Global cutting-path optimization considering the minimum heat effect with microgenetic algorithms

This article considers microgenetic algorithms (GAs), which explore in a small population with a few genetic operators, for cutting-path optimization problems. The major difference between GAs and simple genetic algorithms (SGAs) is how to make a reproductive plan for an improved searching technique because of population choice. It is shown that GAs implementation reaches the near-optimal region much earlier than the SGAs approach, and the GAs give a better solution than simulated annealing (SA). The main objective was to determine what temperature distribution can be obtained from the solution of a travelling distributed heat source. The solution of the travelling heat source on nested raw plate provides information about the vertices of each nested part of the raw plate. From the fact that the initial temperature at a piercing point strongly depends on the heat flow which stems from the previous cutting contour, the temperature of all piercing points must be lower than the critical temperature after each cutting of the components of a part. The critical temperature is identified as the mechanical melting temperature of steels. A heuristic back-tracking method is introduced to find the near-optimum cutting path considering the minimum heat effect on deformation. The heuristic back-tracking method is incorporated with the GAs.     

Numerical simulations of fatigue crack initiation and propagation based on re-tensile plastic zone generating load criterion for in-plane gusset welded joints

Many accidents are caused by fatigue in welded built-up steel structures, and so it is important to estimate the fatigue lives of such structures quantitatively for safety reasons. By assuming that fatigue cracks cannot grow without an accumulation of alternating tensile/compressional plastic strain, one of the authors identified an improved effective stress intensity factor range ΔK _RPG based on the re-tensile plastic zone generating (RPG) load, which represents the driving force for fatigue cracks, and suggested that ΔK _RPG should be used as the parameter to describe fatigue crack growth behavior. The “FLARP” numerical simulation code in which ΔK _RPG is implemented as the fatigue crack growth parameter, was developed in order to predict fatigue crack initiation and propagation behavior. In this paper, it is demonstrated that FLARP gives accurate estimates for fatigue life by comparing the estimated fatigue crack growth curves and S–N curves with the experimental results for in-plane gusset welded joints, which are used in many welded steel structures. Moreover, the effect of induced bending moment due to the linear misalignment in the out of plane direction on the fatigue strength of in-plane gusset welded joints is investigated through numerical simulations.     

大型深层滑坡灾害及其预测

为了进一步探明大型深层滑坡发生机制,对今后发生潜在大型深层滑坡区域进行预测,通过对比分析近年来亚洲地区发生的多起大型深层滑坡,从诱发大型深层滑坡的地震与降雨两个主要方面,分析了特殊地层岩性在化学风化作用影响下与多种坡体结构在重力作用影响下的深层滑坡特征,以及降雨对于该类滑坡的形成所具有的促进作用。研究结果表明,对于由地震作用诱发的深层滑坡,应主要根据不同岩石种类的化学风化情况、深层滑坡形成的力学演化机制以及先行降雨对地震滑坡潜在位置进行预测;对于由降雨诱发的深层滑坡,应主要根据重力边坡变形与内部地质结构的地形特征对深层滑坡发生位置进行预测。      

新一代就地成型密封垫圈（FIPG）——用于汽车进气歧管的液态密封胶

进气歧管是发动机上向气缸输送燃油／空气混合物的装置。近来，两段式进气歧管采用了有机硅就地成型密封垫圈（FIPG）。众所周知，由于硅氧烷主链具有灵活性，因此一定数量的汽油可穿透有机硅FIPG层。随着监管规章的日益严格，汽油渗透性也愈加受到重视，由此，一种新型聚丙烯酸酯FIPG便脱颖而出，大大降低了汽油的渗透率。本次研究针对现今汽车传动系统的密封应用，将该项聚丙烯酸酯FIPG密封胶新技术与有机硅FIPG密封胶进行了比较，同时，还针对铝镁合金的粘附性及耐油性进行了探究。     

Evaluation of risk attitude in the shipping freight market under uncertainty

ABSTRACT

The main purpose of this study is to examine how market participants take risks, in other words, what their risk attitude/preference is, and how their risk attitude could be related to the shipping freight and other markets. To address them, we calibrated the risk attitude of participants in shipping freight markets from 2007 to 2013, and provided an example of the application of risk attitude. For market participants, risk attitude/preference has an important role in understanding shipping freight markets and managing risks under uncertainty. However, risk attitude is not directly observable. To achieve this, we applied a framework that consists of structural model and calibration with market data. We interpreted risk attitude and confirmed that a structural break occurred around 2008 for the calibrated risk attitude parameter. The average risk attitude of market participants tended to be more risk-averse after 2010. We conducted an additional analysis to provide an example of the application of calibrated risk attitude, using structural equation modeling to calculate a latent variable that reflected other commodity markets. We compared the risk attitude parameter and the latent variable, and clarified the relationship between the risk attitude parameter and commodity markets.     

Fracture control of extremely thick welded steel plates applied to the deck structure of large container ships

The rapid enlargement of the size of container ships has led to the application of extremely thick plate in the deck structures, which may grow concerns about the fracture toughness at the butt-weld with large amount of heat input, and the arrest toughness of brittle crack propagation in the base metal of such thick plates. Also, slam-induced whipping stresses might affect the fatigue crack propagation and the initiation of a brittle crack in a container ship. In order to prevent the catastrophic failure of deck structures by brittle fracture, national joint research projects, which focused on the safety-related issues of extremely thick steel plate applied to hull of large container ships, were formed from April 2007 to March 2011 organized by the Japan Ship Technology Research Association (JSTRA) supported by the Japanese Government in collaboration with universities, national research institute, classification societies and relevant industries including shipbuilding, steel manufacturing and shipping companies. The joint research projects have carried out the investigations on crack initiation toughness of the weld, fatigue crack propagation under seaway loading, the potential of defect detection by ultrasonic testing, and the crack-arrest methods after brittle crack propagation. Practical recommendations to prevent brittle fracture of large container ships were proposed based on these comprehensive investigations. The essential parts of the above research activities are presented in this paper.     

Automatic two-dimensional layout using a rule-based heuristic algorithm

 Efficient layout strategies are introduced for automatic nesting using a rule-based heuristic approach to improve the layout efficiency. Since a large portion of the complexity of the parts layout problem results from the overlapping computation, geometric redesign techniques are also suggested to reduce the complexity of the problem for a fast and reliable means of performing overlapping computation. A new heuristic sliding technique is developed to find a near-optimum layout location from all the feasible arrangements in such a manner that two or more arbitrary parts do not overlap or intersect. An identification method with a pivoting point is suggested to calculate the boundary of the overlap region in a fast computation time-frame. Resource plate clipping using virtual memory, based on a polygon clipping algorithm, is also proposed as a technique to reduce the geometric conditions of the resource plate and the overlap computation time by updating a new stock boundary of the resource plate for the layout space of the next part after each part is placed. The aim of this article is to develop a rule-based heuristic nesting system to achieve a new automatic layout on the AutoCAD system. For this implementation, some nesting examples are demonstrated. A rule-based heuristic approach can be desirable in terms of the layout efficiency and considering the computational time for nesting problems, and is proposed as a real-time layout simulation method in the industrial field. Received: October 7, 2002 / Accepted: March 27, 2003 RID="*"     

Development of a computer-aided process planning system based on a knowledge base

 Process planning for a hull structure defines the assembly sequence of the hull block. Although this activity is very important because the working strategy defines the production costs, to date it has been done manually. To raise the efficiency of this process, we developed a practical computer-aided process planning system. It has been developed using deliverables obtained from advanced computer integrated manufacturing system (CIM; ACIM) for shipbuilding projects sponsored by the Ship and Ocean Foundation (SOF). The system has a knowledge base which contains the know-how of skilled designers as well as design practices, and allows the assembly sequence of hull parts and intermediate products to be defined automatically. The system has been integrated with the shipyard CAD system MATES, and put to practical use. Received: August 19, 2002 / Accepted: November 25, 2002 Address correspondence to: Y. Sasaki (yuuichi_sasaki@mhi.co.jp) Updated from the Japanese original, which won the 2002 SNAJ prize (J Soc Nav Archit Jpn 2001;189:309–315)