A control system for an automated line heating process is developed by use of object-oriented methodology. The main function of the control system is to provide real-time heating information to technicians or automated machines. The information includes heating location, torch speed, heating order, and others. The system development is achieved by following the five steps in the object-oriented procedure. First, requirements are specified and corresponding objects are determined. Then, the analysis, design, and implementation of the proposed system are sequentially carried out. The system consists of six subsystems, or modules. These are (1) the inference module with an artificial neural network algorithm, (2) the analysis module with the Finite Element Method and kinematics analysis, (3) the data access module to store and retrieve the forming information, (4) the communication module, (5) the display module, and (6) the measurement module. The system is useful, irrespective of the heating sources, i.e. flame/gas, laser, or high frequency induction heating. A newly developed automated line heating machine is connected to the proposed system. Experiments and discussions follow.

Active control has been partly applied to suppress the re-reflecting waves in wave basin with plunger-type wave maker to obtain desirable waves. This limitation comes from the non-confirmable theoretical background to the control algorithm. This paper proposes control logic to overcome this drawback, based on the impulse response function for propagating waves between control input and the wave height. The performances have been verified as reasonable in practical application by comparing with the propagating wave components in numerical wave basin, using wave decomposition method. Moreover, the control logic can also give useful wave-absorbing performance after cessation of wave generation.

The author was appointed by the UK Department of Transport as a fellow Assessor with R. A. Williams during Lord Donaldson's Assessment (1995) of the loss of the OBO ship DERBYSHIRE and in 1996 as a UK Assessor for the planning and surveys of the wreck. He relinquished his appointment in October 1997 and was not thereafter Involved in the review and analysis of data gathered. This paper may be considered to be complementary to the reports of the UK and EC Assessors (Williams and Torchio, 1998a and 1998b) which followed that review and analysis. The paper deals with the history and loss of the ship, Including the concept developed in 1995 of 13 possible loss scenarios in a formal safety Risk Matrix of probability and seriousness. It analyses abnormal wave effects on hatch cover collapse, on ship bending, and on flooding of bow spaces and no. 1 hold. The implosion-explosion mechanics during sinking is outlined to explain the devastation of the wreck. The 1996 and 1997 underwater surveys are outlined as are the findings of fact. Each of the final 14 loss scenarios is analysed in the light of the firm and circumstantial survey evidence, plus many other factors of survey experience, analyses and experiments. The updated Risk Matrix speaks for itself and leads to the prime conclusions and major recommendations.