Optimization of flux-cored arc welding process parameters by using genetic algorithm

The effect of flux-cored arc welding (FCAW) process parameters on the quality of the super duplex stainless steel (SDSS) claddings can be studied using Taguchi L9 design of experiments. In this experimental investigation, deposits were made with 30 % bead overlap. Establishing the optimum combination of process parameters is required to ensure better bead geometry and desired properties. The above objectives can be achieved by identifying the significant input process parameters as input to the mathematical models like welding voltage (X ₁), wire feed rate (X ₂), welding speed (X ₃), and nozzle-to-plate distance (X ₄). The identified responses governing the bead geometry are bead width (W) and height of the reinforcement (H). The mathematical models were constructed using the data collected from the experiments based on Taguchi L9 orthogonal array. Then, the responses were optimized using non-traditional nature-inspired technique like genetic algorithm (GA).     

Lubricity of High Water Content Aqueous Gels

Aqueous gels such as biopolymer gels, mucus, and high water content hydrogels are often qualitatively described as lubricious. In hydrogels, mesh size, ξ, has been found to be a controlling parameter in friction coefficient. In the tribology of aqueous gels, we suggest that the Weissenberg number (Wi) is a useful parameter to define different regimes, and following the original formulations in rheology, Wi is given by the polymer relaxation time (ηξ³/k_BT) multiplied by the shear rate due to fluid shear through a single mesh (V/ξ): Wi?=?ηVξ²/k_BT. At sliding speeds below a Weissenberg number of approximately 0.1, Wi?<?0.1, the friction coefficient is velocity-independent and scales with mesh size to the ??1 power, µ ∝ ξ^?1. De Gennes’ scaling concepts for elastic modulus, E, give a dependence on polymer mesh size to the ??3 power, E ∝ ξ^?3, and following Hertzian contact analysis, the contact area is found to depend on the mesh size squared, A ∝ ξ². Combining these concepts, the shear stress, τ, and therefore the lubricity of aqueous gels, is predicted to be highly dependent on the mesh size, τ ∝ ξ^?3. Studies aimed at elucidating the fundamental mechanism of lubricity in biopolymer gels, mucus, and hydrogels have wrestled with comparisons across mesh size, which can be extremely difficult to accurately quantify. Using scaling concepts relating polymer mesh size to water content reveals that shear stress decreases rapidly with increasing water content, and plots of shear stress as a function of swollen water content are suggested as a useful method to compare aqueous gels of unknown mesh size. As a lower bound, these data are compared against estimates of fluid shear stress for free and bound water flowing through a mesh size estimated by the water content of the gels. The results indicate that the strong dependence on lubricity is likely due to a synergistic combination of a low viscosity solvent (water) coupled to a system that has a decreasing friction coefficient, modulus, and the resulting contact pressure with increasing water content. Although the permeability, K, of aqueous gels increases dramatically with water content (and mesh size), K ? ξ²/η, the stronger decrease of the elastic modulus and subsequent decrease in contact pressure due to an increase in the contact length, predicts that the draining time under contact, t, actually increases strongly with increasing water content and mesh size, t ∝ ξ². Consistent with the finding of extremely high water content aqueous gels on the surfaces of biological tissues, these high water content gels are predicted to be optimal for lubrication as they are both highly lubricious and robust at resisting draining and sustaining hydration.     

Determination of a coupling equation for milling parameters based on optimal cutting temperature

Nanofluid minimum quantity lubrication (NMQL) is one of the main modes of sustainable manufacturing. It is an environment-friendly, energy-saving, and highly efficient lubrication method. With the use of nanoparticles, the tribological properties of debris–tool and workpiece–tool interfaces will change. However, spectrum analyses of force and power spectral density (PSD) of surface microstructures are limited. In the present work, the milling force, friction coefficient, specific energy, surface roughness, and surface microstructure of debris were evaluated in milling of 45 steel for different lubrication conditions, namely, dry, flood, minimum quantity lubrication, and Al₂O₃ NMQL. Results demonstrated that compared with other lubrication conditions, NMQL achieves minimum milling force peak (F_x?=?270 N, F_y?=?160 N, F_z?=?50 N), friction coefficient (μ?= 1.039), specific energy (U?= 65.5 J/mm³), and surface roughness value (R_a?=?2.254 μm, RS_m?=?0.0562 mm). Furthermore, a spectrum analysis of the milling force and PSD of the surface microstructure was conducted for validation. The spectral analysis of milling force revealed that NMQL obtained the lowest milling force and amplitude in the middle-frequency region, thereby indicating the minimum abrasion loss of the tool. Meanwhile, the PSD analysis indicated that NMQL had the lowest proportional coefficient in the low-frequency region (0.4766) and the highest proportional coefficient in the high-frequency region (0.0569). These results revealed that the workpiece surface gained by Al₂O₃ NMQL obtained higher wave fineness than other working conditions. By combining with the lowest R_a, NMQL contributes the best workpiece surface quality. Therefore, machining experiments using NMQL showed the best lubrication performance.     

Nucleation of two-dimensional Si islands near a monatomic step on an atomically clean Si(111)-(7×7) surface

The process of nucleation of 2D islands near a monatomic step at the initial stage of growing of a silicon film on the Si(111)-(7 × 7) surface is studied by means of in situ ultrahighvacuum reflection electron microscopy. The dependence of the depletion region width W near the step, where no islands are formed, on the deposition rate R is described by the expression W² ∝ R^-χ with the exponent χ = 1.18 and χ = 0.63 at temperatures of 650 and 680 °C, respectively. It is demonstrated that the change in χ is associated with the step structure, which provides the transformation from the growth kinetics limited by attachment of adatoms to the step to that limited by diffusion of adatoms. A competition of the processes of nucleation and attachment to the step leads to an increase in the critical size of the island nucleus from i = 1 far from the step to i = 3–5 near the step and to i = 6–8 on the terrace of critical width for 2D nucleation.     

Thermal detectors of uncooled multi-element infrared imaging Arrays. II. New thermally uninsulated elements

A new approach to constructing the thermal element of a multi-element array on the basis of thin pyroelectric films is developed: the element is neither thermally insulated from the substrate nor separated by a gap from the substrate surface; instead, it operates owing to accumulation of the charge generated by infrared radiation during the frame. A new principle of high-speed modulation of radiation is described. Experimental results for the behavior of the pyroelectric coefficient in barium–strontium niobate films (Ba_xSr_1?xNb₂O₆), whose values reach up to (1–2)·10^?3 C/m², are presented. It is demonstrated that the specific detectivity of sensitive elements 12 × 12 μm in size in the charge accumulation mode is greater than 10⁹ cm · Hz^0.5 ·W^?1.     

Manufacturing and mechanical characterization of Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>/β-TCP/TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> biocomposite as a potential bone substitute

This paper focuses on the mechanical characterization of a bioceramic based on commercial alumina (Al₂O₃) mixed with synthesized tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) and commercial titania powder (TiO₂). The effect of β-TCP and TiO₂ addition on the mechanical performance was investigated. After a sintering process at 1600 °C for 1 h, various mechanical properties of the samples have been studied, such as compressive strength, flexural strength, tensile strength, elastic modulus, and fracture toughness. The measurements of the elastic modulus (E) and the tensile strength (σ _t ) were conducted using the modified Brazilian test while the compressive strength (σ _c ) was determined through a compression test. Also, semi-circular bending (SCB) specimens were used to evaluate the flexural strength (σ _f ) and the opening mode fracture toughness (K _IC). From the main results, it was found that the best mechanical performance is obtained with the addition of 10 wt.% TCP and 5 wt.% TiO₂. Alumina/10 wt.% tricalcium phosphate/5 wt.% titania composites displayed the highest values of mechanical properties and a good combination of compressive strength (σ _c ?≈?352 MPa), flexural strength (σ _f ?≈?98 MPa), tensile strength (σ _t ?≈?86.65 MPa), and fracture toughness (K _IC?≈?13 MPa m^1/2).     

Fast-response thermistors made of synthetic single-crystal diamonds

Miniature thermistors are produced from boron-doped synthetic single-crystal diamonds grown under pressure using the thermal gradient method. It is shown that heavily doped diamonds with a boron concentration of 10¹⁹ cm^?3 or higher are most suitable for this purpose. In the temperature range of 300–700 K, coefficient β = ln(R ₁/R ₂)/(1/T ₁ ? 1/T ₂) is 2500 K. The characteristic response time of temperature-sensitive elements based on crystals with dimensions of 1 × 1 × 0.3 mm is ～100 µs; i.e., they can be used in monitoring systems with a response speed of up to 10 kHz.     

Impact of aspect ratio and surface heating on pollutant transport in street canyons

This paper investigated the impacts of surface heating on pollutant transport and Air Exchange Rate (AER) in street canyons of different aspect ratios (building heightH to street widthW) using computational fluid dynamic (CFD) technique. Street canyons ofH/W varied from 0.1 to 2 were employed in the study. These street-canyon aspect ratios covered a range of basic flow regimes including skimming flow (H/W=1 and 2), wake interference flow (H/W=0.5), and isolated roughness flow (H/W=0.1). Different façade/surface heating imposed different influence on the flow field and pollutant transport in street canyons of differentH/W. The AER induced by vertical velocity fluctuationAER _w, and mean vertical velocityAER _w . AER of street canyon with differentH/W and different surface heating exhibited their unique characteristics.     

Big data analysis of a mini three-axis CNC machine tool based on the tuning operation of controller parameters

The characteristic responses of a mini three-axis computer numerical control (CNC) machine tool based on the controller tuning operation were investigated for big data estimation. The major tuning parameters included the position control gains K _p, the position feed-forward control gains K _f, the speed control gains K _v, and the gain ratios K _g of the position and speed control values in manufacturing industries. K _p gains of 10, 30, 50, 80, 100, 200, 300, and 400 rad/s, K _f gains of 0, 30, 50, 60, 80, and 100 %, K _v gains of 30, 50, 70, 100, 300, 900, 2000, and 3000 rad/s, and K _g ratios of (1:1), (3:1), (5:1), and (7:1) were analyzed for smart productivity. The results show that the settling times at different K _p values were almost constant when the K _p gain was over 200 rad/s. The maximum overshoots, when the feed-forward gain is over 60 %, almost increased with increasing feed-forward gains. However, the overshoot of the three-axis CNC machine tool decreased as the K _v gain increased until the K _v gain reached 70 rad/s. The settling times at a constant K _g ratio decreased with an increase in the K _p and K _v gains. The characteristic responses of the tuning operations were enabled with connectivity to a cloud network to share the big data, to support decision making, and to adjust operations in real time.     

Tribological Properties of a C/C–SiC–Cu Composite Brake Disc

A life-size composite brake disc was produced from Si, carbon–carbon composite, copper, and phenol resin. The disc had an outer radius Ø380, inner radius Ø180, and thickness of 36 mm. Chopped carbon fibers were used to reinforce frictional and structural layers. To obtain a preform of each layer, resin and carbon-fibers were mixed and hot-pressed. The preforms were pyrolyzed, and bonded by hot pressing. Finally Si and Cu infiltration in vacuum atmosphere was carried out to obtain a C/C–SiC–Cu _x Si _y composite brake disc. The density of the disc was 2.17 g/cm³. The bending strength was 61 MPa. The heat transfer coefficients in vertical and horizontal directions were 30.7, and 85.2 W/m-°C at 25°C, respectively. Friction coefficients of the C/C–SiC–Cu _x Si _y brake disc were more stable than those of C/C–SiC brake discs. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that Cu formed a compound, Cu₃Si.     

Parametric optimization of CNC turning process for hybrid metal matrix composite

Machining of hybrid metal matrix composite is difficult as the particulates are abrasive in nature and they behave like a cutting edge during machining resulting in quick tool wear and induces vibration. An attempt was made in this experimental study to evaluate the machining characteristics of hybrid metal matrix composite, and a mathematical model was developed to predict the responses, namely surface finish, intensity of vibration and work-tool interface temperature for known cutting condition while machining was performed in computer numerical control lathe. Design of experiments approach was used to conduct the trials; response surface methodology was employed to formulate a mathematical model. The experimental study inferred that the vibration in V _x, V _y, and V _z were 41.59, 45.17, and 26.45 m/s², respectively, and surface finish R _a, R _q, and R _z were 1.76, 3.01, and 11.94 μm, respectively, with work-tool interface temperature ‘T’ of 51.74 °C for optimal machining parameters, say, cutting speed at 175 m/min, depth of cut at 0.25 mm and feed rate at 0.1 mm/rev during machining. Experimental results were in close conformity with response surface method overlay plot for responses.     

Quantitative proximate X-ray analysis of loose raw materials based on detection of diffraction and characteristic radiation

A method of rapid X-ray analysis is proposed. The content of the method is that the ratio I _d/I _i ^A is measured in two channels of a γ spectrometer, one of which is configured for the diffraction maximum of the determined phase (I _d) and the other measures the intensity of the spectral line of secondary element A (I _i ^A ), the atomic number of which is the same as that of the material of the X-ray tube anode. Results of the X-ray analysis of chromite and molybdenum are presented. The test rate was 7 min per test. The maximum deviation from the content of MoS₂ was 0.4% in standard specimens with concentrations of 24–29% and that of Fe and Cr₂O₃ was 0.3% for concentrations of 14–19%.     

Experimental and numerical research on magnetic pulse forming of DP600 high-strength steel with driver sheet

This study aims to investigate the effect of the three cutting parameters (rotation, feed rate, and number of tool strokes) on the values of roughness (Rk, Rpk, Rvk, Mr1, Mr2, Rp/Rt ratio, and Vo) in flexible honed crankcase cylinder of hermetic compressors. The study was based on a full factorial design 2 × 2 × 3, where the rotation and the feed rate were investigated in two levels and the number of tool strokes in three levels. The cylinders were initially honed using a multi-spindle honing machine, Gehring model. A set of three honing tools was used each with two strokes, the first for roughing (120 mesh), the second for semi-finishing (270 mesh), and the third for finishing (600 mesh). For conventional honing (CH), the depth of the cut and the feed rate were kept constant. The flexible honing process was carried out after conventional honing (C+FH) in a CNC milling machine using a Silicon Carbide flex hone tool 800 mesh and 24.2 mm nominal diameter considering 12 different cutting conditions. An electromechanical surface roughness tester was used to carry out roughness measurements. The measurement uncertainty was assessed following the recommendations of the GUM-JCGM 101. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) technique was applied, and it was observed that the number of the tool strokes was the factor that contributed the most to the improvement of the surface finish of the cylinders.     

Data recording system of a dispersion interferometer based on a CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> laser

The data recording system of a multichannel double-pass dispersion interferometer based on a CO₂ laser is described. This system has been designed to record the linear density of plasmas in a real-time mode with a time discreteness of 4 μs and resolution 〈N _e L〉 ～ 0.34 × 10¹³ cm^?2 (N _e is the electron component of the plasma density, and L is the plasma size in the wave propagation direction) in the range of linear density variations of up to 10¹⁷ cm^?2. The system is built from unified recording modules that use fast ADCs to record the shape of photodetector and modulator signals and FPGA-based digital units of dataflow processing to form results of measurements. The single-channel recording module of the dispersion interferometer has been tested under actual experimental conditions of the GDL gas-dynamic trap and the TEXTOR tokamak (Julich, Germany).     

Method for increasing quality of the cathode surface of a vacuum gap

A method for controlled processing of the cathode surface in vacuum has been developed. The control is effected in a steady-state regime by monitoring the amplification factor of the electric-field strength at cathode microinhomogeneities. High-voltage pulses of nanosecond durations with amplitudes ensuring a breakdown delay time equal to the duration of the applied pulse, t_d = t_p, are used to affect the surface. This method allows the surface quality to be substantially improved after application of a minimum number of pulses. The application of five pulses at t_p = 10 ns with amplitudes ensuring the condition t_d = t_p to stainless-steel electrodes results in a decrease in the field-amplification factor by a factor exceeding 5 (from 136 to 26) and in an increase in the emission area by more than four orders of magnitude (from 4.6 × 10^?19 to 10^?14 m²).     

Role of the strengthening phases in abrasive wear resistance of laser-clad NiCrBSi coatings

The influence of the strengthening phases on the tribological characteristics (wear intensity, specific work of wear, coefficient of friction) and the wear mechanisms in two-body abrasion tests with abrasives of different hardnesses (corundum Al₂O₃, ~2000 HV and silicon carbide SiC, ~3000 HV) has been investigated for PG-SR2 (Cr₂₃C₆, 1000–1150 HV), PG-10N-01 (Cr₇C₃, 1650–1800 HV; CrB, 1950–2400 HV), and 75% PG-SR2 + 25% TiC (TiC, 2500–2900 HV; (Cr,Ni)₂₃(C,B)₆ and (Ti,Cr)(C,B), ~2000 HV) coatings. The dominant role of the strengthening phases (compared with the role of the metal matrix) in the abrasive wear resistance of laser-clad NiCrBSi coatings has been estimated. Different wear mechanisms have been identified and, accordingly, different levels of coatings wear resistance have been achieved depending on the ratio between the hardness of the strengthening phases (carbides, borides, carboborides) and abrasive particles.     

Calculating the wear resistance of metals in frictional pairs 3. Calculating the wear rate of steel in roller pairs with rolling friction and slip

On the hypothesis that slipping friction has the primary influence on the wear of steel in a rolling frictional pair with slip, the dimensionless wear rate I of wheel steel in the driven roller and the dimensional wear rate W (expressed in terms of I) are calculated. Satisfactory agreement of the theoretical and experimental wear rates is observed in the regions of weak, pronounced, and catastrophic wear.     

Experimental study of laser recording and heterodyne detecting of microstructures in volume media

Results of an experimental study of a two-beam laser method of recording and heterodyne detection of elementary microstructures (microgratings) in “thick” recording media are described. The study is performed on iron-doped lithium niobate crystals and on thick photopolymer materials in the single-photon absorption mode. The size of the volume micrograting is demonstrated to depend on the operating wavelength, numerical aperture of the focusing microobjective, and refractive index of the medium. The experiments are performed with microgratings 1.0 × 1.4 × 5.7 μm in the X, Y, and Z directions, respectively. Characteristics of individual microgratings and matrices of microgratings recorded at different depths of recording media are given.