This book discusses the parametric modeling, performance evaluation, design optimization and comparative study of the high-speed, parallel pick-and-place robots. It collects the modeling methodology, evaluation criteria and design guidelines for parallel PnP robots to provide a systematic analysis method for robotic developers. Furthermore, it gathers the research results previously scattered in many prestigious international journals and conference proceedings and methodically edits them and presents them in a unified form. The book is of interest to researchers, R&D engineers and graduate students in industrial parallel robotics who wish to learn the core principles, methods, algorithms, and applications.

This book consists of review articles by experts on recent developments in mechanical engineering sciences. The book has been composed to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of the Mechanical Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati. It includes articles on modern mechanical sciences subjects of advanced simulation techniques and molecular dynamics, microfluidics and microfluidic devices, energy systems, intelligent fabrication, microscale manufacturing, smart materials, computational techniques, robotics and their allied fields. It presents the upcoming and emerging areas in mechanical sciences which will help in formulation of new courses and updating existing curricula. This book will help the academicians and policy makers in the field of engineering education to chart out the desired path for the development of technical education.

This book evaluates the seismic performance of concrete gravity dams, considering the effects of strong motion duration, mainshock-aftershock seismic sequence, and near-fault ground motion. It employs both the extended finite element method (XFEM) and concrete damaged plasticity (CDP) models to characterize the mechanical behavior of concrete gravity dams under strong ground motions, including the dam-reservoir-foundation interaction. In addition, it discusses the effects of the initial crack, earthquake direction, and cross-stream seismic excitation on the nonlinear dynamic response to strong ground motions, and on the damage-cracking risk of concrete gravity dams. This book provides a theoretical basis for the seismic performance evaluation of high dams, and can also be used as a reference resource for researchers and graduate students engaged in the seismic design of high dams.

This book focuses on bifurcation and stability in nonlinear discrete systems, including monotonic and oscillatory stability. It presents the local monotonic and oscillatory stability and bifurcation of period-1 fixed-points on a specific eigenvector direction, and discusses the corresponding higher-order singularity of fixed-points. Further, it explores the global analysis of monotonic and oscillatory stability of fixed-points in 1-dimensional discrete systems through 1-dimensional polynomial discrete systems. Based on the Yin-Yang theory of nonlinear discrete systems, the book also addresses the dynamics of forward and backward nonlinear discrete systems, and the existence conditions of fixed-points in said systems. Lastly, in the context of local analysis, it describes the normal forms of nonlinear discrete systems and infinite-fixed-point discrete systems. Examining nonlinear discrete systems from various perspectives, the book helps readers gain a better understanding of the nonlinear dynamics of such systems.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of statistical descriptions of turbulent flows. Its main objectives are to point out why ordinary perturbative treatments of the Navier-Stokes equation have been rather futile, and to present recent advances in non-perturbative treatments, e.g., the instanton method and a stochastic interpretation of turbulent energy transfer. After a brief introduction to the basic equations of turbulent fluid motion, the book outlines a probabilistic treatment of the Navier-Stokes equation and chiefly focuses on the emergence of a multi-point hierarchy and the notion of the closure problem of turbulence. Furthermore, empirically observed multiscaling features and their impact on possible closure methods are discussed, and each is put into the context of its original field of use, e.g., the renormalization group method is addressed in relation to the theory of critical phenomena. The intended readership consists of physicists and engineers who want to get acquainted with the prevalent concepts and methods in this research area.

This book seeks to bridge the gap between the parlance, the models, and even the notations used by physicists and those used by mathematicians when it comes to the topic of probability and stochastic processes. The opening four chapters elucidate the basic concepts of probability, including probability spaces and measures, random variables, and limit theorems. Here, the focus is mainly on models and ideas rather than the mathematical tools. The discussion of limit theorems serves as a gateway to extensive coverage of the theory of stochastic processes, including, for example, stationarity and ergodicity, Poisson and Wiener processes and their trajectories, other Markov processes, jump-diffusion processes, stochastic calculus, and stochastic differential equations. All these conceptual tools then converge in a dynamical theory of Brownian motion that compares the Einstein-Smoluchowski and Ornstein-Uhlenbeck approaches, highlighting the most important ideas that finally led to a connection between the Schroedinger equation and diffusion processes along the lines of Nelson's stochastic mechanics. A series of appendices cover particular details and calculations, and offer concise treatments of particular thought-provoking topics.

In this book the dynamics of the non-ideal oscillatory system, in which the excitation is influenced by the response of the oscillator, is presented. Linear and nonlinear oscillators with one or more degrees of freedom interacting with one or more energy sources are treated. This concerns for example oscillating systems excited by a deformed elastic connection, systems excited by an unbalanced rotating mass, systems of parametrically excited oscillator and an energy source, frictionally self-excited oscillator and an energy source, energy harvesting system, portal frame - non-ideal source system, non-ideal rotor system, planar mechanism - non-ideal source interaction. For the systems the regular and irregular motions are tested. The effect of self-synchronization, chaos and methods for suppressing chaos in non-ideal systems are considered. In the book various types of motion control are suggested. The most important property of the non-ideal system connected with the jump-like transition from a resonant state to a non-resonant one is discussed. The so called 'Sommerfeld effect', resonant unstable state and jumping of the system into a new stable state of motion above the resonant region is explained. A mathematical model of the system is solved analytically and numerically. Approximate analytical solving procedures are developed. Besides, simulation of the motion of the non-ideal system is presented. The obtained results are compared with those for the ideal case. A significant difference is evident. The book aims to present the established results and to expand the literature in non-ideal vibrating systems. A further intention of the book is to give predictions of the effects for a system where the interaction between an oscillator and the energy source exist. The book is targeted at engineers and technicians dealing with the problem of source-machine system, but is also written for PhD students and researchers interested in non-linear and non-ideal problems.

This book presents a unified introduction to the theory of mechanical vibrations. The general theory of the vibrating particle is the point of departure for the field of multidegree of freedom systems. Emphasis is placed in the text on the issue of continuum vibrations. The presented examples are aimed at helping the readers with understanding the theory.This book is of interest among others to mechanical, civil and aeronautical engineers concerned with the vibratory behavior of the structures. It is useful also for students from undergraduate to postgraduate level. The book is based on the teaching experience of the authors.

This is the first monograph dedicated entirely to problems of stability and chaotic behaviour in planetary systems and its subsystems. The author explores the three rapidly developing interplaying fields of resonant and chaotic dynamics of Hamiltonian systems, the dynamics of Solar system bodies, and the dynamics of exoplanetary systems. The necessary concepts, methods and tools used to study dynamical chaos (such as symplectic maps, Lyapunov exponents and timescales, chaotic diffusion rates, stability diagrams and charts) are described and then used to show in detail how the observed dynamical architectures arise in the Solar system (and its subsystems) and in exoplanetary systems. The book concentrates, in particular, on chaotic diffusion and clearing effects. The potential readership of this book includes scientists and students working in astrophysics, planetary science, celestial mechanics, and nonlinear dynamics.

This book aims at reviewing recent progress in the direction of algebraic and symbolic computation methods for functional systems, e.g. ODE systems, differential time-delay equations, difference equations and integro-differential equations. In the nineties, modern algebraic theories were introduced in mathematical systems theory and in control theory. Combined with real algebraic geometry, which was previously introduced in control theory, the past years have seen a flourishing development of algebraic methods in control theory. One of the strengths of algebraic methods lies in their close connections to computations. The use of the above-mentioned algebraic theories in control theory has been an important source of motivation to develop effective versions of these theories (when possible). With the development of computer algebra and computer algebra systems, symbolic methods for control theory have been developed over the past years. The goal of this book is to propose a partial state of the art in this direction. To make recent results more easily accessible to a large audience, the chapters include materials which survey the main mathematical methods and results and which are illustrated with explicit examples.

This volume comprises select peer-reviewed contributions from the International Conference on Production and Industrial Engineering (CPIE) 2019. The contents focus on latest research in production and manufacturing engineering including case studies with analytical models and latest numerical approaches. The topics covered include micro, nano, and non-conventional machining, additive manufacturing, casting and forming, joining processes, vibrations and acoustics, materials and processing, product design and development, industrial automation, CAD/CAM and robotics, and sustainability in manufacturing. The book can be useful for students, researchers, and professionals working in manufacturing and production engineering, and other allied fields.

This book introduces readers to the theory, design and applications of automotive transmissions. It covers multiple categories, e.g. AT, AMT, CVT, DCT and transmissions for electric vehicles, each of which has its own configuration and characteristics. In turn, the book addresses the effective design of transmission gear ratios, structures and control strategies, and other topics that will be of particular interest to graduate students, researchers and engineers. Moreover, it includes real-world solutions, simulation methods and testing procedures. Based on the author's extensive first-hand experience in the field, the book allows readers to gain a deeper understanding of vehicle transmissions.

This book discusses systems of damage detection and structural health monitoring in mechanical, civil, and aerospace structures. It utilizes principles of fuzzy logic, probability theory, and signal processing to develop systems and approaches that are robust in the presence of both noise in the data and variations in properties of materials which are intrinsic to the process of mass production. This volume will be useful to graduate students, researchers, and engineers working in this area, especially those looking to understand and address model uncertainty in their algorithms.

This book gathers contributions by researchers from several countries on all major areas of robotic research, development and innovation, as well as new applications and current trends. The topics covered include: novel designs and applications of robotic systems, intelligent cooperating and service robots, advanced robot control, human-robot interfaces, robot vision systems, mobile robots, humanoid and walking robots, bio-inspired and swarm robotic systems, aerial, underwater and spatial robots, robots for ambient assisted living, medical robots and bionic prostheses, cognitive robots, cloud robotics, ethical and social issues in robotics, etc. Given its scope, the book offers a source of information and inspiration for researchers seeking to improve their work and gather new ideas for future developments. The contents reflect the outcomes of the activities of RAAD (International Conference on Robotics in Alpe-Adria-Danube Region) in 2020.

From the reviews: "A unique feature of this book is the nice blend of engineering vividness and mathematical rigour. [...] The authors are to be congratulated for their valuable contribution to the literature in the area of theoretical thermoelasticity and vibration of plates." Journal of Sound and Vibration

This book provides an in-depth understanding of precise and approximate MMC modeling and calculation techniques of engineering systems. The in-depth analysis demonstrates that it is only possible to precisely model and calculate the dependability of systems including s-dependent components with the knowledge of their (total) universe spaces, represented here by Markov spaces. They provide the basis for developing and verifying approximate MMC models. With the mathematical steps described and applied to several examples throughout this text, interested system developers and users can perform dependability analyses themselves. All examples are structured in precisely the same way.

This book presents a systematic introduction to particle damping technologies, which can be used to effectively mitigate seismic-induced and wind-induced vibration in various structures. Further, it offers comprehensive information on the latest research advances, e.g. a refined simulation model based on the discrete element method and a simplified simulation model based on equivalent principles. It then intensively studies the vibration attenuation effects of particle dampers subjected to different dynamic loads; in this context, the book proposes a new damping mechanism and "global'' measures that can be used to evaluate damping performance. Moreover, the book uses the shaking table test and wind tunnel test to verify the proposed simulation methods, and their satisfactory damping performance is confirmed. To facilitate the practical engineering application of this technology, optimization design guidelines for particle impact dampers are also provided. In closing, the book offers a preliminary exploration of semi-active particle damping technology, which holds great potential for extension to other applications in which the primary system is subjected to non-stationary excitations.

This book presents iterative learning control (ILC) to address practical issues of flexible structures. It is divided into four parts: Part I provides a general introduction to ILC and flexible structures, while Part II proposes various types of ILC for simple flexible structures to address issues such as vibration, input saturation, input dead-zone, input backlash, external disturbances, and trajectory tracking. It also includes simple partial differential equations to deal with the common problems of flexible structures. Part III discusses the design of ILC for flexible micro aerial vehicles and two-link manipulators, and lastly, Part IV offers a summary of the topics covered. Unlike most of the literature on ILC, which focuses on ordinary differential equation systems, this book explores distributed parameter systems, which are comparatively less stabilized through ILC.Including a comprehensive introduction to ILC of flexible structures, it also examines novel approaches used in ILC to address input constraints and disturbance rejection. This book is intended for researchers, graduate students and engineers in various fields, such as flexible structures, external disturbances, nonlinear inputs and tracking control.

This book offers professionals working at power plants guidelines and best practices for vibration problems, in order to help them identify the respective problem, grasp it, and successfully solve it. The book provides very little theoretical information (which is readily available in the existing literature) and doesn't assume that readers have an extensive mathematical background; rather, it presents a range of well-documented, real-world case studies and examples drawn from the authors' 50 years of experience at jobsites. Vibration problems don't crop up very often, thanks to good maintenance and support, but if and when they do, most power plants have very little experience in assessing and solving them. Accordingly, the case studies discussed here will equip power plant engineers to quickly evaluate the vibration problem at hand (by deciding whether the machine is at risk or can continue operating) and find a practical solution.

This book draws together the most interesting recent results to emerge in mechanical engineering in Russia, providing a fascinating overview of the state of the art in the field in that country which will be of interest to a wide readership. A broad range of topics and issues in modern engineering are discussed, including dynamics of machines, materials engineering, structural strength and tribological behavior, transport technologies, machinery quality and innovations. The book comprises selected papers presented at the 8th conference "Modern Engineering: Science and Education", held at the Saint Petersburg State Polytechnic University in May 2019 with the support of the Russian Engineering Union. The authors are experts in various fields of engineering, and all of the papers have been carefully reviewed. The book will be of interest to mechanical engineers, lecturers in engineering disciplines and engineering graduates.

This book presents a complete framework for energy harvesting technologies based on graded elastic metamaterials. First, it provides a comprehensive survey of state-of-the-art research on metamaterials for energy harvesting and then explores the theoretical wave mechanics framework, going from inhomogeneous media to graded elastic metamaterials. The framework can be used to thoroughly analyse wave propagation phenomena in beams, plates, and half-spaces and to investigate the effect of local resonance on creating bandgaps or wave mode conversions. All these concepts converge together with piezoelectric materials in the study and design of piezo-augmented arrays of resonators. The energy harvesting performances of the graded metamaterials are then compared to conventional solutions, in order to quantify their advantages for applications.

This book focuses on unhealthy cyber-physical systems. Consisting of 14 chapters, it discusses recognizing the beginning of the fault, diagnosing the appearance of the fault, and stopping the system or switching to a special control mode known as fault-tolerant control. Each chapter includes the background, motivation, quantitative development (equations), and case studies/illustration/tutorial (simulations, experiences, curves, tables, etc.). Readers can easily tailor the techniques presented to accommodate their ad hoc applications.

The book examines advanced, non-standardized techniques that have been developed for determining different properties of cement paste, mortar and concrete, and provides state-of-the-art information on methods for monitoring hydration-induced changes in cement-based materials (CBMs). These methods are often nondestructive and allow quasi-continuous monitoring covering the time span from placement of the material to formation of a fully hardened cement composite. The book also presents various applications of acoustic emission for characterizing fresh concrete, recent developments in ultrasonic methods for characterizing CBMs since placement, application of ambient response methods for measuring elastic modulus, methods for determining deformational characteristics of CBMs since setting and methods for in situ measurements of stresses in concrete elements during hardening.

This book presents a finite and instantaneous screw theory for the development of robotic mechanisms. It addresses the analytical description and algebraic computation of finite motion, resulting in a generalized type synthesis approach. It then discusses the direct connection between topology and performance models, leading to an integrated performance analysis and design framework. The book then explores parameter uncertainty and multiple performance requirements for reliable, optimal design methods, and describes the error accumulation principle and parameter identification algorithm, to increase robot accuracy. It proposes a unified and generic methodology, and appliesto the invention, analysis, design, and calibration of robotic mechanisms. The book is intended for researchers, graduate students and engineers in the fields of robotic mechanism and robot design and applications.

This book provides a comprehensive review of fundamental issues in the dynamical modeling and vibration control design for several flexible mechanical systems, such as flexible satellites, flexible aerial refueling hoses, and flexible three-dimensional manipulators. Offering an authoritative reference guide to the dynamics and control of flexible mechanical systems, it equips readers to solve a host of problems concerning these systems. It provides not only a complete overview of flexible systems, but also a better understanding of the technical levels involved. The book is divided into ten chapters: Chapters 1 and 2 lay the foundations, while the remaining chapters explore several independent yet related topics in detail. The book's final chapter presents conclusions and recommendations for future research. Given its scope, the book is intended for researchers, graduate students, and engineers whose work involves control systems, flexible mechanical systems, and related areas.