The Effect of Post-Newtonian Spin Precessions on the Evolution of Exomoons’ Obliquity

Putative natural massive satellites (exomoons) have gained increasing attention when they orbit Jupiter-like planets within the habitable zone of their host main-sequence star S. An exomoon s is expected to move within the equatorial plane of its host planet p, with its spin S s aligned with its orbital angular momentum L , which, in turn, is parallel to the planetary spin S p. If, in particular, the common tilt ε of such angular momenta to the plane of the satellite–planet motion about the star, assumed fixed, has certain values, the stellar latitudinal irradiation experienced on the exomoon may allow it to sustain life as we know it, at least for certain orbital configurations. An Earth analog (similar in mass, radius, oblateness, and obliquity) is considered, which orbits within 5–10 planetary radii R p from its Jupiter-like host planet. The de Sitter and Lense–Thirring spin precessions due to the general relativistic post-Newtonian (pN) field of the host planet have an impact on an exomoon’s habitability for a variety of different initial spin–orbit configurations. Here I show it by identifying long-term variations in the satellite’s obliquity ε s, where variations can be ≲10°–100°, depending on the initial spin–orbit configuration, with a timescale of ≃0.1–1 million years. Also the satellite’s quadrupole mass moment J 2 s induces obliquity variations that are faster than the pN ones but do not cancel them. Tidal dissipations, which may potentially have a relevant impact on the outlined pattern, are not included in the present analysis.

Estimating body segment parameters from three-dimensional human body scans

Body segment parameters are inputs for a range of applications. Participant-specific estimates of body segment parameters are desirable as this requires fewer prior assumptions and can reduce outcome measurement errors. Commonly used methods for estimating participant-specific body segment parameters are either expensive and out of reach (medical imaging), have many underlying assumptions (geometrical modelling) or are based on a specific subset of a population (regression models). Our objective was to develop a participant-specific 3D scanning and body segmentation method that estimates body segment parameters without any assumptions about the geometry of the body, ethnic background, and gender, is low-cost, fast, and can be readily available. Using a Microsoft Kinect Version 2 camera, we developed a 3D surface scanning protocol that enabled the estimation of participant-specific body segment parameters. To evaluate our system, we performed repeated 3D scans of 21 healthy participants (10 male, 11 female). We used open source tools to segment each body scan into 16 segments (head, torso, abdomen, pelvis, left and right hand, forearm, upper arm, foot, shank and thigh) and wrote custom software to estimate each segment’s mass, mass moment of inertia in the three principal orthogonal axes relevant to the center of the segment, longitudinal length, and center of mass. We compared our body segment parameter estimates to those obtained using two comparison methods and found that our system was consistent in estimating total body volume between repeated scans (male p = 0.1194, female p = 0.2240), estimated total body mass without significant differences when compared to our comparison method and a medical scale (male p = 0.8529, female p = 0.6339), and generated consistent and comparable estimates across a range of the body segment parameters of interest. Our work here outlines and provides the code for an inexpensive 3D surface scanning method for estimating a range of participant-specific body segment parameters.

Composition of the lunar mantle for lower mantle high-velocity seismic model

We investigated models of the internal structure of initially homogeneous Moon differentiated as a result of partial melting, using data on seismic velocities according to the seismic models assume the zonal structure of the lunar mantle is a model of the Moon which was obtained with using the array processing methods of high velocities in the lower mantle. As a result of inversion of gravity (mass, moment of inertia), seismic (P- and S-waves velocities) and petrological (balance ratios) data, the Monte Carlo method was used to reconstruct the chemical composition and internal structure of the Moon. The phase composition and physical properties of the mantle were obtained with Gibbs free energy minimization method and equations of state in the five-component system CaO-FeO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2. For all models, possible values of seismic velocities and concentrations of the main oxides in three zones of the mantle were obtained, satisfying the geochemical and geophysical constraints and the possible sizes of the Fe-10%S core were determined. It was found that the lunar mantle chemical composition (concentration of FeO, Al2O3 and CaO) differs depending on the mantle zone. Constraints on the values of seismic velocities in the lower mantle and the most probable size of the lunar core were determined: VP ≤ 8.45 km/s; Fe-10%S core radius is ∼360 km.

Gripper Control Design and Simulation for OpenROV Submarine Robot

In this work, a design of a gripper for the underwater OpenROV vehicle is presented. OpenROV is an open-source underwater vehicle design for remote underwater exploration. It can enable systems of underwater internet of things and real-time monitoring. Mechanical aspects of the presented gripper design are discussed including actuation, motion transmission, kinematics and general arrangement, which resembles a delta robot. The Denavit-Hartenberg (DH) notation will be employed to define reference frames on one of the fingers in order to build transformation matrices and the forward kinematics matrix. The results from the forward kinematics are used to define the workspace that can be covered by each finger. The maximum force from the fingertip is estimated using Newton-Euler equations. Finally, the transfer function and the mass moment of inertia of the second link in the finger, that is, the fingertip is calculated for control simulations. A control stability analysis is provided and shows a stable system.

An Electromagnetic Vibration Energy Harvester with a Tunable Mass Moment of Inertia

This paper presents a vibration-based electromagnetic energy harvester whose resonance frequency can be adjusted to match that of the excitation. Frequency adjustment is attained by controlling a rotatable arm, with tuning masses, at the tip of a cantilever-type energy harvester, thereby changing the effective mass moment of inertia of the system. The rotatable arm is mounted on a servomotor that is autonomously controlled through a microcontroller and a photo sensor to keep the device at resonance for maximum power generation. A mathematical model is developed to predict the system response for different design parameters and to estimate the generated power. The system is investigated analytically by a distributed-parameter model to study the natural frequency variation and dynamic response. The analytical model is verified experimentally where the frequency is tuned from 8 to 10.25 Hz. A parametric study is performed to study the effect of each parameter on the system behavior.

Modeling and validation of crankshaft speed fluctuations of a single-cylinder four-stroke diesel engine

In this study, a dynamic model of a single-cylinder four-stroke diesel engine has been created, and the crankshaft speed fluctuations have been simulated and validated. The dynamic model of the engine consists of the motion equations of the piston, conrod, and crankshaft. Conrod motion was modeled by two translational and one angular motion equations, by considering the kinetic energy resulted from the mass moment of inertia and conrod mass. Motion equations involve in-cylinder gas pressure forces, hydrodynamic and dry friction, mass inertia moments of moving parts, starter moment, and external load moment. The In-cylinder pressure profile used in the model was obtained experimentally to increase the accuracy of the model. Pressure profiles were expressed mathematically using the Fourier series. The motion equations were solved by using the Taylor series method. The solution of the mathematical model was performed by coding in the MATLAB interface. Cyclic speed fluctuations obtained from the model were compared with experimental results and found compitable. A validated model was used to analyze the effects of in-cylinder pressure, mass moment of inertia of crankshaft and connecting rod, friction, and piston mass. In experiments for 1500, 1800, 2400, and 2700 rpm engine speeds, crankshaft speed fluctuations were observed as 12.84%, 8.04%, 5.02%, and 4.44%, respectively. In simulations performed for the same speeds, crankshaft speed fluctuations were calculated as 10.45%, 7.56%, 4.49%, and 3.65%. Besides, it was observed that the speed fluctuations decreased as the average crankshaft speed value increased. In the simulation for 157.07, 188.49, 219.91, 251.32, and 282.74 rad/s crankshaft speeds, crankshaft speed fluctuations occurred at rates of 10.45%, 7.56%, 5.84%, 4.49%, and 3.65%, respectively. The effective engine power was achieved as 5.25 kW at an average crankshaft angular speed of 219.91 rad/s. The power of friction loss in the engine was determined as 0.68 kW.

Research on Curvilinear Motion of Automobile with the Application of On-Board Can Bus Data

Modelling of vehicle’s motion is one of the solutions applied in the research of automotive safety. There is always a discussion which model should be used for computer simulation. Models with higher number of degrees of freedom require identification of many parameters, which are usually difficult to obtain. So, very often relatively simple flat model of vehicle’s motion is applied. It needs only such parameters as mass of a vehicle, location of centre of gravity from front and rear axle, yaw mass moment of inertia and side slip characteristics of the front and rear axle. In this paper the upper mentioned model was applied, considering different side slip characteristics of the front and rear axle. The scenario of vehicle’s motion was based on random changes of steering wheel angle during the road test, recording signals from on-board CAN (Controller Area Network) bus of automobile simultaneously, which were further applied in simulation.

Determination of the Vertical Location of the Axis of Rotation of the Roll Motion From Full-Scale Measurements

The behavior of a floating structure results from the mechanics of its, more or less, rigid body and the hydrostatic and hydrodynamic forces acting on it. Particularly for ships, as long and slender bodies, the axis of roll and its vertical position is of special importance. It is around this axis that the lowest lateral accelerations in roll motion occur, which is not only weakly damped but also easily stimulated due to the relatively low mass moment of inertia around the ship’s longitudinal axis. With the intention of clarifying some widespread misconceptions about the location of this axis and to investigate its relation to the natural roll period, full scale measurements have been carried out using a set of two mobile Inertial-Measurement-Units. The Inertial-Measurement-Units were placed on different heights, one above and one below the assumed location of the axis of rotation. Based on the measured accelerations and angular velocities, the average vertical location of the axis of the roll motion for small angles is determined.

Estimating body segment parameters from three-dimensional human body scans

Body segment parameters are inputs for a range of applications. The estimation of body segment parameters that are participant-specific is desirable as it requires fewer prior assumptions and can reduce outcome measurement errors. Commonly used methods for estimating participant-specific body segment parameters are either expensive and out of reach (medical imaging), have many underlying assumptions (geometrical modelling) or are based on a specific subset of a population (regression models). Our objective was to develop a participant-specific 3D scanning and body segmentation method that estimates body segment parameters without any assumptions about the geometry of the body, ethnic background, and gender, is low-cost, fast, and can be readily available. Using a Microsoft Kinect camera, we developed a 3D surface scanning protocol that estimated participant-specific body segment parameters. To evaluate our system, we performed repeated 3D scans of 21 healthy participants (10 male, 11 female). We used open-source software to segment each body scan into 16 segments (head, torso, abdomen, pelvis, left and right hand, forearm, upper arm, foot, shank and thigh) and wrote custom software to estimate each segment's mass, mass moment of inertia in the three principal orthogonal axes relevant to the center of the segment, longitudinal length, and center of mass. We compared our body segment parameter estimates to those obtained using two comparison methods and found that our system was consistent in estimating total body volume between repeated scans (male p=0.1194, female p = 0.2240), estimated total body mass without significant differences when compared to our comparison method and a medical scale (male p=0.8529, female p = 0.6339), and generated consistent and comparable estimates across all of the body segment parameters of interest. The work here outlines an inexpensive 3D surface scanning approach for estimating a range of participant-specific body segment parameters.

Blade Sorting Method for Unbalance Minimization of an Aeroengine Concentric Rotor

This paper proposes a blade sorting method based on the cloud adaptive genetic algorithm (CAGA), which is used to optimize the unbalanced of asymmetric rotor of aero-engine. Firstly, by analyzing the unbalance of the arrangement caused by the deviation of the mass moment of the blade, and considering the concentricity of the disk, an optimization model of the unbalanced amount of the blade assembly was established. Secondly, the selection operator, crossover operator, and mutation operator of the algorithm were designed, and the cloud adaptive genetic algorithm was used to optimize the assembly unbalance. Thirdly, the mass moments of a group of aero-engine blades were weighed using a moment scale (MW0), and the blade mass moment distribution and assembly unbalance under the six blade arrangements were analyzed. Finally, by setting different disk concentricity, the corresponding blade arrangement and the final rotor unbalance were obtained. Through analysis, it was found that the unbalance of GA is at least 57.5% optimized relative to the weight sorted, sorting type 2, sorting type 4, and sorting-1/4 skip method, and the unbalance optimized by the CAGA is 95.7% optimized relative to GA. In the case of different initial concentricity of the disk, the effective algorithm accuracy is still maintained, which proves the effectiveness of the method for the arrangement of asymmetric rotor blades. This method establishes an effective asymmetric rotor blade arrangement model, uses the cloud adaptive genetic algorithm to sort the blade assembly, and effectively reduces the unbalanced amount of the asymmetric rotor.