Efficiency enhancement of a dielectric barrier plasma discharge by dielectric barrier optimization

The characteristic feature of a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) is the dielectric barrier placed between the electrodes. In the present work, the influence of the dielectric barrier to the properties of a DBD in air was investigated. Spectroscopic characterization of the DBD and electrical measurements were carried out. It was shown that the efficiency of a DBD can be considerably improved by optimizing the dielectric barrier. The dielectric material should possess an appropriate relative permittivity and thickness. For thin dielectric barriers, a high secondary emission coefficient becomes important. Additionally, the use of only one dielectric barrier is advantageous.     

Appearance of craters on track surface of rolling element bearings by spark erosion

A theoretical investigation has been carried out to determine the time span for the appearance of craters by spark erosion on the track surfaces of rolling-element bearings operating under the influence of shaft voltages. An analytical model has been developed using the continuum theory of Griffith to determine energy per unit area required for the development of craters on the track surfaces. Also, an expression is deduced for the net energy transmitted per unit area on the track surfaces by the leakage of stored charge energy resulting in the appearance of craters under the effect of shaft voltage and bearing capacitance depending on operational and dimensional parameters of a bearing in a given span of operation. By the formulation of capacitive stored energy in a bearing using high resitivity lubricant, along with the developed model and expressions using the ratio of cycles to accumulate and discharge of the accumulated charge energy at the various levels of bearing to shaft voltage, the time span/cycles for the appearance of craters of specified dimensions by spark erosion has been determined. Matching time span/cycles has been ascertained by the investigation of a case history of the diagnosis of bearings that failed by crater formation. The analysis can also be used for determination of shaft voltage if the time span/cycles for the formation of known size craters and bearing capacitance are established.     

Investigations on influence of process variables on crater dimensions in micro-EDM of γ-titanium aluminide alloy in dry and oil dielectric media

In micro-electro-discharge machining (EDM), challenge lies in enhancing material removal rate while retaining precision in crater dimensions. Material properties of both anode and cathode and the process variables have significant control on MRR and accuracy. In the present research, experiments were conducted on γ-titanium aluminide alloy work piece using 200-μm steel electrode. The circular craters were produced both in the presence and absence of dielectric fluid using varying micro-EDM process variables, i.e., open-circuit voltage, discharge capacitance, pulse frequency, and pulse-on time. Overcut was measured from optical microscope images using Image Analyzer software. Influences of process variables and optimal conditions for minimum overcut on crater dimensions were investigated using ANOVA test, which shows that capacitance of RC circuit contributes significantly in crater formation followed by pulse frequency. Regression equations of overcut for both dielectric mediums were developed using discharge energy and spark-on time as two functions. It was also investigated that overcut was less in air medium compared to oil medium.     

PCI-9846高速数字化仪在电火花放电特性测试中的应用

针对电火花放电间隙状态变化特性的检测与分析等问题,利用凌华PCI-9846四通道高速数字化仪建立了测量系统,讨论了电火花加工放电间隙放电特性测量方案,测量了不同加工状态下放电间隙两端的电压波形和电流波形,分析了空载、正常火花放电、过渡电弧放电和短路等不同加工状态下的电压波形特征及其特征参数。研究结果表明,正常火花放电、过渡电弧放电和短路等不同加工状态下间隙电压的阈值范围不同,且与加工电流有关;在设计伺服控制器时,应根据电源电压、加工电流、工件材料等来动态修正电压阈值。     

A pulse high-frequency power supply system for hyperbolic mass analyzers of space vehicles

A pulse oscillator for powering dynamic mass spectrometers with a frequency mass-spectrum scan is described. The used resonance method of forming leading edges of pulses allowed one to reduce the power consumption by a factor of 4–6 as compared to the simple charge exchange of the load capacitance. Efficient oscillators with a 4-MHz maximal pulse repetition rate, a 100-V peak-to-peak output voltage, and 1-W consumed power are designed.     

Application of displacement-based design method to assess the level of structural damage due to blast loads

In this paper, a displacement-based design (DBD) methodology commonly used for seismic design and evaluation of structures is adopted to determine the performance of structures to blast loading. In this method, structural performance is linked to measurable quantities such as the displacement ductility. To verify the applicability of the method and the accuracy of the results, a simple structural shape, including a square steel plate, is subjected to out-of-plane blast loading with different explosive charge weights and stand-off distances. With the adaptation of the autodyn software, the above-mentioned examples in a similar condition are also subjected to blast loading. It is found that the results of the DBD method agree favorably with the results obtained from a numerical method. It is also shown that a good prediction of the damage level can be made for steel plates subjected to different charge weights and stand-off distances.     

Changes in the biomechanical properties of a single cell induced by nonthermal atmospheric pressure micro‐dielectric barrier discharge plasma

Mechanical properties of a single cell are closely related to the fate and functions of the cell. Changes in mechanical properties may cause diseases or cell apoptosis. Selective cytotoxic effects of nonthermal atmospheric pressure micro‐dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma have been demonstrated on cancer cells. In this work, changes in the mechanical properties of a single cell induced by nonthermal atmospheric pressure micro‐DBD plasma were investigated using atomic force microscopy (AFM). Two cervical cancer cell lines (HeLa and SiHa) and normal human fibroblast cells (HFBs) were exposed to micro‐DBD plasma for various exposure times. The elasticity of a single cell was determined by force–distance curve measurement using AFM. Young's modulus was decreased by plasma treatment for all cells. The Young's modulus of plasma‐treated HeLa cells was decreased by 75% compared to nontreated HeLa cells. In SiHa cells and HFBs, elasticity was decreased slightly. Chemical changes induced by the plasma treatment, which were observed by Raman spectroscopy, were also significant in HeLa cells compared to SiHa cells and HFBs. These results suggested that the molecular changes induced by micro‐DBD plasma were related to cell mechanical changes.     

The parameters evaluation and optimization of polycrystalline diamond micro-electrodischarge machining assisted by electrode tool vibration

The objective of this research is to evaluate and optimize machining parameter of tool electrode vibration on micro-electric discharge machining of polycrystalline diamond. The machining parameters evaluated are charge voltage, capacitance, and vibration of the tool electrode. An orthogonal array, signal-to-noise ratio, and analysis of variance are employed to analyze the effect of these machining parameters. The results show that by application of vibration on tool electrode in machining of polycrystalline diamond, it has significant effect up to 66.48% in increasing material removal rate without increasing surface roughness and tool electrode wear. Using Taguchi method for design of experiment, other significant effects on surface quality and tool electrode wear are also investigated. The results also show that surface roughness is mostly affected by the amount of capacitance (52.24%), and the tool electrode wear is also affected by the amount of capacitance (92.82%).     

介质阻挡放电电离技术及其应用研究进展

介质阻挡放电电离源是一种非表面接触型的常压敞开式电离源,借助大气压下惰性气体的介质阻挡放电产生稳定的低温等离子体,可在几秒钟内实现液态、固态和气态样品的解吸附离子化,将其用于质谱检测,无需复杂的样品前处理,在常温、常压环境下即可对样品进行原位、实时、快速和无损检测。介质阻挡放电电离源自提出以来发展迅速,现已被广泛应用于食品安全、公共安全、药物分析、环境监测、生命科学等诸多领域。本文综述了介质阻挡放电电离源的发展历程、电离机理、结构分类、影响因素及应用进展,并对其发展趋势进行了展望。     

Calibrated nanoscale capacitance measurements using a scanning microwave microscope

A scanning microwave microscope (SMM) for spatially resolved capacitance measurements in the attofarad-to-femtofarad regime is presented. The system is based on the combination of an atomic force microscope (AFM) and a performance network analyzer (PNA). For the determination of absolute capacitance values from PNA reflection amplitudes, a calibration sample of conductive gold pads of various sizes on a SiO(2) staircase structure was used. The thickness of the dielectric SiO(2) staircase ranged from 10 to 200 nm. The quantitative capacitance values determined from the PNA reflection amplitude were compared to control measurements using an external capacitance bridge. Depending on the area of the gold top electrode and the SiO(2) step height, the corresponding capacitance values, as measured with the SMM, ranged from 0.1 to 22 fF at a noise level of ~2 aF and a relative accuracy of 20%. The sample capacitance could be modeled to a good degree as idealized parallel plates with the SiO(2) dielectric sandwiched in between. The cantilever/sample stray capacitance was measured by lifting the tip away from the surface. By bringing the AFM tip into direct contact with the SiO(2) staircase structure, the electrical footprint of the tip was determined, resulting in an effective tip radius of ~60 nm and a tip-sample capacitance of ~20 aF at the smallest dielectric thickness.     

基于纳米定位的压电陶瓷执行器控制方法的研究进展

压电陶瓷执行器在较高电场的作用下将产生严重的非线性，迟滞和蠕变，从而大大降低了它的定位精度。从控制方式，驱动方式和控制算法上，分析，总结了国内外关于纳米定位中压电陶瓷执行器的各种控制方法，进而提出：压电陶瓷执行器在静态或对频响要求不高的场合下，应采用电压驱动，电容传感器反馈并同优良控制算法相结合的控制方法；而在对频响要求较高的场合下，应采用电荷驱动、电容传感器反馈并同优良控制算法相结合的控制方法。     

Analysis of Capacitive Effect and Life Estimation of Hydrodynamic Journal Bearings on Repeated Starts and Stops of a Machine Operating Under the Influence of Shaft Voltages

A theoretical analysis has been carried out to study the capacitive effect and life estimation of hydrodynamic journal bearings on repeated starts and stops of a machine operating under the influence of shaft voltages. The analysis gives the time required for the charge accumulation and increase of charge with time on the liner surface of a journal bearing based on bearing capacitance, resistance of film thickness, and the shaft voltage. Also, it investigates the effect of gradual leakage of the accumulated charges with time as the shaft voltage falls when the power supply to the machine is switched off. This paper gives an approach to determine the ratio of the number of shaft revolutions required for charge accumulation and gradual discharge of the accumulated charges on the liner surface of a bearing depending on bearing-to-shaft voltage. Also, the number of repeated starts and stops before initiation of craters on the liner surface of a hydrodynamic journal bearing is established to restrict deterioration and damage of the liner. The diagnosis has the potential to study the transient effect of the shaft voltages on a journal bearing during the start and stop cycle of a machine.     

Design of an ultrahigh-energy hydrogen thyratron/SCR research defibrillator.

The design features of an ultrahigh-energy research defibrillator are described. Three voltage sources are used. The first is a 60-Hz supply of adjustable amplitude and duration for inducing fibrillation. The second source uses an 18.000-joule capacitor bank which can be charged to 800, 1600, or 2400 volts. SCRs in series with the chest are used to initiate the discharge, and SCRs shunting the capacitor bank terminate the discharge. The third source employs another 18,000-joule capacitor bank which can be charged to 5000, 10,000 or 15,000 volts. In this source, large ceramic-enveloped hydrogen thyratrons are used for both initiating and terminating the discharge. In the second and third sources, which can deliver rectangular, trapezoidal, truncated exponential, or untruncated exponential waveforms, capacitor charge time is 10 sec and the duration of the delivered shock is continuously adjustable from 100 musec through 1 sec.     

电容层析成象系统中微小电容测量法

电容层析成象技术（ＥＣＴ）是一种最早发展起来的过程成象技术。由于为重建图象所需测量的电容变化量相对于ＥＣＴ传感器的固有电容非常小,总的杂散电容值又远大于待测电容,因此ＥＣＴ对电容检测提出了极为严格地要求。本文介绍了ＥＣＴ系统中最常用的３种微小电容检测电路—充电／放电电路、带反馈补偿的交流测量电路以及自平衡电容测量电路,并指出了它们的优缺点。     

Glow-to-arc transition events in H2-Ar direct current pulsed plasma: automated measurement of current and voltage

The glow-to-arc transition phenomena (arcing) observed in plasma reactors used in materials processing was studied through the arcs characteristic current and voltage waveforms. In order to capture these arcs signals, a LABVIEW? based automated instrumentation system (ARCVIEW) was developed, including the integration of an oscilloscope equipped with proper current and voltage probes. The system also allows capturing the process parameters at the arc occurrence moments, which were used to map the arcs events conditions. Experiments in H(2)-Ar DC pulsed plasma returned signals data from 215 arcs events, which were analyzed through software routines. According to the results, an anti-arcing system should react in the time order of few microseconds to prevent most of the damage caused by the undesired arcing phenomena.     

Study of an integrated optical sensor with mono-shielding electrode for intense transient E-field measurement

Intense E-field measurement is widely applied in high voltage and dielectric insulation research. In this paper, an integrated optical E-field sensor for time-domain measurement has been studied comprehensively, which is based on Mach–Zehnder interferometer with a mono-shielding electrode. Firstly, the principle and the key issues of the sensor design are presented. Secondly, the time-domain response characteristics are studied and the sensor can well follow waveforms with a rise time from nano-second to micro-second. Thirdly, the temperature stability of the sensor is analyzed, and the influence of temperature is quantified. Finally, the measurement of gas discharge field by the developed sensor is introduced, showing that the time-domain transient field measurement is an effective criterion for streamer inception.     

Nonlinear image reconstruction using a GA-ECT technique in electrical capacitance tomography

Electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) is a non-invasive measurement technique that estimates the dielectric permittivity distribution of an inhomogeneous object from the boundary potentials at floating electrodes or mutual capacitances. In this paper, a stochastic inverse technique based on genetic algorithm (GA-ECT) is developed, which is adapted to the two different methods, i.e. potential measurement and capacitance measurement. Numerical simulation results are presented to evaluate the inverse technique both for noise free and noisy data and the results show that quantitative image can be reconstructed not only with the low permittivity contrast but also with the high contrast. Furthermore, the influence of a priori knowledge to image reconstruction is discussed.     

甚高频共振式脉冲源放电蚀除

针对传统微细电火花脉冲电源普遍存在的放电频率低、脉宽较大、纳米级高效蚀除能力难以日益提高的问题,设计出了一种基于电路共振原理的甚高频微能脉冲源,该脉冲源可产生放电频率55 MHz、电压峰峰值220 V的开路电压波形,电压脉宽可压缩至9.1 ns。进行了不同开路电压下的放电实验,获得了各实验条件下的放电波形。实验结果证明所设计的甚高频微能脉冲源具有良好的加工工艺性能。     

基于ICL7667实现步进电机高频斩波控制

为了提高小内阻步进电机驱动系统中功率MOSFET的开关速度,采用ICL7667作为功率MOSFET的驱动器,从而实现步进电机的高频斩波控制。首先,针对电阻分压式驱动电路测试和仿真中出现的功率MOSFET的漏级输出未处于截止和深度饱和状态的问题,对所采用的功率MOSFET的栅极电容特性、开关时间等进行了研究,发现栅极电容的充放电过程影响了功率MOSFET的开关速度。接着,提出了提高功率MOSFET开关速度的方法。最后,采用ICL7667作为功率MOSFET的驱动器实现了步进电机的高频斩波控制。仿真和试验结果表明：电阻分压式驱动电路在斩波频率不大于20kHz时,功率MOSFET的漏级输出能处于截止和深度饱和的状态;采用ICL7667的驱动电路,可以保证斩波频率为200kHz时,功率MOSFET的漏级输出仍处于截止和深度饱和的状态。采用ICL7667的驱动电路,使得其斩波频率比电阻分压式驱动电路的斩波频率提高了10倍,可保证小内阻步进电机在高速斩波信号的控制下正确运行。     

基于模糊PI控制的充放电控制器的设计

采用模糊控制与PI算法相结合的方法控制充放电电压与电流,对电池充放电过程进行平稳有效的控制。详细介绍了该充放电控制器的硬件与软件设计,并在实验环境与工厂环境进行反复测试,证明了其性能稳定符合技术要求。