Soft robotics offers a flexible alternative to rigid systems, enabling safe and adaptive interaction in biomedical, wearable, and unstructured environments. Among available actuation methods, soft electromagnetic actuators are notable for their fast response, low operating voltage, and ease of integration. However, some designs require pre-stretching mechanism, which produces an external force to maintain the separation between the coil and permanent magnets. Additionally, there is a mechanical complexity and difficulty in calibrating the spring parameters precisely. Furthermore, the pre-stretching mechanism increases the electromagnetic force required to counteract the opposing spring force, leading to a significant increase in power consumption. Therefore, this paper presents MagFlex V-2, a soft actuator featuring an air gap between a coil and permanent magnets, encapsulated in silicone to eliminate the need for pre-stretching. Three evaluation approaches were employed: 1) experimental testing across 0–45 V; 2) finite element simulation in COMSOL; and 3) analytical modeling using energy-based methods and a magnetic dipole field. MagFlex V-2 exhibited voltage-induced contraction, reducing its length from 17.1 cm to 15.1 cm at 42.5 V. The displacement followed a nonlinear voltage relationship, becoming more linear with increased silicone stiffness. In addition, electromagnetic force showed high sensitivity to voltage and air gap, peaking at 7.03 N (analytical) and 7.43 N (numerical) at 0.5 mm and 45 V. Furthermore, statistical analysis ( p \gt 0.05 ) confirmed that silicone damping and elasticity were not significant. Finally, electrical behavior showed close agreement among analytical, numerical, and experimental results at low currents, with deviations at higher voltages attributed to thermal effects.
Strengthening of composite beams is highly needed to upgrade the capacities of existing beams. The strengthening methods can be classified as active or passive techniques. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to provide detailed FE simulations for strengthened and unstrengthened steel–concrete composite beams at the sagging and hogging moment regions with and without profiled steel sheeting. The developed models were verified against experimental results from the literature. The verified models were used to present comparisons between the effect of using external post-tensioning and CFRP laminates as strengthening techniques. Applying external post-tensioning at the sagging moment regions is more effective because of the e
... Show MoreExperimental and numerical investigations of the centrifugal pump performance at non-cavitating and cavitating flow conditions were carried out in the present study. Experiments were performed by applying a vacuum to a closed-loop system to investigate the effects of the net positive suction head available (NPSHa), flow rate, water temperature and pump speed on the centrifugal pump performance. Accordingly, many of the important parameters concerning cavitation phenomenon were calculated. Also, the noise which is accompanied by cavitation was measured. Numerical analysis was implemented for two phase flow (the water and its vapor) using a 2-D simulation by ANSYS FLUENT software to investigate the internal flow of centrifugal pump under c
... Show MoreFriction Stir Welding (FSW) is one of the most effective solid states joining process and has numerous potential applications in many industries. A FSW numerical tool, based on ANSYS F.E software, has been developed. The amount of the heat gone to the tool dictates the life of the tool and the capability of the tool to produce a good processed zone. Hence, understanding the heat transfer aspect of the friction stir welding is extremely important for improving the process. Many research works were carried out to simulate the friction stir welding using various softwares to determine the temperature distribution for a given set of welding conditions. The objective of this research is to develop a finite element sim
... Show MoreThis research aimed to predict the permanent deformation (rutting) in conventional and rubberized asphalt mixes under repeated load conditions using the Finite Element Method (FEM). A three-dimensional (3D) model was developed to simulate the Wheel Track Testing (WTT) loading. The study was conducted using the Abaqus/Standard finite element software. The pavement slab was simulated using a nonlinear creep (time-hardening) model at 40°C. The responses of the viscoplastic model under the influence of the trapezoidal amplitude of moving wheel loadings were determined for different speeds and numbers of cycles. The results indicated that a wheel speed increase from 0.5Km/h to 1.0Km/h decreased the rut depth by about 22% and 24% in conv
... Show MoreThe present work aims to investigate the aerodynamic characteristics of the winglet cant angle of Boeing 737-800 wing numerically and experimentally. The wing contain two swept angles 38.3o and 29.13o respectively, taper ratio 0.15 and aspect ratio 8.04. The wing involves three types of airfoils sections. Four cant angles for blended winglet have been considered (0o, 34o, 60o, 83.3o). The winglet has been analyzed to find the best cant angle for the wing without and with winglet. These models have been tested theoretically at Reynolds number of 2.06 x106 in order to study the winglet aerodynamic characteristics which consist of coefficient of Drag, coefficient of lift and Lift to drag ratio, pitching moment coefficient and bending moment co
... Show MoreThe evolution of cryptography has been crucial to preservation subtle information in the digital age. From early cipher algorithms implemented in earliest societies to recent cryptography methods, cryptography has developed alongside developments in computing field. The growing in cyber threats and the increase of comprehensive digital communications have highlighted the significance of selecting effective and robust cryptographic techniques. This article reviews various cryptography algorithms, containing symmetric key and asymmetric key cryptography, via evaluating them according to security asset, complexity, and execution speed. The main outcomes demonstrate the growing trust on elliptic curve cryptography outstanding its capabi
... Show MoreThere have been many advances in the solar chimney power plant since 1930 and the first pilot work was built in Spain (Manzanares) that produced 50 KW. The solar chimney power plant is considered of a clean power generation that needs to be investigated to enhance the performance by studying the effect of changing the area of passage of air to enhance the velocity towards the chimney to maximize design velocity. In this experimental and numerical study, the reduction area of solar collector was investigated. The reduction area that mean changing the height of glass cover from the absorbing plate (h1=3.8cm, h2=2.6cm and h3=1.28cm). The numerical study was performed using ANSYS Fluent software package (version 14.0) to solve go
... Show MoreReducing a structure’s self-weight is the main goal and a major challenge for most civil constructions, especially in tall buildings and earthquake-affected buildings. One of the most adopted techniques to reduce the self-weight of concrete structures is applying voids in certain positions through the structure, just like a voided slab or BubbleDeck slab. This research aims to study, experimentally and theoretically, the structural behavior of BubbleDeck reinforced concrete slabs under the effect of harmonic load. Tow-way BubbleDeck slab of 2500mm×2500m×200mm dimensions and uniformly distributed bubbles of 120mm diameter and 160mm spacing c/c was tested experimentally under the effect of harmonic load. Numerical analysis was als
... Show MoreThere is a continuous and massive need for newer cephalosporins that should have resistance against β-lactamases and can be used orally. An approach of using cephalexin, as a well-studied and potent antibacterial compound is considered to prepare new designed derivatives. These derivatives include the incorporation of amino acid moiety linked through an amide bond with the α-amino group of cephalexin. Certain aliphatic amino acids were used, such as glycine, alanine, valine and proline. The chemical structures of these derivatives were confirmed by IR spectroscopy and elemental analyses. All the synthesized compounds were subjected for preliminary evaluation of antimicrobial activity using well diffusion method, against certa
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