Investigation of robust ship course control based on auxiliary loop method

A novel robust control law is investigated on the problem of ship stabilization on the trajectory, which allows one to compensate perturbations in the parameters of the mathematical model of ship dynamics in cases of their changes caused by external conditions, namely: sea waves, currents, wind gusts, etc. To implement the proposed control law, only measured adjustable values are required such as the yaw angle and the control action that is the angle of the rudder of the ship. The synthesized ship course control system was investigated in MATLAB. The law of controlling the ship’s course with unknown parameters and external disturbances in the power supply is proposed. The design of the control law is based on a robust auxiliary loop algorithm and Khalil observers. The simulations illustrate the efficiency of the proposed control law.

Flow visualization and analytical study on the exhaust gas diffusion of a frigate

Wind tunnel flow visualization tests were conducted to analyse the efflux velocity impacts and the yaw angle on the smoke dispersion of the exhaust for a generic frigate. An analytical study was also implemented to obtain the exhaust plume trajectories. The 1/100 scale generic frigate, having a platform for helicopters on the aft of the ship, was built and employed during the experimental study. The forward and astern cruises of the frigate were considered. It is found that the plume height and the exhaust gases momentum increase with the velocity ratio. The problem of smoke nuisance was observed for the ratios with low velocity such as K=0.2. The plume was also directed towards the helicopter platform when the yaw angles are higher than 10°. The experimental results are compared with the analytical solutions for three different velocity ratios. The compliance between the experimental and analytical results is found to be consistent.

Optimal Geno-Fuzzy Lateral Control of Powered Parachute Flying Vehicles

In this work, we propose a systematic procedure to design a fuzzy logic controller (FLC) to control the lateral motion of powered parachute (PPC) flying vehicles. The design process does not require knowing the details of vehicle dynamics. Moreover, the physical constraints of the system, such as the maximum error of the yaw angle and the maximum allowed steering angle, are naturally included in the designed controller. The effectiveness of the proposed controller was assessed using the nonlinear six degrees of freedom (6DOF) mathematical model of the PPC. The genetic algorithm (GA) optimization technique was used to optimize the distribution of the fuzzy membership functions in order to improve the performance of the suggested controller. The robustness of the proposed controller was evaluated by changing the values of the parafoil aerodynamic coefficients and the initial flight conditions.

Lateral Stability Performance of Articulated Narrow-Track Tractors

A tractor losing lateral stability starts to rollover. It is a matter of fact that tractor lateral rollover accidents are one of the most frequent causes of death and injuries for farmers. Consequently, tractors are fitted with a specific protective structure to minimize the consequences for the driver during the rollover (ROPS). The narrow-track tractor, designed to operate in vineyards and orchards, is a tractor category with a very narrow track width and the risk of rollover is higher. The aim of the study was to evaluate the compact narrow-track tractor types commercially available, designed to mount a cantilever engine in the forward position with effects on the Center of Gravity (CoG) because more than 50% of the tractor weight is loaded on the front axle, and, specifically, the articulated narrow-track tractors where the stability is affected by the pivot point connecting the two tractor bodies. As a consequence of the typical tractor design of articulated tractors, during the steering action the line passing through the front and rear tire contact points on the ground changes, influencing the tractor’s stability. The approach of the research was based on reproducing the lateral stability tractor condition by developing a kinematic model, with the goal to virtually simulate the tractor behavior and to calculate the lateral stability angle for articulated tractors. The innovative contribution of this paper was the tractor articulation joint modeling, assuming a virtual pivot point to reproduce two relatives’ rotations between the front and rear bodies of the tractor: vertical (yaw angle) and longitudinal (roll angle) rotations. The lowest value of the stability angle was 39.3°, measured at −35° yaw angle. The model at the tractor design stage will allow adjusting of the tractor parameters to improve the lateral stability performance.

Artificial Intelligence for Stability Control of Actuated In–Wheel Electric Vehicles with CarSim® Validation

This paper presents an active controller for electric vehicles in which active front steering and torque vectoring are control actions combined to improve the vehicle driving safety. The electric powertrain consists of four independent in–wheel electric motors situated on each corner. The control approach relies on an inverse optimal controller based on a neural network identifier of the vehicle plant. Moreover, to minimize the number of sensors needed for control purposes, the authors present a discrete–time reduced–order state observer for the estimation of vehicle lateral and roll dynamics. The use of a neural network identifier presents some interesting advantages. Notably, unlike standard strategies, the proposed approach avoids the use of tire lateral forces or Pacejka’s tire parameters. In fact, the neural identification provides an input–affine model in which these quantities are absorbed by neural synaptic weights adapted online by an extended Kalman filter. From a practical standpoint, this eliminates the need of additional sensors, model tuning, or estimation stages. In addition, the yaw angle command given by the controller is converted into electric motor torques in order to ensure safe driving conditions. The mathematical models used to describe the electric machines are able to reproduce the dynamic behavior of Elaphe M700 in–wheel electric motors. Finally, quality and performances of the proposed control strategy are discussed in simulation, using a CarSim® full vehicle model running through a double–lane change maneuver.

Bearing friction effect on cup anemometer performance modelling

In the present work, the effect of the friction forces at bearings on cup anemometer performance is studied. The study is based on the classical analytical approach to cup anemometer performance (2-cup model), used in the analysis by Schrenk (1929) and Wyngaard (1981). The friction torque dependence on temperature was modelled using exponential functions fitted to the experimental results from RISØ report #1348 by Pedersen (2003). Results indicate a logical poorer performance (in terms of a lower rotation speed at the same wind velocity), with an increase of the friction. However, this decrease of the performance is affected by the aerodynamic characteristics of the cups. More precisely, results indicate that the effect of the friction is modified depending on the ratio between the maximum value of the aerodynamic drag coefficient (at 0° yaw angle) and the minimum one (at 180° yaw angle). This reveals as a possible way to increase the efficiency of the cup anemometer rotors. Besides, if the friction torque is included in the equations, a noticeable deviation of the rotation rate (0.5-1% with regard to the expected rotation rate without considering friction) is found for low temperatures.

Working in of roller ends and bars of cylindrical roller bearings at combined radial and axial loads

The paper investigates the influence of the process of running-in the ends of rollers and sides of cylindrical roller bearings on the conditions of hydrodynamic contact of these parts: the formation of an oil film and friction. For this purpose, the results of finite element modeling of the stress-strain state of the bearing parts in contact: the inner ring, the side flange and a fragment of the axle of the wheelset, and the multi-mass simulation of the dynamics of the bearing operation are used. The influence of the yaw angle of the roller on the size and shape of the contact area on the side is investigated. The dependences for calculating the thickness of the oil film in the contact between the ends of the rollers and the flanges of the bearing rings are being refined, which now make it possible to take into account the misaligned position of these parts during their force interaction. The results are illustrated using the example of a roller bearing of standard size 232926.

A Thrust Cooperative Control Strategy of Multiple Propulsion Motors for Distributed Electric Propulsion Aircraft

This paper presents a thrust cooperative control strategy of multiple propulsion motors for distributed electric propulsion aircraft. The control strategy can keep the propulsion motors running synchronously when the aircraft is flying in a straight line; at the same time, when the aircraft needs to turn, the yaw moment is generated by changing the speed of the propulsion motors on both sides, so as to achieve the given yaw angle of the aircraft. In order to verify the control strategy, the paper also carries out simulation and experimental verification, and the results show that the cooperative control strategy is feasible.

Stability of obliquely driven cavity flow

The linear stability of the incompressible flow in an infinitely extended cavity with rectangular cross-section is investigated numerically. The basic flow is driven by a lid which moves tangentially, but at yaw with respect to the edges of the cavity. As a result, the basic flow is a superposition of the classical recirculating two-dimensional lid-driven cavity flow orthogonal to a wall-bounded Couette flow. Critical Reynolds numbers computed by linear stability analysis are found to be significantly smaller than data previously reported in the literature. This finding is confirmed by independent nonlinear three-dimensional simulations. The critical Reynolds number as a function of the yaw angle is discussed for representative aspect ratios. Different instability modes are found. Independent of the yaw angle, the dominant instability mechanism is based on the local lift-up process, i.e. by the amplification of streamwise perturbations by advection of basic flow momentum perpendicular to the sheared basic flow. For small yaw angles, the instability is centrifugal, similar as for the classical lid-driven cavity. As the spanwise component of the lid velocity becomes dominant, the vortex structures of the critical mode become elongated in the direction of the bounded Couette flow with the lift-up process becoming even more important. In this case the instability is made possible by the residual recirculating part of the basic flow providing a feedback mechanism between the streamwise vortices and the streamwise velocity perturbations (streaks) they promote. In the limit when the basic flow approaches bounded Couette flow the critical Reynolds number increases very strongly.

Flutter Analysis of Long-Span Suspension Bridges Considering Yaw Wind and Aerostatic Effects

Based on the aerostatic and self-excited aerodynamic force models, a computational approach of three-dimensional (3D) refined flutter analysis for long-span bridges under skew winds is established, in which the structural nonlinearity, aerostatic effect and full-mode coupling effect, etc., are fully considered, and the computational procedure ([Formula: see text] flutter-sw) is developed accordingly. By taking the Runyang Suspension Bridge over the Yangtze river as an example, under the wind attack with initial angles of 0∘ and [Formula: see text] and yaw angles between 0∘ and 25∘, the flutter stability of the bridge in completion under skew winds is analyzed, and the influences of skew wind and aerostatic effect on the flutter stability of suspension bridges are assessed. The results show that the aerostatic effect has a significant influence on the flutter stability of long-span suspension bridge, and it may worsen its flutter stability, with an average decrease of 6.0%. However, it does not change the evolution of flutter stability of suspension bridge with increasing wind yaw angle. The critical flutter wind speed fluctuates with the increase of wind yaw angle, and it reaches the lowest value mostly under the skew wind, with an average reduction of 8.0%. The combined influence of the aerostatic effect and skew wind further reduces the flutter critical wind speed by 11.5% on average, and therefore, the aerostatic effect, skew wind effect and their adverse influences need to be comprehensively considered in the flutter analysis of long-span suspension bridges.