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Active combustion control (ACC) technology is an effective measure for suppressing the combustion oscillation of aero-engines. The magnetostrictive actuator is the most suitable choice for the ACC actuator due to its excellent high-frequency characteristics and high-temperature resistance. In order for the magnetostrictive actuator to produce high-frequency displacement, the constant current driver must have sufficient power, which results in a larger mass of the driver. A solution is to use multi-channel and low-power constant current driver. Therefore, the coil of the magnetostrictive actuator is axially dispersed and driven by two four-channel servo amplifiers. The driver's mass is significantly reduced while maintaining the same electromagnetic conversion effect. In addition, an analytical model of a discrete coil magnetostrictive actuator is established, and a series of experiments are conducted. The maximum hysteresis error of output displacement at 200 Hz is reduced by 15.2%. Furthermore, under PID closed-loop control, the root mean square (RMS) error is less than 2% when tracking a 10 Hz sinusoidal displacement with coil switching drive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Piezoelectric stack actuator (PSA) has attracted widespread attention in aerospace applications. However, the severe operating conditions would bring certain risks to PSA, leading to decreased performance or even failure. The conventional PSA structure lacks adaptability in the event of a complete failure occurring within the piezoelectric stack layer (PSL) due to its centralized design and driving method. To address the reliability challenges inherent in PSAs, this paper proposes a novel distributed PSA (DPSA) by means of mechanical and electrical dispersion. Additionally, dual-redundant PSLs are integrated into the DPSA as backups, providing hardware redundancy for active fault-tolerant control (FTC). Building upon this foundation, an sliding mode observer (SMO)-based fault detector for DPSA is developed to facilitate fault reconstruction. Subsequently, an active FTC strategy, comprising dual-SMO-based fault detectors and a tracking controller, is introduced to effectively manage faults and reallocate control resources. Comprehensive experiments under various fault scenarios are carried out to assess the performance of the SMO-based fault detector and FTC strategy. The results demonstrate that the proposed fault detector and FTC strategy promptly detect faults and efficiently restore the DPSA to a stable state, thereby ensuring effective trajectory tracking even in the presence of faults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Piezoelectric hydraulic pumps play a pivotal role in more electric aircraft and all-electric aircraft utilizing power-by-wire technology, owing to their high power density and reliability. The cantilever reed valve (CRV) serves as a crucial component within these pumps, and its dynamic behavior within the fluid directly impacts the pumps' output power. A precise mathematical model of the CRV is essential for understanding its motion mechanisms. However, existing models for the CRV inadequately capture its dynamics and fail to explain the observed motion phenomena. Further exploration into dynamic modeling of the CRV is warranted. This paper employs finite element analysis to investigate CRV's dynamics, revealing the significant impact of squeeze flow on CRV's dynamics and identifying the cause of slow closure. Based on this, a novel lumped parameter model incorporating squeeze force is proposed to accurately depict CRV's dynamics, particularly focusing on the phenomenon of slow closure. To validate the proposed model's accuracy, an experimental system capable of independently driving the CRV is constructed to eliminate interference resulting from integrating the CRV into the pumps. The results show that the dynamic response during closure, as predicted by the proposed model, is in good agreement with the outcomes from finite element analysis. Notably, the proposed model exhibits an 11.11% higher prediction accuracy for experimental closing times compared to the traditional model that neglects squeeze forces. This study offers guidance for optimizing CRV's dynamics and improving the performance of piezoelectric hydraulic pumps in future applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the advantages of high energy density, high accuracy, and fast response, smart material-driven electro-hydrostatic actuators (SMEHAs) have attracted significant attention in recent years. However, the low flow rate of SMEHAs constrains their application. One potential solution to enhance the flow rate is to increase the number of smart material-actuated pumps. In view of this, this paper proposes a new configuration of an electro-hydrostatic actuator equipped with four magnetostrictive-actuated pumps (FMEHA) to achieve a large flow rate. The mathematical model of the FMEHA is established to investigate the driving phase matching between pumps and the active flow distribution valve. The physical prototype of FMEHA is fabricated. Simulations and experiments are conducted to assess its performance under various driving parameters, including the number of pumps, driving phase, frequency, and amplitude. The optimal driving parameters for the FMEHA are determined based on the results obtained. Experimental findings demonstrate that with a driving phase of 340°, a frequency of 250 Hz, and an amplitude of 20 A, the FMEHA achieves a maximum flow rate of 6.2 l/min. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As nanotechnology has developed, some nano-additives have been employed to improve the performance of lubricants. The mechanisms of nano-additives still need to be investigated. The wear characteristics of Fe3O4 nano-additive lubricant were investigated in this study. Different diameters of Fe3O4 nanoparticles were mixed in basic oil using an ultrasonic mixer. The new lubricant was used for analytical tests at room temperature. The results showed that nano-lubricants with 20 nm nanoparticles increase the oil film strength. The coefficient of friction was reduced when 20 nm diameter 8 wt% Fe3O4 nanoparticles were mixed with lubricants. The effect of surfactants and nanoparticles in the base oil was measured using numerical simulation methods. The adsorption capacity of the lubricants was significantly improved by Fe3O4 nanoparticles, particularly when looking at the small relative atomic mass of the metal. The 8 wt% Fe3O4 lubricant exhibited optimal tribological properties when applied in micro-rolling tests. The results showed that the surface quality of the rolled samples was significantly improved, and the rolling force was dramatically reduced. At the same time, the shapes of the samples were effectively controlled in the rolling process. Therefore, Fe3O4 nanoparticles can improve the friction and wear characteristics of lubricants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an electro-hydrostatic actuator driven by dual axial-mounted magnetostrictive material rods-based pumps (MMPs) with a new type of active rectification valve is designed in the current study. Based on flow distribution of the active rectification valve and driving energy provided by two MMPs, the actuator can output continuous and bidirectional displacement. By establishing a mathematical model of the actuating system, using simulation techniques, the change rule of hydraulic cylinder's motion state caused by different driving signals are studied and analyzed. Test equipment platform is constructed in the laboratory to test the output characteristics and confirm the feasibility of the new concept. The experimental results indicate that the maximum flow rate can reach approximately 2.7 L·min−1, while the operating frequency is 180 Hz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Difluoromethylation is of prime importance for its applicability in functionalizing diverse fluorine‐containing heterocycles, which are core groups in diverse biologically and pharmacologically active ingredients. Herein, we report a novel transition metal‐ and oxidant‐free visible light‐photoinduced protocol for direct C(sp2)‐H difluoromethylation of heterocycles. The reaction afforded difluoromethyl heterocycles without using colored organic dyes and metal catalysts in good yields and showed a broad substrate tolerance. Moreover, the representative products exhibited potential drug activity, and one product showed good antifungal activities against Rhizoctorzia solani (62.7 %). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inertance hydraulic converter relies on fluid inertance to modulate flow or pressure and is considered to be a competitive alternative to the conventional proportional hydraulic system due to its potential advantage in efficiency. As the quantification of fluid inertance, the suction flow characteristic is the crucial performance indicator for efficiency improvement. To explore the discrepancy between the passive inertance hydraulic converter featured by the check valve and the active inertance hydraulic converter driven by an equivalent 2/3 way fast switching valve in regard to suction flow characteristics, analytical models of the inertance hydraulic converters were established in MATLAB/Simulink. The validated models of the respective suction components were incorporated in the overall analytical models and their suction flow characteristics were theoretically and experimentally discussed. The analytical predictions and experimental measurements for the current configurations indicated that the active inertance hydraulic converter yields a larger transient suction flow rate than that of the passive inertance hydraulic converter due to the difference of the respective suction components. The suction flow characteristic can be modulated using the supply pressure and duty cycle, which was confirmed by experimental measurements. In addition, the suction flow characteristics are heavily affected by the resistance of the suction flow passage and switching frequency. There is a compromise between the resistance and switching frequency for inertance hydraulic converters to achieve large suction flow rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]