山特维克

Enhancing the transformation-induced plasticity effect in steel-based binders through deformation-induced martensitic transformation requires careful control of the austenite stability. This study investigated the effect of binder fraction on the thermal stability of austenite in the WC-(Fe,Ni) system with different binder contents within the WC + binder + graphite equilibrium region. Binder martensite fractions and carbon content across different binder fractions were compared using electron microscopy. Thermodynamic-based calculations, accounting for variation in binder carbon content, provided a baseline for distinguishing the roles of the binder fraction and chemical composition on the thermal stability of the austenitic binder. Samples with lower binder fractions and comparable binder carbon content revealed relatively similar martensite fractions, whereas the one with the highest binder fraction and the lowest carbon content exhibited the highest value. The predicted martensite fractions were comparable and in good agreement with the measured values for lower binder fractions.

Long-reach drilling booms must reach successive poses without self-collision. Moving from operator-supervised control toward autonomy requires collision-aware motion planning and execution. For the Sandvik SB60, this study adapts established methods by integrating pose-parameterized planning with a capsule-based control barrier function quadratic program (CBF-QP) in measured-state inverse kinematics (IK). A fixed task-specific parameter set within each task generates waypoints, detours, timed references, and chained motion without target-specific retuning. The offline detour planner screens candidate waypoints using 23 selected rod-segment-to-body-region distances, whereas the online CBF-QP filters joint velocities using 14 configured capsule-pair constraints from a nine-primitive whole-body capsule model. Evaluation considers two drilling tasks in a manufacturer-developed SB60 Simscape Multibody model: a five-target restricted-orientation tour and a three-target full-pose tour. Across several hundred thousand samples, the method produced zero IK failures, generated several detour waypoints, achieved millimetre-level mean final-position error, and recorded no sampled CBF margins below the reported thresholds.

ABSTRACT: Monitoring ground convergence is essential for effective ground control in underground mining, especially in high-stress or time-dependent environments such as hard-rock and salt operations. Conventional methods are often labour intensive and provide infrequent updates, limiting timely response to geotechnical hazards. This paper presents the use of Sandvik’s xCell Cyclops system in U.S. mines, emphasizing its contribution to digital, automated convergence monitoring. The xCell Cyclops is a laser-based displacement sensor with ±2 mm accuracy, mounted directly onto rock bolts. It operates autonomously on replaceable batteries and transmits data via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Through the xCell Professor, a vehicle-mounted mobile gateway, data can be collected at driving speeds up to 30 km/h and uploaded to a cloud platform for real-time visualization and alarms. Case studies show improved safety and efficiency, replacing manual measurements and enabling faster, more informed ground control decisions.

Concurrent drilling with two hydraulic booms requires coordinated motion in a confined workspace under actuator limits and intentional tool--rock contact. This paper couples RoboCompiler mechanism models with a centralized control barrier function quadratic program. Independently compiled graphs provide closed-chain kinematics, actuator maps, and reduced dynamics. The program selects actuator commands and reference-progress rates under collision, nominal effort, and flow constraints, reserving clearance for delay, hydraulic response, uncertainty, and stopping travel; a supervisor sequences routing, guarded contact, drilling, and recovery. A twelve-hole MuJoCo mission completed 48.035 m of modeled drilling; in comparison missions, concurrent operation was 42.5% shorter than sequential operation. A 100-collar docking campaign completed 294 of 300 operations across three conditions with no monitored clearance violation and pre-contact feed-extension rates below 20 mm/s; five single-condition ablations assess routing, online filtering, and uncertainty allowances. Isaac Sim checks confirm exported geometry, tree dynamics, and closed-chain static equilibrium.

The German sector of the North Alpine Foreland Basin contains more than 50 oil and gas fields. To determine the origin of the oils, Lower Oligocene source rocks—the only significant source rock for which no modern data is available—were examined and compared with recently published data from the Jurassic Posidonia Shale and from Permo-Carboniferous rocks. In addition, the source potential of other Mesozoic units was evaluated. Finally, oil families were identified and correlated with specific source intervals, based on biomarkers and compound-specific carbon isotope data. The investigation shows that the Lower Oligocene can yield approximately 0.5 tHC/m2. Facies, depositional environment, and petroleum potential correspond to those of their counterparts in the Austrian part of the basin and reflect varying degrees of Paratethys isolation. Apart from the Lower Oligocene, only the Toarcian Posidonia Shale and Permian lacustrine shales are prolific oil-prone source rocks. Oil from Mesozoic reservoirs in the Lake Constance area originates mainly from the Posidonia Shale, although a contribution from Permian lacustrine shales cannot be excluded. Oil samples from Miocene reservoirs (Lower Freshwater Molasse) overlying the Mesozoic reservoirs exhibit an additional contribution from a Cenozoic source rock, which is probably not the Lower Oligocene. To the east, there is an approximately 150 km-long belt where oil is found predominantly in Oligocene reservoirs (Baustein Beds). The oil fields in the westernmost part of the belt also contain oil from Mesozoic and Cenozoic sources. All other oils, including oil in Eocene deposits, originate from Lower Oligocene source rocks.