Application of novel force control strategies to enhance robotic abrasive belt grinding quality of aero-engine blades

Robotic belt grinding has emerged as a finishing process in recent years for machining components with high surface finish and flexibility.The surface machining consistency, however,is difficult to be guaranteed in such a process.To overcome this problem, a method of hybrid force-position control combined with PI/PD control is proposed to be applied in robotic abrasive belt grinding of complex geometries.Voltage signals are firstly obtained and transformed to force information with signal conditioning methods.Secondly, zero drift and gravity compensation algorithms are presented to calibrate the F/T transducer which is installed on the robot end-effector.Next, a force control strategy combining hybrid force-position control with PI/PD control is introduced to be employed in robotic abrasive belt grinding operations where the force control law is applied to the Z direction of the tool frame and the positon control law is used in the X direction of the tool frame.Then, the accuracy of the F/T transducer and the robotic force control system is analyzed to ensure the stability and reliability of force control in the robotic grinding process.Finally, two typical cases on robotic belt grinding of a test workpiece and an aero-engine blade are conducted to validate the practicality and effectiveness of the force control technology proposed.     

Reconnection and fast particle production in tokamak and solar plasmas

Detailed in situ studies of magnetic reconnection and particle acceleration, which play a crucial role in the release and redistribution of energy in solar flares, can be performed in tokamak plasmas under conditions resembling those of the flaring solar corona. Recent measurements and modelling of fast particle production during reconnection events in the Mega-Amp Spherical Tokamak (MAST) are described. Specifically, observations in this device of electron acceleration during edge localised modes, and of both ion and electron acceleration during merging-compression plasma start-up, are presented, and possible implications of these studies for particle acceleration in flares are discussed. The results from MAST lend weight to the conjecture that large numbers of ions are accelerated to sub-MeV energies in flares.     

Laboratory Experiments on Preplanetary Dust Aggregation

For a better understanding of the processes which lead to the formation of planetesimals in the early solar nebula, we performed an extensive series of laboratory experiments. We find that the capture velocities in collisions between spherical grains are more than one order of magnitude higher than predicted by Chokshi et al (1993). In contrast, irregular grains have no capture threshold and can be better described by a sticking probability which is typically a few 10%, even for velocities exceeding 10 m/s. However, adhesion forces between spherical, micron-sized particles match the theoretical predictions very well, although contact areas and deformations are of the order of inter-atomic distances only. Aggregation experiments in rarefied turbulent gases reveal the fractal nature of dust aggregates. Mass distribution functions are bell-shaped. Similar behaviour can be found in aggregation experiments with sedimenting particles. Experiments on collision-induced aggregate compaction and fragmentation match the numerical simulations by Dominik and Tielens (1997) very well if revised experimental values of the break-up energy (from our impact experiments) and the rolling-friction force (from our AFM measurements on particle chains) are used. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Characterization of Cosmic Materials in the Laboratory

One of the main objectives of modern astrophysics is the characterisation of properties and evolution of materials present in space. Production, processing and analysis of cosmic dust analogues in the laboratory represents a powerful tool to interpret astronomical observations and to contribute to the solution of puzzling problems which are so far unsolved. In the present paper we summarize recent results obtained in our laboratory on carbon-based and silicate materials able to simulate various types of cosmic grains. The laboratory data are applied to discuss the nature of spectral features observed in the interstellar medium and in comets. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

虚拟仪器在高校电工实验室中的应用

针对传统电工实验室存在的问题，在分析虚拟仪器的优点基础上，提出了将虚拟信号发生器及频谱分析仪引入实验教学的意义，论述了虚拟仪器在高校电工实验室的可行性和有效性。     

“火星科学实验室”EDL方案及其新技术分析

"火星科学实验室"进入、下降与着陆(EDL)技术代表了目前已步入应用阶段的火星探测的最新技术。在分析该方案基础上,对其所应用的升力式进入及进入制导控制技术、基于马赫数的开伞控制技术、"矢量点乘"控制的防热罩分离技术、基于"空中吊车"的动力下降与着陆缓冲技术和"空中吊车"飞离控制技术等进行了分析,可为火星探测研究提供一定的借鉴和参考。     

Whistler waves in plasmas with time-varying magnetic field: Laboratory investigation

Modulation of whistler waves in a plasma with time-dependant magnetic field perturbations was investigated experimentally. The experiments were performed on large “Krot” device, which was specially designed to study space plasma physics phenomena. It is shown that magnetic field variations on the wave propagation path can lead to splitting of initially continuous whistler wave into the sequence of bursts, whose repetition rate corresponds to magnetic field perturbation period. The frequency inside each burst is changing from its front edge to the back edge. Relative shift of the wave frequency can be as large as the relative magnetic disturbance. Distortion of whistler wave frequency spectrum after its passing through magnetically disturbed areas can be used as a diagnostics for low-frequency magnetic field variations. The applicability of our laboratory results to space plasma is discussed.     

Some Technical Issues of an Optically Focused Small Space Debris Tracking and Cataloging System

Congressional language in the 1998 US Senate Armed Services Committee authorization bill directed ... the Secretary of the (United States) Air Force to undertake a design study of a system that could catalog and track debris down to one centimeter in size out to 1000kilometer in altitude. The US Air Force Research Laboratory, in conjunction with other US National Laboratories and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) conducted a study that examined what technical systems and operations would be required to perform such a mission. This paper outlines the study process, details the findings, draws conclusions, and makes recommendations as to what would be needed to develop an optically based system capable of cataloging and tracking small debris in low Earth orbit.     

The statistical treatment implemented to obtain the planetary protection bioburdens for the Mars Science Laboratory mission

NASA Planetary Protection Policy requires that Category IV missions such as those going to the surface of Mars include detailed assessment and documentation of the bioburden on the spacecraft at launch. In the prior missions to Mars, the approaches used to estimate the bioburden could easily be conservative without penalizing the project because spacecraft elements such as the descent and landing stages had relatively small surface areas and volumes. With the advent of a large spacecraft such as Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), it became necessary for a modified—still conservative but more pragmatic—statistical treatment be used to obtain the standard deviations and the bioburden densities at about the 99.9% confidence limits. This article describes both the Gaussian and Poisson statistics that were implemented to analyze the bioburden data from the MSL spacecraft prior to launch. The standard deviations were weighted by the areas sampled with each swab or wipe. Some typical cases are given and discussed.