Search results
1 – 10 of over 1000Bohao Xu, Xiaodong Tan, Xizhi Gu, Donghong Ding, Yuelin Deng, Zhe Chen and Jing Xu
Once an uneven substrate is aligned, traditional control theories and methods can be used on it, so aligning is of great significance for the development of wire and arc…
Abstract
Purpose
Once an uneven substrate is aligned, traditional control theories and methods can be used on it, so aligning is of great significance for the development of wire and arc additive manufacturing (WAAM). This paper aims to propose a shape-driven control method for aligning a substrate with slopes to expand the application of WAAM.
Design/methodology/approach
A substrate with slopes must be aligned by depositing weld beads with slopes. First, considering the large height differences of slopes, multi-layer deposition is needed, and the number of layer of weld beads must be ascertained. Second, the change in the deposition rate is controlled as a ramp function to generate weld beads with slopes. Third, the variation of the deposition rate must be fine-tuned to compensate for the deviation between the actual and theoretical layer heights at the deposition of each layer. Finally, the parameters of the ramp functions at the deposition of each layer are determined through an optimization method.
Findings
First, to model the response function of layer height to deposition rate, the experiments are conducted with the deposition rate jumping from 4 to 8 mm/s and from 8 to 4 mm/s. When the deposition rate jumps from 4 to 8 mm/s and from 8 to 4 mm/s, the difference in the height of each layer decreases as the number of layer increases. Second, the variation of the deposition rate can be fine-tuned based on the deviation between the measured and theoretical layer heights because the variation of the deposition rate is proportional to the layer height when the initial and end deposition rates are near 4 or 8 mm/s, respectively. Third, the experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method is effective for single-layer aligning and aligning a substrate with one or more slopes.
Originality/value
The proposed method can expand the application of WAAM to an uneven substrate with slopes and lays the foundation for aligning tasks focused on uneven substrates with more complex shapes.
Details
Keywords
Hai‐Yan Li, Xue‐Ren Zhang, Xiao‐Jun Yan and Jing‐Xu Nie
A new reverse educing method (REM) is presented to estimate the vibrational stress on rotating aeroengine blades from the actual fracture section. This method does not…
Abstract
A new reverse educing method (REM) is presented to estimate the vibrational stress on rotating aeroengine blades from the actual fracture section. This method does not conform to the traditional calculating method, but involves the reverse solution idea. The value of the crack propagation ratio da/dN can be obtained from the actual fracture section of the blade, and then the vibrational stress on rotating blades can be calculated through static computation, modal analysis and crack stress intensity factor calculation. The result is very significant for fault diagnosing and shooting of aeroengine blades.
Details
Keywords
Jing Xu, Xiaoju Long, Jiaojing Zhang and Song Wu
A novel semiconducting macromolecule-polyperylene tetraamide (PPTI) was first synthesized with a simple method using 3, 4, 9, 10-perylene tetracarboxylic acid (PTCA) and…
Abstract
Purpose
A novel semiconducting macromolecule-polyperylene tetraamide (PPTI) was first synthesized with a simple method using 3, 4, 9, 10-perylene tetracarboxylic acid (PTCA) and hydrazine hydrate (N2H4).
Design/methodology/approach
The Ag nanoparticle was doped on the surface or inside of the PPTI film to obtain a highly sensitive hydrazine sensor-Ag/PPTI, which was synthesized within one step. The structure of Ag/PPTI was characterized through various techniques such as Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements (XPS) and scanning electronic microscopy (SEM).
Findings
According to cyclic voltammetry results, Ag/PPTI/GCE indicated good electrocatalytic activity toward the oxidation of hydrazine. The amperometric detection of hydrazine was then applied on Ag/PPTI/GCE. It exhibited a wide linear range from 0.05 to 50 µM, a low detection limit (S/N = 3) of 0.05 µM and high sensitivity of 0.45 µA/(µM•cm2).
Originality/value
In authors’ perception, this approach emerges as an effective technique for developing efficient chemical sensors for environmental pollutants.
Details
Keywords
Kuangen Zhang, MinHui Shi, Jing Xu, Feng Liu and Ken Chen
This paper aims to realize the automatic assembly process for multiple rigid peg-in-hole components.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to realize the automatic assembly process for multiple rigid peg-in-hole components.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper develops fuzzy force control strategies for the rigid dual peg-in-hole assembly. Firstly the fuzzy force control strategies are presented. Secondly the contact states and contact forces are analyzed to prove the availability of the force control strategies.
Findings
The rigid dual peg-in-hole assembly experimental results show the effectiveness of the control strategies.
Originality/value
This paper proposes fuzzy force control strategies for a rigid dual peg-in-hole assembly task.
Details
Keywords
Guolei Wang, Xiaotong Hua, Jing Xu, Libin Song and Ken Chen
This paper aims to achieve automatically surface segmentation for painting different kinds of aircraft efficiently considering the demands of painting robot.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to achieve automatically surface segmentation for painting different kinds of aircraft efficiently considering the demands of painting robot.
Design/methodology/approach
This project creatively proposed one method that accepts point cloud, outputs several blocks, each of which can be handled by ABB IRB 5500 in one station. Parallel PointNet (PPN) is proposed in this paper for better handling six dimensional aircraft data including every point normal. Through semantic segmentation of PPN, each surface has its own identity information indicating which part this surface belongs to. Then clustering considering constraints is applied to complete surface segmentation with identity information. To guarantee segmentation paintable and improve painting efficiency, different dexterous workspaces of IRB 5500 corresponding to different postures have been analyzed carefully.
Findings
The experiments confirm the effectiveness of the proposed surface segmentation method for painting different types of aircraft by IRB 5500. For semantic segmentation on aircraft data with point normal, PPN has higher precision than PointNet. In addition, the whole algorithm can efficiently segment one complex aircraft into qualified blocks, each of which has its own identity information, can be painted by IRB 5500 in one station and has fewer edges with other blocks.
Research limitations/implications
As the provided experiments indicate, the proposed method can segment one aircraft into qualified blocks automatically, which highly improves the efficiency in aircraft painting compared with traditional approaches. Moreover, the proposed method is able to provide identity information of each block, which is necessary for application of different paint parameters and different paint materials. In addition, final segmentation results by the proposed method behaves better than k-means cluster on variance of normal vector distance.
Originality/value
Inspired by semantic segmentation of 3 D point cloud, some improvements based on PointNet have been proposed for better handling segmentation of 6 D point cloud. By introducing normal vectors, semantic segmentation could be accomplished precisely for close points with opposite normal, such as wing upper and lower surfaces. Combining deep learning skills with traditional methods, the proposed method is proved to behave much better for surface segmentation task in aircraft painting.
Details
Keywords
Zhou Shao, Sha Yuan, Yongli Wang and Jing Xu
This paper throws light on some of the nature of artificial intelligence (AI) development, which will serve as a starter for helping to advance its development.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper throws light on some of the nature of artificial intelligence (AI) development, which will serve as a starter for helping to advance its development.
Design/methodology/approach
This work reveals the evolutions and trends of AI from four dimensions: research, output, influence and competition through leveraging academic knowledge graph with 130,750 AI scholars and 43,746 scholarly articles.
Findings
The authors unearth that the “research convergence” phenomenon becomes more evident in current AI research for scholars' highly similar research interests in different regions. The authors notice that Pareto's principle applies to AI scholars' outputs, and the outputs have been increasing at an explosive rate in the past two decades. The authors discover that top works dominate the AI academia, for they attracted considerable attention. Finally, the authors delve into AI competition, which accelerates technology development, talent flow, and collaboration.
Originality/value
The work aims to throw light on the nature of AI development, which will serve as a starter for helping to advance its development. The work will help us to have a more comprehensive and profound understanding of the evolutions and trends, which bridge the gap between literature research and AI development as well as enlighten the way the authors promote AI development and its strategy formulation.
Details
Keywords
Heping Chen, Jing Xu, Biao Zhang and Thomas Fuhlbrigge
High precision assembly processes using industrial robots require the process parameters to be tuned to achieve desired performance such as cycle time and first time…
Abstract
Purpose
High precision assembly processes using industrial robots require the process parameters to be tuned to achieve desired performance such as cycle time and first time through rate. Some researchers proposed methods such as design-of-experiments (DOE) to obtain optimal parameters. However, these methods only discuss how to find the optimal parameters if the part and/or workpiece location errors are in a certain range. In real assembly processes, the part and/or workpiece location errors could be different from batch to batch. Therefore, the existing methods have some limitations. This paper aims to improve the process parameter optimization method for complex robotic assembly process.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, the parameter optimization process based on DOE with different part and/or workpiece location errors is investigated. An online parameter optimization method is also proposed.
Findings
Experimental results demonstrate that the optimal parameters for different initial conditions are different and larger initial part and/or workpiece location errors will cause longer cycle time. Therefore, to improve the assembly process performance, the initial part and/or workpiece location errors should be compensated first, and the optimal parameters in production should be changed once the initial tool position is compensated. Experimental results show that the proposed method is very promising in reducing the cycle time in assembly processes.
Research limitations/implications
The proposed method is practical without any limitation.
Practical implications
The proposed technique is implemented and tested using a real industrial application, a valve body assembly process. Hence, the developed method can be directly implemented in production.
Originality/value
This paper provides a technique to improve the assembly efficiency by compensating the initial part location errors. An online parameter optimization method is also proposed to automatically perform the parameter optimization process without human intervention. Compared with the results using other methods, the proposed technology can greatly reduce the assembly cycle time.
Details
Keywords
Jing Xu, Xizhi Gu, Donghong Ding, Zengxi Pan and Ken Chen
The purpose of this paper is to systematically review the published slicing methods for additive manufacturing (AM), especially the multi-direction and non-layerwise…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to systematically review the published slicing methods for additive manufacturing (AM), especially the multi-direction and non-layerwise slicing methods, which are particularly suitable for the directed energy deposition (DED) process to improve the surface quality and eliminate the usage of support structures.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, the published slicing methods are clarified into three categories: the traditional slicing methods (e.g. the basic and adaptive slicing methods) performed in the powder bed fusion (PBF) system, the multi-direction slicing methods and non-layerwise slicing methods used in DED systems. The traditional slicing methods are reviewed only briefly because a review article already exists for them, and the latter two slicing methods are reviewed comprehensively with further discussion and outlook.
Findings
A few traditional slicing approaches were developed in the literature, including basic and adaptive slicing methods. These methods are efficient and robust when they are performed in the PBF system. However, they are retarded in the DED process because costly support structures are required to sustain overhanging parts and their surface quality and contour accuracy are not satisfactory. This limitation has led to the development of various multi-direction and non-layerwise slicing methods to improve the surface quality and enable the production of overhangs with minimum supports.
Originality/value
An original review of the AM slicing methods is provided in this paper. For the traditional slicing methods and the multi-direction and non-layerwise slicing method, the published slicing strategies are discussed and compared. Recommendations for future slicing work are also provided.
Details
Keywords
Zhimin Hou, Markus Philipp, Kuangen Zhang, Yong Guan, Ken Chen and Jing Xu
This paper aims to present an optimization algorithm combined with the impedance control strategy to optimize the robotic dual peg-in-hole assembly task, and to reduce the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to present an optimization algorithm combined with the impedance control strategy to optimize the robotic dual peg-in-hole assembly task, and to reduce the assembly time and smooth the contact forces during assembly process with a small number of experiments.
Design/methodology/approach
Support vector regression is used to predict the fitness of genes in evolutionary algorithm, which can reduce the number of real-world experiments. The control parameters of the impedance control strategy are defined as genes, and the assembly time is defined as the fitness of genes to evaluate the performance of the selected parameters.
Findings
The learning-based evolutionary algorithm is proposed to optimize the dual peg-in-hole assembly process only requiring little prior knowledge instead of modeling for the complex contact states. A virtual simulation and real-world experiments are implemented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
Practical implications
The proposed algorithm is quite useful for the real-world industrial applications, especially the scenarios only allowing a small number of trials.
Originality/value
The paper provides a new solution for applying optimization techniques in real-world tasks. The learning component can solve the data efficiency of the model-free optimization algorithms.
Details