Sharif Digital Repository

There is ambiguity on the quantitative validity of the predictions revealed by musculoskeletal models for muscle forces. This study investigated the consistency between the predictions of a musculoskeletal model of the upper limb and the experimental data for a number of different subjects and functional tasks. Six normal subjects performed isokinetic eccentric or isotonic concentric contraction tests of the wrist muscles in well controlled conditions, using a robotic apparatus, and the net joint torque and angular velocities, as well as the surface electromyograms (EMG) signals of the muscles, were recorded. The experiments were then simulated using a parametric musculoskeletal model of... 

Transmission health is an important factor in safety and maintenance costs in industries, so construction of test rigs for testing high-powered gearboxes under different operating conditions of helicopters is required. The studied test rig, which is developed at Sharif University of Technology branch of ACECR (Academic Centre of Education, Culture and Research) is mainly used for testing high-powered gearboxes through a mechanically closed-loop procedure. For providing a variety of speeds and torques in test rigs, torque applying system is required. According to generation of higher forces, reduced size of equipment and accurate positioning, electro hydraulic actuators (EHAs) are used for... 

The Computational fluid dynamics (CFD)–discrete element method (DEM) numerical simulation may be applied to predict the hydrodynamic behavior of dense particle–fluid flows. The main drawback of this simulation is the long computational time required owing to the large number of particles and the minute time-step required to maintain a stable solution. In this work, a new method to improve the efficiency and accuracy of CFD–DEM simulations is presented. The particle stiffness coefficient is used as a flexible parameter to improve the accuracy and efficiency of the model. The particle concentration distribution results are compared with experimental one’s to derive the optimum effective... 

During the well drilling process, particles are produced in different shapes. The shape of particles can influence the characteristics of particles transport process. The aim of this work is to analyze the effects of particle shape on the transportation mechanism. For this purpose, a three-dimensional model is prepared for simulation of particle transportation with spherical and non-spherical shapes, during deviated well drilling. The motion of particles and the non-Newtonian fluid flow are simulated via discrete element method and CFD, respectively. The two-way coupling scheme is used to incorporate the effects of fluid-particle interactions. Three different samples of non-spherical shapes... 

To help walking, using assistive devices can be considered to reduce the loads caused by weight and to effectively decrease the propulsive forces. In this study, a mobility Saddle-Assistive Device (S-AD) supporting body weight while walking was evaluated on two healthy volunteers. This device is based on the support of body weight against gravity with the help of a saddle, which is not used in other passive mobility assistive devices. To prove the efficiency of this device, the experimental results obtained while walking with this device were compared with those related to walking without the assistive device. The results showed that this device could significantly reduce the forces and... 

Paraplegic users of mechanical walking orthoses, e.g. advanced reciprocating gait orthosis (ARGO), often face high energy expenditure and extreme upper body loading during locomotion. We studied the effect of kinematical pattern on the mechanical performance of paraplegic locomotion, in search for an improved gait pattern that leads to lower muscular efforts. A three-dimensional, four segment, six-degrees-of-freedom skeletal model of the advanced reciprocating gait orthosis-assisted paraplegic locomotion was developed based on the data acquired from an experimental study on a single subject. The effect of muscles was represented by ideal joint torque generators. A response surface analysis... 

Maximal strength measurements of the trunk have been used to evaluate the maximum functional capacity of muscles and the potential mechanical overload or overuse of the lumbar spine tissues in order to estimate the risk of developing musculoskeletal injuries. A new triaxial isometric trunk strength measurement system was designed and developed in the present study, and its reliability and performance was investigated. The system consisted of three main revolute joints, equipped with torque sensors, which intersect at L5 - S1 and adjustment facilities to fit the body anthropometry and to accommodate both symmetric and asymmetric postures in both seated and standing positions. The dynamics of... 

The majority of the people with incomplete spinal cord injury lose their walking ability, due to the weakness of their muscle motors in providing torque. As a result, developing assistive devices to improve their conditionis of great importance. In this study, a combined application of the saddle-assistive device (S-AD) and mechanical medial linkage or thosis was evaluated to improve the walking ability in patients with spinal cord injury in the gait laboratory. This mobile assistive device is called the saddle-assistive device equipped with medial linkage or thosis (S-ADEM). In this device, a mechanical orthosis was used in a wheeled walker as previously done in the literature. Initially,... 

Aiming at operating optimally minimizing error of tracking and designing control effort, this study presents a novel generalizable methodology of an optimal torque control for a 6-degree-of-freedom Stewart platform with rotary actuators. In the proposed approach, a linear quadratic integral regulator with the least sensitivity to controller parameter choices is designed, associated with an online artificial neural network gain tuning. The nonlinear system is implemented in ADAMS, and the controller is formulated in MATLAB to minimize the real-time tracking error robustly. To validate the controller performance, MATLAB and ADAMS are linked together and the performance of the controller on the... 

In this research a computer model based on elasto hydrodynamic fluid film lubrication is developed in order to calculate the torque transmission efficiency of a half-toroidal CVT variator. Validation of this model is verified by comparing the experimental and the model results. Sensitivity of torque transmission efficiency to eleven parameters is investigated. These parameters are: dimensionless roller curvature, aspect ratio, half cone angle, fluid viscosity index, pressure constant for Roelands model, input rotational velocity, absolute viscosity at atmospheric pressure, Young modulus of disks and power rollers, Poisson ratio of disks and power rollers, number of power rollers and variator... 

In this research a model is developed which calculates the torque transmission efficiency of a half-toroidal CVT as a function of variator geometry, gear ratio and input torque. The different criteria which are considered to be important in a half toroidal CVT performance are torque transmission efficiency, variator weight, roller fatigue life and bearing torque loss. Variation of geometrical characteristics such as roller curvature, number of power rollers, aspect ratio and half cone angle affect these criteria in different ways. Therefore, in order to find the optimal quantity for each geometrical parameter an optimization problem should be developed. The objective function of this... 

A robust multivariable strategy for pitch and torque control design of variable-speed variable-pitch wind turbines in the full load region is introduced in this paper. The pitch and torque control loops that share the tracking and active damping of drivetrain torsional mode objectives are designed simultaneously using a novel decomposition scheme. This permits the systematic design of robust multivariable controllers for wind turbines in a manner that facilitates industrial application. We achieve this by making the process of weighting function design fast, intuitive, and simple and by giving the designer a clear insight on the compromising aspects of the various control system objectives.... 

Ultrasonic motors (USM's) possess heavy nonlinear and load dependent characteristics such as dead-zone and saturation reverse effects, which vary with driving conditions. In this paper, behavior of an ultrasonic motor is modeled using Hammerstein model structure and experimental measurements. Also, model predictive controllers are designed to obtain precise USM position control. Simulation results indicate improved performance of the motor for both set point tracking and disturbance rejection. © 2005 ISA - The Instrumentation, Systems, and Automation Society  

In the presented paper, an analytical model is developed for calculation of the air gap magnetic flux density in the axial-flux surface-mounted PM machines. The slotting effect is taken into account in the air gap magnetic flux distribution, accurately. The main novelty of this study is replacing the stator teeth by some surface currents at the border of the removed stator teeth. The uniqueness theorem is applied to find the surface currents. The two-dimensional (2D) field solution in the slotless machine is solved easily by separation of variables method. The multi-slice quasi-3D method is applied for taking 3D nature of field distribution into account. In addition, the back-EMF, armature... 

The development of energy regeneration capability in electric vehicles can extend their driving range making them a competent alternative for conventional internal combustion engine vehicles. In this study, a novel energy regeneration technique, called a two-boost method, for electric vehicles driven by a brushless DC (BLDC) motor, a widely used motor in vehicular technology, is proposed. Based on this technique, the BLDC motor driver, which is selected to be a three-phase inverter, is converted into two simultaneous boost converters during energy regeneration periods in order to transfer energy from the BLDC motor into the battery and provide the braking force. Also, this method is compared... 

Direct drive motors have the excellent ability for precision position control due to their direct connection to load and elimination of the gearbox and pulley backlash. Among the direct drive motors, permanent NdFeB magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs) are the best choice for control systems due to their high efficiency, high power density, good dynamic behaviour, and excellent controllability. This study deals with the design, analysis, and fabrication of a direct drive PMSM for precision position control. To reach this aim, the designed motor should have very low cogging torque and torque ripple to avoid the motor deviation at the target point. To achieve these purposes, at first, a suitable... 

Neglecting actuator dynamics in control of rigid manipulators can degrade performance and stability of the system. However, consideration of actuator dynamics usually requires measurement of joint torque or armature currents. In this paper, we present an adaptive controller for motion tracking of an n-DOF manipulator without using joint torque measurement. Semi-global convergence of motion and torque tracking errors to zero is proven. We show that the use of non-minimal representation of manipulator dynamics significantly simplifies its linear parametrization. Simulation example shows that avoiding joint torque measurement reduces system sensitivity to sensor failure and noise  

This paper focuses on developing a new configuration on magnetorheological (MR) brake damper as prosthetic knee. Knee uses magnetic fields to vary the viscosity of the MR fluid, and thereby its flexion resistance. Exerted transmissibility torque of the knee greatly depends on the magnetic field intensity in the MR fluid. In this study a rotary damper using MR fluid is addressed in which a single rotary disc will act as a brake while MR fluid is activated by magnetic field in different walking gait. The main objective of this study is to investigate a prosthetic knee with one activating rotary disc to accomplish necessary braking torque in walking gait via implementing of Newton's equation of... 

This paper presents a new method for implementing the direct torque control (DTC) on the brushless doubly fed induction machines (BDFM) in presence of turbulence in voltage grid. It is supposed irrupts in three phase voltage grid suddenly. Effects of these events on closed-loop operation are inevitable and in some cases could lead to system instability. It presumed that grid voltages disturbance effect on back-To-back converter's outputs is negligible. Control of a complex machine is problematic. Hence, firstly has explained performance of the control method on BDFM, Proposed a new method for reducing turbulence effects of system operation afterward. Simulation results on BDFM model with...