scholarly journals Development of a Contactless Air Conveyor System for Transporting and Positioning Planar Objects

Micromachines ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 487 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xirui Chen ◽  
Wei Zhong ◽  
Chong Li ◽  
Jiwen Fang ◽  
Fanghua Liu

In this study, we developed a completely contactless air conveyor system for transporting and positioning planar objects. The air conveyor forms a thin film underneath the object for support and simultaneously generates a controlled airflow that results in viscous traction. It is potentially applicable in the manufacturing process for semiconductor wafer or flat foodstuffs, where mechanical contact is expected to be avoided during transportation of the products to minimize contamination. The air conveyor employs duplicated arrays of actuating cells that are square pockets with a surrounding dam. A simple model is proposed to characterize the viscous force. The theoretical analysis reveals that the total force is the composition of an actuating force generated in the pocket areas and the side areas and a drag force generated in the dam areas. Experimental investigations are conducted on the basic characteristics of the film pressure distribution and the viscous force. The results show that the air film pressure is symmetrically distributed in the width direction but nonsymmetrically distributed in the length direction. The viscous force increases if the suction flow rate is enlarged or the gap thickness is narrowed. Comparison of the experimental results and the calculated results indicates that the model can provide an accurate prediction. A proportional–integral–derivative (PID) controller is applied for 1D-position control and position tracking. The actuating direction is selected using fast switching valves and the amplitude of the actuating force is adjusted using a control valve to vary the suction flow rate. The simulated and the experimental results verify the feasibility of the air conveyor system and the control method.

Author(s):  
Christoph Gradl ◽  
Ivo Kovacic ◽  
Rudolf Scheidl

This paper presents simulation and experimental results of an energy saving hydraulic stepper drive prototype. Different concepts, advantages and the mechanical design of such kind of stepper drive were discussed in a previous publication. The excellent efficiency, the possibility of energy recuperation, and the control by switching and check valves only, may help to open new applications for hydraulic drives. Also the flow rate can be controlled rather directly by adjusting the switching frequency. This characteristic makes the sensorless position and speed control relatively easy. The drive is realized by a hydraulic cylinder piston unit which displaces a defined fluid quantum by the limited forward stroke of the piston controlled by a fast switching valve. This end to end motion of the piston in its cylinder generates a precise, incremental motion of an additional load cylinder; this enables a sensorless position control. Energy saving is achieved by storing the pressure surplus intermediately in the kinetic energy of the piston to displace a part of the fluid quantum without hydraulic energy from the supply line. A detailed simulation model of a stepper drive including transmission lines, flow channels, hydraulic accumulators and valve dynamics is applied to analyze the experimental results. This dynamic model in connection with the prototype allows to identify the potential for improvement. The different ways to improve the behavior are reviewed, in particular concerning energy losses: bearing friction, leakages in gaps, pressure losses and backflow through check valves. The measured dynamic characteristics and the energy efficiency are presented and compared to the simulation results. The preliminary results showed that the energy efficiency can be drastically increased by a better piston sealing and guidance system and faster check valves. Hence, the development of a fast plate type check valve for the hydraulic stepper drive is also proposed in this study.


Author(s):  
Xiaoming Chen ◽  
Yuchuan Zhu ◽  
Travis Wiens ◽  
Doug Bitner ◽  
Minghao Tai ◽  
...  

The inertance hydraulic converter relies on fluid inertance to modulate flow or pressure and is considered to be a competitive alternative to the conventional proportional hydraulic system due to its potential advantage in efficiency. As the quantification of fluid inertance, the suction flow characteristic is the crucial performance indicator for efficiency improvement. To explore the discrepancy between the passive inertance hydraulic converter featured by the check valve and the active inertance hydraulic converter driven by an equivalent 2/3 way fast switching valve in regard to suction flow characteristics, analytical models of the inertance hydraulic converters were established in MATLAB/Simulink. The validated models of the respective suction components were incorporated in the overall analytical models and their suction flow characteristics were theoretically and experimentally discussed. The analytical predictions and experimental measurements for the current configurations indicated that the active inertance hydraulic converter yields a larger transient suction flow rate than that of the passive inertance hydraulic converter due to the difference of the respective suction components. The suction flow characteristic can be modulated using the supply pressure and duty cycle, which was confirmed by experimental measurements. In addition, the suction flow characteristics are heavily affected by the resistance of the suction flow passage and switching frequency. There is a compromise between the resistance and switching frequency for inertance hydraulic converters to achieve large suction flow rate.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Satoshi Miyamoto ◽  
Zu Soh ◽  
Shigeyuki Okahara ◽  
Akira Furui ◽  
Taiichi Takasaki ◽  
...  

AbstractThe need for the estimation of the number of microbubbles (MBs) in cardiopulmonary bypass surgery has been recognized among surgeons to avoid postoperative neurological complications. MBs that exceed the diameter of human capillaries may cause endothelial disruption as well as microvascular obstructions that block posterior capillary blood flow. In this paper, we analyzed the relationship between the number of microbubbles generated and four circulation factors, i.e., intraoperative suction flow rate, venous reservoir level, continuous blood viscosity and perfusion flow rate in cardiopulmonary bypass, and proposed a neural-networked model to estimate the number of microbubbles with the factors. Model parameters were determined in a machine-learning manner using experimental data with bovine blood as the perfusate. The estimation accuracy of the model, assessed by tenfold cross-validation, demonstrated that the number of MBs can be estimated with a determinant coefficient R2 = 0.9328 (p < 0.001). A significant increase in the residual error was found when each of four factors was excluded from the contributory variables. The study demonstrated the importance of four circulation factors in the prediction of the number of MBs and its capacity to eliminate potential postsurgical complication risks.


1993 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 63-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
N.A. Hoenich ◽  
P.T. Smirthwaite ◽  
C. Woffindin ◽  
P. Lancaster ◽  
T.H. Frost ◽  
...  

Recirculation is an important factor in single needle dialysis and, if high, can compromise treatment efficiency. To provide information regarding recirculation characteristics of access devices used in single needle dialysis, we have developed a new technique to characterise recirculation and have used this to measure the recirculation of a Terumo 15G fistula needle and a VasCath SC2300 single lumen catheter. The experimentally obtained results agreed well with those established clinically (8.5 ± 2.4% and 18.4 ± 3.4%). The experimental results have also demonstrated a dependence on access type, pump speeds and fistula flow rate. A comparison of experimental data with theoretical predictions showed that the latter exceeded those measured with the largest contribution being due to the experimental fistula.


Author(s):  
Yun-Hao Peng ◽  
Dai-Hua Wang ◽  
Lian-Kai Tang

Parametric simulation of multi-chamber piezoelectric pump proposed by authors shows that its flow rate is positively correlated with chamber compression ratio when height of chamber wall is not less than central deflection of circular piezoelectric unimorph actuator (CPUA). Therefore, in this paper, principle and structure of multi-chamber piezoelectric pump with novel CPUAs with three-layer structure are proposed and realized, so as to improve its chamber compression ratio, and then improve its flow rate. Its processing technology compatible with PCB processing technology is studied and its flow rate model is established. Central deflection of CPUA with three-layer structure and the flow rate characteristics are tested. Experimental results show that when the central deflection of CPUA with three-layer structure reaches the maximum value of 106.8 μm, the chamber compression ratio and flow rate of multi-chamber piezoelectric pump reach the maximum value of 50% and 3.11 mL/min, respectively. The maximum flow rate is increased by 622% compared to unimproved pump. By comparing experimental results with numerical and finite element simulation results, the realized multi-chamber piezoelectric pump has large flow rate and the established flow rate model can predict its flow rate.


Author(s):  
K. Bammert ◽  
R. Milsch

Blades of axial flow compressors are often roughened by corrosion or erosion. There is only scant information about the influence of this roughening on the boundary layers of the blades and thereby on the compressor efficiency. To obtain detailed information for calculating the efficiency drop due to the roughness, experimental investigations with an enlarged cascade have been executed. The results enabled to develop new formulas for a modified friction coefficient in the laminar region and for the laminar-turbulent transition and the separation points of the boundary layer. Thus, together with the Truckenbrodt theory, it was possible, to get a good reproduction of the experimental results.


1979 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 465-468 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. K. Kapur ◽  
J. S. Yadav

In the present analysis, the interactions of thermal effects and velocity slip on the performance of externally pressurized porous incompressible gas thrust bearing have been studied. Numerical results for load capacity, mass flow rate, and static stiffness have been obtained and their behavior is illustrated in figures. The results for slip as well as no-slip condition have also been compared with the experimental results of Gargiulo and Gilmour [7].


Author(s):  
S. M. Miner ◽  
R. D. Flack ◽  
P. E. Allaire

Two dimensional potential flow was used to determine the velocity field within a laboratory centrifugal pump. In particular, the finite element technique was used to model the impeller and volute simultaneously. The rotation of the impeller within the volute was simulated by using steady state solutions with the impeller in 10 different angular orientations. This allowed the interaction between the impeller and the volute to develop naturally as a result of the solution. The results for the complete pump model showed that there are circumferential asymmetries in the velocity field, even at the design flow rate. Differences in the relative velocity components were as large as 0.12 m/sec for the radial component and 0.38 m/sec for the tangential component, at the impeller exit. The magnitude of these variations was roughly 25% of the magnitude of the average radial and tangential velocities at the impeller exit. These asymmetries were even more pronounced at off design flow rates. The velocity field was also used to determine the location of the tongue stagnation point and to calculate the slip within the impeller. The stagnation point moved from the discharge side of the tongue to the impeller side of the tongue, as the flow rate increased from below design flow to above design flow. At design flow, values of slip ranged from 0.96 to 0.71, from impeller inlet to impeller exit. For all three types of data (velocity profiles, stagnation point location, and slip factor) comparison was made to laser velocimeter data, taken for the same pump. At the design flow, the computational and experimental results agreed to within 17% for the velocity magnitude, and 2° for the flow angle. The stagnation point locations coincided for the computational and experimental results, and the values for slip agreed to within 10%.


Designs ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 58
Author(s):  
David Denkenberger ◽  
Joshua M. Pearce ◽  
Michael Brandemuehl ◽  
Mitchell Alverts ◽  
John Zhai

A finite difference model of a heat exchanger (HX) considered maldistribution, axial conduction, heat leak, and the edge effect, all of which are needed to model a high effectiveness HX. An HX prototype was developed, and channel height data were obtained using a computerized tomography (CT) scan from previous work along with experimental results. This study used the core geometry data to model results with the finite difference model, and compared the modeled and experimental results to help improve the expanded microchannel HX (EMHX) prototype design. The root mean square (RMS) error was 3.8%. Manifold geometries were not put into the model because the data were not available, so impacts of the manifold were investigated by varying the temperature conditions at the inlet and exit of the core. Previous studies have not considered the influence of heat transfer in the manifold on the HX effectiveness when maldistribution is present. With no flow maldistribution, manifold heat transfer increases overall effectiveness roughly as would be expected by the greater heat transfer area in the manifolds. Manifold heat transfer coupled with flow maldistribution for the prototype, however, causes a decrease in the effectiveness at high flow rate, and an increase in effectiveness at low flow rate.


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