A subsequent functional connectivity (within-subject seed PLS) analysis showed that the insula exhibited increased coupling with default mode regions during the Incongruent condition. Finally, a behavioral PLS analysis showed that individual differences in cognitive flexibility were associated with differences in activity in a number of regions from frontoparietal, salience and default-mode networks during both future imagination conditions, further highlighting that the cognitive flexibility underlying future imagination is grounded in the complex interaction of regions in these networks. PMID:27908591

Models of Solar Wind Structures and Their Interaction with the Earth's Space Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watermann, J.; Wintoft, P.; Sanahuja, B.; Saiz, E.; Poedts, S.; Palmroth, M.; Milillo, A.; Metallinou, F.-A.; Jacobs, C.; Ganushkina, N. Y.; Daglis, I. A.; Cid, C.; Cerrato, Y.; Balasis, G.; Aylward, A. D.; Aran, A.

2009-11-01

The discipline of “Space Weather” is built on the scientific foundation of solar-terrestrial physics but with a strong orientation toward applied research. Models describing the solar-terrestrial environment are therefore at the heart of this discipline, for both physical understanding of the processes involved and establishing predictive capabilities of the consequences of these processes. Depending on the requirements, purely physical models, semi-empirical or empirical models are considered to be the most appropriate. This review focuses on the interaction of solar wind disturbances with geospace. We cover interplanetary space, the Earth’s magnetosphere (with the exception of radiation belt physics), the ionosphere (with the exception of radio science), the neutral atmosphere and the ground (via electromagnetic induction fields). Space weather relevant state-of-the-art physical and semi-empirical models of the various regions are reviewed. They include models for interplanetary space, its quiet state and the evolution of recurrent and transient solar perturbations (corotating interaction regions, coronal mass ejections, their interplanetary remnants, and solar energetic particle fluxes). Models of coupled large-scale solar wind-magnetosphere-ionosphere processes (global magnetohydrodynamic descriptions) and of inner magnetosphere processes (ring current dynamics) are discussed. Achievements in modeling the coupling between magnetospheric processes and the neutral and ionized upper and middle atmospheres are described. Finally we mention efforts to compile comprehensive and flexible models from selections of existing modules applicable to particular regions and conditions in interplanetary space and geospace.

3D finite element model of the chinchilla ear for characterizing middle ear functions

PubMed Central

Wang, Xuelin; Gan, Rong Z.

2016-01-01

Chinchilla is a commonly used animal model for research of sound transmission through the ear. Experimental measurements of the middle ear transfer function in chinchillas have shown that the middle ear cavity greatly affects the tympanic membrane (TM) and stapes footplate (FP) displacements. However, there is no finite element (FE) model of the chinchilla ear available in the literature to characterize the middle ear functions with the anatomical features of the chinchilla ear. This paper reports a recently completed 3D FE model of the chinchilla ear based on X-ray micro-computed tomography images of a chinchilla bulla. The model consisted of the ear canal, TM, middle ear ossicles and suspensory ligaments, and the middle ear cavity. Two boundary conditions of the middle ear cavity wall were simulated in the model as the rigid structure and the partially flexible surface, and the acoustic-mechanical coupled analysis was conducted with these two conditions to characterize the middle ear function. The model results were compared with experimental measurements reported in the literature including the TM and FP displacements and the middle ear input admittance in chinchilla ear. An application of this model was presented to identify the acoustic role of the middle ear septa - a unique feature of chinchilla middle ear cavity. This study provides the first 3D FE model of the chinchilla ear for characterizing the middle ear functions through the acoustic-mechanical coupled FE analysis. PMID:26785845

EO-Performance relationships in Reverse Internationalization by Chinese Global Startup OEMs: Social Networks and Strategic Flexibility.

PubMed

Chin, Tachia; Tsai, Sang-Bing; Fang, Kai; Zhu, Wenzhong; Yang, Dongjin; Liu, Ren-Huai; Tsuei, Richard Ting Chang

2016-01-01

Due to the context-sensitive nature of entrepreneurial orientation (EO), it is imperative to in-depth explore the EO-performance mechanism in China at its critical, specific stage of economic reform. Under the context of "reverse internationalization" by Chinese global startup original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), this paper aims to manifest the unique links and complicated interrelationships between the individual EO dimensions and firm performance. Using structural equation modeling, we found that during reverse internationalization, proactiveness is positively related to performance; risk taking is not statistically associated with performance; innovativeness is negatively related to performance. The proactiveness-performance relationship is mediated by Strategic flexibility and moderated by social networking relationships. The dynamic and complex institutional setting, coupled with the issues of overcapacity and rising labor cost in China may explain why our distinctive results occur. This research advances the understanding of how contingent factors (social network relationships and strategic flexibility) facilitate entrepreneurial firms to break down institutional barriers and reap the most from EO. It brings new insights into how Chinese global startup OEMs draw on EO to undertake reverse internationalization, responding the calls for unraveling the heterogeneous characteristics of EO sub-dimensions and for more contextually-embedded treatment of EO-performance associations.

EO-Performance relationships in Reverse Internationalization by Chinese Global Startup OEMs: Social Networks and Strategic Flexibility

PubMed Central

Chin, Tachia; Tsai, Sang-Bing; Fang, Kai; Zhu, Wenzhong; Yang, Dongjin; Liu, Ren-huai; Tsuei, Richard Ting Chang

2016-01-01

Due to the context-sensitive nature of entrepreneurial orientation (EO), it is imperative to in-depth explore the EO-performance mechanism in China at its critical, specific stage of economic reform. Under the context of “reverse internationalization” by Chinese global startup original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), this paper aims to manifest the unique links and complicated interrelationships between the individual EO dimensions and firm performance. Using structural equation modeling, we found that during reverse internationalization, proactiveness is positively related to performance; risk taking is not statistically associated with performance; innovativeness is negatively related to performance. The proactiveness-performance relationship is mediated by Strategic flexibility and moderated by social networking relationships. The dynamic and complex institutional setting, coupled with the issues of overcapacity and rising labor cost in China may explain why our distinctive results occur. This research advances the understanding of how contingent factors (social network relationships and strategic flexibility) facilitate entrepreneurial firms to break down institutional barriers and reap the most from EO. It brings new insights into how Chinese global startup OEMs draw on EO to undertake reverse internationalization, responding the calls for unraveling the heterogeneous characteristics of EO sub-dimensions and for more contextually-embedded treatment of EO-performance associations. PMID:27631368

Flexible Organic Tribotronic Transistor Memory for a Visible and Wearable Touch Monitoring System.

PubMed

Li, Jing; Zhang, Chi; Duan, Lian; Zhang, Li Min; Wang, Li Duo; Dong, Gui Fang; Wang, Zhong Lin

2016-01-06

A new type of flexible organic tribotronic transistor memory is proposed, which can be written and erased by externally applied touch actions as an active memory. By further coupling with an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), a visible and wearable touch monitoring system is achieved, in which touch triggering can be memorized and shown as the emission from the OLED. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Flexible Volumetric Structure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cagle, Christopher M. (Inventor); Schlecht, Robin W. (Inventor)

2014-01-01

A flexible volumetric structure has a first spring that defines a three-dimensional volume and includes a serpentine structure elongatable and compressible along a length thereof. A second spring is coupled to at least one outboard edge region of the first spring. The second spring is a sheet-like structure capable of elongation along an in-plane dimension thereof. The second spring is oriented such that its in-plane dimension is aligned with the length of the first spring's serpentine structure.

Block recursive LU preconditioners for the thermally coupled incompressible inductionless MHD problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Badia, Santiago; Martín, Alberto F.; Planas, Ramon

2014-10-01

The thermally coupled incompressible inductionless magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) problem models the flow of an electrically charged fluid under the influence of an external electromagnetic field with thermal coupling. This system of partial differential equations is strongly coupled and highly nonlinear for real cases of interest. Therefore, fully implicit time integration schemes are very desirable in order to capture the different physical scales of the problem at hand. However, solving the multiphysics linear systems of equations resulting from such algorithms is a very challenging task which requires efficient and scalable preconditioners. In this work, a new family of recursive block LU preconditioners is designed and tested for solving the thermally coupled inductionless MHD equations. These preconditioners are obtained after splitting the fully coupled matrix into one-physics problems for every variable (velocity, pressure, current density, electric potential and temperature) that can be optimally solved, e.g., using preconditioned domain decomposition algorithms. The main idea is to arrange the original matrix into an (arbitrary) 2 × 2 block matrix, and consider an LU preconditioner obtained by approximating the corresponding Schur complement. For every one of the diagonal blocks in the LU preconditioner, if it involves more than one type of unknowns, we proceed the same way in a recursive fashion. This approach is stated in an abstract way, and can be straightforwardly applied to other multiphysics problems. Further, we precisely explain a flexible and general software design for the code implementation of this type of preconditioners.

The ABC model: a non-hydrostatic toy model for use in convective-scale data assimilation investigations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petrie, Ruth Elizabeth; Bannister, Ross Noel; Priestley Cullen, Michael John

2017-12-01

In developing methods for convective-scale data assimilation (DA), it is necessary to consider the full range of motions governed by the compressible Navier-Stokes equations (including non-hydrostatic and ageostrophic flow). These equations describe motion on a wide range of timescales with non-linear coupling. For the purpose of developing new DA techniques that suit the convective-scale problem, it is helpful to use so-called toy models that are easy to run and contain the same types of motion as the full equation set. Such a model needs to permit hydrostatic and geostrophic balance at large scales but allow imbalance at small scales, and in particular, it needs to exhibit intermittent convection-like behaviour. Existing toy models are not always sufficient for investigating these issues. A simplified system of intermediate complexity derived from the Euler equations is presented, which supports dispersive gravity and acoustic modes. In this system, the separation of timescales can be greatly reduced by changing the physical parameters. Unlike in existing toy models, this allows the acoustic modes to be treated explicitly and hence inexpensively. In addition, the non-linear coupling induced by the equation of state is simplified. This means that the gravity and acoustic modes are less coupled than in conventional models. A vertical slice formulation is used which contains only dry dynamics. The model is shown to give physically reasonable results, and convective behaviour is generated by localised compressible effects. This model provides an affordable and flexible framework within which some of the complex issues of convective-scale DA can later be investigated. The model is called the ABC model after the three tunable parameters introduced: A (the pure gravity wave frequency), B (the modulation of the divergent term in the continuity equation), and C (defining the compressibility).

Improved nucleic acid descriptors for siRNA efficacy prediction.

PubMed

Sciabola, Simone; Cao, Qing; Orozco, Modesto; Faustino, Ignacio; Stanton, Robert V

2013-02-01

Although considerable progress has been made recently in understanding how gene silencing is mediated by the RNAi pathway, the rational design of effective sequences is still a challenging task. In this article, we demonstrate that including three-dimensional descriptors improved the discrimination between active and inactive small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) in a statistical model. Five descriptor types were used: (i) nucleotide position along the siRNA sequence, (ii) nucleotide composition in terms of presence/absence of specific combinations of di- and trinucleotides, (iii) nucleotide interactions by means of a modified auto- and cross-covariance function, (iv) nucleotide thermodynamic stability derived by the nearest neighbor model representation and (v) nucleic acid structure flexibility. The duplex flexibility descriptors are derived from extended molecular dynamics simulations, which are able to describe the sequence-dependent elastic properties of RNA duplexes, even for non-standard oligonucleotides. The matrix of descriptors was analysed using three statistical packages in R (partial least squares, random forest, and support vector machine), and the most predictive model was implemented in a modeling tool we have made publicly available through SourceForge. Our implementation of new RNA descriptors coupled with appropriate statistical algorithms resulted in improved model performance for the selection of siRNA candidates when compared with publicly available siRNA prediction tools and previously published test sets. Additional validation studies based on in-house RNA interference projects confirmed the robustness of the scoring procedure in prospective studies.