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Near-Field Acoustical Holography (NAH) is an inverse process in which sound pressure measurements made in the near-field of an unknown sound source are used to reconstruct the sound field so that source distributions can be clearly identified. NAH was originally based on performing spatial transforms of arrays of measured pressures and then processing the data in the wavenumber domain, a procedure that entailed the use of very large microphone arrays to avoid spatial truncation effects. Over the last twenty years, a number of different NAH methods have been proposed that can reduce or avoid spatial truncation issues: for example, Statistically Optimized Near-Field Acoustical Holography (SONAH), various Equivalent Source Methods (ESM), etc.

The durability road test of a vehicle is an important test to verify the reliability of vehicle components. In order to carry out the durability bench test for drive shaft systems of all-terrain vehicles, a method for acquiring time domain signals of articulation angles of the CVJ, input torque, and rotational speeds of drive shaft systems is proposed. The acquired load spectrum of drive shaft systems is preprocessed including deleting small amplitudes, de-drifting, deburring, filtering, etc. Peaks and valleys are extracted from the preprocessed load spectrum. Based on the graphic method and the estimator stabilization method, the upper and lower thresholds of the time domain extrapolation of the load spectrum are determined, and then the peaks and valleys excesses that exceed the upper and lower thresholds are extracted. The generalized pareto distribution function is used to fit the distribution of peaks and valleys excesses.

Tortuosity, viscous characteristic length and thermal characteristic length are three important parameters for estimating the acoustic performance of porous materials, and it is usually measured by ultrasonic measurement technology, which is costly. In this paper, a method for identifying the tortuosity, viscous characteristic length and thermal characteristic length for the porous fiber materials mixed with kapok fiber and two kinds of other fiber materials is proposed. The tortuosity is calculated by using the porosity and high-frequency normal sound absorption coefficient of porous materials. According to the normal sound absorption coefficient curve of porous materials under plane wave incidence, viscous characteristic length and thermal characteristic length are identified through the Johnson-Champoux-Allard-Lafarge (JCAL) model and genetic algorithm by using the measured parameters, the calculated tortuosity and static thermal permeability.

Bioregenerative systems for removal of gaseous contaminants are desired for long-term space missions to reduce the equivalent system mass of the air cleaning system. This paper describes an innovative design of a new biofiltration test lab for investigating the capability of biofiltration process for removal of ersatz multi-component gaseous streams representative of spacecraft contaminants released during long-term space travel. The lab setup allows a total of 24 bioreactors to receive identical inlet waste streams at stable contaminant concentrations via use of permeations ovens, needle valves, precision orifices, etc. A unique set of hardware including a Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrometer, and a data acquisition and control system using LabVIEW™ software allows automatic, continuous, and real-time gas monitoring and data collection for the 24 bioreactors. This lab setup allows powerful factorial experimental design.

A new proportional electromagnetic dynamic vibration absorber (EDVA) is proposed for control of engine vibration during idling. The device consists of an electromagnetic actuator attached to the primary structure through elastic element, where the driving force pair is implemented between the reaction-mass and the primary structure. The design of the proportional electromagnetic actuator is realized considering the geometric parameters of the core to achieve nearly constant magnetic force over a broad range of its dynamic displacement but proportional to square of the current. A methodology is proposed to achieve magnetic force proportional to square of current and consistent with the disturbance frequency. The proportional EDVA is subsequently applied to a single-degree-of-freedom primary system with an acceleration feedback control algorithm for attenuation of primary system vibration in a frequency band around the typical idling vibration frequencies.

Excessive vibration and poor controllability occur in many mobile fluid power applications, with negative consequences as concerns operators' health and comfort as well as machine safety and productivity. This paper addresses the problem of reducing oscillations in fluid power machines presenting a novel control technique of general applicability. Strong nonlinearities of hydraulic systems and the unpredictable operating conditions of the specific application (e.g. uneven ground, varying loads, etc.) are the main challenges to the development of satisfactory general vibration damping methods. The state of the art methods are typically designed as a function of the specific application, and in many cases they introduce energy dissipation and/or system slowdown. This paper contributes to this research by introducing an energy efficient active damping method based on feedback signals from pressure sensors mounted on the flow control valve block.

An experimental-analytic method of determining the stress distribution in narrow faced spur gear teeth is presented. The successful application of photostress to this contact problem is reported. It utilizes a digital computer routine developed for separating stresses in any general two-dimensional region. Results for two pairs of gears are presented. Comparison is made with values predicted by the modified Lewis formula, the Kelley and Pedersen equation, and by the Belajef solution of the Hertz contact problem for two cylinders.

This paper reviews some applications of lattice Boltzmann methods (LBM) to compute multiphase flows. The method is based on the solution of a kinetic equation which describes the evolution of the distribution of the population of particles whose collective behavior reproduces fluid behavior. The distribution is modified by particle streaming and collisions on a lattice. Modeling of physics at a mesoscopic level enables LBM to naturally incorporate physical properties needed to compute complex flows. In multiphase flows, the surface tension and phase segregation are incorporated by considering intermolecular attraction forces. Furthermore, the solution of the kinetic equations representing linear advection and collision, in which non-linearity is lumped locally, makes it parallelizable with relative ease. In this paper, a brief review of the lattice Boltzmann method relevant to engine sprays will be presented.

This paper describes a simulation approach for the modeling of tandem external gear pumps. A tandem gear pump is the combination of two pumps with a common drive shaft. Such design architecture finds application in certain automotive transmission systems. The model presented in this work is applicable for pumps with both helical and spur gears. The simulation model is built on the HYGESim (HYdraulic GEars machines Simulator) previously developed by the authors for external spur gear units. In this work, the model formulation is properly extended to the capabilities of simulating helical gears. Starting directly from the CAD drawings of the unit, the fluid-dynamic model solves the internal instantaneous tooth space volume pressures and the internal flows following a lumped parameter approach. The simulation tool considers also the radial micro-motion of the gears, which influences the internal leakages and the features of the meshing process.

In order to enhance the efficiency of durability testing of automobile parts, a time-frequency domain accelerated editing method of road load time series of rubber mount on powertrain was discussed. Based on Stockwell Transform method and Accumulative Power Spectral Density, a new time-frequency domain accelerated editing method (ST-APSD) was proposed. The accumulative power spectral density was obtained by ST of the load time series signal of automobile powertrain rubber mounting force which is acquired by the real vehicle in the test field. Based on the accumulative power spectral density, the threshold value was proposed to identify and delete the small damage load fragments, and then the acceleration spectrum was obtained.

To reduce the heating energy consumption of electric vehicles in winter, a switching control strategy for multiple heating modes formed by three heat sources, including air, motor waste heat, and positive temperature coefficient (PTC) heaters, is designed. Firstly, an integrated thermal management system (ITMS) simulation model for the heat pump air conditioning system, battery thermal management system, and motor thermal management system is established based on the AMESim software. Secondly, the influence of ambient temperature and motor outlet coolant temperature on the heating performance of three cabin heating modes is studied. Specifically, the three cabin heating modes include the pure motor waste heat source heat pump mode, the pure air-source heat pump mode, and the dual heat source heat pump mode with waste heat source and air source. Based on the analysis results, the opening and closing strategies for the three cabin heating modes are discussed.

Over the last decade, a number of hybrid architectures have been proposed with the main goal of minimizing energy consumption of off-highway vehicles. One of the architecture subsets which has progressively gained attention is hydraulic hybrids for earth-moving equipment. Among these architectures, hydraulic hybrids with secondary-controlled drives have proven to be a reliable, implementable, and highly efficient alternative with the potential for up to 50% engine downsizing when applied to excavator truck-loading cycles. Multi-input multi-output (MIMO) robust linear control strategies have been developed by the authors' group with notable improvements on the control of the state of charge of the high pressure accumulator. Nonetheless, the challenge remains to improve the actuator position and velocity tracking.

Early experience with precision farming technology suggests that some hardware and software may follow a rapid S curve adoption path, but that the use of integrated precision farming systems may take longer to develop and be subject to false starts and periods of stagnation. Yield monitors appear to be following a classic S curve adoption path. Precision farming adoption is like that of hybrid corn because changes in organizations will be required to use it effectively. It is like motorized mechanization because it is coming on the market in an immature form and lends itself to farmer tinkering.

In this paper, an aggregate system level modeling and analysis framework is proposed to facilitate the integration and design of advanced life support systems (ALSS). As in process design, the goal is to choose values for the degrees of freedom that achieve the best overall ALSS behavior without violating any system constraints. At the most fundamental level, this effort will identify the constraints and degrees of freedom associated with each subsystem and provide estimates of the system behavior and interactions involved in ALSS. This work is intended to be a starting point for developing insights into ALSS from a systems engineering point of view. At this level, simple aggregate static input/output mapping subsystem models from existing data and the NASA ALS BVAD document are used to debug the model and demonstrate feasibility.

Spherical beamforming was used to visualize sound radiation during a vehicle passby test. Forward and backward propagation procedures are compared in terms of computational expense. A spherical spreading correction factor is described, along with a maximum liklihood procedure for obtaining an optimal array weighting dependent on the relative distance between the microphones and the focus point. The de-Dopplerized microphone outputs are multiplied by the weighting factors and summed to yield the source strengths over a reconstruction plane “attached” to the vehicle. Results obtained using a 16 element sparse array during an actual passby are used to demonstrate the present approach.

To study the generated axial force (GAF) of the drive shaft system more accurately and effectively, this paper introduces the interval uncertainty into the research focusing on the GAF. Firstly, an interval uncertainty model for calculating the GAF is proposed based on the Chebyshev polynomials and an analytical model of the GAF. The input torque, the articulation angle, the rotation angle of the drive shaft system, the pitch circle radius (PCR) of the tripod joint and the friction coefficient are regarded as interval variables. Secondly, the upper and lower bounds of the proposed GAF model under interval uncertainty parameters are calculated quickly with the vertex method. Then the interval uncertainty optimization of the GAF under uncertainty parameters is performed. The upper bound of the response interval of the GAF is taken as the optimization object.

Bumper systems are vital to improving automotive passive safety and reducing the maintenance cost in low-speed collision. Automotive companies need to develop bumpers with adequate strength, high energy absorption rate, minimum weight and least expense. To shorten the product development period and lower the development cost, four evaluation conditions were proposed to assess the behaviors of car front bumpers based on the three main low-speed collision regulations of the US Part 581, the Canadian CFVSS215 and the European ECE-R42. A finite element method was put forward to model the car front bumper and to analyze the low-speed collision performance of the bumper system. A drop hammer impact test was carried out to verify the validity of the method, and experiment results indicated the correctness of the finite element model.

As the main power source of new energy vehicles, the durability and fatigue characteristics of the battery pack directly affect the performance of the vehicle. The battery pack system was modelled using multi-body dynamics software, with 7 and 13 degree of freedom models developed. Using the established model, the intrinsic properties of the battery pack are computationally analyzed. To calculate the dynamic characteristics, a sinusoidal displacement excitation is applied to the wheel centre of mass, and the displacement and acceleration of the battery pack centre of mass are calculated for both models.The displacement and acceleration curves at the centre of mass of the battery pack of the two models are compared. The results show that the amplitude of the displacement and acceleration curves at the centre of mass of the 13 degrees of freedom model of the battery pack has decreased significantly.

Electric machinery is typically based upon the interaction of magnetic fields and current to produce electromagnetic force or torque. However, force and torque can also be produced through the use of electric fields. The purpose of this investigation is to briefly analyze the use of a switched capacitance electric field based machine to see if it may have aerospace applications for use as either propulsion motor for unmanned aerospace vehicle (UAV) or lightweight flywheel applications for aerospace applications. It is shown that although its use as a hub propulsion motor is not feasible, it may be a candidate for use in a power flywheel energy storage system.

This paper describes research to analyze widespread fatigue damage in lap joints. The particular objective is to determine when large numbers of small cracks could degrade the joint strength to an unacceptable level. A deterministic model is described to compute fatigue crack growth and residual strength of riveted panels that contain multiple cracks. Fatigue crack growth tests conducted to evaluate the predictive model are summarized, and indicate good agreement between experimental and numerical results. Monte Carlo simulations are then performed to determine the influence of statistical variability on various analysis parameters.