Bias-induced forces in conducting atomic force microscopy and contact charging of organic monolayers

Contact electrification, a surface property of bulk dielectric materials, has now been observed at the molecular scale using conducting atomic force microscopy (AFM). Conducting AFM measures the electrical properties of an organic film sandwiched between a conducting probe and a conducting substrate. This paper describes physical changes in the film caused by the application of a bias. Contact of the probe leads to direct mechanical stress and the applied electric field results in both Maxwell stresses and electrostriction. Additional forces arise from charge injection (contact charging). Electrostriction and contact charging act oppositely from the normal long-range Coulomb attraction and dominate when a charged tip touches an insulating film, causing the tip to deflect away from the film at high bias. A bias-induced repulsion observed in spin-coated PMMA films may be accounted for by either mechanism. In self-assembled monolayers, however, tunnel current signals show that the repulsion is dominated by contact charging.     

Capillary-driven micro flows for the underfill process in microelectronics packaging

Capillary-driven micro flow allows liquid transport by interfacial force without external pressure or momentum. Theoretical and experimental studies have been conducted to predict the movement of the flow meniscus in the application of capillary underfill flows. In a flip chip package, two-dimensional motions of flow front through solder bumps can result in unwanted air void formation because the meniscus and the arrangement of the solid surface affect the interface dynamics. This study introduces analytical models of filling time and discusses their verification and limitations. Recent developments in underfill flow visualization are also presented to analyze flow phenomena, including the racing effect and void formation.     

Electrohydrodynamic (EHD) enhancement of boiling heat transfer of R 113+WT4% ethanol

Nucleate boiling heat transfer for refrigerants, R113, and R113+ wt4% ethanol mixture, an azeotropic mixture under electric field was investigated experimentally in a single-tube shell/ tube heat exchanger. A special electrode configuration which provides a more uniform electric field that produces more higher voltage limit against the dielectric breakdown was used in this study. Experimental study has revealed that the electrical charge relaxation time is an important parameter for the boiling heat transfer enhancement under electric field. Up to 1210% enhancement of boiling heat transfer was obtained for R113+wt4% ethanol mixture which has the electrical charge relaxation time of 0.0053 sec whereas only 280% enhancement obtained for R113 which has relaxation time of 0.97 sec. With artificially machined boiling surface, more enhancement in the heat transfer coefficient in the azeotropic mixture was obtained.     

Electrohydrodynamic(ehd) enhancement of boiling heat transfer with a lo-fin tube

The effect of D. C electric field on nucleate boiling heat transfer for refrigerants of R-11, HCFC-123 and FC-72 was investigated experimentally by using a single lo-fin tube shell-and-tube heat exchanger. The lo-fin tube which brought two times increase in the heat transfer area provided about 150% of boiling heat transfer enhancement compared to that of smooth surface. This experimental study has revealed that the electrical charge relaxation time was an important parameter for the boiling heat transfer enhancement under electric field. Boiling heat transfer enhancement was obtained up to 40% for R-11 which had moderate relaxation time of 1.3s. However remarkable boiling heat transfer enhancement has been obtained up to three fold increase(300%) for HCFC-123 which has the electrical charge relaxation time of 0.89 x 10^-3s. For FC-72 having longer relaxation time than the bubble detachment one, no appreciable effect on the nucleate boiling heat transfer was observed.     

烟炱对电接触磨损的影响

选用常见的铜作为电接触材料,将烟炱溶液喷洒于试样表面,进行不同载荷下的电接触微动试验,用3D形貌仪和SEM对磨痕形貌进行分析。结果表明:载荷对材料的电接触性能影响显著,接触电阻与法向载荷成反比,即增加载荷可改善摩擦副的电接触性能;接触区域的有效导电面积是有限的,故载荷达到某一值后,随着载荷的增加,接触电阻不再有明显的下降趋势;小载荷下,烟炱的加入恶化了摩擦副的电接触性能,随着载荷的增加,这种恶化作用逐渐减小;摩擦因数随着载荷的增加而降低,载荷较低时(2～6 N),摩擦因数曲线可见明显的上升期、跑合期、下降期、稳定期;而载荷较高时(8～10 N),只有上升期和稳定期;大载荷下,触头接触区域匹配良好,摩擦副表面迅速达到了平衡点,摩擦因数较稳定。在电化学的作用下烟炱颗粒在摩擦副表面形成固体膜,起到减摩抗磨的作用。     

Performance of Lubricated Sliding Contact in Magnetic Field

Results of experimental studies concerning the influence of permanent magnetic field on wear of lubricated sliding contact operating at short stroke and high frequency are presented. It was found that horizontal magnetic is affecting performance of the contact. The jagged delamination regions produced in the presence of a magnetic field can be regarded as easily undergoing oxidisation because oxygen is readily adsorbed there. Magnetic field is likely to intensify the abrasive action by wear particles and mitigate wear of the plate specimen. It is postulated that all these effects are caused by the influence of magnetic field on the electrical charge of the worn surface created on Si3N4 ball.     

Correlation analysis of brush temperature in brush-type DC motor for predicting motor life

Some critical components of motors and generators have sliding electrical contacts. Electrical brushes are usually used in these contact points to conduct current between the stationary part and the moving part of the motor. In this paper, studies on brush wear against copper commutators are briefly reviewed. The main influential factors in brush wear are associated with both mechanical wear and electrical wear. Brush wear is affected by various factors, including temperature, material properties, sliding speed, contact force, and interfacial as well as environmental conditions. The mechanical wear of brushes is proportional to brush spring pressure and sliding speed, and the electrical wear of brushes is associated with current and contact voltage drop. For characterization, a brush wear test machine is designed, and influential factors, such as electrical contact resistance, temperature, wear mass loss, and so on, are measured. The wear tests are processed using a small brush-type automotive DC motor. The study primarily aims to investigate the effects of the wear behavior of copper-graphite brushes on small brush-typed DC motors. The variable conditions of electrical current are obtained by changing the brush spring pressure and the sliding speed. The results are electrical contact resistance, voltage drop, brush surface temperature rise, and so on. Brush wear is greatly changed by electrical current, which indicates that high current itself not only produces more Joule heating but also causes an increase in voltage drop that will result in additional Joule heating.     

Super-high-thickness high-speed wire electrical discharge machining

High-speed wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM-HS) of materials of super-high thickness (more than 1000 mm) is a challenging problem. First, sufficient energy is required to maintain the inter-electrode normal discharge. Next, there must be adequate inter-electrode dielectric fluid. Third, in order to generate a smooth cut surface, it is necessary to suppress the vibration of the wire electrode to reduce vibration lines on the cutting surface. To better understand these challenges, the energy and the flow of the medium between two electrodes were analyzed, allowing the establishment of a relevant model. The results indicated that for super-high-thickness machining, the pulse energy must be adequate to compensate for the energy consumed in the molybdenum wire and inter-electrode working liquid. In addition, the running speed of the wire electrode should be improved to ensure that there is a sufficiently high flow rate of the dielectric fluid. The servo control mode of the existing machine tools and dielectric fluid were improved and then a process experiment was performed. The experimental results show that the process can be carried out efficiently and stably and the workpiece surface can be cut smoothly using the improved working liquid and servo control mode.     

An evaluation of the gassing tendency under electrothermal stress of some dielectric liquids

It is known that, under electrical or thermal stress, dielectric liquid produces gas. The performance of oil cooled, insulated, or impregnated electrical equipment such as transformers, cables, or capacitors, is affected by the presence of these small gaseous bubbles, which can give rise to partial discharges and to eventual insulation breakdown. Therefore, the gassing properties of an insulating liquid, i.e. its tendency to absorb or evolve gases, have been recognised as a factor of major importance in characterising dielectric liquids. The transition from gas absorption to gas evolution can occur at different temperatures and electrical stresses for different liquids. The effects of temperature, electrical stress, and ageing on gassing tendency have been well studied. Efforts have also been made to correlate the aromatic content of oil with a gassing tendency. However, such studies are limited to mineral insulating transformer oil. In the present work, an effort has been made to study the gassing characteristics of some common dielectric fluids, including linear alkyl benzene (LAB), silicone oil, and capacitor oil, along with some naphthenic and paraffinic transformer oils.     

Design and analysis of flow measurement of conductive liquid and transmission via optical channel

Measurement and transmission of flow rate of a conducting liquid through a pipe line is generally done by using electromagnetic flow meter which consists of a large electromagnet and a pair of sensing electrodes along with electronic system and involves large cost and size. In the present paper, a very simple flow sensing system for a conducting liquid is proposed and this system does not require any electromagnet and involves very low cost. Moreover in modern instrumentation system the signal transmission through optical communication system is being more preferred where the transmitted signal does not suffer from measurement error due to electromagnetic interference. So an MZI based optical communication technique has been described in the present paper. The proposed technique consists of only four insulated conducting electrodes in contact with the flowing liquid along with an electro-optic system for signal conditioning and transmission of the measured signal to a remote location. The performance of the sensor and the transmission system has been analyzed in the form of a bridge network with bridge arms represented by lumped parameter polarization impedances among the electrodes. The theoretical equations explaining the operation of the bridge network with a stabilized sinusoidal ac source and MZI based electro-optic system have been derived. A proto type unit has been designed, fabricated and its function has been studied experimentally and the experimental results are reported in the paper. A very good linear characteristic under streamline condition of the proposed unit has been observed with very good repeatability and very small uncertainty of measurement. The graphical abstract is shown below.     

A Practical Method for Determining Contact Stresses in Elastically Loaded Line Contacts

Forecasting life of a cylindrical rolling element under cyclic elastic loading and with misalignment requires determining the exact shape of the mutual contact as well as its area. The classical Hertzian equations for predicting half width of the contact area and resulting mean and maximum stresses are only sufficient to determine the stress levels for symmetrically loaded, uncrowned cylinders under static and dry surface conditions. However, the theory fails in predicting stress distributions for crowned cylinders, symmetrically or asymmetrically loaded and does not describe end of contact phenomena.

Toward this end a method has been developed for recording the contact area or “footprint”, created by the symmetrical or asymmetrical static loading of a partially crowned, cylindrical steel roller on an unlubricated flat steel plate. Analysis of the “foot print” yields the load and stress distributions over the contact area and may be employed as a practical tool in experimental investigations and product design work.     

Effect of Operating Conditions on Tribological Response of Al–Al Sliding Electrical Interface

Aluminum is widely used in electrical contacts due to its electrical properties and inexpensiveness when compared to copper. In this study, we investigate the influence of operating conditions like contact load (pressure), sliding speed, current, and surface roughness on the electrical and tribological behavior of the interface. The tests are conducted on a linear, pin-on-flat tribo-simulator specially designed to investigate electrical contacts under high contact pressures and high current densities. Control parameters include sliding speed, load, current, and surface roughness. The response of the interface is evaluated in the light of coefficient of friction, contact resistance, contact voltage, mass loss of pins, and interfacial temperature rise. As compared to sliding speed, load, and roughness, current is found to have the greatest influence on the various measured parameters. Under certain test conditions, the interface operates in a “voltage saturation” regime, wherein increase in current do not result in any increase in contact voltage. Within the voltage saturation regime the coefficient of friction tends to be lower, a result that is attributed to the higher temperatures associated with the higher voltage (and resulting material softening). Higher interfacial temperatures also appear to be responsible for the higher wear rates observed at higher current levels as well as lower coefficients of friction for smoother surfaces in the presence of current.     

Surface dielectric relaxation: probing technique and its application to thermal activation dynamics of polymer surface

For dynamic analyses of a polymer surface, a dielectric relaxation measurement technique with parallel electrodes placed away from the surface was developed. In this technique, a liquid heating medium was filled in the space between the polymer surface and the electrodes. The construction that maintains the surface can clarify the physical interactions between the liquid and the bare surface and controlling the temperature of the liquid reveals the thermal activation property of the surface. The dielectric relaxation spectrum of the surface convoluted into the bulk and liquid spectra can be obtained by a reactance analysis and the surface spectrum is expressed with an equivalent resistance-capacitance parallel circuit. On the basis of the electromechanical analogy, the electric elements can be converted into mechanical elements that indicate the viscoelasticity of the polymer surface. Using these measurement and analysis techniques, the electric and mechanical properties of the surface of a gelatinized chloroprene rubber sample were analyzed.     

A comparative study on the wear resistance of electrical discharge machined surfaces

The properties of the surface were affected by many factors such as the pulse parameters, tool electrode material, and dielectric liquid in electrical discharge machining. Austenitic, dual-phase, and ferritic steel work materials were electrical discharge machined using graphite and copper tool electrodes in hydrocarbon- based oil and water dielectric liquids. Then the surfaces were analyzed regarding sliding friction wear responses on a comparative basis. The results revealed that the surface wear responses are sensitive to the type of the tool electrode material when machining in water dielectric liquid. However, the use of hydrocarbon-based dielectric liquid substantiality suppresses the influence of tool electrode on surface wear response due to excessive carbon release from the cracked dielectric. The machined surface topographical features were also affected due to the used electrical parameters regarding crater size, globular attachments, and microcracks that led significant alterations in sliding friction response. Primarily, weakly bounded globular attachments on the machined surface were dislodged at the initial stages of the friction tests and led higher sliding distances to the steady friction conditions. Finally, the results were compared with the subsurface microstructural properties to comprehend the wear responses.     

Rubber friction and the rheology of viscoelastic contact

The phenomena accompanying friction at low speeds (1–1500 μm/s) of a clean glass hemisphere (R = 2 mm) on a plate of soft, transparent, natural vulcanized rubber (E' = 1.6 × 10⁷dynes/cm²) were studied using an optical microscope equipped with Nomarski interference contrast (× 150) and with a device to form Newton's rings around the area of contact. The friction force under loads of zero, 1 and 2 × 10³ dynes was recorded, and its variation on the appearance of Schallamach waves was assessed. The elastic adhesion between both surfaces was specially studied, and Johnson's theory verified. The profile of the deformed rubber surface was determined, in static as well as in dynamic conditions, and the geometric process of the formation of detachment waves was demonstrated. The contact angle between rubber and glass was measured in the case of zero load.Relaxation phenomena were observed for the free surface and the bound surface (interfacial relaxation), and the corresponding characteristic relaxation times roughly estimated.Some conditions for the appearance of Schallamach waves were established and hypotheses made concerning their eventual role in the problems of tyre and seal friction. The need for a new theoretical approach to these questions is briefly discussed.     

Elastoplastic contact mechanics model of rough surface based on fractal theory

Because the result of the MB fractal model contradicts with the classical contact mechanics, a revised elastoplastic contact model of a single asperity is developed based on fractal theory. The critical areas of a single asperity are scale dependent, with an increase in the contact load and contact area, a transition from elastic, elastoplastic to full plastic deformation takes place in this order. In considering the size distribution function, analytic expression between the total contact load and the real contact area on the contact surface is obtained. The elastic, elastoplastic and full plastic contact load are obtained by the critical elastic contact area of the biggest asperity and maximun contact area of a single asperity. The results show that a rough surface is firstly in elastic deformation. As the load increases, elastoplastic or full plastic deformation takes place. For constant characteristic length scale G, the slope of load-area relation is proportional to fractal dimension D. For constant fractal dimension D, the slope of load-area relation is inversely proportional to G. For constant D and G, the slope of load-area relation is inversely proportional to property of the material ϕ, namely with the same load, the material of rough surface is softer, and the total contact area is larger. The contact mechanics model provides a foundation for study of the friction, wear and seal performance of rough surfaces.     

Thin film thickness measurements in two phase annular flows using ultrasonic pulse echo techniques

The electric power generation and oil/gas production industries have a strong interest in the physical characterization of conducting and non-conducting liquid films that are formed during the flow of liquids in pipes. Conducting and non-conducting liquid films do not lend themselves to the same characterization techniques due to the different requirements originating from their electrical properties. Techniques based on the use of ultrasound are extremely attractive for that purpose as they do not depend on the electrical properties of the liquid and are also non-invasive. This paper presents the application of ultrasonic techniques for measuring the thickness of wavy thin liquid films (<6 mm) in vertical pipes. Initial benchtop experiments were performed, and different signal processing methods were implemented in order to identify the most suitable depending on the film thickness. For a film thickness >0.5 mm a time of flight method was utilized whereas for a film thicknesses <0.5 mm a frequency method and time domain method were utilized. These methods were validated using a theoretical volume measurement on a static system. The studied methods were then tested on downward and upward vertical flow experimental rigs with pipe diameters of 127 mm and 34.5 mm respectively. The results of the experiments using ultrasonic methods showed good agreement with the measurements obtained using a multi pin film sensor and a concentric conductance probe, highlighting the potential that ultrasound offers in thin film measurements.     

An analysis of the main factors on the wear of brushes for automotive small brush-type DC motor

Some critical components in motors and generators have sliding electrical contacts. Electrical brushes are commonly used in those contact points to conduct current between the stationary and moving parts of a motor. Brushes are exposed both to mechanical and electrical loading. In this paper, studies on the wear of brushes against copper commutator were briefly reviewed. The main influential factors of brush wear are associated with both mechanical and electrical wear. Brush wear is affected by various factors including temperature, material properties, sliding speed, contact force, and interfacial and environmental conditions. The mechanical wear of brushes is proportional to the brush spring pressure and sliding speed, while the electrical wear of brushes is associated with current and contact voltage drop. To characterize the wear, a brush wear test machine was designed, and influential factors were measured such as electrical contact resistance, temperature, wear mass loss, and so on. The wear tests were processed using a small brush type automotive DC motor.     

Failure Mechanisms of Capacitive MEMS RF Switch Contacts

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) radio frequency (RF) switches hold great promise in a myriad of commercial, aerospace, and military applications. In particular, capacitive type switches with metal-to-dielectric contacts (typically Au- on-silicon nitride) are suitable for high frequency (≥10 GHz) applications. However, there is little fundamental understanding of the factors determining the performance and reliability of these devices. To address this void in understanding, we conducted fundamental studies of Au-on-Si₃N₄ contacts at various bias voltages using a micro/nanoadhesion apparatus as a switch simulator. The experiments were conducted in air at 45% relative humidity. The switch simulator allows us to measure fundamental parameters such as contact force and adhesion, which cannot be directly measured with actual MEMS switches. Adhesion was found to be the primary failure mechanism. Both a mechanical and electrical effect contributed to high adhesion. The mechanical effect is adhesion growth with cycling due to surface smoothening, which allows increased van der Waals interaction. The electrical effect on adhesion is due to electrostatic force associated with excess charge trapped in the dielectric, and was only observed at 40 V bias and above. The two effects are additive, but the electrical effect was not present until surfaces were worn smooth by cycling. Surface smoothening increases the electric field in the dielectric, which leads to trapped charge and higher adhesion. Excessive adhesion can explain decreased lifetime at high bias voltage previously reported with actual capacitive MEMS switches. Aging of open contacts in air was found to reduce adhesion. Surface analysis data show the presence and growth (in air) of an adventitious film containing carbon and oxygen. The adventitious film is responsible for aging related adhesion reduction by increasing surface separation and/or reducing surface energy. No junction growth and force relaxation with time were observed in capacitive switch contacts, as was previously observed with Au–Au contacts at low current in direct current MEMS switches.     

用速度-差压法对送粉管道煤粉浓度测量模型的研究

基于垂直上升管中气固两相流支时气固质量比与差压和流速之间的理论关系,针对能源工业中电厂锅炉燃烧系统送粉管道进行了速度－差压法测量煤粉浓度的试验研究,得出了相应测量送粉管道中煤粉浓度的数学模型,对其进行了误差分析,并提出了在线检测的实现方法和作用。