Yes / This paper presents a multi-degrees-of-freedom non-linear multibody dynamic model of a three-axle heavy commercial vehicle tractor unit, comprising a subchassis, front and rear leaf spring suspensions, steering system, and ten wheels/tyres, with a semi-trailer comprising two axles and eight wheels/tyres. The investigation is mainly concerned with the rollover stability of the articulated vehicle. The models incorporate all sources of compliance, stiffness, and damping, all with non-linear characteristics, and are constructed and simulated using automatic dynamic analysis of mechanical systems formulation. A constant radius turn test and a single lane change test (according to the ISO Standard) are simulated. The constant radius turn test shows the understeer behaviour of the vehicle, and the single lane change manoeuvre was conducted to show the transient behaviour of the vehicle. Non-stable roll and yaw behaviour of the vehicle is predicted at test speeds .90 km/h. Rollover stability of the vehicle is also investigated using a constant radius turn test with increasing speed. The articulated laden vehicle model predicted increased understeer behaviour, due to higher load acting on the wheels of the middle and rear axles of the tractor and the influence of the semi-trailer, as shown by the reduced yaw rate and the steering angle variation during the constant radius turn. The rollover test predicted a critical lateral acceleration value where complete rollover occurs. Unstable behaviour of the articulated vehicle is also predicted in the single lane change manoeuvre.

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Apresenta um modelo completo em sistemas multicorpos de uma combinação veicular formada por um cavalo mecânico e um semi-reboque para um estudo de dirigibilidade. O modelo multicorpos foi desenvolvido no MSC.Adams/Car e inclui a suspensão primária, sistema de direção, trem de força, modelo de pneu e um quadro flexível para o cavalo mecânico, e a suspensão primária, modelo de pneu e quadro rígido para o semi-reboque. A resposta dinâmica lateral de uma composição veicular depende das características combinadas de estabilidade direcional, dirigibilidade e interação pneu/pavimento da unidade motora e da unidade rebocada. Os parâmetros mais importantes em relação à dinâmica lateral dos veículos longos combinados são: a velocidade longitudinal, o concerning stiffness dos pneus da combinação veicular, as elasticidades dos sistemas de suspensão e esterçamento do cavalo mecânico, a localização, distribuição do carregamento e momento de inércia em guinada da unidade movida e transferência lateral de carga do veículo como um todo. O modelo foi validado no âmbito dos modos de vibração. As análises de dirigibilidade foram realizadas mediante execução de manobras de mudança simples de pista e de esterçamento com entrada rampa, no MSC.Adams/Car, para calcular métricas comumente utilizadas para avaliação da dinâmica lateral de veículos longos combinados como aceleração lateral, velocidade de guinada, offtracking dinâmico e o gradiente de esterçamento. Análises dos resultados mostraram a influência no tempo de resposta, em regime transitório, do cavalo quando atrelado ao semi-reboque e um comportamento sub-esterçante nas velocidades longitudinais simuladas. A combinação veicular utilizada para este estudo apresenta um comportamento direcional estável. / This work presents a complete multibody model of a heavy articulated vehicle with a tractor and a semitrailer for handling study purposes. The model had been developed on MSC.Adams/Car and includes primary suspension system, steering system, powertrain, tire model and a flexible frame for tractor, suspension system, tire model and a rigid frame for semitrailer. The lateral dynamics response of a heavy articulated vehicle depends on tractor/semitrailer combined characteristics of the directional stability, the manouverability and the tire/road interaction. The most important parameters concerning of the lateral dynamics of heavy articulated vehicles are: longitudinal velocity, combined tire cornering stiffness of vehicular composition, suspensions systems compliance and steering system compliance of tractor, location, load distribution and yaw moment of towing unit and vehicle overall lateral load transfer. The model was validated about modal shapes and frequencies vibrations. Handling analyses had performed with single lane change and ramp steer maneuvers simulation on MSC.Adams/Car to calculate common measures for heavy articulated vehicles lateral dynamics evaluation as lateral acceleration, yaw velocity, dynamic offtracking and understeer gradient. The results analyses showed that the towing unit influences on response of the tractor and an understeer behavior of all vehicular composition over longitudinal velocity range simulated. The heavy articulated vehicle used on this study shows a stable directional behavior.

Apresenta um modelo completo em sistemas multicorpos de uma combinação veicular formada por um cavalo mecânico e um semi-reboque para um estudo de dirigibilidade. O modelo multicorpos foi desenvolvido no MSC.Adams/Car e inclui a suspensão primária, sistema de direção, trem de força, modelo de pneu e um quadro flexível para o cavalo mecânico, e a suspensão primária, modelo de pneu e quadro rígido para o semi-reboque. A resposta dinâmica lateral de uma composição veicular depende das características combinadas de estabilidade direcional, dirigibilidade e interação pneu/pavimento da unidade motora e da unidade rebocada. Os parâmetros mais importantes em relação à dinâmica lateral dos veículos longos combinados são: a velocidade longitudinal, o concerning stiffness dos pneus da combinação veicular, as elasticidades dos sistemas de suspensão e esterçamento do cavalo mecânico, a localização, distribuição do carregamento e momento de inércia em guinada da unidade movida e transferência lateral de carga do veículo como um todo. O modelo foi validado no âmbito dos modos de vibração. As análises de dirigibilidade foram realizadas mediante execução de manobras de mudança simples de pista e de esterçamento com entrada rampa, no MSC.Adams/Car, para calcular métricas comumente utilizadas para avaliação da dinâmica lateral de veículos longos combinados como aceleração lateral, velocidade de guinada, offtracking dinâmico e o gradiente de esterçamento. Análises dos resultados mostraram a influência no tempo de resposta, em regime transitório, do cavalo quando atrelado ao semi-reboque e um comportamento sub-esterçante nas velocidades longitudinais simuladas. A combinação veicular utilizada para este estudo apresenta um comportamento direcional estável. / This work presents a complete multibody model of a heavy articulated vehicle with a tractor and a semitrailer for handling study purposes. The model had been developed on MSC.Adams/Car and includes primary suspension system, steering system, powertrain, tire model and a flexible frame for tractor, suspension system, tire model and a rigid frame for semitrailer. The lateral dynamics response of a heavy articulated vehicle depends on tractor/semitrailer combined characteristics of the directional stability, the manouverability and the tire/road interaction. The most important parameters concerning of the lateral dynamics of heavy articulated vehicles are: longitudinal velocity, combined tire cornering stiffness of vehicular composition, suspensions systems compliance and steering system compliance of tractor, location, load distribution and yaw moment of towing unit and vehicle overall lateral load transfer. The model was validated about modal shapes and frequencies vibrations. Handling analyses had performed with single lane change and ramp steer maneuvers simulation on MSC.Adams/Car to calculate common measures for heavy articulated vehicles lateral dynamics evaluation as lateral acceleration, yaw velocity, dynamic offtracking and understeer gradient. The results analyses showed that the towing unit influences on response of the tractor and an understeer behavior of all vehicular composition over longitudinal velocity range simulated. The heavy articulated vehicle used on this study shows a stable directional behavior.

The desktop publishing revolution of the 1980s is currently repeating itself in 3D, referred to as desktop manufacturing. Online services such as Shapeways have become available, making personalized manufacturing on cutting edge additive manufacturing (AM) technologies accessible to a broad audience. Affordable desktop printers will soon take over, enabling people to fabricate / Engineering and Applied Sciences

The purpose of this project is to implement obstacle avoidance algorithms to drive the articulated vehicle autonomously in an unknown environment, which is simulated by AgX Dynamics™ simulation software and controlled by Matlab® programming software. Three driving modes are developed for driving the vehicle (Manual, Semi-autonomous and Autonomous) in this project. Path tracking algorithms and obstacle avoidance algorithms are implemented to navigate the vehicle. A GUI was built and used for the manual driving mode in this project. The semi-autonomous mode checked different cases: change lanes, U-turn, following a line, following a path and figure 8 course. The autonomous mode is implemented to drive the articulated vehicle in an unknown environment with moving to a pose path tracking algorithm and VFH+ obstacle avoidance algorithm. Thus, the simulation model and VFH+ obstacle avoidance algorithm seems to be working fine and still can be improved for the autonomous vehicle. The result of this project showed a good performance of the simulation model. Moreover, this simulation software helps to minimize the cost of the articulated vehicle since all tests are in the simulation rather than in the reality.

O tratamento de fraturas umerais distais em aves impõe grande dificuldade, devido a córtices muito finas dos ossos A artrodese com fixador externo da articulação úmero-rádio-ulnar é inviável para aves que se pretende reintroduzir ao meio ambiente. Doze animais foram divididos em dois grupos: cirurgias bilaterais com anquilose de uma asa (asa estática) e manutenção da articulação da outra (asa dinâmica) (grupo 1), e cirurgia unilateral, com manutenção da função da articulação (asa dinâmica), sendo a outra controle (asa intacta) (grupo 2). Foram feitas avaliações clínicas, radiológicas, morfológicas do osso, histomorfométricas (de ambos os grupos) e de capacidade de vôo (grupo 2). A 6 semanas, todos os animais apresentavam fraturas consolidadas, com excessão de dois animais do grupo 1, que somente apresentaram consolidação das asas dinâmicas às 9 semanas e das estáticas às 12 semanas. Todos os animais do grupo 2 apresentaram capacidade de vôo adequada, antes de 13 semanas após a cirurgia. No grupo 1 o úmero da asa dinâmica representava 99,1% do comprimento do da asa estática, e no grupo 2, estes eram 99,5% em relação à asa intacta. A amplitude da asa, no grupo 2, demonstrou que a relação da asa dinâmica/intacta foi de 93%, e no grupo 1 a relação asa dinâmica/estática foi de 105%. O volume do osso intacto foi de aproximadamente 29% da área estudada, enquanto o da asa estática foi de 19% e das asas dinâmicas, de 22%. Houve diferença entre o número de osteoblástos das asas intactas e dinâmicas, porém não houve diferença entre as asas estáticas e intactas e entre as dinâmicas e as estáticas, e também não houve diferença do número de osteoclástos entre nenhum tipo de asa. A razão da superfície óssea pelo volume ósseo indica a quantidade de áreas de reabsorção. Não houve diferença entre as asas estática e dinâmica, porém houve diferença entre estas e os controles. O método proposto de técnica para fixação de fraturas umerais distais, sem a anquilose da articulação úmero-rádio-ulnar, demonstrou ser efetivo em manter o comprimento ósseo, a amplitude da asa e assim, garantindo a capacidade de vôo das aves tratadas, além de demonstrar ser equivalente histológicamente à técnica tradicional e mais estável de anquilose da articulação, para este tipo de fratura, e até mesmo, no período estudado, ser equivalente ao osso são, sendo um método adequado para a reparação de fraturas distais de úmero em aves quando se pretende a reabilitação destes animais. / The treatment of humeral distal fractures in birds is very difficult, because these bones are very brittle. Ankylosis of the humeral-radio-ulnar joint with an external fixator is unviable for birds intended for re-habilitation and reintroduction. Twelve animals were used and they were divided in two groups: bilateral surgeries, with ankylosis of one wing (static wing) and maintenance of the joint function of the other wing (dynamic wing) (group 1), and unilateral surgery, with maintenance of the joint function of the wing (dynamic wing), and the other was used as control group (intact wing) (group 2). Clinical, radiographic, morphologic and histomorphometric evaluations of the wings and bones (of both groups) and of evaluations of flight capacity (in group 2) were made. At 6 weeks, all animals had healed fractures, except two animals in group 1, that only presented consolidation of the dynamic wing at 9 weeks and the static wings at 12 weeks. All animals in group 2 were capable of flying before 13 weeks after surgery. In group 1, the humerus of the dynamic wing was 99.1% the length of that of the static wing, and in group 2, these were 99.5% compared to the intact wing. Wing amplitude, in group 2, showed a dynamic/ intact ratio of 93%, and in group 1 the dynamic/ static wing ratio was 105%. The volume of the intact bone was approximately 29% of the studied area, while in the static wing it was of 19% and in the dynamic wing, 22%. There was a difference in the number of osteoblasts of the intact and dynamic wings, but there was no difference between static and intact, and between dynamic and static wings, and also, there was no difference in the numbers of osteoclasts between any wings. The bone surface/ volume ratio indicates the amount of resorption areas. There was no significant difference between static and dynamic wings, but there was a difference between static and intact wings. The proposed method of distal humeral fracture fixation technique, without ankylosis of the humerus-radius-ulna joint, demonstrated being effective in keeping bone length, wing amplitude e therefore, guaranteeing flight capacity of the birds treated, as well as being histologically equivalent to the tradicional, more stable, joint ankylosis technique, for thise kind of fracture, and even, for the studied period, being equivalent to healthy bone, being an adequate method for fracture repair for this kind of fracture in birds, when one intends rehabilitation of these animals.

Este trabalho traz um estudo de veículos rodoviários articulados pesados durante o processo de freagem incluindo uma revisão bibliográfica sobre aspectos humanos, ambientais, legais, veiculares e operacionais relacionados com o desempenho, a estabilidade e a segurança veicular e uma descrição da técnica dos mapas de desempenho. Tal técnica é original e inovadora e foi desenvolvida através de modelo matemático e respectivo programa computacional para analisar o desempenho e a estabilidade de veículo-trator-semi-reboque durante a freagem em trecho retilíneo. Com esta técnica é possível obter o desempenho e a estabilidade direcional de veículos articulados pesados na freagem, obedecendo as restrições geométricas do veículo-trator-semi-reboque e de peso estabelecidas pelo fabricante e pela legislação, para todas as condições de carregamento e qualquer condição operacional. Os resultados teórico-experimentais que validaram o modelo matemático adotado também são mostrados neste trabalho. Este trabalho foi desenvolvido com o apolo da Mercedes-Benz do Brasil, resultando numa integração entre Empresa e Universidade que trouxe uma contribuição efetiva para o uso do veículo-trator-semi-reboque com maior eficiência, e segurança, unindo esforços da Empresa e da Universidade em prol da segurança veicular e do desenvolvimento tecnológico do Brasil. / This work describes a study of articulated heavy vehicles during braking process including the state-of-the-art of human, environmental, legal, vehicular and operational aspects related with performance, stability and vehicular safety and a description of performance charts technique. This technique is original and innovative and was developed with mathematical model and related computer program to analize the tractor-semi-trailer performance and stability during the braking process in a straight line path. With this technique is possible to obtain the performance and directional stability of articulated heavy vehicles during braking process, obeying the geometrical restrictions of the tractor-semi-trailer and the legal and maker\'s weight restrictions, for all states of loading and any operational conditions. The theoretical-experimental results that validated the mathematical model adopted are also shown in this work. This work was developed with the support of Mercedes-Benz of Brazil, resulting in a Company and University integration that brought an effective contribution for the more efficient and safe use of tractor-semi-trailer, enlarging the Company and University efforts to the benefit of vehicular safety and technological development in Brazil.

A bicicleta estacionária articulada é um tipo de equipamento disponibilizado recentemente ao mercado de fitness, consequentemente não explorado em estudos no meio acadêmico científico. Desta forma surgem alguns problemas de pesquisas, desde o fato da instrumentação deste equipamento até a escolha de metodologias e variáveis a serem estudadas para potencializar o seu uso. Este estudo foi realizado com o proposito de descrever as diferenças quanto ao padrão angular da pedalada do ciclista, ou seja, o ângulo do pedal relativo ao pedivela, utilizando-se desta nova bicicleta estacionária de ciclismo indoor, comparando a condição chassi fixo com o articulado. Para a instrumentação, foi acoplado um gerador e um encoder junto a roda de inércia tendo controle das variáveis carga e cadência. Para a medição do ângulo do pedal, os pedais (direito e esquerdo) da bicicleta foram substituídos por pedais instrumentados com potenciômetros, já para o registro do ângulo do pedivela, foi utilizado um sensor eletromagnético, do tipo reed switch. A amostra foi composta por cinco praticantes, todos devidamente adaptados com bicicletas de chassi articulado, submetidas a um protocolo pré-estabelecido, variando condição (fixo e articulado) e posição (pedalando no selim e em pé) com carga e cadência determinada. Embora a amplitude de movimento para ambos os pedais não apresentaram diferenças, em análise, os resultados apontaram que o uso do chassi articulado afeta o padrão angular do pedal durante o ciclo da pedalada, menos acentuado quando utilizou-se a posição sentado no selim, e mais acentuado quando estava-se pedalando em pé. Das posições no pedivela que apresentaram as diferenças no padrão angular durante o uso do chassi articulado, 80% foram na parte produtiva da pedalada (ângulo de 0° a 180°), e o ângulo de 150° concentrou 60% destas ocorrências. Já, tratando-se de forças no pedal, o chassi articulado apresenta evidência de ser mais eficiente do que o chassi fixo. / The stationary articulated bicycle is a type of equipment which is available to the fitness market only recently, and therefore it was not investigated in academic or scientific studies yet. Thus, this fact arises some problems of research, from the fact of instrumentation of this equipment to the choice of methods and variables to be studied to maximize its use. This study was conducted with the purpose to describe the differences in the angular pattern of cyclist pedaling, i.e., the angle on the pedal crank, using this new stationary bicycle of indoor cycling, by comparing the condition of the fixed chassis with the articulated one. For the instrumentation, a generator and an encoder were connected to the wheel of inertia, taking control of the load and cadence variables. To measure the angle of the pedal, the left and right pedals of the bicycle were replaced by pedals which were instrumented with potentiometers. To record the angle of the crank, we used an electromagnetic sensor, the reed switch. The sample consisted of five practitioners, all suitably adapted with articulated frame bicycles, which were subjected to a pre-established protocol, varying the condition (fixed or articulated), and the position (pedaling in the saddle or standing up), with determined load and cadence. The results indicated that the use of articulated frame affects the pattern of the pedal angle during the pedaling cycle, less marked when the sitting position on the saddle was used, and more pronounced when pedaling on the standing up position. About the positions of the crank that showed differences in angle while using the articulated frame: 80% were in the productive part of the pedaling (angle from 0° to 180°), and the angle of 150° concentrated 60% of these incidents. The amplitude of angular movement of the pedal showed no differences between fixed and articulated frame. However, in the case of forces on the pedal, the articulated frame shows evidence of being more efficient than the fixed frame.

Multi-trailer articulated heavy vehicles (MTAHVs) exhibit unstable motion modes at high speeds, including jack-knifing, trailer swing, and roll-over. These unstable motion modes may lead to fatal accidents. On the other hand, these vehicle combinations have poor maneuverability at low speeds. Of all contradictory design criteria of MTAHVs, the trade-off relationship between the maneuverability at low speeds and the lateral stability at high speeds is the most important and fundamental. This trade-off relationship has not been adequately addressed. The goal of this research is to address this trade-off relationship through the design optimization of MTAHVs with active safety systems. A parallel design optimization (PDO) method is developed and applied to the design of MTAHVs with integrated active safety systems, which involve active trailer steering (ATS) control, anti-roll (AR) control, differential braking (BD) control, and a variety of combinations of these three control strategies. To derive model-based controllers, a single-trailer articulated heavy vehicle (STAHV) model with 5 degrees of freedom (DOF) and a MTAHV model with 7 DOF are generated. The vehicle models are validated with those derived using a commercial software package, TruckSim, in order to examine their applicability for the design optimization of MTAHVs with active safety systems. The PDO method is implemented to perform the concurrent design of the plant (vehicle model) and controllers. To simulate the closed-loop testing maneuvers, a driver model is developed and it is used to drive the virtual vehicle following the prescribed path. Case studies indicate that the PDO method is effective for identifying desired design variables and predicting performance envelopes in the early design stages of MTAHVs with active safety systems. / UOIT