Current Issue : April-June Volume : 2026 Issue Number : 2 Articles : 5 Articles
This Special Issue presents recent advances in the production, modelling, processing, and characterization of advanced industrial materials, highlighting the diversity and sophistication of contemporary research discussing metallic, polymeric, composite, and nano-structured systems. The collected contributions address key challenges in materials science, ranging from surface quality control, the development of novel machining and fabrication tools, and optimization of thermoplastic composite consolidation, to provide fundamental insights into additive manufacturing, rheology, and constitutive modelling. The showcased studies introduce innovative approaches to metrology, including advanced optical, fluorescence, and X-ray scattering techniques for characterizing nano-particles, microstructures, and thermal properties. The presented research also features investigations into the welding of dissimilar steels, binder jetting of stainless steel, and the influence of heat treatment on functional steel performance, alongside environmentally oriented research on natural-fibre energy devices and bio-based polymer composites. Further research topics include defect structures in doped crystals, low-temperature synthesis of oxide films, and mechanical behaviour of steels under extreme conditions. Collectively, these articles demonstrate the strong synergy between experimental methods, computational modelling, and industrial applications, underscoring the continued progress in materials reliability, surface engineering, and advanced manufacturing technologies. This Special Issue therefore provides a comprehensive overview of current trends and emerging directions, offering valuable methodological and conceptual insights in the field....
This paper addresses the issue of abnormal fluctuations in brake pipe pressure causing variations in braking force, or even forced stops, in heavy-haul trains. A multi-parameter synchronous acquisition monitoring device has been designed to collect relevant operational parameters during train movement. Integrating train traction calculation methods, algorithmic reasoning is conducted to assess the impact of abnormal pipe pressure fluctuations on braking force. Utilising the derived computational approach, the effect of such pressure anomalies on train braking force is calculated. Train braking force is regulated through control of the train pipe pressure reduction. Both train pipe pressure and pressure reduction are managed by the locomotive via the equalising air chamber. Traditional detection methods focus on pressure reduction and air charging/discharging times, making it difficult to analyse fluctuation causes in-depth. This study installs pressure sensors on the locomotive brake’s equalising air chamber and the train pipe inspection port to collect pressure data. It simultaneously records parameters such as ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure. Utilising the monitoring data, it calculates the impact of pipe pressure fluctuations on train air braking force, thereby supporting improvements in braking system stability and operational safety....
Hysteresis primarily affects the positioning accuracy of the magnetic shape memory alloybased actuator (M-SMAA). This paper proposes the use of the nonlinear autoregressive moving average with an exogenous input (NARMAX) model to describe the complex dynamic hysteresis of M-SMAA. First, an improved Prandtl–Ishlinskii operator is proposed as the exogenous variable function for the NARMAX model, using a hyperbolic tangent function as the input to the exogenous variable function, to better capture and represent the multivalued mapping hysteresis in M-SMAA. Then, a long short-term memory neural network is introduced to construct the NARMAX model, further optimizing its performance. Finally, the experimental results verify the effectiveness of the model....
Aero-engines operate across wide flight envelopes and harsh environments, requiring the fuel metering unit (FMU) to perform reliably over a broad temperature range. Fuel temperature fluctuations significantly modify viscosity and density, which in turn alter pressure distribution, flow behavior, and the dynamic response of the metering spool. Based on the first law of thermodynamics and the control volume method, this study theoretically analyzes how these thermal effects influence FMU pressure, flow rate, and spool motion. A thermo-hydraulic FMU model is then developed in AMESim to capture the coupled pressure-flow-motion dynamics. Based on this model, a robust H∞ controller is designed using the mixed-sensitivity approach to compensate for the temperature-dependent degradation in system performance. Simulation results verify that the proposed model accurately reproduces the FMU dynamics under varying thermal conditions. Furthermore, compared with a conventional PI controller, the H∞ controller achieves precise spool displacement regulation over the wide temperature range of −10 ◦C to 50 ◦C, effectively mitigating the adverse effects induced by temperature variations....
In principle, transit signal priority (TSP) should be able to reduce bus delays to near zero; however, in U.S. practice, bus delay reductions from TSP are often meager. This may be because, in the U.S., active TSP (green extension and early green) is often applied within an underlying traffic signal control framework that is not TSP-friendly. TSP-friendly signal control means control that minimizes the bus phase’s scheduled red period, offers flexibility to shift the bus phase’s green to match the bus arrival time, and includes compensation mechanisms that allow phases interrupted by priority actions to quickly recover, which in turn allows TSP to be more aggressive. Simulation tests at four sites in Boston find that applying active TSP together with TSP-friendly underlying control reduces bus delay 2 to 3 times as much as applying active TSP on top of existing traffic signal control without negatively impacting other vehicles or pedestrians. Aspects of TSP-friendly signal control demonstrated in the case studies include fully actuated control, reservice for minor bus phases, coordination that follows bus trajectories, phase rotation, and coordination following bus trajectories....
Loading....