Computational Methods in Engineering

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The optimal path planning of cooperative manipulators is studied in the present research. Optimal Control Theory is employed to calculate the optimal path of each joint choosing an appropriate index of the system to be minimized and taking the kinematics equations as the constraints. The formulation has been derived using Pontryagin Minimum Principle and results in a Two Point Boundary Value Problem, (TPBVP). The problem is solved for a cooperative manipulator system consisting of two 3-DOF serial robots.

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The aim of this research is to design a controlling loop that eliminates the irregularities in yarn tension during the winding process. In order to achieve this, we employed a relative feedback industrial control system. The yarn tension sensor measures the tension. Its output is analyzed in the automatic controlling unit. This unit adjusts the tension level according to feedback signals, thus adjusting the yarn tension to the desired value. The yarn package wound using this system will additionally experience the least yarn tension variations.

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Supply chain coordination has become a critical success factor for supply chain management (SCM). In the past few years, the researchers have widely emphasized that cooperation among supply chain (SC) firms is a key source of competitive advantage. This paper is focused on supply chain coordination from the perspective of inventory management. Li and Liu [1] developed a model for illustrating how to use quantity discount policy by price adjustment mechanism to achieve supply chain coordination. We extend this mechanism to three echelon supply chain and consider variable lead time which has more representation of the real world situation. For this purpose, we will develop a model with benefit objective function for the problem. We will then analyze the model with and without coordination. By solving the proposed model, proper order quantities will be obtained. Finally, the advantages of the proposed mechanism will be explored and a surplus benefit dividing method will be designed.

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Having two stable configurations and no need to any permanent energy sources for remaining in each of these stable states, bi-stable composite plates have gained many applications. This paper has concentrated on control and dynamic response of cross ply bi-stable composite plates (0.90). To do this, using Hamilton principle , Rayleigh-Ritz method, and a MATLAB programme specifically designed for this study, have been applied in order to extract  the governing equation of motions in plates. Then, in order to control the large vibration of the cross ply bi-stable plate, a fuzzy controller was proposed using a fuzzy logic and its prformance was simulated by Simulink in Matlab environment. In order to simulate the real conditions on the controller performance, the effect of disturbances and time delay on the responses of controller were also investigated.

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In this paper, a robust control law is proposed, based on Lyapunov’s theory and sliding mode control theory, in
order to track the angle of attack in nonlinear longitudinal dynamics of a missile. It is assumed that there are unmatched
uncertainties in the nonlinear systems. In the proposed algorithm, the controller gains are optimized by Particle Swarm
Optimization (PSO) algorithm. For this purpose, a cost function is extracted from the output tracking error. Simulation results
show that the proposed algorithm has better performance than conventional Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controller in
the presence of unmatched uncertainties.

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In present study, dynamic modeling and control of a tethered space robot system in trajectory tracking of its end effector is investigated. Considering variation of the tether length in the model, dynamics of the system is modeled using Lagrange’s method. Librational motion of the tether is controlled by adjusting the tether length similar to conventional manipulators,control of the robot is performed by its motors. It is clear that, in the trajectory tracking of the end effector, the tether length should be kept more or less constant, keeping them in a stable position. Limiting the tether length variation while using it as a tool for controlling the tether librational motion, is the main challenging part of the control system. To deal with this problem, a hybrid control  system is proposed to control the system. A nonlinear model predictive control approach (NMPC) is utilized to control the tether librational motion and a modified computed torque method (CTM) is used to control the manipulator motion. Initially the NMPC controller is developed for a simple tethered satellite system. Then it is combined with the CTM controller. The proposed controller is employed to control motion of a space robot’s end effector on a predefined trajectory. Performance of the controller is then evaluated by numerical simulations.

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Using Vibro-Impact Nonlinear Energy Sinks (VI NESs) is one of the novel strategies to control structural vibrations and mitigate their seismic response. In this system, a mass is tuned on the structure floor, so that it has a specific distance from an inelastic constraint connected to the floor mass. In case of structure stimulation, the displaced VI NES mass collides with the  inelastic constraint and upon impacts, energy is dissipated. In the present work, VI NES is studied when its parameters, including clearance and stiffness ratio, are simultaneously optimized. Harmony search as a recent meta-heuristic algorithm is efficiently specialized and utilized for the aforementioned continuous optimization problem. The optimized attached VI NES is thus shown to be capable of interacting with the primary structure over a wide range of frequencies. The resulting controlled response is then investigated, in a variety of low and medium rise steel moment frames, via nonlinear dynamic time history analyses. Capability of the VI NES to dissipate siesmic input energy of earthquakes and their capabilitiy in reducing response of srtructures effectively, through vibro-impacts between the energy sink’s mass and the floor mass, is discussed by extracting several performance indices and the corresponding Fourier spectra. Results of the numerical simulations done on some structural model examples reveal that the optimized VI NES has caused successive redistribution of energy from low-frequency high-amplitude vibration modes to high-frequency low-amplitude modes, bringing about the desired attenuation of the structural responses.

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Active vehicle suspension system is designed to increase the ride comfort and road holding of vehicles. Due to limitations in the external force produced by actuator, the design problem encounters the constraint on the control input. In this paper, a novel nonlinear controller with the input constraint is designed for the active suspension system. In the proposed method, at first, a constrained multi-objective optimization problem is defined. In this problem, a performance index is defined as a weighted combination of the predicted responses of the nonlinear suspension system and control input. Then, this problem is solved by the modified firefly optimization algorithm to find the constrained optimal control input. To evaluate the performance of the proposed method, the results of the unconstrained and constrained controllers are provided and discussed for various road excitations. The results show a remarkable increase in the ride comfort with the limited force, while other suspension outputs including the suspension travel and tire deflection being in the acceptable ranges. In addition, these controllers are compared with Sliding Mode Control (SMC) and Nonlinear Model Predictive Control (NMPC) in the presence of model uncertainty.