Masaharu Kuroda
Professor | Ph.D. in Engineering
Mechanical Engineering Course
Field of Mechanical Engineering
In his teaching of mechanical dynamics and measurement engineering, Professor Kuroda emphasizes a balance between abstract principles and concrete application, helping students develop genuine command of mechanics. His research investigates the engineering applications of fractional-order calculus and the foundations of nonlinear dynamics, with a further aim of achieving control over these dynamical phenomena.
Vibration Control Using Fractional-Order Calculus
What students can learn
This theme introduces wave control techniques unattainable with conventional calculus, vibration control through fractional-order LQR methods, and the implementation of control systems on digital signal processors (DSPs).
Integer-order calculus—first derivatives, second integrals, and the like—has been familiar since high school, yet calculus can also be defined for non-integer, or fractional, orders. This research focuses on fractional-order calculus, which holds particular promise for engineering applications. Specifically, it investigates the dynamics of systems whose equations of motion can be expressed through fractional-order calculus, together with their control. The work begins with simple experimental setups designed to realize fractional-order differential responses, aiming ultimately to control vibration in mechanical systems. The photograph shows an experimental apparatus in which fractional-order servo LQR control is applied to a magnetic levitation system.
Engineering Applications of Nonlinear Vibration, Including Chaos
What students can learn
Students cultivate the ability to construct appropriate models of nonlinear vibration and develop an intuitive sense for their engineering applications.
Chaos, solitons, and pattern formation represent, in a sense, the showcase themes of nonlinear dynamics. This research extends beyond theoretical and numerical analysis to include experimental approaches using simple physical setups, with the aim of exploring mechanical engineering applications of chaos, solitons, and pattern formation—and, more broadly, of turning nonlinearity into a positive engineering resource rather than a phenomenon to be merely suppressed. The photograph shows a chaotic waveform together with its phase portrait and Poincaré plot.
