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The purpose of this paper is to research the hardened properties of non-dispersible concrete in seawater environment, especially in seawater environment.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to research the hardened properties of non-dispersible concrete in seawater environment, especially in seawater environment.
Design/methodology/approach
The main approach is according to the experiment.
Findings
The findings of this paper are: first, because of the washing effect of water, the strength of underwater non-dispersible concrete is lower than that of terrestrial concrete. Second, the strength of non-dispersible underwater concrete with silica fume increases remarkably at different ages. Third, underwater non-dispersible concrete does not produce new products when it is formed and cured in seawater.
Originality/value
In this paper, underwater non-dispersible concrete is formed and maintained on land, freshwater and seawater by underwater pouring method. The working performance, mechanical properties and durability of underwater non-dispersible concrete mixtures after hardening are tested.
Details
Keywords
Hu Luo, Haobin Ruan and Dawei Tu
The purpose of this paper is to propose a whole set of methods for underwater target detection, because most underwater objects have small samples, low quality underwater images…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose a whole set of methods for underwater target detection, because most underwater objects have small samples, low quality underwater images problems such as detail loss, low contrast and color distortion, and verify the feasibility of the proposed methods through experiments.
Design/methodology/approach
The improved RGHS algorithm to enhance the original underwater target image is proposed, and then the YOLOv4 deep learning network for underwater small sample targets detection is improved based on the combination of traditional data expansion method and Mosaic algorithm, expanding the feature extraction capability with SPP (Spatial Pyramid Pooling) module after each feature extraction layer to extract richer feature information.
Findings
The experimental results, using the official dataset, reveal a 3.5% increase in average detection accuracy for three types of underwater biological targets compared to the traditional YOLOv4 algorithm. In underwater robot application testing, the proposed method achieves an impressive 94.73% average detection accuracy for the three types of underwater biological targets.
Originality/value
Underwater target detection is an important task for underwater robot application. However, most underwater targets have the characteristics of small samples, and the detection of small sample targets is a comprehensive problem because it is affected by the quality of underwater images. This paper provides a whole set of methods to solve the problems, which is of great significance to the application of underwater robot.
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Keywords
Hanisah Mohd Zali, Mohd Khairil Adzhar Mahmood, Idnin Pasya, Miyuki Hirose and Nurulazlina Ramli
Utilization of electromagnetic wave (EMW) sensors in an underwater environment has the potential to increase the data rate compared to acoustic-based sensors because of the…
Abstract
Purpose
Utilization of electromagnetic wave (EMW) sensors in an underwater environment has the potential to increase the data rate compared to acoustic-based sensors because of the ability to use larger signal bandwidth. Nevertheless, EMW signals has the drawback of large signal attenuation in underwater, attributed to the high relative permittivity and conductivity of water compared to the atmosphere, hence employment of wide signal bandwidth is necessary to balance the data rate-attenuation trade-off. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the characteristics of both narrowband and wideband EMW signal propagation underwater and devise a path loss model for both cases.
Design/methodology/approach
Path loss measurement was conducted using a point-to-point configuration in a laboratory water tank while transmitting narrowband and wideband signals between a pair of wideband underwater antennas. The wideband underwater antennas use buffer-layer structures as the impedance matching layer to optimize the antenna performance when operating underwater. The path loss for narrowband signal was modeled using a multi-layer propagation equation in lossy medium considering losses at the medium boundaries. For the case of the wideband signal, a modified version of the model introducing power integration over bandwidth is adopted. These models were formulated through numerical simulations and verified by measurements.
Findings
The measured narrowband path loss marked an 80 dB attenuation using 800 MHz at 2 m distance. The proposed narrowband model agrees well with the measurements, with approximately 3 dB modeling error. Utilization of the proposed wideband path loss model resulted in a reduction of the gradient of the path loss curve compared to the case of the narrowband signal. The measured wideband path loss at 2 m distance underwater was approximately −65 dB, which has been shown to enable a working signal-to-noise ratio of 15 dB. This proves the potential of realizing high data rate transmission using the wideband signal.
Originality/value
The paper proposed a wideband propagation model for an underwater EMW sensor network, using power integration over bandwidth. The effectiveness of using wideband EMW signals in reducing path loss is highlighted, which is seldom discussed in the literature. This result will be of useful reference for using wideband signals in designing a high data rate transmission system in underwater wireless sensor networks, for example, in link budget, performance estimation and parameter design of suitable transmission scheme.
Details
Keywords
Wu Huijun, Zhan Diao and Kaizuo Fan
The purpose of this paper is to focus on the durability of underwater non-dispersible concrete in seawater environment.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to focus on the durability of underwater non-dispersible concrete in seawater environment.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, ten groups of underwater non-dispersible concrete mixtures were designed, and the anti-dispersibility and fluidity of the mixtures were tested.
Findings
The durability test analysis shows that different pouring methods have different effects on the durability of concrete. The durability of concrete poured on land is better than that poured in water. Different mineral admixtures have different effects on the durability of concrete: the frost resistance of the underwater non-dispersible concrete specimens with silica fume is the best; the impermeability and chloride ion permeability of the non-dispersible underwater concrete specimens with waterproofing agent are the best; and the alternation of wetting and drying has adverse effects on the durability indexes of the non-dispersible underwater concrete.
Originality/value
The durability of underwater non-dispersible concrete is tested and the results can be used for reference in engineering practice.
Details
Keywords
Zhuoyu Zhang, Lijia Zhong, Mingwei Lin, Ri Lin and Dejun Li
Docking technology plays a crucial role in enabling long-duration operations of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). Visual positioning solutions alone are susceptible to…
Abstract
Purpose
Docking technology plays a crucial role in enabling long-duration operations of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). Visual positioning solutions alone are susceptible to abnormal drift values due to the challenging underwater optical imaging environment. When an AUV approaches the docking station, the absolute positioning method fails if the AUV captures an insufficient number of tracers. This study aims to to provide a more stable absolute position visual positioning method for underwater terminal visual docking.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper presents a six-degree-of-freedom positioning method for AUV terminal visual docking, which uses lights and triangle codes. The authors use an extended Kalman filter to fuse the visual calculation results with inertial measurement unit data. Moreover, this paper proposes a triangle code recognition and positioning algorithm.
Findings
The authors conducted a simulation experiment to compare the underwater positioning performance of triangle codes, AprilTag and Aruco. The results demonstrate that the implemented triangular code reduces the running time by over 70% compared to the other two codes, and also exhibits a longer recognition distance in turbid environments. Subsequent experiments were carried out in Qingjiang Lake, Hubei Province, China, which further confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed positioning algorithm.
Originality/value
This fusion approach effectively mitigates abnormal drift errors stemming from visual positioning and cumulative errors resulting from inertial navigation. The authors also propose a triangle code recognition and positioning algorithm as a supplementary approach to overcome the limitations of tracer light positioning beacons.
Details
Keywords
Mengran Liu, Qiang Zeng, Zeming Jian, Lei Nie and Jun Tu
Acoustic signals of the underwater targets are susceptible to noise, reverberation, submarine topography and biology, therefore it is difficult to precisely locate underwater…
Abstract
Purpose
Acoustic signals of the underwater targets are susceptible to noise, reverberation, submarine topography and biology, therefore it is difficult to precisely locate underwater targets. This paper proposes a new underwater Hanbury Brown-Twiss (HBT) interference passive localization method. This study aims to achieve precise location of the underwater acoustic targets.
Design/methodology/approach
The principle of HBT interference with ultrasensitive detection characteristics in optical measurements was introduced in the field of hydroacoustics. The coherence of the underwater target signal was analyzed using the HBT interference measurement principle, and the corresponding relationship between the signal coherence and target position was obtained. Consequently, an HBT interference localization model was established, and its validity was verified through simulations and experiments.
Findings
The effects of different array structures on the localization performance were obtained by simulation analysis, and the simulations confirmed that the HBT method exhibited a higher positioning accuracy than conventional beamforming. In addition, the experimental analysis demonstrated the excellent positioning performance of the HBT method, which verified the feasibility of the proposed method.
Originality/value
This study provides a new method for the passive localization of underwater targets, which may be widely used in the field of oceanic explorations.
Details
Keywords
Bo Chen and Jicai Feng
The purpose of this paper was to use visual and arc sensors to simultaneously obtain the underwater wet welding information, and a weld seam-forming model was made to predict the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper was to use visual and arc sensors to simultaneously obtain the underwater wet welding information, and a weld seam-forming model was made to predict the weld seam's geometric parameters. It is difficult to obtain a fine welding quality in underwater welding because of the intense disturbances of the water environment. To automatically control the welding quality, the weld seam-forming model should first be established. Thus, the foundation was laid for automatically controlling the underwater welding seam-forming quality.
Design/methodology/approach
Visual and arc sensors were used simultaneously to obtain the weld seam image, current and voltage information; then signal algorithms were used to process the information, and the back propagation (BP) neural network was used to model the process.
Findings
Experiment results showed that the BP neural network model could precisely predict the weld seam-forming parameters of underwater wet welding.
Originality/value
A weld seam-forming model of underwater wet welding process was made; this laid the foundation for establishing a controller for controlling the underwater wet welding process automatically.
Ying Guo, Qinghe Han, Jinxin Wang and Xu Yu
Localization is one of the critical issues in Ocean Internet of Things (OITs). The existing research results of localization in OITs are very limited. It poses many challenges due…
Abstract
Purpose
Localization is one of the critical issues in Ocean Internet of Things (OITs). The existing research results of localization in OITs are very limited. It poses many challenges due to the difficulty of deploy beacon accurately, the difficulty of transmission distance estimation in harsh ocean environment and the underwater node mobility. This paper aims to provide a novel localization algorithm to solve these problems.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper takes the ship with accurate position as a beacon, analyzes the relationship between underwater energy attenuation and node distance and takes them into OITs localization algorithm design. Then, it studies the movement regulation of underwater nodes in the action of ocean current, and designs an Energy-aware Localization Algorithm (ELA) for OITs.
Findings
Proposing an ELA. ELA takes the ship with accurate position information as a beacon to solve the problem of beacon deployment. ELA does not need to calculate the information transmission distance which solves the problem of distance estimation. It takes underwater node movement regulation into computation to solve the problem of node mobility.
Originality value
This paper provides an ELA based on the relationship between propagation energy attenuation and node distance for OITs. It solves the problem of localization in dynamic underwater networks.
Details
Keywords
Ling Chen, Sen Wang, Klaus McDonald‐Maier and Huosheng Hu
The main purpose of this paper is to investigate two key elements of localization and mapping of Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV), i.e. to overview various sensors and…
Abstract
Purpose
The main purpose of this paper is to investigate two key elements of localization and mapping of Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV), i.e. to overview various sensors and algorithms used for underwater localization and mapping, and to make suggestions for future research.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors first review various sensors and algorithms used for AUVs in the terms of basic working principle, characters, their advantages and disadvantages. The statistical analysis is carried out by studying 35 AUV platforms according to the application circumstances of sensors and algorithms.
Findings
As real‐world applications have different requirements and specifications, it is necessary to select the most appropriate one by balancing various factors such as accuracy, cost, size, etc. Although highly accurate localization and mapping in an underwater environment is very difficult, more and more accurate and robust navigation solutions will be achieved with the development of both sensors and algorithms.
Research limitations/implications
This paper provides an overview of the state of art underwater localisation and mapping algorithms and systems. No experiments are conducted for verification.
Practical implications
The paper will give readers a clear guideline to find suitable underwater localisation and mapping algorithms and systems for their practical applications in hand.
Social implications
There is a wide range of audiences who will benefit from reading this comprehensive survey of autonomous localisation and mapping of UAVs.
Originality/value
The paper will provide useful information and suggestions to research students, engineers and scientists who work in the field of autonomous underwater vehicles.
Details
Keywords
Diving has become a popular tourism activity for professionals and novices. Coral reefs or other types of natural sources are still the most preferred diving sites. However, they…
Abstract
Diving has become a popular tourism activity for professionals and novices. Coral reefs or other types of natural sources are still the most preferred diving sites. However, they are under threat for many reasons, for example, climate change, intensive human activities or commercial use. Many countries have promoted artificial reefs to protect coral reefs and create new attractions for tourists. These new underwater atmospheres have changed diving and diving experiences. Wrecks, vessels, monuments, hotels, sunken cities or other types of artificial reef forms invite divers to discover and explore the human-driven underwater environment with novelty seeking, photographic opportunities and mysterious surroundings. This atmospheric turn has brought many advantages to communities, stakeholders and nations with socio-economic benefits, advantages in sustainability management and destination image. This chapter examines the range of underwater atmospheres in different structures and countries and explores their potential benefits.
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