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Optimal control of race car with aerodynamic slipstreaming effect
Get PDFThis article presents a new method to describe the aerodynamics slipstreaming effect on the downstream car. This new approach can be implemented in lap time simulations (LTSs) and used to study the optimal trajectory of a downstream car operating in the wake of an upstream car. Two different scenarios are investigated using this method. In the energy-saving scenario for electric racing cars, the result shows the optimal strategy varies depending on the upstream car’s pace and the initial gap between the two cars. Chasing to stay in the wake is less effective when the initial gap is relatively big. In the overtaking scenario on an oval track, it is shown that the wake of the upstream car benefits the downstream car’s acceleration but, meanwhile, reduces the lateral performance limit of the downstream car due to downforce loss. In order to maintain a competitive performance, it is essential for the downstream car to choose an alternative racing line to drive outside the wake when braking and passing through a corner.IEEE Transactions on Control Systems Technolog
Paradigm of integrative OMICS of microbial technology towards biorefinery prospects
Get PDFClimate change, finite natural resources, and increasing population necessitate producing sustainable energy with positive economic growth. Recent advances in OMICS coupled with genome editing and synthetic biology have paved the way for the development of sustainable technologies. These techniques help identify critical genes/pathways and re-construct and redesign biological pathways to develop eco-friendly and economically viable industrial metabolites. With the help of microbial technology, biorefinery-related research is actively pursued in many countries to develop microbial strains, producing varied value-added biochemicals and biofuels. The application of multi-omics data in deciphering key genes, their manipulation, and outcomes implies the domain's potential to find new horizons in biorefineries using microbial factories to produce various biofuels and biorefinery products. This review illustrates OMICS role in developing industrial chemicals and microbial biorefineries. Besides, prospects for genome editing and synthetic biology have been elucidated.Biocatalysis and Agricultural Biotechnolog
A unified framework for digital twin development in manufacturing
Get PDFThe concept of digital twin (DT) is undergoing rapid transformation and attracting increased attention across industries. It is recognised as an innovative technology offering real-time monitoring, simulation, optimisation, accurate forecasting and bi-directional feedback between physical and digital objects. Despite extensive academic and industrial research, DT has not yet been properly understood and implemented by many industries, due to challenges identified during its development. Existing literature shows that there is a lack of a unified framework to build DT, a lack of standardisation in the development, and challenges related to coherent goals of DT in a multi-disciplinary team engaged in the design, development and implementation of DT to a larger scale system. To address these challenges, this study introduces a unified framework for DT development, emphasising reusability and scalability. The framework harmonises existing DT frameworks by unifying concepts and process development. It facilitates the integration of heterogeneous data types and ensures a continuous flow of information among data sources, simulation models and visualisation platforms. Scalability is achieved through ontology implementation, while employing an agent-based approach, it monitors physical asset performance, automatically detects faults, checks repair status and offers operators feedback on asset demand, availability and health conditions. The effectiveness of the proposed DT framework is validated through its application to a real-world case study involving five interconnected air compressors located at the Connected Facility at Devonport Royal Dockyard, UK. The DT automatically and remotely monitors the performance and health status of compressors, providing guidance to humans on fault repair. This guidance dynamically adapts based on feedback from the DT. Analyses of the results demonstrate that the proposed DT increases the facility’s operation availability and enhances decision-making by promptly and accurately detecting faults.This research was funded by the supported by the EPSRC, UK as part of the ‘Digital Toolkit for optimisation of operators and technology in manufacturing partnerships’ project (DigiTOP; https://digitop.ac.uk; EP/R032718/1), the Centre for Digital Engineering and Manufacturing at Cranfield University and Babcock International.Advanced Engineering Informatic
Seeking for effectiveness of sustainability entrepreneurial education programs: a multiple case analysis
Get PDFThe urgency of environmental challenges necessitates educational programs that equip future entrepreneurs with practical sustainability-specific skills and knowledge. Accordingly, this article compares sustainability entrepreneurial education program cases using action research at the University of California San Diego (startBlue and Innovation-CORPS [I-CORPS]) and Cranfield University (Ideas-to-Innovation and [i2i] Energy Entrepreneurship) specific to pedagogical approaches like experiential learning, transdisciplinary collaboration, community mentors, and practical examples. Findings highlight multiple achievements—underrepresented founder involvement, United Nations Sustainable Development Goal alignment, and early value development signal identification. Practically, such insights can guide educators, policymakers, and program designers in enhancing sustainability entrepreneurial education, fostering innovation, and addressing local and regional sustainability challenges through collaboration and practical applications. Also, there are actionable recommendations to facilitate knowledge, skill, and competency development with entrepreneurs, investors, and other stakeholders, thereby aiding sustainability-focused venture development, growth, and success.Journal of the International Council for Small Busines
A collaborative robotic system for entering and mapping Martian caves
Get PDFMartian caves represent prime locations for investigating evidence of extinct or extant life. In this paper, we propose a technology demonstration mission for Martian cave exploration using a heterogeneous robotic system. Heterogeneous systems are advantageous for Martian cave exploration due to their specialisation for specific tasks, flexibility, and adaptability to diverse conditions. Our mission focuses on the exploration of type 1 atypical pit crater caves in the Elysium Mons region due to their scientific value regarding the potential existence of life and ice water deposits. These caves, situated near the equator, offer low elevation and reduced radiation effects, ensuring safer landing conditions and high scientific outputs. Our mission considers the design of a robotic system capable of entering and mapping the cave environment under five work packages (System, Mission, Payload, Electrical and Mechanical). A risk analysis, concept of operations and budget were established to make sure the requirements and objectives of the mission were fulfilled. To accomplish this mission, we have traded-off different rover locomotion concepts and selected a heterogeneous robotic system comprising a wheeled rover and a multi-rotor aerial robot in a parent-child configuration. The mission is defined in multiple phases starting with the traversal of the wheeled rover and the aerial robot from the landing site to the selected cave. Once at the cave entrance, the rover scans the circumference, and the aerial robot goes into the cave through the entrance to map it. The aerial robot will use a Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping (SLAM) algorithm along with a LIDAR to map and navigate the cave’s interior. The wheeled rover (parent ship), powered by solar arrays, serves as a communication and recharging station at the cave entrance. Using a docking station, it will enable the aerial robot to recharge and communicate with Earth. The cave entry and mapping are demonstrated with a simulation to test the viability of the proposed approach. The proposed autonomy of the heterogeneous robotic system is demonstrated using simulation results in MATLAB Simulink.75th International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2024
On the conditions for absolute minimum fuel burn for turbofan powered, civil transport aircraft and a simple model for wave drag
Get PDFIn a recent series of papers, Poll and Schumann have been developing a simple model for estimating fuel burn for turbofan powered, civil transport aircraft for a given mass, Mach number and flight level and in a specified ambient temperature profile for all phases of flight. This paper focuses upon the combination of Mach number and flight level at which an aircraft cruises with the absolute minimum fuel burn. For a given aircraft type, the information necessary to determine these conditions must be specified and this poses a challenge. An initial attempt to obtain these data has been described previously by the first author. In this paper, the optimum conditions are found using a completely different approach. Starting from first principles and using established theory, the equations governing the situation where engine overall efficiency and airframe lift-to-drag ratio both have local maxima at the same flight condition are developed. This special case is termed the “design optimum” condition and, for a specified aircraft mass and a specified atmospheric temperature versus pressure profile, it gives the lowest possible fuel burn for any aircraft and engine combination. The design optimum occurs at a particular Mach number and Reynolds number, and it is a fixed characteristic of the aircraft. The analysis reveals the significance of Reynolds number variations, wave drag, including its derivatives with respect to both lift coefficient and Mach number, and the atmospheric properties. Whilst wave drag is notoriously difficult to determine accurately, it is found that solutions to the equations are not particularly sensitive to the accuracy of this quantity. Consequently, a simple, physically realistic model can give good results. An appropriate model is developed and a complete, approximate solution is obtained. Taking the International Standard Atmosphere as the design atmosphere, results are presented for the 53 aircraft types previously considered by Poll and Schumann. Relative to the design optimum conditions, when Reynolds number is constant and wave drag is zero, compressibility alone reduces L/D by about 5%, reduces lift coefficient by about 1.5% and increases drag coefficient by about 3.5%. Reynolds number variation has little effect upon L/D, but it reduces lift coefficient and drag coefficient by a further 7% and 8% respectively. The reduction in lift coefficient has a significant impact on the optimum cruise flight level.
In general, an aircraft’s operating optimum will not coincide with its design optimum, but deviations are expected to be small. Therefore, using the design optimum solution as a reference point, an improved version of the operating optimum estimation method described by Poll and Schumann in previous work is developed. This allows the estimation of the conditions for absolute minimum fuel burn for an aircraft of given mass flying thorough any atmosphere. Updated coefficients for the 53 aircraft types are given.The Aeronautical Journa
Uncovering Drone Intentions using Control Physics Informed Machine Learning: data
No full textThis repository provides the data and code of the paper "Uncovering Drone Intentions using Control Physics Informed Machine Learning"UKRI Trustworthy Autonomous Systems Node in Securit
Mathematical complexities in modelling damage in spur gears
Get PDFAnalytical modelling is an effective approach to obtaining a gear dynamic response or vibration pattern for health monitoring and useful life prediction. Many researchers have modelled this response with various fault conditions commonly observed in gears. The outcome of such models provides a good idea about the changes in the dynamic response available between different gear health states. Hence, a catalogue of the responses is currently available, which ought to aid predictions of the health of actual gears by their vibration patterns. However, these analytical models are limited in providing solutions to useful life prediction. This may be because a majority of these models used single fault conditions for modelling and are not valid to predict the remaining life of gears undergoing more than one fault condition. Existing reviews related to gear faults and dynamic modelling can provide an overview of fault modes, methods for modelling and health prediction. However, these reviews are unable to provide the critical similarities and differences in the single-fault dynamic models to ascertain the possibility of developing models under combined fault modes. In this paper, existing analytical models of spur gears are reviewed with their associated challenges to predict the gear health state. Recommendations for establishing more realistic models are made especially in the context of modelling combined faults and their possible impact on gear dynamic response and health prediction.Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), Nigeria for award of scholarship for PhD research, reference number: PTDF/ED/OSS/PHD/AGO/2038/22 and the University of Benin, Nigeria.Machine
20230805-Crater Details FINAL.xlsx
No full textThis data set compares surface explosions for spherical and hexahedral charges in alluvial soil