Layout Configuration Research Articles

Surface Subsidence Characteristics of Mining Panel Layout Configuration with Multi-Seam Longwall Mining

Mining-induced subsidence is critical for ecological environment reconstruction and damage prevention in coal mining areas. Understanding the characteristics of surface subsidence with multi-seam mining is the first step. Surface subsidence of different mining panel layout configurations was investigated by means of UDEC numerical simulation. Based on the simulation results, it was indicated that mining panel layout configuration had a significant impact on surface subsidence, including ground surface subsidence, horizontal displacement, crack propagation, and ground surface fissure development. The overlapped region of the upper panel and the lower panel is the key region, where existing bedding separations and strata cracks close and activate, the integrity and strength of the interburden layer are reduced, and the subsidence magnitude is enhanced. The subsidence profile of the overlapped region for the stacked configuration, external staggered, the edge of the lower panel internal staggered, two edges of the lower panel internal staggered are steeper and deeper, and the corresponding values of ground surface subsidence and horizontal displacement are greater than other regions. The ground surface fissures with the types of stepped, slided, and graben developed on the ground surface above the edge of the mining panel, and the development location is closely related to the strata movement edge. Because of the support activities of the reserved coal pillar, the ground subsidence of the external staggered (internal staggered) of the upper panel with the coal pillar is slight. The external staggered (internal staggered) and external staggered (internal staggered) of the upper panel with the coal pillar can be selected as the preferred layout configuration. The proposed description of surface subsidence of different mining panel layout configurations can be applied in subsidence prediction.

SWELL: An open-access experimental dataset for arrays of wave energy conversion systems

Achieving large-scale commercial exploitation of ocean wave energy inherently encompasses the design and deployment of arrays of wave energy converters (WECs), in an effort to reduce the associated levelised cost of energy. In this context, understanding the interactions between devices in a controlled WEC array is hence essential to achieve optimal layout configurations, as well as to provide guidance on the area required for array installation, reliability, life-time, and overall cost of the farm. Successful achievement of these vital objectives for the wave energy industry has been constantly aided by the use of appropriate numerical models. Regardless of the specific modelling approach adopted, model reliability is always a major concern: Numerical models need to able be to represent reality to be useful in supporting the different stages of development, hence providing significant results for decision making. To test reliability of a model, experimental results are an invaluable asset for validation.Recognising the striking absence of real-world data concerning arrays of WEC systems, and its inherent value for model validation and data-based modelling purposes, we present, in this paper, an experimental campaign fully conducted with the sole objective of generating and providing an open-access dataset on WEC farms: SWELL (Standardised Wave Energy converter array Learning Library). The generated dataset, included alongside this manuscript, comprises an approximate total of ∼3000 variables and more than ∼108 datapoints, for up to 5 devices in 9 diverse WEC array layouts with different levels of interaction, and 19 carefully selected operating conditions. Four different categories of tests are considered, providing measures of key variables required for model validation and data-based modelling tasks. As such, SWELL provides a crucial resource to achieve confidence in numerical modelling, helping towards creating reliable tools for decision making in the WEC field, hence effectively supporting the pathway towards effective commercialisation of ocean wave energy.

Dynamic contribution of CFRP strips to CFRP-strengthened RC shear walls

For accurately simulating the dynamic mechanical behavior of CFRP-strengthened RC shear wall, a three-dimensional numerical model was proposed in the present study to capture the effect of strain rate on the constitutive relations of concrete, steel bar, CFRP and CFRP-concrete interface. The influences of strain rate, CFRP wrapping method and the number of CFRP layer on the dynamic shear properties and dynamic CFRP shear contribution of CFRP-strengthened RC shear wall were investigated. The results indicated that: 1) as the strain rate increases, the damage of the CFRP-strengthened shear wall became more severe, as evidenced by the increase in the damage area of concrete and CFRP strips; 2) the failure pattern and shear bearing capacity of shear wall was affected by the CFRP layout configurations; 3) the ductility coefficient and energy dissipation capacity increase with an increasing strain rate and CFRP layout configurations. It was to emphasize that, the shear contribution provided by CFRP strips was substantially enhanced subjected to the dynamic loads, especially with the strain rate exceeding 10−3 /s, therefore, yielding a significant increase in the overall bearing capacity of CFRP-strengthened shear wall. Moreover, it was found that the degree of enhancement was extensively affected by the CFRP wrapping methods and the number of CFRP layer bundled on the RC shear wall. Based on numerical results, a strain-rate-dependent formula predicting the dynamic shear contribution of CFRP strips was proposed to quantitatively describe influences of CFRP wrapping method and bundled layers.

Smart cooperative control scheme for large-scale wind farms based on a double-layer machine learning framework

In the real-time cooperative control of large-scale wind farms, the simultaneous achievement of accuracy and efficiency by the optimization framework plays an indispensable role. This paper presents a new double-layer machine learning (ML) framework comprising an Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) yawed wake model and Bayesian ML algorithm to strike a desirable compromise between accuracy and efficiency. Given the control on the iteration number with the scale-up of the wind farm, a novel row-based control scheme is further put forward to improve the optimization rate by reasonably reducing the optimization parameters. Moreover, parametric analysis has been performed considering the wind distribution and layout configuration to explore its applicability compared with the general independent one. The study shows that the novel framework performs favorably in an accurate and efficient power prediction and optimization of the wind farm. The row-based control scheme can further improve the convergence rate of the double-layer optimization framework remarkably at the expense of a slight decrease in optimal power production. The divergence of the wind distribution can dwindle the power gain of the wake steering strategy and weaken the superiority of the row-based cooperative control scheme. The row-based cooperative control scheme is more applicable to the aligned layout than the staggered layout, and this advantage is enhanced with the increase of wind farm scale.

Two-scale optimal management of urban runoff by linking LIDs and landscape configuration

Landscape composition and configuration of urban patches impact greatly on hydrological process, of which low impact development practices (LIDs) have been incorporated worldwide to management stormwater runoff quantity- and quality-related issues. Although optimization design for LIDs has been studied extensively to improve stormwater management at catchment scale, a further study of LIDs-based landscape configuration at site scale has not been fully explored. In this study, a two-scale optimization framework was constructed to integrate spatial layout and landscape configuration of LIDs using SWMM, NSGA-II and GIS techniques. The spatial optimization at catchment scale showed that area of sink landscape almost doubled as the distance to outlets decreased. A further site-scale optimization by a new landscape metric, in terms of CRSS (configuration ratio between patches of runoff sources and sink), was conduct to achieve LIDs-based landscape configuration optimization. Runoff flow and pollution were significantly correlated with CRSS in power function, quantifying CRSS thresholds of 0.57–0.69 as the most adaptive strategies for stormwater management. Notably, the CRSS thresholds were higher for ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) and suspended solid (SS) pollution, especially targeting source patches of roofs. The optimization in this study could improve the reduction of runoff peak flow of heavy rain, peak concentration of chemical oxygen demand and SS, and initial scouring of NH3-N.

Tracking the morphology of building types and site planning layouts within Seoul’s reconstructed and redeveloped apartment complexes

ABSTRACT Urban residential redevelopment projects in Seoul, South Korea gradually replaced the deteriorating low-rise residential fabrics with high-rise, high-density apartment complexes. Despite flat-type being the dominant style for apartment buildings, compact tower-type buildings popularised in the late 1990s to maximise density in terms of floor area ratio, ensure open green spaces and provide favourable views. However, as tower-type buildings possessed several deficiencies, such as non-southern orientation, difficulties in cross-ventilation, and comparatively higher construction costs, a compromise emerged in the 2000s. In succession, various morphologically modified and intentionally deformed buildings and their accompanying site planning configurations emerged to overcome the shortcomings of the newly built high-rise apartment complexes. This study aims to (1) track the evolving apartment building morphology and (2) identify different layout configurations in accordance with the transformed building types, specifically those constructed in redeveloped and reconstructed housing projects. Diverse building modification and relevant arrangement strategies are primarily oriented to the internal residents’ interests, while the public dimension outside the complex is inconspicuously underestimated. Thus, it is crucial to further perceive and promote awareness of the public space in ways that counterbalance the dominantly privatized pedestrian environment and neighbourhood-scape based on systematic comprehension of apartment buildings and their layout morphologies.

Simulation-based educational approach toward improving thermal outdoor comfort for pedestrians in semi-arid climate

Abstract The urban cooling is the most effective strategy to fight the urban climate change effects in summertime. Thus, searching urban cool islands can remedy the rise of urban temperatures. This study aims to consider cool urban pathways offering optimal levels of thermal comfort in downtown Guelma during summer overheating. This involves researching the appropriate tree ratio and typology, tree layout and suitable configurations of water bodies of outdoor spaces. The scientific methodology is made through either straightforward step included on-site measurements and calculating the difference of urban temperatures to select five outdoor spaces with maximum heat stress. As our study also aims to improve the outdoor thermal comfort by natural elements, it simulates different scenarios of the selected stations using ENVI-Met model and exploiting the real field measurement of the urban microclimate. The most significant reductions in thermal comfort levels (UTCI) over three thermal phases identify the coolest urban pathways. Consequently, we confirmed that considering cool pathways spanning from station S2 to station S8 is possible with optimal thermal comfort levels over the day; 0.46–6.9°C in the morning phase, 0.94–3.87°C in the hot thermal phase and 1.42–3.54°C in the thermal relief phase. The findings indicate three main effects of microclimatic regulation underlie the improvement of the thermal comfort levels: tree cooling effect with (Ta ≤ 1.1°C), cooling effect of water bodies (Ta ≤ 0.3°C) and cooling effect of trees in combination with water bodies (Ta ≤ 1.9°C).

Digital Education and Teaching of Printmaking Based on Big Data and Intelligence

This article investigates computer-aided design tools in teaching ambient art style and proposes new creative teaching approaches. Parents and learners of the academic educational status are employed as research samples. The literary technique, survey methodological approach, research paradigm, and comparison survey questionnaire are all utilized to support the development of ambient printmaking design skills in the research. A digital teaching printmaking model (DTPMM) is proposed in this article. During the research, the theories of computer-aided layout and ecologic art configuration were described; the descriptor and criteria of digital technologies to encourage the advancement of ecologic majors' skills were clarified; and the syllabus of ecologic arts students, instructors' effective teaching, participants' educational situation, the benefits of computer-aided design tools in printmaking color design, and the benefits of three-dimensional modeling were discussed.

Air Quality Improvement in COVID-19 Pandemic: Numerical Study of ventilation system in a classroom

Air quality plays a significant role during the coronavirus pandemic. Air acts as a spreading media as well as a control measure for infection in polluted spaces. Insufficient ventilation around the building may lead to a rise of pollutants carrying the virus. One way to improve ventilation is by increasing the air change rate. This study investigates the air change rate effectiveness in reducing droplets spreading in a classroom. Cases with various layouts of inlet and outlet vents are considered, and the spread of droplets is studied. The airflow analysis shows the impact of the different ventilation layout configurations. The results show that the CFD model simulation indicates an optimum ventilation configuration to decrease the droplet spread. The discrete phase model results also determine the trajectory of droplets spread along the classroom. CFD results show that in the selected configuration, a significant number of droplets are expelled to the outside and reduce their concentration inside the classroom.

Multidisciplinary Optimization and Analysis of Stratospheric Airships Powered by Solar Arrays

Stratospheric airships have much potential in military and commercial applications. Design, analysis and optimization of stratospheric airships involves complex trade-off of different disciplines, and hence a multidisciplinary approach is essential. This paper describes a methodology coupling several disciplines and involving seven design variables to obtain the optimal design of a stratospheric airship powered by solar arrays. A numerical method is established to calculate the output power of the solar array in the optimization process. The optimal solutions are obtained using hybrid algorithms. The methodology can obtain the optimal envelope shape, solar array layout and other general configurations of subsystems. Results show that the methodology was able to achieve a solution with a 19.2% reduction in airship volume compared to the value being part of an arbitrary initial set of airship parameters. In addition, a comparative study is carried out to highlight the importance of considerations of solar array layouts and array circumferential location. Furthermore, detailed sensitivity analysis shows that operating parameters of latitudes, heading angles and average resisting wind speeds have significant effects on the airship design and solar array layouts.

Optimizing Cellular Manufacturing Facility Layout Design through Digital Twin Simulation: A Case Study

Cellular manufacturing is a lean manufacturing approach that involves grouping machines, processes, and workstations into self-contained cells to reduce material handling, waiting times, and inventory. The layout design of cellular manufacturing facilities has a significant impact on their efficiency, productivity, and throughput. However, traditional trial-and-error methods for facility layout design can be time-consuming, costly, and risky. Digital twin simulation offers a powerful alternative by allowing designers to create virtual models of the facility and test different layout configurations before physically implementing them. Our study shows that digital twin simulation can help identify the optimal layout design that maximizes productivity, minimizes waste, and ensures the smooth flow of materials and products. Additionally, it enables us to evaluate the impact of changes in the production system on the facility's performance, helping decision-makers make informed decisions. Overall, this paper highlights the potential of digital twin simulations as a powerful tool for optimizing cellular manufacturing facility layout design and improving operational performance.

Analysis and comparison of optimization techniques supporting the engineering planning of reconfigurable robot cells

The present paper studies the automated optimization of reconfigurable robot cells to support engineering planning activities. The specific type of reconfigurable robot cells under investigation allows an arbitrary arrangement of functional machine modules on a base plane accessible to the robotic manipulators. The research is motivated by the fast-growing configuration space of reconfigurable robot cells which results from the configurability of the cell layout and the performed workflows. Searching for optimized configurations within this configuration space is an iterative procedure which currently requires lots of manual efforts and expert assessment skills for each iteration. Performing many optimization iterations requires much time, which typically results in only a few performable iterations and thus in suboptimal configurations. To compensate for this, automated support for the underlying planning problem is required. The specific planning problem under investigation concerns finding motion-time optimized layout configurations for fixed workflows. This planning problem was chosen because of its strong association with the productivity of robot cells and the fact that it is the basis for further considerations on the influences of performed workflows. The main contribution of the research is a guideline concerning the decomposition of the mentioned optimization problem. This decomposition concerns the specific formulation of the optimization problem as well as its solving principle. The approach of the paper is to compare combinations of single- and multi-objective problem formulations as well as single- and multi-step solving procedures. Respective variants of evolutionary and conventional algorithms are tested for solving the optimization problems. The experiments are conducted using a specifically developed simulation and optimization framework which supports layout reconfiguration, robot path planning, and time parametrization based on state-of-the-art methods.

Behaviour and performance of OSB-sheathed cold-formed steel stud wall panels under combined vertical and seismic loading

This paper investigates the in-plane lateral behaviour and capacity of cold-formed steel (CFS) stud wall panels which are sheathed with Oriented Strand Board (OSB). Detailed nonlinear FE models of the panels were developed, accounting for nonlinear material properties, geometric nonlinearity, realistic fastener behaviour and geometric imperfections. The models were validated against available experimental data and subsequently employed to conduct comprehensive parametric studies into the effects of key design variables, including the screw spacing, the OSB and CFS element thicknesses, the board layout configuration, the intensity of the gravity loading and the number of boards (single- vs. double-sheathed systems). The structural performance of the studied panels was compared in terms of their lateral load capacity, initial stiffness, failure mechanisms, deformation capacity, ductility, and energy dissipation. Lateral capacity, initial stiffness and energy dissipation were positively influenced by a reduced screw spacing, thicker OSB and an absence of seams in the boards. Ductility and deformation capacity were generally promoted by increased screw spacing, thinner OSB and vertical seams. High vertical load ratios have the potential to dramatically reduce lateral strength, ductility and energy dissipation.

Optimization of Photovoltaic Panel Array Configurations to Reduce Lift Force Using Genetic Algorithm and CFD

Aerodynamic lift force acting on the solar structure is important while designing the counterweight for rooftop-mounted solar systems. Due to their unique configuration, the load estimated for solar structures using international building codes can be either higher or lower than the actual. Computational Fluid Dynamics(CFD) simulations haveproven to be an efficient tool for estimating wind loads on solar panels for design purposes and identifying critical design cases. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations usually require high computation power, and slight changes in geometry to find optimum configuration can be time-consuming. An optimization method to minimize lift force effects on solar photovoltaic (PV) arrays installed on rooftops usesthe Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)and genetic algorithms proposed in this paper. The tilt angle and pitch between two rows of solar panels were parameterized, and a genetic algorithm was used to search for aconfiguration resulting in minimum wind lift force acting on the solar photovoltaic plant. Only combinations with a performance ratio >80% were considered. Three different rooftopphotovoltaic (PV) plant layout configurations were analyzed in this research. Two rows of photovoltaic (PV) panel arrays wereconsidered for optimization in the 2D domain using ANSYS Fluent. Results showed that the difference in wind-liftforce between optimized configurations against that with maximum lift force configuration for all three cases above was fifty percent.

An optimized irradiation strategy and layout configuration in laser forming of copper/aluminum bi-metal sheets with a functional thickness

Laser forming process is a type of thermo-mechanical forming process in which a laser beam irradiation on a specific scan path is used to create a bending angle in a sheet. In this work, the forming behavior of copper/aluminum bi-metal sheets with a functional thickness is investigated using the laser forming process. For that, numerical simulations are performed with an implementation of DFLUX subroutine to have more realistic process circumstances. The process parameters were defined as follows: laser beam radius of 2 mm and scan velocity of 1000 mm/min with three different laser power to activate the temperature gradient mechanism. A detailed discussion has been done on an optimized selection of bi-metal sheet layout (i.e. the selection of the material from copper and aluminum as the top layer to increase the formability of the sheet under the same process conditions). Furthermore, the laser forming process of bi-metal sheets with a functional thickness as well as single-layered uniform sheets have been studied and the differences between these two are specified. An irradiation strategy was also presented to eliminate/reduce edge effects on bi-metal sheets. Hence, by adding an auxiliary laser path perpendicular to the main scan path, the uniformity of the final product would be improved. Numerical simulations were fully validated with the corresponding experimental tests. Finally, aluminum was determined as the ideal option to choose as a top layer due to having a higher thermal expansion coefficient and lower thermal conductivity.

Interactive generative system supporting participatory house design

This paper deals with the issue of supporting the participation of non-expert users in the house design process with the use of digital tools. The research aimed to verify the feasibility of an interactive generative system verifying and guaranteeing design solutions' correctness. A computer tool, HOPLA-Home Planner, was developed, and its usability was tested with non-experts. This research revealed a demand from non-expert users for an interactive generative system allowing them to customize and verify various house layout configurations. The presented method can be implemented in a design practice that employs participatory house design, reducing the design process time and related costs while maintaining direct contact with the client. Future research should confront the identified non-expert desire to customize house designs with architects' willingness to implement computer-aided participatory house design.

Numerical analysis of thermal performance of waste heat recovery shell and tube heat exchangers on counter-flow with different tube configurations

This study investigates the effect of tube layout configurations on the hydraulic-thermal performance of shell-and-tube heat exchangers (STHXs) as waste heat recovery systems. The STHXs are triangular (30°, STHX-T), rotated triangular (60°, STHX-RT), and combined (STHX-C). Water at a temperature of 10 °C was circulated through a bundle of tubes inlet to recover waste heat from hot water at the temperature of 65 °C. Water was circulated through the shell inlet within the mass flow rate range of 0.5 ≤ ṁ ≤ 3.5 kg/s. ANSYS-Fluent was used to perform a three-dimensional computational study under steady-state conditions. The turbulence model, realizable k-epsilon, was adopted because of the possible transition from laminar to turbulence. The results were validated with the Kern correlation for shell-side heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop. The temperatures, pressure drop, velocity, and overall heat transfer coefficient for all the cases were compared. Temperature contours, pressure contour, velocity vector, and velocity contour were presented for flow visualization. When the simulation results of the different STHXs were compared, the results revealed that the STHX-T layout has the highest overall heat transfer coefficient of 2307.09 W/m2K. The maximum pressure drop of 242.42 Pa, highest temperature drop in the shell zone of 4.48 K, and highest temperature rise in the tube side of 6.67 K, followed by STHX-C and STHX-RT layout were obtained.

Reconcile Voice Communication and Auditory Distraction in Military Open-Plan Workspace Design

Facilitating voice communication and reducing auditory distraction are common requirements in layout design of military open-plan workspaces. The implications of these requirements on between-operator adjacency however are often contradictory. To support the design of such work environments, a new analytical procedure was developed to evaluate layout options according to their impact on both requirements. This procedure was explained in a modeling study to compare two frequently used layout configurations, i.e., outward-facing versus inward-facing workstation setups. The results predicted a quieter vocal effort for the speakers and a lower risk of auditory distraction for all listeners in the outward-facing configuration. The study demonstrated the usefulness of this analytical procedure to support layout design of military workplaces where a balanced consideration of communication and distraction is required.

Integrated Inductor Model Verification for Microwave LC-filters in Si and SiGe Systems on a Chip

In this paper, the conductor model that can be used to design of various inductor layout configurations for any Si and SiGe technological processes is considered. The experimental prototypes of the test inductors were produced in the standard SiGe BiCMOS 130 nm process to verify the model. The chips measuring results showed that the characteristics of the prototypes taking into account the manufacturing tolerance are in the range of model simulated values. It has been found that the proposed model has a better convergence with the prototypes characteristics than 3D modeling. The equivalent circuit simulation speed can be orders of magnitude higher than the 3D simulation speed. The proposed model accuracy is achieved by taking into account the skin-effect and edge-effects in the dielectric and substrate. Using the skin-effect equivalent circuit the model can be run in Cadence Specter Simulator. It is necessary for the microwave LC-filters development.

A hybrid equilibrium algorithm and pattern search technique for wind farm layout optimization problem

The layout optimization-based model is a significant issue for increasing the utilization rate of the wind farm and minimizing its cost per unit of power. For the accurate and reliable wind farm layout optimization design, a novel algorithm based on the hybridization of equilibrium optimizer (EO) and pattern search (PS) technique, named EO-PS, is proposed in this paper. The proposed EO-PS operates in two phases. The first phase implements the EO to explore the search space and reach the promising regions by using an equilibrium pool of elite particles, which contributes to maintaining the diversity of solutions. The second phase integrates the PS to guide the searching towards better vicinities and achieve a high-quality solution by using its detecting and pattern movements to boost the exploitation ability of the proposed method in the last steps. The presented EO-PS algorithm is implemented to deal with single and multi-objective optimization aspects of wind farm layout optimization using different wind speed scenarios. Furthermore, the proposed algorithm is investigated on irregular land space in the Gulf of Suez-Red Sea in Egypt to achieve the optimal layout configuration of the wind farm, which is vital for possible practical planning trends. The comprehensive results and analyses have affirmed that the proposed EO-PS can achieve competitive performance compared to the other state-of-the-state methods, especially in terms of the solution’ quality and reliability.