Search results

1 – 10 of over 1000
Article
Publication date: 28 June 2023

Lin Yang, Qiming Li and Wei Pan

This research aims to argue that manual geometric modeling is blocking the building information modeling (BIM) promotion to small-size companies. Therefore, it is necessary to…

Abstract

Purpose

This research aims to argue that manual geometric modeling is blocking the building information modeling (BIM) promotion to small-size companies. Therefore, it is necessary to study a manner of automated modeling to reduce the dependence of BIM implementation on manpower. This paper aims to make a study into such a system to propose both its theory and prototype.

Design/methodology/approach

This research took a prototyping as the methodology, which consists of three steps: (1) proposing a theoretical framework supporting automated geometric modeling process; (2) developing a prototype system based on the framework; (3) conducting a testing for the prototype system on its performance.

Findings

Previous researches into automated geometric modeling only respectively focused on a specific procedure for a particular engineering domain. No general model was abstracted to support generic geometric modeling. This paper, taking higher level of abstraction, proposed such a model that can describe general geometric modeling process to serve generic automated geometric modeling systems.

Research limitations/implications

This paper focused on only geometric modeling, skipping non-geometric information of BIM. A complete BIM model consists of geometric and non-geometric data. Therefore, the method of combination of them is on the research agenda.

Originality/value

The model proposed by this paper provide a mechanism to translate engineering geometric objects into textual representations, being able to act as the kernel of generic automated geometric modeling systems, which are expected to boost BIM promotion in industry.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 January 2024

Juelin Leng, Quan Xu, Tiantian Liu, Yang Yang and Peng Zheng

The purpose of this paper is to present an automatic approach for mesh sizing field generation of complicated  computer-aided design (CAD) models.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present an automatic approach for mesh sizing field generation of complicated  computer-aided design (CAD) models.

Design/methodology/approach

In this paper, the authors present an automatic approach for mesh sizing field generation. First, a source point extraction algorithm is applied to capture curvature and proximity features of CAD models. Second, according to the distribution of feature source points, an octree background mesh is constructed for storing element size value. Third, mesh size value on each node of background mesh is calculated by interpolating the local feature size of the nearby source points, and then, an initial mesh sizing field is obtained. Finally, a theoretically guaranteed smoothing algorithm is developed to restrict the gradient of the mesh sizing field.

Findings

To achieve high performance, the proposed approach has been implemented in multithreaded parallel using OpenMP. Numerical results demonstrate that the proposed approach is remarkably efficient to construct reasonable mesh sizing field for complicated CAD models and applicable for generating geometrically adaptive triangle/tetrahedral meshes. Moreover, since the mesh sizing field is defined on an octree background mesh, high-efficiency query of local size value could be achieved in the following mesh generation procedure.

Originality/value

How to determine a reasonable mesh size for complicated CAD models is often a bottleneck of mesh generation. For the complicated models with thousands or even ten thousands of geometric entities, it is time-consuming to construct an appropriate mesh sizing field for generating high-quality mesh. A parallel algorithm of mesh sizing field generation with low computational complexity is presented in this paper, and its usability and efficiency have been verified.

Details

Engineering Computations, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0264-4401

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 March 2023

Yanbing Ni, Yizhang Cui, Shilei Jia, Chenghao Lu and Wenliang Lu

The purpose of this paper is to propose a method for selecting the position and attitude trajectory of error measurement to improve the kinematic calibration efficiency of a one…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to propose a method for selecting the position and attitude trajectory of error measurement to improve the kinematic calibration efficiency of a one translational and two rotational (1T2R) parallel power head and to improve the error compensation effect by improving the properties of the error identification matrix.

Design/methodology/approach

First, a general mapping model between the endpoint synthesis error is established and each geometric error source. Second, a model for optimizing the position and attitude trajectory of error measurement based on sensitivity analysis results is proposed, providing a basis for optimizing the error measurement trajectory of the mechanism in the working space. Finally, distance error measurement information and principal component analysis (PCA) ideas are used to construct an error identification matrix. The robustness and compensation effect of the identification algorithm were verified by simulation and through experiments.

Findings

Through sensitivity analysis, it is found that the distribution of the sensitivity coefficient of each error source in the plane of the workspace can approximately represent its distribution in the workspace, and when the end of the mechanism moves in a circle with a large nutation angle, the comprehensive influence coefficient of each sensitivity is the largest. Residual analysis shows that the robustness of the identification algorithm with the idea of PCA is improved. Through experiments, it is found that the compensation effect is improved.

Originality/value

A model for optimizing the position and attitude trajectory of error measurement is proposed, which can effectively improve the error measurement efficiency of the 1T2R parallel mechanism. In addition, the PCA idea is introduced. A least-squares PCA error identification algorithm that improves the robustness of the identification algorithm by improving the property of the identification matrix is proposed, and the compensation effect is improved. This method has been verified by experiments on 1T2R parallel mechanism and can be extended to other similar parallel mechanisms.

Details

Industrial Robot: the international journal of robotics research and application, vol. 50 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-991X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 June 2023

Yuming Liu, Yong Zhao, Qingyuan Lin, Sheng Liu, Ende Ge and Wei Wang

This paper aims to propose a framework for optimizing the pose in the assembly process of the non-ideal parts considering the manufacturing deviations and contact deformations…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to propose a framework for optimizing the pose in the assembly process of the non-ideal parts considering the manufacturing deviations and contact deformations. Furthermore, the accuracy of the method would be verified by comparing it with the other conventional methods for calculating the optimal assembly pose.

Design/methodology/approach

First, the surface morphology of the parts with manufacturing deviations would be modeled to obtain the skin model shapes that can characterize the specific geometric features of the part. The model can provide the basis for the subsequent contact deformation analysis. Second, the simulated non-nominal components are discretized into point cloud data, and the spatial position of the feature points is corrected. Furthermore, the evaluation index to measure the assembly quality has been established, which integrates the contact deformations and the spatial relationship of the non-nominal parts’ key feature points. Third, the improved particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm combined with the finite element method is applied to the process of solving the optimal pose of the assembly, and further deformation calculations are conducted based on interference detection. Finally, the feasibility of the optimal pose prediction method is verified by a case.

Findings

The proposed method has been well suited to solve the problem of the assembly process for the non-ideal parts with complex geometric deviations. It can obtain the reasonable assembly optimal pose considering the constraints of the surface morphological features and contact deformations. This paper has verified the effectiveness of the method with an example of the shaft-hole assembly.

Research limitations/implications

The method proposed in this paper has been well suited to the problem of the assembly process for the non-ideal parts with complex geometric deviations. It can obtain the reasonable assembly optimal pose considering the constraints of the surface morphological features and contact deformations. This paper has verified the method with an example of the shaft-hole assembly.

Originality/value

The different surface morphology influenced by manufacturing deviations will lead to the various contact behaviors of the mating surfaces. The assembly problem for the components with complex geometry is usually accompanied by deformation due to the loading during the contact process, which may further affect the accuracy of the assembly. Traditional approaches often use worst-case methods such as tolerance offsets to analyze and optimize the assembly pose. In this paper, it is able to characterize the specific parts in detail by introducing the skin model shapes represented with the point cloud data. The dynamic changes in the parts' contact during the fitting process are also considered. Using the PSO method that takes into account the contact deformations improve the accuracy by 60.7% over the original method that uses geometric alignment alone. Moreover, it can optimize the range control of the contact to the maximum extent to prevent excessive deformations.

Details

Robotic Intelligence and Automation, vol. 43 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2754-6969

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 April 2023

Imad El Fatmi, Soufyane Belhenini and Abdellah Tougui

The aim of this study is to make a contribution towards reducing the deflections of silicon wafers. The deformation of silicon wafers used in the manufacture of electronic…

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this study is to make a contribution towards reducing the deflections of silicon wafers. The deformation of silicon wafers used in the manufacture of electronic micro-components is one of the most common problems encountered by industrialists during manufacturing. Stack warping is typically produced during the process of depositing thin layers on a substrate. This is due to the thermal-mechanical stresses caused by the difference between the thermal expansion coefficients of the materials. Reducing wafer deformation is essential to increase reliability and improve quality. In this paper, the authors propose an approach based on minimal geometrical modifications to reduce the deformation of a silicon wafer coated with two thin layers. Numerical finite element models have been developed to evaluate the impact of geometrical modifications on warping amplitude. Finite element models have been validated compared with experimental models. The results obtained are encouraging and clearly show a considerable reduction in wafer deformation.

Design/methodology/approach

Reducing wafer deformation is essential to increase reliability and improve quality. In this paper, the authors propose an approach based on minimal geometrical modifications to reduce the deformation of a silicon wafer coated with two thin layers. Numerical finite element models have been developed to evaluate the impact of geometrical modifications on warping amplitude. Finite element models have been validated compared with experimental models.

Findings

The results obtained are encouraging and clearly show a considerable reduction in wafer deformation.

Originality/value

This paper describes the influence of geometric modification on wafer deformation. The work show also the cruciality of stress reduction in the purpose to obtain less wafer deformation.

Details

Microelectronics International, vol. 41 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1356-5362

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 January 2024

Siming Cao, Hongfeng Wang, Yingjie Guo, Weidong Zhu and Yinglin Ke

In a dual-robot system, the relative position error is a superposition of errors from each mono-robot, resulting in deteriorated coordination accuracy. This study aims to enhance…

Abstract

Purpose

In a dual-robot system, the relative position error is a superposition of errors from each mono-robot, resulting in deteriorated coordination accuracy. This study aims to enhance relative accuracy of the dual-robot system through direct compensation of relative errors. To achieve this, a novel calibration-driven transfer learning method is proposed for relative error prediction in dual-robot systems.

Design/methodology/approach

A novel local product of exponential (POE) model with minimal parameters is proposed for error modeling. And a two-step method is presented to identify both geometric and nongeometric parameters for the mono-robots. Using the identified parameters, two calibrated models are established and combined as one dual-robot model, generating error data between the nominal and calibrated models’ outputs. Subsequently, the calibration-driven transfer, involving pretraining a neural network with sufficient generated error data and fine-tuning with a small measured data set, is introduced, enabling knowledge transfer and thereby obtaining a high-precision relative error predictor.

Findings

Experimental validation is conducted, and the results demonstrate that the proposed method has reduced the maximum and average relative errors by 45.1% and 30.6% compared with the calibrated model, yielding the values of 0.594 mm and 0.255 mm, respectively.

Originality/value

First, the proposed calibration-driven transfer method innovatively adopts the calibrated model as a data generator to address the issue of real data scarcity. It achieves high-accuracy relative error prediction with only a small measured data set, significantly enhancing error compensation efficiency. Second, the proposed local POE model achieves model minimality without the need for complex redundant parameter partitioning operations, ensuring stability and robustness in parameter identification.

Details

Industrial Robot: the international journal of robotics research and application, vol. 51 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-991X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 September 2023

Bilian Cheng, Gaoming Jiang, Junjie Zhao and Bingxian Li

The purpose of this paper is to conveniently and accurately design partial knitting knitted fabrics based on matrix transformation.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to conveniently and accurately design partial knitting knitted fabrics based on matrix transformation.

Design/methodology/approach

Using mathematical modeling, the pattern diagram block matrix and process design matrix of partial knitting knitted fabrics are established, and the process knitting diagram with parameter information is generated. Based on the establishment of the mathematical model of the process knitting diagram, a loop deformation method based on three-dimensional (3D) coordinate point matrix transformation is proposed.

Findings

The matrix transformation method can provide a suitable deformed loop mode for partial knitting knitted fabrics and helps to generate a 3D modeling diagram conveniently.

Originality/value

This paper proposed a method of design and modeling of partial knitting knitted fabric based on matrix transformation. Taking the 3D modeling effect of conventional partial knitting as an example to test the modeling method, the results show that after matrix transformation, the loop model can realize the rapid transformation and calculation of the coordinates of the control point and generate a 3D modeling diagram.

Details

International Journal of Clothing Science and Technology, vol. 35 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0955-6222

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 17 March 2022

Maher Taha El-Nimr, Ali Mohamed Basha, Mohamed Mohamed Abo-Raya and Mohamed Hamed Zakaria

To predict the real behavior of the full-scale model using a scale model, optimized simulation should be achieved. In reinforced concrete (RC) models, scaling can be substantially…

Abstract

Purpose

To predict the real behavior of the full-scale model using a scale model, optimized simulation should be achieved. In reinforced concrete (RC) models, scaling can be substantially more critical than in single-material models because of multiple reasons such as insufficient bonding strength between small-diameter steel bars and concrete, and excessive aggregate size. Overall, there is a shortfall of laboratory and field-testing studies on the behavior of secant pile walls under lateral and axial loads. Accordingly, the purpose of this study is to investigate the validity and the performance of the 1/10th scaled RC secant pile wall under the influence of different types of loading.

Design/methodology/approach

The structural performance of the examined models was evaluated using two types of tests: bending and axial compression. A self-compacting concrete mix was suggested, which provided the best concrete mix workability and appropriate compressive strength.

Findings

Under axial and bending loads, the failure modes were typical. Where the plain and reinforced concrete piles worked in tandem to support the load throughout the loading process, even when they failed. The experimental results were relatively consistent with some empirical equations for calculating the modulus of elasticity and critical buckling load. This confirmed the validity of the proposed model.

Originality/value

According to the analysis and verification of experimental tests, the proposed 1/10th scaled RC secant pile model can be used for future laboratory purposes, especially in the field of geotechnical engineering.

Details

World Journal of Engineering, vol. 20 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1708-5284

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 15 February 2024

Di Kang, Steven W. Kirkpatrick, Zhipeng Zhang, Xiang Liu and Zheyong Bian

Accurately estimating the severity of derailment is a crucial step in quantifying train derailment consequences and, thereby, mitigating its impacts. The purpose of this paper is…

Abstract

Purpose

Accurately estimating the severity of derailment is a crucial step in quantifying train derailment consequences and, thereby, mitigating its impacts. The purpose of this paper is to propose a simplified approach aimed at addressing this research gap by developing a physics-informed 1-D model. The model is used to simulate train dynamics through a time-stepping algorithm, incorporating derailment data after the point of derailment.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, a simplified approach is adopted that applies a 1-D kinematic analysis with data obtained from various derailments. These include the length and weight of the rail cars behind the point of derailment, the train braking effects, derailment blockage forces, the grade of the track and the train rolling and aerodynamic resistance. Since train braking/blockage effects and derailment blockage forces are not always available for historical or potential train derailment, it is also necessary to fit the historical data and find optimal parameters to estimate these two variables. Using these fitted parameters, a detailed comparison can be performed between the physics-informed 1-D model and previous statistical models to predict the derailment severity.

Findings

The results show that the proposed model outperforms the Truncated Geometric model (the latest statistical model used in prior research) in estimating derailment severity. The proposed model contributes to the understanding and prevention of train derailments and hazmat release consequences, offering improved accuracy for certain scenarios and train types

Originality/value

This paper presents a simplified physics-informed 1-D model, which could help understand the derailment mechanism and, thus, is expected to estimate train derailment severity more accurately for certain scenarios and train types compared with the latest statistical model. The performance of the braking response and the 1-D model is verified by comparing known ride-down profiles with estimated ones. This validation process ensures that both the braking response and the 1-D model accurately represent the expected behavior.

Details

Smart and Resilient Transportation, vol. 6 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2632-0487

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 December 2023

Zhijia Xu and Minghai Li

The asymmetry of the velocity profile caused by geometric deformation, complex turbulent motion and other factors must be considered to effectively use the flowmeter on any…

Abstract

Purpose

The asymmetry of the velocity profile caused by geometric deformation, complex turbulent motion and other factors must be considered to effectively use the flowmeter on any section. This study aims to better capture the flow field information and establish a model to predict the profile velocity, we take the classical double elbow as the research object and propose to divide the flow field into three categories with certain common characteristics.

Design/methodology/approach

The deep learning method is used to establish the model of multipath linear velocity fitting profile average velocity. A total of 480 groups of data are taken for training and validation, with ten integer velocity flow fields from 1 m/s to 10 m/s. Finally, accuracy research with relative error as standard is carried out.

Findings

The numerical experiment yielded the following promising results: the maximum relative error is approximately 1%, and in the majority of cases, the relative error is significantly lower than 1%. These results demonstrate that it surpasses the classical optimization algorithm Equal Tab (5%) and the traditional artificial neural network (3%) in the same scenario. In contrast with the previous research on a fixed profile, we focus on all the velocity profiles of a certain length for the first time, which can expand the application scope of a multipath ultrasonic flowmeter and promote the research on flow measurement in any section.

Originality/value

This work proposes to divide the flow field of double elbow into three categories with certain common characteristics to better capture the flow field information and establish a model to predict the profile velocity.

Details

Sensor Review, vol. 44 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0260-2288

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 1000