Theory of mechanisms is an applied science of mechanics that studies the relationship between geometry, mobility, topology, and relative motion between rigid bodies connected by geometric forms. Recently, knowledge in kinematics and mechanisms has considerably increased, causing a renovation in the methods of kinematic analysis. With the progress of the algebras of kinematics and the mathematical methods used in the optimal solution of polynomial equations, it has become possible to formulate and elegantly solve problems. Mechanisms: Kinematic Analysis and Applications in Robotics provides an updated approach to kinematic analysis methods and a review of the mobility criteria most used in planar and spatial mechanisms. Applications in the kinematic analysis of robot manipulators complement the material presented in the book, growing in importance when one recognizes that kinematics is a basic area in the control and modeling of robot manipulators.

This Brief describes the influence of the different organic chelating agents on the topography, physical properties and phases of SPPS-deposited spinel ferrite splats. The author describes how by using the SPPS process, the coating is produced directly from a solution precursor and how all physical and chemical reactions such as evaporation, decomposition, crystallization and coating formation occur in a single step. The author details not only the innovative approach to liquid feeding, but also focuses on its effects on the spinel ferrite system. The results of experimentation as well as detailed explanations of the experiments are included.

This book presents the most significant contributions to the DINAME 2017 conference, covering a range of dynamic problems to provide insights into recent trends and advances in a broad variety of fields seldom found in other proceedings volumes. DINAME has been held every two years since 1986 and is internationally recognized as a central forum for discussing scientific achievements related to dynamic problems in mechanics. Unlike many other conferences, it employs a single-session format for the oral presentations of all papers, which limits the number of accepted papers to roughly 100 and makes the evaluation process extremely rigorous. The papers gathered here will be of interest to all researchers, graduate students and engineering professionals working in the fields of mechanical and mechatronics engineering and related areas around the globe.

Considerably simplified models of macroscopic material behavior, such as the idealization for metals of elastic-time independent plastic response with a yield (onset) criterion, have served the engineering profession well for many years. They are still basic to the design and analysis of most structural applications. In the need to use materials more effectively, there are circumstances where those traditional models are not adequate, and constitutive laws that are more physically realistic have to be employed. This is especially relevant to conditions where the inherent time dependence of inelastic deformations, referred to as "viscoplasticity," is pronounced such as at elevated temperatures and for high strain rates. Unified theories of elastic-viscoplastic material behavior, which are primarily applicable for metals and metallic alloys, combine all aspects of inelastic response into a set of time dependent equations with a single inelastic strain rate variable. For such theories, creep under constant stress, stress relaxation under constant strain, and stress-strain relations at constant rates are each special cases of a general formulation. Those equations mayor may not include a yield criterion, but models which do not separate a fully elastic region from the overall response could be considered "unified" in a more general sense. The theories have reached a level of development and maturity where they are being used in a number of sophisticated engineering applications. However, they have not yet become a standard method of material representation for general engineering practice.

Solar irradiation is the fundamental initiator of the different renewable energy alternatives, including wind, wave, hydrogen and biomass energy sources. Solar Energy Fundamentals and Modelling Techniques presents the methods of quantitative determination of solar irradiation incident amount on a surface on the Earth. The book collects together material from the current literature in atmospheric environmental sciences, climate change, meteorology, engineering and renewable energy, liberally illustrated by diagrams and worked examples.

Solar Energy Fundamentals and Modelling Techniques provides a sound background to the underlying physical principles of solar irradiation and energy, with explanations as to how these can be modelled and applied in solar energy projects and design. Bringing together information not found elsewhere in a single source, the book includes an innovative exposition of expert system methodologies used in the domain of solar irradiation and energy. In addition to methodologies such as statistics and geo-statistics (regionalized variables), new modelling approaches such as fuzzy logic inference, Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and genetic algorithm techniques are introduced, along with both classical Kriging and newly developed techniques for spatial solar irradiation modelling.

Solar Energy Fundamentals and Modelling Techniques is a valuable resource for students, researchers and practitioners across a broad spectrum of disciplines, including energy analysts, thermal device designers, photovoltaic specialists, architects and engineers, agronomists, hydrologists, atmospheric scientists and meteorologists, climate change specialists, andenvironmentalists.

An ideal text for students that ties together classical and modern topics of advanced vibration analysis in an interesting and lucid manner. It provides students with a background in elementary vibrations with the tools necessary for understanding and analyzing more complex dynamical phenomena that can be encountered in engineering and scientific practice. It progresses steadily from linear vibration theory over various levels of nonlinearity to bifurcation analysis, global dynamics and chaotic vibrations. It trains the student to analyze simple models, recognize nonlinear phenomena and work with advanced tools such as perturbation analysis and bifurcation analysis. Explaining theory in terms of relevant examples from real systems, this book is user-friendly and meets the increasing interest in non-linear dynamics in mechanical/structural engineering and applied mathematics and physics. This edition includes a new chapter on the useful effects of fast vibrations and many new exercise problems.

Friction contacts are used to transmit forces or to dissipate energy. The aim of this second edition is to describe an efficient procedure to model dynamical contact problems with friction. This procedure is applied to different practical problems and validated by experiments. A thorough understanding of friction phenomena can lead to improvements like the reduction of noise and maintenance costs, increased useful life of machines and improved energy efficiency.

The control of marine engines and propulsion plants is a field of increasing interest to the maritime industry. The author's participation in a number of closely related research projects together with practical shipboard experience allows Robust Control of Diesel Ship Propulsion to present a broad view of the needs and problems of the shipping industry in this area. The book covers a number of models and control types: An integrated nonlinear state-space model of the marine propulsion system is developed. This is based upon physical principles that incorporate uncertainties due to engine thermodynamics and disturbances due to propeller hydrodynamics. The model employs artificial neural nets for depicting the nonlinearities of the thermochemical processes of engine power/torque generation and the engine-turbocharger dynamical interaction; neural nets combine the required mathematical flexibility and formalism with numerical training and calibration options using either thermodynamic engine models or measured data series. The neural state-space model is decomposed appropriately to provide a linearised perturbation model suitable for controller synthesis. The proportional integral (derivative) control law is examined under the perspective of shaft speed regulation for enhanced disturbance rejection of the propeller load. The typical marine shafting system dynamics and configuration allow for a smart implementation of the D-term based on shaft torque feedback. Full-state feedback control is, examined for increased robustness of the compensated plant against parametric uncertainty and neglected dynamics. The H* requirements on the closed-loop transfer matrix are appropriately decomposed to similar ones on scalar transfer functions, which give specifications which are easier to manipulate. In effect, the methods are comparatively assessed and suggestions for extensions and practical applications are given. This synthetic approach to the propulsion plant control and operational problems should prove useful for both theoreticians and practitioners, and can be easily adopted for the control of other processes or systems outside the marine field, as well.

This book presents the view of European wind energy experts on the long-term research challenges to be solved in order to develop wind energy beyond the applications of today and tomorrow. By this book, the European Academy of Wind Energy (eawe), representing universities and institutes with a significant wind energy programme in 14 countries, wants to: identify current technological and scientific barriers and to stimulate new creative ideas to overcome these barriers define priorities for future scientific research rethink our scientific view of wind energy stimulate the cooperation among researchers in fundamental and applied sciences towards wind energy research The eawe has discussed these long-term research with an explicit focus on a longer-term perspective, in contrast to research agendas addressing short- to medium-term research activities. In other words, this long-term research agenda is driven by problems and curiosity, addressing basic research and fundamental knowledge in 11 research areas, ranging from physics and design to environmental and societal aspects. Because of the very nature of this initiative, this document does not intend to be permanent or complete. It shows the vision of the experts of the European Academy of Wind Energy, but other views may be possible. The eawe sincerely hopes that it will spur an even more intensive discussion worldwide within the wind energy community.

This book provides an in-depth, comprehensive and up-to-date coverage of the subject of plasma charging damage in modern VLSI circuit manufacturing. It is written for beginners as well as practitioners. For beginners, this book presents an easy-to-follow, unified explanation of various charging-damage phenomena, the goal being to provide them with a solid foundation for taking on real damage problems encountered in VLSI manufacturing. For practitioners, it can help bridge the gap between disciplines by providing all of the necessary background materials in one place.Drawing on the author's wide range of experience in plasma science, processing technologies, device physics and reliability physics, the text includes information on: - plasma and mechanisms of plasma damage;- wear-out and breakdown of thin gate-oxides;- the impact of processing equipment on damage;- methods of damage measurement;- damage management; - gate-oxide scaling.

Phase transition phenomena in solids are of vital interest to physicists, materials scientists, and engineers who need to understand and model the mechanical behavior of solids during various kinds of phase transformations. This volume is a collection of 29 written contributions by distinguished invited speakers from 14 countries to the IUTAM Symposium on Mechanics of Martensitic Phase Transformation in Solids, the first IUTAM Symposium focusing on this topic. It contains basic theoretical and experimental aspects of the recent advances in the mechanics research of martensitic phase transformations. The main topics include microstructure and interfaces, material instability and its propagation, micromechanics approaches, interaction between plasticity and phase transformation, phase transformation in thin films, single and polycrystalline shape memory alloys, shape memory polymers, TRIP steels, etc. Due to the multidisciplinary nature of the research covered, this volume will be of interest to researchers, graduate students and engineers in the field of theoretical and applied mechanics as well as materials science and technology.

An in-depth survey of regenerative heat exchangers, this book chronicles the development and recent commercialization of regenerative devices for cryogenic applications. Chapters cover historical background, concepts, practical applications, design data, and numerical solutions, providing the latest information for engineers to develop advanced cryogenic machines. The discussions include insights into the operation of a regenerator; descriptions of the cyclic and fluid temperature distributions in a regenerator; data for various matrix geometries and materials, including coarse and fine bronze, stainless steel-woven wire mesh screens, and lead spheres; and unique operating features of cryocoolers that produce deviations from ideal regenerator theory.

Force and motion control systems of varying degrees of sophistication have shaped the lives of all individuals living in industrialized countries all over the world, and together with communication technology are largely responsible for the high standard ofliving prevalent in many communities. The brains of the vast majority of current control systems are electronic, in the shape of computers, microprocessors or programmable logic controllers (PLC), the nerves are provided by sensors, mainly electromech anical transducers, and the muscle comprises the drive system, in most cases either electric, pneumatic or hydraulic. The factors governing the choice of the most suitable drive are the nature of the application, the performance specification, size, weight, environ mental and safety constraints, with higher power levels favouring hydraulic drives. Past experience, especially in the machine tool sector, has clearly shown that, in the face of competition from electric drives, it is difficult to make a convincing case for hydraulic drives at the bottom end of the power at fractional horsepower level. A further, and frequently range, specifically overriding factor in the choice of drive is the familiarity of the system designer with a particular discipline, which can inhibit the selection of the optimum and most cost-effective solution for a given application. One of the objectives of this book is to help the electrical engineer overcome his natural reluctance to apply any other than electric drives."

This book focuses on nanocarbons (carbon nanotubes, graphene, nanoporous carbon, and carbon black) and related materials for energy conversion, including fuel cells (predominately proton exchange membrane fuel cells [PEMFC]), Li-ion batteries, and supercapacitors. Written by a group of internationally recognized researchers, it offers an in-depth review of the structure, properties, and functions of nanocarbons, and summarizes recent advances in the design, fabrication and characterization of nanocarbon-based catalysts for energy applications. As such, it is an invaluable resource for graduate students, academics and industrial scientists interested in the areas of nanocarbons, energy materials for fuel cells, batteries and supercapacitors as well as materials design, and supramolecular science.

Plant Factory: An Indoor Vertical Farming System for Efficient Quality Food Production, Second Edition presents a comprehensive look at the implementation of plant factory (PF) practices to yield food crops for both improved food security and environmental sustainability. Edited and authored by leading experts in PF and controlled environment agriculture (CEA), the book is divided into five sections, including an Overview and the Concept of Closed Plant Production Systems (CPPS), the Basics of Physics and Physiology - Environments and Their Effects, System Design, Construction, Cultivation and Management and Plant Factories in Operation. In addition to new coverage on the rapid advancement of LED technology and its application in indoor vertical farming, other revisions to the new edition include updated information on the status of business R&D and selected commercial PFALs (plant factory with artificial lighting). Additional updates include those focused on micro and mini-PFALs for improving the quality of life in urban areas, the physics and physiology of light, the impact of PFAL on the medicinal components of plants, and the system design, construction, cultivation and management issues related to transplant production within closed systems, photoautotrophic micro-propagation and education, training and intensive business forums on PFs.

1. 1 Preliminary Concepts A cam mechanism is a mechanical system consisting of three basic components: a driving element, called the cam; a driven element, termed the follower; and a fixed frame. Sometimes, an intermediate element is introduced between the cam and the follower with the purpose of improving the mechanism performance. This element is called the roller because function is to produce a pure-rolling relative motion be tween the cam and the follower. The purpose ofa cam mechanism is the transmission of power or information. In applications concerning power transmission, the main good to be transmitted is force or torque; in applications ofinformation transmission, the main good transmitted takes the form of motion signals. Most modern appli cations of cam mechanisms, to be described shortly, are of the former type. Cam mechanisms used for information transmission were traditionally found in measuring instruments. With the advent ofmodern microprocessor-based hardware, this typeof application is becoming less common. Nevertheless, cam mechanisms are still used in a wide spectrum of applications, especially in automatic machines and instruments, textile machinery, computers, printing presses, food-processing equipment, internal combustion engines, control systems, and photographic equipment (Prenzel, 1989). In the design of cam mechanisms, the engineer performs several activities, namely, task definition, synthesis, analysis, optimization, and dynamic simulation. These tasks do not always follow this order. In fact, some loops may appear in the foregoing tasks, such as those illustrated in Fig. 1. 1. 1."

3D Printing: A Revolutionary Process for Industry Applications examines how some companies have already adopted 3D printing, gives guidance on critical areas such as manufacturing supply, and traces the lifecycle of 3D printing as well as cost drivers and influences. The author leverages his experience in leading engineering firms to bring together an industry-by-industry guide to the potentials of 3D printing for large-scale manufacturing and engineering. The book provides all the skills and insights that a Chief Engineer would need to address complex manufacturing problems in the real-world using 3D printing technology. As 3D printing is a rapidly growing area with the potential to transform industries, the potential for large-scale adoption involves complex systems crossing engineering disciplines. In order to use 3D printing to solve manufacturing problems in this context, an array of expertise and knowledge about technology, suppliers, the uses of 3D printing by industry, 3D printing lifecycle and cost drivers must be assembled. This book accomplishes that by introducing 3D printing technology with specific references to 18 industry sectors.

Because of its versatility in analyzing a broad range of applications, multibody dynamics has grown in the past two decades to be an important tool for designing, prototyping, and simulating complex articulated mechanical systems. This textbooka "a result of the authora (TM)s many years of research and teachinga "brings together diverse concepts of dynamics, combining the efforts of many researchers in the field of mechanics. Bridging the gap between dynamics and engineering applications such as microrobotics, virtual reality simulation of interactive mechanical systems, nanomechanics, flexible biosystems, crash simulation, and biomechanics, the book puts into perspective the importance of modeling in the dynamic simulation and solution of problems in these fields.

To help engineering students and practicing engineers understand the rigid-body dynamics concepts needed for the book, the author presents a compiled overview of particle dynamics and Newtona (TM)s second law of motion in the first chapter. A particular strength of the work is its use of matrices to generate kinematic coefficients associated with the formulation of the governing equations of motion. Additional features of the book include:

* numerous worked examples at the end of each section

* introduction of boundary-element methods (BEM) in the description of flexible systems

* up-to-date solution techniques for rigid and flexible multibody dynamics using finite- element methods (FEM)

* inclusion of MATLAB-based simulations and graphical solutions

* in-depth presentation of constrained systems

* presentation of the general form of equations of motion ready for computerimplementation

* two unique chapters on stability and linearization of the equations of motion

Junior/senior undergraduates and first-year graduate engineering students taking a course in dynamics, physics, control, robotics, or biomechanics will find this a useful book with a strong computer orientation towards the subject. The work may also be used as a self-study resource or research reference for practitioners in the above-mentioned fields.

Dry sulfurization processes offer the significant advantages of low capital and low operating costs when compared to wet desulfurization. They hold great potential for the economical reduction of sulfur emissions from power utilities that use high-sulfur coal. Dry Scrubbing Technologies for Flue Gas Desulfurization represents a body of research that was sponsored by the State of Ohio's Coal Development Office for the development of technologies that use coal in an economic, environmentally-sound manner. One of the project's major goals was the development of dry, calcium-based sorption processes for removing sulfur dioxide from the combustion gases produced by high-sulfur coal. Dry Scrubbing Technologies for Flue Gas Desulfurization highlights a number of fundamental research findings that have had a significant and lasting impact in terms of scientific understanding. For example, the experimental investigation of the upper-furnace sulfur capture obtained time-resolved kinetic data in less than 100 millisecond time-scales for the first time ever, thereby revealing the true nature of the ultra-fast and overlapping phenomena. This was accomplished through the development of a unique entrained flow reactor system. The authors also identify a number of important areas for future research, including reaction mechanisms, sorbent material, transport effects, modeling, and process development. Dry Scrubbing Technologies for Flue Gas Desulfurization will appeal to both chemical and environmental engineers who examine different ways touse coal in a more environmentally benign manner. It will make an essential reference for air pollution control researchers from coal, lime, cement, and utility industries; for government policy-makers and environmental regulatory agencies; and for those who teach graduate courses in environmental issues, pollution control technologies, and environmental policy.

This volume constitutes the Proceedings of the IUTAM Symposium on 'Scaling in Solid Mechanics', held in Cardiff from 25th to 29th June 2007. The Symposium was convened to address and place on record topical issues in theoretical, experimental and computational aspects of scaling approaches to solid mechanics and related fields. Scaling is a rapidly expanding area of research having multidisciplinaryapplications. The expertise represented in the Symposium was accordingly very wide, and many of the world's greatest authorities in their respective fields participated.

Scaling methods apply wherever there is similarity across many scales or a need to bridge different scales, e.g. the nanoscale and macroscale. The emphasis in the Symposium was upon fundamental issues such as: mathematical foundations of scaling methods based on transformations and connections between multi-scale approaches and transformations. The Symposium remained focussed on fundamental research issues of practical significance. The topics considered included damage accumulation, growth of fatigue cracks, development of patterns of flaws in the earth's core and in ice, abrasiveness of rough surfaces, and so on. The Symposium showed that scaling methods cannot be reduced solely to dimensional analysis and fractal approaches. Modern scaling approaches consist of a great diversity of techniques.

These proceedings contain lectures on state-of-the-art developments in self-similar solutions, fractal models, models involving interplay between different scales, size effects in fracture of solids and bundles of fibres, scaling in problems of fracture mechanics, nanomechanics, contact mechanics and testing of materials byindentation, scaling issues in mechanics of agglomeration of adhesive particles, and in biomimetic of adhesive contact.

Soils are complex materials: they have a particulate structure and fluids can seep through pores, mechanically interacting with the solid skeleton. Moreover, at a microscopic level, the behaviour of the solid skeleton is highly unstable. External loadings are in fact taken by grain chains which are continuously destroyed and rebuilt. Many issues of modeling, even of the physical details of the phenomena, remain open, even obscure; de Gennes listed them not long ago in a critical review. However, despite physical complexities, soil mechanics has developed on the assumption that a soil can be seen as a continuum, or better yet as a medium obtained by the superposition of two and sometimes three con and the other fluids, which occupy the same portion of tinua, one solid space. Furthermore, relatively simple and robust constitutive laws were adopted to describe the stress-strain behaviour and the interaction between the solid and the fluid continua. The contrast between the intrinsic nature of soil and the simplistic engi neering approach is self-evident. When trying to describe more and more sophisticated phenomena (static liquefaction, strain localisation, cyclic mo bility, effects of diagenesis and weathering, ..... ), the nalve description of soil must be abandoned or, at least, improved. Higher order continua, incrementally non-linear laws, micromechanical considerations must be taken into account. A new world was opened, where basic mathematical questions (such as the choice of the best tools to model phenomena and the proof of the well-posedness of the consequent problems) could be addressed."