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Intelligent Manufacturing and Design Under Challenging Conditions

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A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Mechanical Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 December 2025 | Viewed by 16281

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ling Chen

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Guest Editor

School of Mechanical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
Interests: advanced cutting technology; design and application of major instruments and equipment; innovative design and intelligent manufacturing

Dr. Yanyan Li

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Guest Editor

School of Mechanical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
Interests: mechanical manufacturing and automation; mechanical electronic engineering; intelligent diagnosis and control

Prof. Dr. Jinming Zhou

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Guest Editor

Division of Production and Materials Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering Sciences, LTH, Lund University, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden
Interests: cutting tools; high performance machining; innovative design; wear of materials; monitoring; sustainable manufacturing
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Prof. Dr. Guoqing Zhang

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Guest Editor

School of Mechanical Engineering, Shenzhen University, Lihu Campus, Shenzhen 518060, China
Interests: ultra-precision machining process and technology; diamond tool; smart machining; machining equipment; advanced cutting technology; design of instruments and equipment for in extreme environments
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Human exploration of the unknown continually drives us to operate in deep earth, deep sea, and deep space. These endeavors inevitably confront the difficulties of challenging conditions—extreme heat and cold, high pressure and vacuum, intense radiation, and low background radiation. Today’s equipment intended for such conditions is widely employed in oil drilling, mineral extraction, deep-space missions, and deep-sea exploration. Yet, many of these industrial systems still rely on outdated design methods and manufacturing concepts, leading to inefficient development cycles and frequent safety incidents.

By integrating state-of-the-art intelligent manufacturing—spanning design, fabrication, testing, field operation, and maintenance—we can leverage computer-aided engineering, data-driven approaches, and deep-learning technologies to markedly raise both the efficiency and safety of equipment development in challenging conditions. These advances will not only strengthen humanity’s ability to explore the unknown but also accelerate the discovery of new scientific principles.

This Special Issue, “Intelligent Manufacturing and Design Under Challenging Conditions,” invites contributions that report the latest developments and applications in this broad domain. While our primary focus includes deep-space exploration, deep-sea resource development, deep-earth science and engineering, mining engineering, and major scientific instrumentation, we welcome any work that addresses the intersection of complex systems and intelligent manufacturing. We anticipate that the findings featured here will advance engineering design theory, sustainable manufacturing technologies, data-driven intelligent manufacturing, and artificial intelligence for equipment operating under challenging conditions.

Original research papers and comprehensive reviews on (but not limited to) the following topics are encouraged:

Research progress in equipment development for challenging conditions;
Innovative design theories and methods for engineering products;
Structural design and analysis of equipment for challenging conditions;
Design and manufacture of exploration, development, and simulation devices for deep earth, deep sea, and deep space;
Deep-learning-based intelligent equipment and its applications;
Intelligent control strategies and devices leveraging small-sample data;
Digital-twin theory and methods for equipment in challenging conditions;
Extreme-size manufacturing and related fundamental approaches;
Sustainable manufacturing processes and additive manufacturing technologies for challenging conditions;
Manufacturing processes and methods under challenging conditions;
Equipment operation monitoring and safety assessment under challenging conditions;
Test methods and operation and maintenance of simulators for challenging conditions.

Dr. Ling Chen
Dr. Yanyan Li
Prof. Dr. Jinming Zhou
Prof. Dr. Guoqing Zhang
Guest Editors

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Keywords

challenging conditions
intelligent manufacturing
equipment
sustainable manufacturing
artificial intelligence
innovative design

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Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 6463 KB

Open AccessArticle

Research on Temporary Support Robot for the Integrated Excavation and Mining System of Section Coal Pillar

by Hongwei Ma, Jiashuai Cheng, Chuanwei Wang, Heng Zhang, Wenda Cui, Xusheng Xue, Qinghua Mao, Peng Liu, Yifeng Guo, Hao Su, Zukun Yu, Peng Wang and Haibo Tian

Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(9), 4896; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15094896 - 28 Apr 2025

Viewed by 378

Abstract

Facing the support challenges of short-wall working face (15–40m) roadways in the ‘excavation–backfill–retention’ tunneling method for section coal pillars, traditional equipment struggled to achieve stable, reliable, and efficient support. This paper designed a temporary support robot for the excavation and mining system of section coal pillars to ensure the safety of equipment and personnel in short-wall working faces. The support requirements of the section coal pillar excavation and mining system were analyzed, and a general ‘driving under pressure’ temporary support scheme was proposed. The working principle of the temporary support robot was analyzed. A mechanical model for the stable support of the temporary support robot was established. The mechanical properties of the surrounding rock were analyzed, and the allowable range of the temporary support robot’s supporting force was determined while ensuring the stability of the surrounding rock. Based on the Stribeck friction theory, a dynamic model of the temporary support robot in the driving under pressure state was constructed. The boundary conditions of the dynamic model were set, and the corresponding relationship between the temporary support robot’s supporting force and its maximum static friction force was determined. This accurately described the influence of the supporting force and pushing (pulling) force on the movement during the process of driving under pressure. Through finite element simulation, the stress conditions of the temporary support robot and the floor under maximum load were analyzed, indicating that this load condition would not cause damage to the temporary support robot or the surrounding rock. Through multi-body dynamics simulation, the pushing (pulling) forces required for the temporary support robot’s movement under different supporting force conditions were obtained, verifying the feasibility of the driving under pressure action under different supporting force conditions. Moreover, the model-predicted and simulated values of the required pushing (pulling) forces during the process of driving under pressure were consistent, validating the accuracy of the driving under pressure dynamic model. This research provides a new theoretical framework for the design and dynamic analysis of temporary support equipment for short-wall working faces in section coal pillar mining, holding significant academic value and broad application prospects. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Intelligent Manufacturing and Design Under Challenging Conditions)

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11 pages, 3781 KB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of Leakage Currents of Semiconductor Packages Due to High-Voltage Stress Under an Immersion Cooling Environment

by Kyuhae Min, Taejun Kang, Tae Yeob Kang and Jae-Bum Pyo

Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(9), 4668; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15094668 - 23 Apr 2025

Viewed by 778

Abstract

As data centers expand, immersion cooling systems are gaining attention for thermal management of memory devices. To enable widespread adoption, it is essential to evaluate the impact of coolants on the reliability of memory packages. In this study, high-voltage direct current (DC) stress tests were conducted on commercial dynamic random access memory (DRAM) packages in both single-phase coolant and air environments to analyze heat generation and electrical characteristics. A DC voltage ranging from 2.5 to 3.1 V, which is higher than the regular operating voltage of 1.2 V, was applied. Temperature changes were measured using an infrared camera in the air, and a contact-based thermometer in the coolant. The leakage current was also evaluated through I-V curve analysis. Heat generation and changes in leakage currents were not significant in either environment until the applied voltage stress exceeded approximately twice the standard voltage (2.5–2.8 V). However, the package’s degradation accelerated when the applied voltages exceeded 3.0 V, demonstrating a nonlinear increase in temperature and leakage current. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Intelligent Manufacturing and Design Under Challenging Conditions)

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14 pages, 6455 KB

Open AccessArticle

Design of Man-Machine Synergic Lunar Coring Device and Its Coring Dynamic Analysis

by Xu Zhang, Guoqing Zhang, Mingzhong Gao, Yufeng Wen and Yaohui Wang

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(13), 7961; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13137961 - 7 Jul 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2248

Abstract

The Moon is the closest extraterrestrial celestial body to the Earth. Sampling and analysis of lunar regolith or rocks can pave the way for the development and utilization of lunar resources. The acquisition of lunar regolith samples with original stratigraphic information by astronauts on the lunar surface is one of the essential missions in the manned lunar landing project. Therefore, to maintain the original stratigraphic information of the lunar samples during the sampling process while further improving the coring rate and sampling depth, a handheld dual-mode lunar regolith coring device is proposed in this paper. The device innovatively combines impact penetration and rotary drilling sampling, which allows the selection of a suitable sampling method according to the environment. In addition, this study designs a synergic coring device that can be operated by the astronaut and carried on the lander or rover based on the handheld coring device, which can ensure safe and stable coring mission. The mechanical analysis is carried out for the key properties in the coring device, the corresponding mechanical model is established, the structural parameters are optimally designed, and the performance analysis is carried out accordingly. Finally, the impact and drilling process of the coring device is simulated in explicit dynamics, and the results show that the optimized impact module can effectively penetrate the lunar rocks. The research work will provide technical reference and theoretical support for the design of human–machine synergic coring devices in manned lunar exploration missions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Intelligent Manufacturing and Design Under Challenging Conditions)

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19 pages, 7593 KB

Open AccessArticle

An Innovative System of Deep In Situ Environment Reconstruction and Core Transfer

by Xiaobo Peng, Xiongjun Li, Shigang Yang, Jinjie Wu, Mingwei Wu, Langhui Wan, Huaiyu Zhang and Heping Xie

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(11), 6534; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13116534 - 27 May 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1846

Abstract

The reconstruction of deep in situ environment up to 95 °C and 70 MPa using water is critical for the fidelity testing of deep Earth rocks. The temperature and pressure of the water have strong coupling in such an environment, which makes the control of temperature and pressure very difficult. The paper firstly presents the design of the system of deep in situ environment reconstruction and core transfer (SERCT); secondly, for the problem of high temperature and pressure control, a pressure-temperature (P-T) interpolation control algorithm based on the iso–density P-T curves of water is proposed. A P-T coupling control path is decomposed into two independent interpolation paths: an iso–thermal pressure control and an iso–mass temperature control, which realizes the decoupling control of temperature and pressure. Then, a fuzzy-PID dual mode method is adopted for the pressure control after decoupling, which reduces the overshoot and the dynamic response time of the system. For temperature control, a segmented and grouped electric heating mode is designed to improve the uniformity of the temperature field. A fuzzy PID temperature control algorithm based on grey prediction is proposed to achieve high precision temperature control with small overshoot. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed methods is verified by experiments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Intelligent Manufacturing and Design Under Challenging Conditions)

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18 pages, 7416 KB

Open AccessArticle

Structural Improvement of Differential Motion Assembly in In Situ Pressure-Preserved Coring System Using CFD Simulation

by Da Guo, Jianan Li, Dingming Wang, Yiwei Zhang, Xin Fang and Heping Xie

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(7), 4108; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13074108 - 23 Mar 2023

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2040

Abstract

In situ pressure-preserved coring (IPP-Coring) is one of the most efficient methods for identifying the scale of the oil and gas content. However, the differential motion assembly of the IPP-Coring system often undergoes ball and ball seat seal failure and sticking due to surface erosion, and a greater pressure drop may unexpectedly trigger the assembly. This paper addresses these issues by improving the hydraulic structure of an assembly based on a deep understanding of the flow characteristics in the assembly, thus increasing the success rate of the IPP-Coring. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was employed to investigate flows in a differential motion assembly. The effects of the diameter and outlet structure of the ball seat on the fluid status, velocity, and pressure distribution were thoroughly analyzed. When the ball seat diameter increased from 30 to 40 mm, the maximum velocity and pressure drop decreased to 0.55 and 0.2 times their original values, respectively. There was a severe vortex area in the differential motion assembly due to the presence of the ball seat, but changing the outlet structure in the ball seat to an arc structure decreased the length of the vortex area and the fluid velocity near the wall to 0.7 and 0.4 times, respectively, compared with those with the original right-angled structure. In addition, the pressure drop decreased to 0.33 times the original value. Thus, the hydraulic structure of the assembly was improved, and a 40 mm diameter ball seat and an arc-shaped ball seat outlet were selected. Particle trajectory and erosion calculation results showed that the improved structure has a lower particle velocity and less impact on the wall, and the average erosion rate is only 0.42 times the value of the original structure. Due to the better erosion resistance and smaller pressure drop, the improved structure shows promise for field performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Intelligent Manufacturing and Design Under Challenging Conditions)

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20 pages, 6425 KB

Open AccessArticle

Development of an In-Situ Simulation Device for Testing Deep Pressure-Preserving Coring Tools under High-Temperature and Ultrahigh-Pressure Conditions

by Wei Huang, Heping Xie, Jianan Li, Yang Yang, Cong Li, Zhiqiang He, Yihang Li and Zetian Zhang

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(6), 3889; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13063889 - 18 Mar 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2720

Abstract

With the increasing mining depth of deep mineral resources, the underground temperature and pressure also increase, which requires more advanced mining equipment. Therefore, to adapt to the special application scenario of the research and development of pressure-preserving coring tools under the extreme environmental conditions of deep strata, in this study, an in-situ simulation device under high-temperature and ultrahigh-pressure conditions is developed. The principles and methods of applying temperature and pressure to the device are expounded. Furthermore, the two main modules of the device are analyzed and studied experimentally. On the one hand, a segmented simulated coring test cabin is constructed, and pressure testing of the test cabin is carried out. The results show that the test cabin with inner diameters of 150 mm and 500 mm runs stably under the working condition of a pressure up to 190 MPa (considering the influence of temperature of 150 °C), and the cabin remains in the stage of elastic deformation. There is no leakage of pressure or fluid in the whole test process. On the other hand, the performance of the driving module is tested. The results show that the driving module can provide a stable rotation speed of up to 150 r/min when the sealing pressure is 140 MPa. Therefore, the device can be applied to carry out simulated coring test and is suitable for the research and development of pressure-preserving coring tools in deep extreme environments, which may promote the development of deep mining engineering. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Intelligent Manufacturing and Design Under Challenging Conditions)

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15 pages, 3591 KB

Open AccessArticle

Design and Dynamic Analysis of the Wire-Line Coring Robot for Deep Lunar Rocks

by Yufeng Wen, Guoqing Zhang, Heping Xie, Mingzhong Gao, Xu Zhang, Yaohui Wang and Cunbao Li

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(3), 1722; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13031722 - 29 Jan 2023

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2607

Abstract

Deep lunar rocks carry geological information about the primitive Moon and are of great scientific value. In this paper, a coring robot for deep lunar rocks was proposed for the lunar environment based on the wire-line sampling device. This robot consists of the coring executor on the ground to assist in coring tube replacement and sample storage and the wireline self-excavating coring (WSC) robot for active drilling underground, which can provide autonomous deep coring on the moon. Subsequently, based on Prandtl’s failure mechanism and the prediction equations of the mechanical properties of the lunar soil, the mathematical relationship between the ultimate support force and the depth of the support point of the WSC robot was constructed. Additionally, the drilling scheme of the WSC robot at different depths was also determined. The constraint model of the impact module was established, and the structural parameters were optimized through non-linear programming to achieve the maximum impact energy. Simulations of the impact process were then carried out in explicit dynamics. The simulation results show that the optimized impact module can effectively drill through the lunar rocks. This result validates, to some extent, the drilling capability of the WSC robot in lunar rocks. The research work can provide technical reference and theoretical support for deep coring lunar rocks. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Intelligent Manufacturing and Design Under Challenging Conditions)

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26 pages, 11589 KB

Open AccessArticle

Innovative Design of a Conductive Center Pole for an Active Thermal Insulation and Coring System in Deep Rock

by Bo Yu, Zhiqiang He, Jianping Yang, Zijie Wei, Cong Li and Heping Xie

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13(3), 1242; https://doi.org/10.3390/app13031242 - 17 Jan 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2061

Abstract

Intelligent drilling technologies, such as downhole signal and power transmission, can be used to measure key downhole data and obtain thermal insulation cores. This technology is of great significance for the accurate assessment of deep oil and gas resources, the reconstruction of oil and gas resource extraction systems, and the realization of efficient, intelligent and safe resource extraction. In order to meet the needs of underground communication and power supply for active thermal insulation coring, a new type of conductive center pole was innovatively designed. Using the theory of innovation problem solving (TRIZ) and axiomatic design (AD) to analyze the functional requirements of the conductive central pole, establish and solve the original design matrix. Based on the axiomatic design theory, the non-coupling matrix is decoupled by using the TRIZ solving tool, and the key indicators of the design scheme that meet the independent axiom are evaluated. In view of the contradictions and conflicts, the TRIZ solution tool was continually used to solve, optimize and obtain a design scheme with a higher comprehensive evaluation. Thus, the self-adaptive non-winding connection and power conduction of the conductive center pole was realized. Finally, the strength of the newly designed center pole was checked, and a physical prototype was made. Pre-research experiments on its conductivity and electrothermal conversion efficiency were carried out under different simulation environments to verify its conductivity. It provides innovative solutions to related problems in the field of deep insulation coring and intelligent drilling and provides effective technical means for related needs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Intelligent Manufacturing and Design Under Challenging Conditions)

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