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Article
Publication date: 26 October 2018

Biao Mei, Weidong Zhu and Yinglin Ke

Aircraft assembly demands high position accuracy of drilled fastener holes. Automated drilling is a key technology to fulfill the requirement. The purpose of the paper is to…

301

Abstract

Purpose

Aircraft assembly demands high position accuracy of drilled fastener holes. Automated drilling is a key technology to fulfill the requirement. The purpose of the paper is to conduct positioning variation analysis and control for an automated drilling to achieve a high positioning accuracy.

Design/methodology/approach

The nominal and varied connective models of automated drilling are constructed for positioning variation analysis regarding automated drilling. The principle of a strategy for reducing positioning variation in drilling, which shortens the positioning variation chain with the aid of an industrial camera-based vision system, is explored. Moreover, other strategies for positioning variation control are developed based on mathematical analysis to further reduce the position errors of the drilled fastener holes.

Findings

The propagation and accumulation of an automated drilling system’s positioning variation are explored. The principle of reducing positioning variation in an automated drilling using a monocular vision system is discussed from the view of variation chain.

Practical implications

The strategies for reducing positioning variation, rooted in the constructed positioning variation models, have been applied to a machine-tool based automated drilling system. The system is developed for a wing assembly of an aircraft in the Aviation Industry Corporation of China.

Originality/value

Propagation, accumulation and control of positioning variation in an automated drilling are comprehensively explored. Based on this, the positioning accuracy in an automated drilling is controlled below 0.13 mm, which can meet the requirement for the assembly of the aircraft.

Article
Publication date: 4 October 2019

Weidong Zhu, Yufei Tian, Xue Hu, Quan Ku and Xiaoya Dai

The purpose of this paper is to reveal the pattern between government innovation funding and enterprise value creation. Many factors, including government innovation funding, R&D…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to reveal the pattern between government innovation funding and enterprise value creation. Many factors, including government innovation funding, R&D ability, corporate governance and some company characteristics significantly affected the efficiency of firm value creation.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper proposed a novel methodology based on clustering-rough sets to explore the characteristics of enterprise value creation behavior, and map the relationship between government innovation funding and enterprise value creation. The agglomerative hierarchical clustering (AHC) algorithm were used to classify firm performance and get two types of value creation efficiencies and to discretize condition attributes because the rough set theory cannot deal with continuous attributes. This paper utilized the rough sets method to realize data mining and get rules of government innovation funding and enterprise value creation.

Findings

R&D ability, proportion of independent directors, remuneration of directors, operating revenue, number of employees, price-earnings ratio, quick ratio, capital intensity and ROA were important to identify firm value creation efficiency when government funded the firms. Firms of high level of government innovation funding, high lagged R&D ratio, high remuneration of directors, low price-earnings ratio, low quick ratio, moderate capital intensity and high ROA were more likely to have high efficiency of value creation.

Originality/value

Since China implemented the innovation-driven development strategy, facilitating enterprise innovation has become an important way to achieve high-quality economic growth. With constantly increasing of Chinese government innovation funding, studying on the effect of government innovation funding on firm’s value creation is significant to improve the efficiency of government resource allocation. It is valuable to reveal the pattern between government innovation funding and enterprise value creation based on the value added theory. The rules obtained could be used to provide decision-making support to improve the efficiency of government innovation funding and prevent waste of government resources effectively.

Details

Kybernetes, vol. 49 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0368-492X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 December 2023

Xiwen Zhang, Zhen Zhang, Wenhao Sun, Jilei Hu, Liangliang Zhang and Weidong Zhu

Under the repeated action of the construction load, opening deformation and disturbed deformation occurred at the precast box culvert joints of the shield tunnel. The objective of…

Abstract

Purpose

Under the repeated action of the construction load, opening deformation and disturbed deformation occurred at the precast box culvert joints of the shield tunnel. The objective of this paper is to investigate the effect of construction vehicle loading on the mechanical deformation characteristics of the internal structure of a large-diameter shield tunnel during the entire construction period.

Design/methodology/approach

The structural response of the prefabricated internal structure under heavy construction vehicle loads at four different construction stages (prefabricated box culvert installation, curved lining cast-in-place, lane slab installation and pavement structure casting) was analyzed through field tests and ABAQUS (finite element analysis software) numerical simulation.

Findings

Heavy construction vehicles can cause significant mechanical impacts on the internal structure, as the construction phase progresses, the integrity of the internal structure with the tunnel section increases. The vertical and horizontal deformation of the internal structure is significantly reduced, and the overall stress level of the internal structure is reduced. The bolts connecting the precast box culvert have the maximum stress at the initial stage of construction, as the construction proceeds the stress distribution among the bolts gradually becomes uniform.

Originality/value

This study can provide a reference for the design model, theoretical analysis and construction technology of the internal structure during the construction of large-diameter tunnel projects.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 February 2018

Weidong Zhu, Quan Ku, Yong Wu, HongTao Zhang, Yibo Sun and Chao Zhang

With the advancement of social economy, science and technology, nowadays, people face increasingly complex decision-making problems and ever-growing decision-associated…

Abstract

Purpose

With the advancement of social economy, science and technology, nowadays, people face increasingly complex decision-making problems and ever-growing decision-associated information contents. Owing to the unique advantages of the evidence theory, evidence decision flow fits in well with the cognitive process of human beings, which provides us with an effective decision method. However, traditional evidence theories are built upon the one-dimensional evidence recognition framework, which merely reflects the reliability of information determined by evidence source and as such may fail to present the characteristic information of evidence source itself or the information required for the process of determining reliability. This greatly influences processes in decision-making, such as evidence processing and combination. This essay aims to propose a two-dimensional evidence-reasoning theory to address specific decision problems.

Design/methodology/approach

This article uses a two-dimensional evidence framework to reflect the process and characteristic information of evidence source based on the traditional evidence framework. As a result, evidence is processed and combined by two-dimensional modified information.

Findings

This research is of theoretical and practical significance by extending theoretical connotation, fully utilizing precise evidence information and therefore meeting the requirements of efficient and accurate decision-making performances.

Originality/value

The theory adds a two-dimension to modify and capture evidence on the basis of the traditional evidence framework. This proposal has significant theoretical and practical value to expand evidence theory and provides more accurate use of evidence information, higher efficiency and quality requirements and more precise decision-making.

Article
Publication date: 26 April 2024

Chao Zhang, Zenghao Cao, Zhimin Li, Weidong Zhu and Yong Wu

Since the implementation of the regulatory inquiry system, research on its impact on information disclosure in the capital market has been increasing. This article focuses on a…

Abstract

Purpose

Since the implementation of the regulatory inquiry system, research on its impact on information disclosure in the capital market has been increasing. This article focuses on a specific area of study using Chinese annual report inquiry letters as the basis. From a text mining perspective, we explore whether the textual information contained in these inquiry letters can help predict financial restatement behavior of the inquired companies.

Design/methodology/approach

Python was used to process the data, nonparametric tests were conducted for hypothesis testing and indicator selection, and six machine learning models were employed to predict financial restatements.

Findings

Some text feature indicators in the models that exhibit significant differences are useful for predicting financial restatements, particularly the proportion of formal positive words and stopwords, readability, total word count and certain textual topics. Securities regulatory authorities are increasingly focusing on the accounting and financial aspects of companies' annual reports.

Research limitations/implications

This study explores the textual information in annual report inquiry letters, which can provide insights for other scholars into research methods and content. Besides, it can assist with decision making for participants in the capital market.

Originality/value

We use information technology to study the textual information in annual report inquiry letters and apply it to forecast financial restatements, which enriches the research in the field of regulatory inquiries.

Details

Kybernetes, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0368-492X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 January 2024

Siming Cao, Hongfeng Wang, Yingjie Guo, Weidong Zhu and Yinglin Ke

In a dual-robot system, the relative position error is a superposition of errors from each mono-robot, resulting in deteriorated coordination accuracy. This study aims to enhance…

Abstract

Purpose

In a dual-robot system, the relative position error is a superposition of errors from each mono-robot, resulting in deteriorated coordination accuracy. This study aims to enhance relative accuracy of the dual-robot system through direct compensation of relative errors. To achieve this, a novel calibration-driven transfer learning method is proposed for relative error prediction in dual-robot systems.

Design/methodology/approach

A novel local product of exponential (POE) model with minimal parameters is proposed for error modeling. And a two-step method is presented to identify both geometric and nongeometric parameters for the mono-robots. Using the identified parameters, two calibrated models are established and combined as one dual-robot model, generating error data between the nominal and calibrated models’ outputs. Subsequently, the calibration-driven transfer, involving pretraining a neural network with sufficient generated error data and fine-tuning with a small measured data set, is introduced, enabling knowledge transfer and thereby obtaining a high-precision relative error predictor.

Findings

Experimental validation is conducted, and the results demonstrate that the proposed method has reduced the maximum and average relative errors by 45.1% and 30.6% compared with the calibrated model, yielding the values of 0.594 mm and 0.255 mm, respectively.

Originality/value

First, the proposed calibration-driven transfer method innovatively adopts the calibrated model as a data generator to address the issue of real data scarcity. It achieves high-accuracy relative error prediction with only a small measured data set, significantly enhancing error compensation efficiency. Second, the proposed local POE model achieves model minimality without the need for complex redundant parameter partitioning operations, ensuring stability and robustness in parameter identification.

Details

Industrial Robot: the international journal of robotics research and application, vol. 51 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-991X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 December 2018

Hua Liu, Weidong Zhu, Huiyue Dong and Yinglin Ke

This paper aims to propose a calibration model for kinematic parameters identification of serial robot to improve its positioning accuracy, which only requires position…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to propose a calibration model for kinematic parameters identification of serial robot to improve its positioning accuracy, which only requires position measurement of the end-effector.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed model is established based on local frame representation of the product of exponentials (local POE) formula, which integrates all kinematic errors into the twist coordinates errors; then they are identified with the tool frame’ position deviations simultaneously by an iterative least squares algorithm.

Findings

To verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, extensive simulations and calibration experiments have been conducted on a 4DOF SCARA robot and a 5DOF drilling machine, respectively. The results indicate that the proposed model outperforms the existing model in convergence, accuracy, robustness and efficiency; fewer measurements are needed to gain an acceptable identification result.

Practical implications

This calibration method has been applied to a variable-radius circumferential drilling machine. The machine’s positioning accuracy can be significantly improved from 11.153 initially to 0.301 mm, which is well in the tolerance (±0.5 mm) for fastener hole drilling in aircraft assembly.

Originality/value

An accurate and efficient kinematic calibration model has been proposed, which satisfies the completeness, continuity and minimality requirements. Due to generality, this model can be widely used for serial robot kinematic calibration with any combination of revolute and prismatic joints.

Details

Industrial Robot: An International Journal, vol. 45 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-991X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 June 2019

Hua Liu, Weidong Zhu, Huiyue Dong and Yinglin Ke

To gain accurate support for large aircraft structures by ball joints in aircraft digital assembly, this paper aims to propose a novel approach based on visual servoing such that…

347

Abstract

Purpose

To gain accurate support for large aircraft structures by ball joints in aircraft digital assembly, this paper aims to propose a novel approach based on visual servoing such that the positioner’s ball-socket can automatically and adaptively approach the ball-head fixed on the aircraft structures.

Design/methodology/approach

Image moments of circular marker labeled on the ball-head are selected as visual features to control the three translational degrees of freedom (DOFs) of the positioner, where the composite Jacobian matrix is full rank. Kalman–Bucy filter is adopted for its online estimation, which makes the control scheme more flexible without system calibration. A combination of proportional control with sliding mode control is proposed to improve the system stability and compensate uncertainties of the system.

Findings

The ball-socket can accurately and smoothly reach its desired position in a finite time (50 s). Positional deviations between the spherical centers of ball-head and ball-socket in the X-Y plane can be controlled within 0.05 mm which meets the design requirement.

Practical implications

The proposed approach has been integrated into the pose alignment system. It has shown great potential to be widely applied in the leading support for large aircraft structures in aircraft digital assembly.

Originality/value

An adaptive approach for accurate support of large aircraft structures is proposed, which possesses characteristics of high precision, high efficiency and excellent stability.

Details

Assembly Automation, vol. 39 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-5154

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 March 2019

Biao Mei, Weidong Zhu, Yinglin Ke and Pengyu Zheng

Assembly variation analysis generally demands probability distributions of variation sources. However, due to small production volume in aircraft manufacturing, especially…

Abstract

Purpose

Assembly variation analysis generally demands probability distributions of variation sources. However, due to small production volume in aircraft manufacturing, especially prototype manufacturing, the probability distributions are hard to obtain, and only the small-sample data of variation sources can be consulted. Thus, this paper aims to propose a variation analysis method driven by small-sample data for compliant aero-structure assembly.

Design/methodology/approach

First, a hybrid assembly variation model, integrating rigid effects with flexibility, is constructed based on the homogeneous transformation and elasticity mechanics. Then, the bootstrap approach is introduced to estimate a variation source based on small-sample data. The influences of bootstrap parameters on the estimation accuracy are analyzed to select suitable parameters for acceptable estimation performance. Finally, the process of assembly variation analysis driven by small-sample data is demonstrated.

Findings

A variation analysis method driven by small-sample data, considering both rigid effects and flexibility, is proposed for aero-structure assembly. The method provides a good complement to traditional variation analysis methods based on probability distributions of variation sources.

Practical implications

With the proposed method, even if probability distribution information of variation sources cannot be obtained, accurate estimation of the assembly variation could be achieved. The method is well suited for aircraft assembly, especially in the stage of prototype manufacturing.

Originality/value

A variation analysis method driven by small-sample data is proposed for aero-structure assembly, which can be extended to deal with other similar applications.

Article
Publication date: 7 September 2015

Biao Mei, Weidong Zhu, Huiyue Dong and Yinglin Ke

This paper aims to propose a roadmap to control the robot–subassembly (R–S) coordination errors in movable robotic drilling. Fastener hole drilling for multi-station aircraft…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to propose a roadmap to control the robot–subassembly (R–S) coordination errors in movable robotic drilling. Fastener hole drilling for multi-station aircraft assembly demands a robotic drilling system with expanded working volume and high positioning accuracy. However, coordination errors often exist between the robot and the subassembly to be drilled because of disturbances.

Design/methodology/approach

Mechanical pre-locating and vision-based robot base frame calibration are consecutively implemented to achieve in-process robot relocation after station transfer. Thus, coordination errors induced by robotic platform movements, inconsistent thermal effects, etc. are eliminated. The two-dimensional (2D) vision system is applied to measure the remainder of the R–S coordination errors, which is used to enhance the positioning accuracy of the robot. Accurate estimation of measured positioning errors is of great significance for evaluating the positioning accuracy. For well estimation of the positioning errors with small samples, a bootstrap approach is put forward.

Findings

A roadmap for R–S coordination error control using a 2D vision system, composed of in-process relocation, coordination error measurement and drilled position correction, is developed for the movable robotic drilling.

Practical implications

The proposed roadmap has been integrated into a drilling system for the assembly of flight control surfaces of a transport aircraft in Aviation Industry Corporation of China. The position accuracy of the drilled fastener holes is well ensured.

Originality/value

A complete roadmap for controlling coordination errors and improving positioning accuracy is proposed, which makes the high accuracy and efficiency available in movable robotic drilling for aircraft manufacturing.

1 – 10 of 51