On the water impact and elastic response of a flat plate at small impact angles

It is well known that Wagner's theory for the impact between a flat body and a water surface cannot be applied to very small impact angles because of the effects of the trapped air. We focus our attention on the impact problem with a small impact angle, which has not been studied in detail owing to theoretical and experimental difficulties. In order to investigate the transitional impact behavior from a trapped-air impact to a Wagner-type impact, we carried out precise pressure and strain measurements by dropping a plate and increasing the impact angle, β, from 0° to 4° by increments of 0.5°. Based on the experimental results, the time histories of the measured pressures were identified as belonging to three patterns: the Wagner type, the trapped-air type, and the intermediate type. During the transitional impact process, the Wagner-type pattern was observed near the keel at the beginning of the impact, with the trapped-air pattern toward the edge of the plate. The Wagner-type pressure pattern dominated with increasing impact angle. Although high peak pressures appeared in the transitional impact process, the maximum strains measured in the plate were not so sensitive to the impact angle. It was found that the structural response can be estimated by using the average pressure at impact, which leads to a new design approach for small impact angles.     

高响应性空燃比传感器的开发

作为汽车发动机控制系统的主要部件,空燃比传感器的响应性对燃油喷射控制的影响很大.为提高空燃比传感器的响应性,分别通过数值模拟和试验,对传感器感测元件的性状进行了研究.结果表明,感测元件的扩散层对传感器响应时间的影响最大,使用5～1Oμm孔径的多孔固体并增加其孔隙率,可在保证温度稳定性的同时提高其响应性.     

Simplified estimation for the dynamic behavior and reliability analysis of very large floating structures under wave-induced loads

This paper deals with the dynamic response and strength of very large floating structures (VLFS) in regular and irregular waves, considering the propagation of the hydroelastic deflection wave of the structure. First, a simplified estimation method is presented for the dynamic response and strength of the structure in regular waves. Then, the validity of the method is demonstrated by comparing its results with analytical results and experimental results for a mat-type floating structure model. Next, a simplified estimation method for dynamic responses under long crested irregular wave conditions is presented by using the above results and by combining them with irregular sea wave spectra. Finally, the applicability of the method is investigated through numerical examples carried out for a 4,800-m class VLFS under trial design. Characteristics of the hydroelastic waves, short-term responses, and reliability levels are numerically identified. Received for publication on April 14, 1999; accepted on Sept. 10, 1999     

Application of Analytic Hierarchy Process to Stochastic Robustness Synthesis of Integrated Vehicle Controllers

This paper deals with the robust design procedure of integrated vehicle dynamics controller based on Stochastic Robustness Synthesis with use of a rational decision making process of the controller parameters. The basic control structure that integrates four-wheel steering and four-wheel torque control is determined using a nonlinear predictive control theory. The Analytic Hierarchy Process, a basic approach to decision making, is applied to determine the weight coefficients of robustness evaluation function of the controller. The desired vehicle dynamic performance is described as four-layer hierarchy structure and the design priority is determined with respect to several design criteria. The proposed design process produced a control system with excellent stability and performance robustness to vehicle parameter variations.     

Sea trial of prototype Vertical Weight Stabilizer (VWS) anti-rolling system for small ships

Anti-rolling is an important technique for safety and efficient ship operation. In the era of sailing ships, rolling motions were not so severe compared to those of modern ships running by prime mover without sails, because the sail itself had a damping effect on rolling motion. After propeller driven ships exceeded sailing ships in number and performance, namely, from the end of the nineteenth century, many types of anti-rolling–related techniques were invented and developed, of both passive and active types. Recently (2009, 2010), as sea trials, we carried out proto-type experiments on an anti-rolling system and confirmed its effectiveness. The new concept utilizes the so-called Corioli’s effect, which appears in the rotational coordinate system. Usually, this effect is considered as virtual, but the real effect appears when a mass moves in the radial direction in a rotating coordinate system. In the case of ship rolling, the vertical motion of a mass generates Corioli’s force to finally generate anti-rolling moment. This is the reason the system was named Vertical Weight Stabilizer (VWS). This new system was invented in 1998 by Hirayama, and confirmed by the model experiments in a towing tank. Numerical simulations were carried out by the Sea and Air Control System laboratory of Yokohama National University, but the actual system could not be realized, because we could not find an appropriate actuator. The key technology for the success of the current sea experiment is the powerful, high-speed, compact actuator for the vertical movement of the weight. In this paper, we introduce this new concept by adopting a simple experiment, the control system with new actuator used in an actual sea experiment, and report on the successful results.