In this work, shear-thickening-gel applied CFRP (SACFRP) composite laminates were developed to enhance the impact resistance of the composites under low-velocity impact (LVI) conditions, where the incorporated shear thickening gel (STG) worked as the interphase material between fibres and resin matrix. To analyse the effects of STG in its composites, static tensile and shear tests were first conducted on longitudinally and transversely positioned unidirectional (UD) SACFRP and its CFRP reference, respectively. Experimental results indicated that the corresponding reduction of the resin matrix due to the incorporation of the relatively soft STG weakened the interlaminar behaviour of the SACFRP laminates during static mechanical tests. However, the transverse tensile toughness of the SACFRP exhibited a remarkable 139 % improvement compared to the CFRP reference, demonstrating significant interfacial toughening of the developed composites, as verified through SEM analysis. To leverage the effects of the STG on the composites, this work modified the stacking sequences of SACFRP laminates. LVI tests and recurring LVI tests demonstrated the substantial improvement of impact performance for layup-designed SACFRP laminates since the impact-resistant mechanism transitioned from the local damage of CFRPs to the global flexural behaviour of SACFRPs. Timoshenko's analytical model validated the resistant mechanism transition of layup-designed SACFRP during LVI tests. Therefore, the SACFRP laminates with modified stacking sequences demonstrate outstanding potential for use under extreme loading conditions involving complex and unavoidable impacts, highlighting their broad applicability across various industries.

Autonomous flight for UAVs relies on visual information for avoiding obstacles and ensuring safe collision-free flight. In addition to visual clues, safe UAVs often need connectivity with the ground station. In this article, we study the synergies between vision and communications for edge-computing-enabled UAV flight. By proposing a framework of edge computing assisted autonomous flight (ECAAF), we illustrate that vision and communications can interact with and assist each other with the aid of edge computing and offloading, and further speed up UAV mission completion. ECAAF consists of three functionalities that are discussed in detail: edge computing for 3D map acquisition, radio map construction from the 3D map, and online trajectory planning. During ECAAF, the interactions of communication capacity, video offloading, 3D map quality, and channel state of the trajectory form a positive feedback loop. Simulation results verify that the proposed method can improve mission performance by enhancing connectivity. Finally, we conclude with some future research directions.

Cylindrical fluidized beds are mostly encountered in industry. This work involves a study of the hydrodynamics of large scale cylindrical fluidized beds. The Euler-Euler approach (two-fluid model) is considered to be the most effective for these larger scale applications. The challenge of this model incorporated with kinetic theory of granular flow (KTGF) is to establish an accurate hydrodynamic and rheological description of the solid phase. KTGF for frictional spheres developed by Yang et al. (2016) has been incorporated into our in-house two-fluid model (TFM) code for the modeling 3D cylindrical bubbling fluidized beds. For verification, a comparison of the present model in the limit of zero friction with the original (frictionless) KTGF model is made. Simulation results of both models agree well. Numerical tests on bubbling fluidized beds are carried out using present KTGF and the KTGF model from Jenkins and Zhang (2002). The simulation results show good agreement with the simulation results obtained from the KTGF model from Jenkins and Zhang for solids circulation pattern and solids volume fraction distribution. In addition, a comparative study has been performed to investigate the effects of inlet gas velocity on bubble behavior in fluidized beds.