Manufacturing is the foundation of a nation’s economy. It is the primary industry to promote economic and social development. To accelerate and upgrade China’s manufacturing sector from “precision manufacturing” to “high-performance and high-quality manufacturing”, a new breakthrough should be found in terms of achieving a “leap-frog development”. Unlike conventional manufacturing, the fundamental theory of “Manufacturing 3.0” is beyond the scope of conventional theory; rather, it is based on new principles and theories at the atomic and/or close-to-atomic scale. Obtaining a dominant role at the international level is a strategic move for China’s progress.

In this paper, an approach based on the fast point-in-polygon (PIP) algorithm and trimmed elements is proposed for isogeometric topology optimization (TO) with arbitrary geometric constraints. The isogeometric parameterized level-set-based TO method, which directly uses the non-uniform rational basis splines (NURBS) for both level set function (LSF) parameterization and objective function calculation, provides higher accuracy and efficiency than previous methods. The integration of trimmed elements is completed by the efficient quadrature rule that can design the quadrature points and weights for arbitrary geometric shape. Numerical examples demonstrate the efficiency and flexibility of the method.

Researchers have investigated direct drive valve for many years to solve problems, such as fluid force imbalance and switching frequency. The structure of the rotary valve has received considerable research interest because of its favorable dynamic properties and simple structure. This paper studied the high frequency double-servo direct drive rotary valve (DDRV), and proposed a novel structure and drive method satisfying high reversing frequency and adequate quantity of flow. Servo motors are integrated into the valve by the innovative structure, which is designed to equilibrate the unbalanced radial fluid force with the symmetric distributed oil ports. Aside from the fast reversing function of the valve, the DDRV presented high performance in linearity of the flow quantity and valve opening as a result of the fan-shaped flow ports. In addition, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method based on Fluent was conducted to verify the flux regulation effect of the height change of the adjustable boss.

A linear oscillating motor is an electromagnetic actuator that can achieve short-stroke reciprocating movement directly without auxiliary transmission mechanisms. It has been widely used in linear pump applications as the source of power and motion. However, because of the demand of high power density in a linear actuation system, the performance of linear oscillating motors has been the focus of studies and deserves further research for high power density. In this paper, a general framework of linear oscillating motor design and optimization is addressed in detail, including the electromagnetic, dynamics, and thermal aspects. First, the electromagnetic and dynamics characteristics are modeled to reveal the principle for optimization. Then, optimization and analysis on magnetic structure, resonant system, and thermal features are conducted, which provide the foundation for prototype development. Finally, experimental results are provided for validation. As a whole, this process offers complete guidance for high power density linear oscillating motors in linear pump applications.

Electromagnetic welding (EMW) is a high-speed joining technique that is used to join similar or dissimilar metals, as well as metals to non-metals. This technique uses electromagnetic force to mainly join conductive materials. Unlike conventional joining processes, the weld interface does not melt, thus keeping the material properties intact. Extremely high velocity and strain rate involved in the process facilitate extending the EMW technique for joining several materials. In this paper, the research and progress in electromagnetic welding are reviewed from various perspectives to provide a basis for further research.

Electrical discharge machining (EDM) is a well-known nontraditional manufacturing process to machine the difficult-to-machine (DTM) materials which have unique hardness properties. Researchers have successfully performed hybridization to improve this process by incorporating powders into the EDM process known as powder-mixed EDM process. This process drastically improves process efficiency by increasing material removal rate, micro-hardness, as well as reducing the tool wear rate and surface roughness. EDM also has some input parameters, including pulse-on time, dielectric levels and its type, current setting, flushing pressure, and so on, which have a significant effect on EDM performance. However, despite their positive influence, investigating the effects of these parameters on environmental conditions is necessary. Most studies demonstrate the use of kerosene oil as dielectric fluid. Nevertheless, in this work, the authors highlight the findings with respect to three different dielectric fluids, including kerosene oil, EDM oil, and distilled water using one-variable-at-a-time approach for machining as well as environmental aspects. The hazard and operability analysis is employed to identify the inherent safety factors associated with powder-mixed EDM of WC-Co.

Wind turbine gearbox (WTG), which functions as an accelerator, ensures the performance and service life of wind turbine systems. This paper examines the distinctive modal properties of WTGs through finite element (FE) and experimental modal analyses. The study is performed in two parts. First, a whole system model is developed to investigate the first 10 modal frequencies and mode shapes of WTG using flexible multi-body modeling techniques. Given the complex structure and operating conditions of WTG, this study applies spring elements to the model and quantifies how the bearings and gear pair interactions affect the dynamic characteristics of WTGs. Second, the FE modal results are validated through experimental modal analyses of a 1.5 WM WTG using the frequency response function method of single point excitation and multi-point response. The natural frequencies from the FE and experimental modal analyses show favorable agreement and reveal that the characteristic frequency of the studied gearbox avoids its eigen-frequency very well.

A support system is the main load-bearing component of sample table for neutron stress spectrometer, and air bearing is an important element of a support system. The neutron stress spectrometer sample table was introduced, and the scheme for air bearing combination was selected. To study the performance of air bearing center cross gap, finite element models (FEMs) were established based on air motion and Reynolds equations, effects of air supply pressure, and gap parameters on the overturning moment and bearing capacity of air bearing center cross gap were analyzed. Results indicate that the width, depth, and height differences of the marble floor gap played important roles in the performance of the air bearing. When gap width is lesser than 1 mm and gap depth is lower than 0.4 mm, bearing capacity and overturning moment would vary rapidly with the variation of the width and depth. A gap height difference results in the bearing capacity dropping rapidly. The FEM results agree well with experimental results. Further, findings of the study could guide the design of the support system and marble floor.

As a widely used numerical method, boundary element method (BEM) is efficient for computer aided engineering (CAE). However, boundary integrals with near singularity need to be calculated accurately and efficiently to implement BEM for CAE analysis on thin bodies successfully. In this paper, the distance in the denominator of the fundamental solution is first designed as an equivalent form using approximate expansion and the original sinh method can be revised into a new form considering the minimum distance and the approximate expansion. Second, the acquisition of the projection point by Newton-Raphson method is introduced. We acquire the nearest point between the source point and element edge by solving a cubic equation if the location of the projection point is outside the element, where boundary integrals with near singularity appear. Finally, the subtriangles of the local coordinate space are mapped into the integration space and the sinh method is applied in the integration space. The revised sinh method can be directly performed in the integration element. A verification test of our method is proposed. Results demonstrate that our method is effective for regularizing the boundary integrals with near singularity.

An assembly design system is an important part of computer-aided design systems, which are important tools for realizing product concept design. The traditional assembly design system does not record the connection information of production on the engineering layer; consequently, the upstream design idea cannot be fully used in the downstream design. An assembly design model based on the relationship of engineering connection is presented. In this model, all nodes are divided into two categories: The component and the connection. Moreover, the product is constructed on the basis of the connection relationship of the components. The model is an And/Or graph and has the ability to record all assembly schemes. This model records only the connection information that has engineering application value in the product design. In addition, this model can significantly reduce the number of combinations, and is very favorable for the assembly sequence planning in the downstream. The system contains a connection knowledge system that can be mapped to the connection node, and the connection knowledge obtained in practice can be returned to the knowledge system. Finally, VC++6.0 is used to develop a prototype system called Connect-based Assembly Planning (CAP). The relationship between the CAP system and the commercial assembly design system is also established.