A Bionic Spatial Cognition Model and Method for Robots Based on the Hippocampus Mechanism

The hippocampus and its accessory are the main areas for spatial cognition. It can integrate paths and form environmental cognition based on motion information and then realize positioning and navigation. Learning from the hippocampus mechanism is a crucial way forward for research in robot perception, so it is crucial to building a calculation method that conforms to the biological principle. In addition, it should be easy to implement on a robot. This paper proposes a bionic cognition model and method for mobile robots, which can realize precise path integration and cognition of space. Our research can provide the basis for the cognition of the environment and autonomous navigation for bionic robots.

Study on the Non-Steady-State Wear Characteristics and Test of the Flow Passage Components of Deep-Sea Mining Pumps

In the process of conveying coarse-grained minerals, the internal flow-through passage components of mining pumps are subject to wear. The flow of coarse particles in such pumps is complex and changes constantly, making it necessary to study the non-steady-state wear characteristics and test the flow passage components. The evolution of the surface wear rate for the flow passage components during one third of a rotation cycle (120°) of a mining pump impeller with small, design, and large flow rates was analyzed in this study based on a discrete phase model (DPM). The flow that occurs during an entire rotation cycle of the impeller was investigated. The wear test was carried out with a small test pump with the same specific speed as and a similar structure to that of the deep-sea mining pump. The test results were compared with the numerical calculation results of the deep-sea mining pump obtained by using the same numerical calculation method and wear model, and the test wear area was found to be more consistent with the numerical calculation wear area. The results show that the numerical calculation method used in this article can more accurately predict the surface wear of the passage components of the mining pump and provides a suitable method for the prediction of the wear characteristics of the mining pump.

Strength of Normal and Inclined Sections of Bent Reinforced Concrete Elements with Zone Reinforcement Made of Steel Fiber

On the basis of theoretical and experimental studies, the prerequisites and the method of calculation of bent and compressed-curved reinforced concrete structures with zone reinforcement made of steel fiber, working under static and short-term dynamic loads, are formulated. In the developed method for calculating the strength of normal and inclined sections, a nonlinear deformation model is implemented, which is based on the actual deformation diagrams of materials. The developed calculation method is brought to the program of calculation of reinforced concrete structures with zone reinforcement of steel fiber under short-term dynamic loading, taking into account the inelastic properties of materials. The numerical studies made it possible to determine the influence of various parameters of steel-fiber reinforcement on the strength of reinforced concrete elements. To confirm the main results of the developed calculation method, experimental studies of reinforced concrete beam structures reinforced with conventional reinforcement and a zone steel-fiber layer are planned and carried out. Experimental studies were carried out under static and short-term dynamic loads. As a result of the conducted experiments, data were obtained that characterize the process of destruction, deformation and cracking of steel-reinforced concrete elements under such types of loading. The dependences of changes in the energy intensity of reinforced concrete structures with zone reinforcement made of steel fiber in the compressed and stretched cross-section zones under dynamic loading are obtained. The effectiveness of the use of fiber reinforcement of normal and inclined sections of bent and compressed-curved elements to improve the strength and deformative.

Fire resistance of partially encased composite columns subjected to eccentric loading

PurposeInvestigate the fire performance of eccentrically loaded concrete partially encased column (PEC), using the advanced calculation method (ANSYS 18.2, 2017) and the simple calculation method in Annex G of Eurocode 4 (EN 1994-1-2, 2005). This work examines the influence of a range of parameters on fire behaviour of the composite column including: eccentricity loading, slenderness, reinforcement, fire rating and fire scenario. In this study, ISO-834 (ISO834-1, 1999) was used as fire source.Design/methodology/approachCurrently, different methods of analysis used to assess the thermal behaviour of composite column exposed to fire. Analytical method named simplified calculation methods defined in European standard and numerical simulations named advanced calculation models are treated in this paper.FindingsThe load-bearing capacity of the composite column becomes very weak in the presence of the fire accident and eccentric loading, this recommends to avoid as much as possible eccentric loading during the design of construction building. The reinforcement has a slight influence on the temperature evolution; moreover, the reinforcement has a great contribution on the load capacity, especially in combined compression and bending. When only the two concrete sides are exposed to fire, the partially encased composite column presents a high load-bearing capacity value.Originality/valueThe use of a three-dimensional numerical model (ANSYS) allowed to describe easily the thermal behaviour of PEC columns under eccentric loading with the regard to the analytical method, which is based on three complex steps. In this study, the presence of the load eccentricity has found to have more effect on the load-bearing capacity than the slenderness of the composite column. Introducing a load eccentricity on the top of the column may have the same a reducing effect on the load-bearing capacity as the fire.

Slope stability calculation method for highwall mining with open-cut mines

Slope stability is a prominent problem for the efficient application and promotion of highwall mining technology, especially when mining residual coal under high and steep end-slope conditions. This study proposes the concept of target time pillar strength based on the required coal pillar service time. Creep tests were performed to measure the time-varying properties of coal shear strength parameters under different loads, and a time-varying function was established by regression. The highwall mining length is divided into three categories based on discontinuous structural plane theory, including goaf, yielding, and elastic zones, all of which are considered to have resistances against shear stress. The basal coal seam is prone to weakening owing to the weight of overlying strata, which may shift the slope failure mode from circular to sliding along the weak layer. Numerical modeling was used to study the influence of the bearing stress and target time strength on the development of the yielding zone at the coal pillar ribs. The coefficients of the three zones were determined, and the temporal and spatial evolution patterns of the shear strength parameters of the weak layer were acquired. A slope stability calculation method is proposed based on rigid body-limit equilibrium theory that can quantify the influence of highwall mining operations on slope stability, which is significant for popularizing highwall mining technology.

Precise grading of surrounding rock based on the numerical calculation of the jointed rock mass

In this study, grading of surrounding rock was based on rock mass basic quality (BQ) values according to the specifications in China. Numerical approach was to construct synthetic rock mass (SRM) model to represent the jointed rock mass, and obtain the strength of the rock mass. It represented intact rock by the bonded particle model (BPM), and represent joint behaviour by the smooth joint model (SJM) to construct the discrete fracture network (DFN). In the Hongtuzhang Tunnel, the micro properties of granite cores with different weathered degrees were determined by the validation process, and the calculation representative elementary volume (REV) of surrounding rock was 15 m×15 m. Five slightly weathered, three slightly to moderately weathered, and two moderately weathered granite surrounding rock mass models were established based on the probability distribution of joint sets in each borehole, the conversion BQ value was acquired according by the calculated strength of rock mass model. It was discussed the differences of surrounding rock grades between the geological survey method and the numerical calculation method, and then found that the geological survey report is higher than the numerical calculation method predicted. And the numerical calculation is consistent with the actual excavation of rock mass at borehole A1388.