Development of a high-performance laser-guided deep-hole boring tool:: Optimal determination of reference origin for precise guiding

A laser-guided deep-hole boring tool using piezoelectric actuators was developed to prevent hole deviation. To extend the depth of controllable boring further, the following were improved. The tool’s guiding error, caused by misalignment of the corner cube prism and the mirror in the optical head from the spindle axis, was eliminated using an adjustment jig that determined the reference origins of the two position-sensitive detectors (PSDs) precisely. A single-edge counter-boring head is used instead of the double-edge head used up to now. The former was thought to be better in attitude control than the latter. A new boring bar, which was lower in rigidity and better in controllability of tool attitude, was used. Experiments were conducted to examine the performance of the new tool in detail and to determine its practical application, using duralumin (A2017-T4) workpieces with a prebored 108-mm diameter hole. The experiments were performed with a rotating tool–stationary workpiece system. Rotational speed was 270 rpm and feed was 0.125 mm/rev. Tool diameter was 110 mm. As a result, controlled boring becomes possible up to a depth of 700 mm under the stated experimental conditions. 700 mm is the maximum machinable length of the machine tool. The tool can be put to practical use.     

Development of a deep-hole, laser-guide boring tool: the boring of workpieces with a thin wall and an inclined prebored hole

A laser-guided BTA tool has been developed to prevent axial hole deviations. Four kinds of experiments were conducted to examine the performance of this tool in detail and to determine its practical application using a duralumin (A2017-T4) workpiece with a prebored 108-mm diameter hole. The first experiment was performed to examine the conditions of the hole deviation in the case of normal deep-hole boring. The second was to examine whether the tool corrects for the stated hole deviation. The third was to examine whether the tool can go straight through to the target without shifting toward a thin wall (t = 0.7 mm) on one side of the workpiece. The fourth was to examine whether the tool can be guided toward the target without affecting a prebored hole, which was inclined to radial direction at 100 μm for a hole length of 100 mm. The experiments were performed with a rotating tool-stationary workpiece system. Rotational speed was 270 rpm and feed ws 0.125 mm/rev. Tool diameter was 110 mm. The results show that the tool can be guided to go straight through toward the target despite the disturbances.     

Development of a laser-guiding-type deep small-sized hole-measurement system: Measurement accuracy

In this study, a system for measuring small-sized holes with a 17–21 mm diameter and 1000 mm length was constructed. The system comprises a laser interferometer to detect hole accuracy, a probe connected to a measurement bar, and an optical apparatus for detecting the probe attitude (position and inclination). The probe was supported by supporting pads. A steel workpiece with 18 -mm diameter and 800 mm length was used for the performance test. During the experiment, errors were found in terms of hole deviation and roundness profile. Further experiments, using new experimental apparatus and analysis, revealed the causes of errors: electrical noise that increased with time, two periodic stylus swings in the longitudinal direction of the hole per rotation of the measurement unit, and the excessive spring force pushing the tip of the stylus, causing a large frictional force with the hole wall, etc. If these errors are corrected, high accuracy in the measurement of hole deviation and roundness can be achieved.     

深孔镗杆在推镗和拉镗时的ANSYS受力分析

深孔镗削是提高深孔加工精度的一种方法,它能校正己有孔上的缺陷,如圆度误差、直线度误差,从而获得良好的几何精度和表面粗糙度。深孔镗削的加工方式、运动形式、镗刀的轨迹方程和对镗削的受力分析是深孔镗削加工中各不稳定因素的渊源,在深孔镗削过程中,运用合适的镗削方式可以减小切削系统的振动。针对多刃均布式深孔镗刀,在推镗和拉镗方式下进行受力分析,并利用PRO/E建立镗杆几何模型并生成中性几何文件,通过ANSYS有限元法,计算出推镗和拉镗时镗杆产生的挠度以及最大应力应变曲线,将二者结果进行比较,证明在细长管时拉镗加工的优势。     

一种新型深孔镗刀研制

深孔镗削是深孔加工的重要部分,对其展开研究具有重要意义.以无氧铜难加工材料深孔镗刀研制试验为主要研究对象.分析深孔镗削运动形式、深孔镗削受力、深孔镗刀设计基本理论;设计并加工无氧铜材料的深孔镗刀,并进行相关刀具切削加工试验.分析加工试验中出现问题,提出解决问题的方法,通过试验来证明该方法的可行性,指导并应用于深孔加工的生产实际中.为以后实现相应材料和形状的零件的加工提高宝贵的经验,对深孔镗刀进一步研究具有很高的经济和研究价值.     

精铣顶面、精镗缸孔DKM042组合机床的研制

阐述了将精铣顶面和精镗缸孔两道工序集成在一台四工位数控组合机床上加工的设计依据和工艺方案,并介绍了机床及主要部件夹具、滑台式精铣头、精镗头、移动式工作台等结构特点.该机床已成功应用于生产实际,能有效减小重复定位误差,提高加工精度,深受用户好评.     

Development of a novel boring tool with anisotropic dynamic stiffness to avoid chatter vibration in cutting: Part 2: Analytical and experimental verification of the proposed method

In this study, we developed prototypes of boring tools with anisotropic dynamic stiffness, and their chatter stability was investigated analytically and experimentally. In Part 1, a novel design of boring tools with an anisotropic structure was proposed to improve the nominal stiffness in boring operation, thus resulting in higher chatter stability in simulation. In this part (Part 2), anisotropic boring tools with a holder length-to-diameter ratio (L/D) of 4 and 10 designed in Part 1 were prototyped, and their frequency response functions were evaluated. Then, the chatter stabilities were evaluated through turning experiments. With respect to a L/D4 boring tool with anisotropic structure, the nominal dynamic stiffness was significantly improved within the range of machining conditions that satisfies the appropriate combination of cutting force ratio and chip flow direction, compared to a conventional tool with isotropic structure. We confirmed that the proposed boring tool with an anisotropic structure increases the critical radial depth of cut by approximately 17 times compared with conventional tools. Even with an L/D10 anisotropic boring tool, a similar effect was observed wherein the dynamic stiffness of the tool was improved. In contrast, the effect of improving the dynamic stiffness was insufficient; thus, chatter free cutting could not be realized. Analytical investigations verified the importance of further improvement of dynamic characteristics. To realize stable boring with L/D10 boring tools, it is necessary to further reduce the system compliance while also improving the similarity of the frequency response function.     

Improvement in etching efficiency of borosilicate glass by dissolving internal silver precipitates

Solid-state ion exchange with an applied voltage enables metal doping into alkali-silicate glass surfaces. The effect is especially prominent when silver is a dopant material, with additional voltage application producing silver nanowire networks in a glass substrate. We aimed to improve the wet etching efficiency of a glass substrate using internal networks as penetration paths of etchants. Silver precipitated glass when immersed in hydrofluoric acid (HF), allowing etchant infiltration via cracks around the nanowires. As a result, the silver-precipitated area was selectively dissolved, due to which blind/through-holes were formed with similar shapes. The etch rate (etched depth per unit time) of the silver-precipitated area was 1.9 μm/min, and was 3.3 times higher than that of the as-received glass (0.58 μm/min) in 20 wt% HF at 297 K.     

Development of a novel boring tool with anisotropic dynamic stiffness to avoid chatter vibration in cutting: Part 1: Design of anisotropic structure to attain infinite dynamic stiffness

This paper presents a novel design method of the anisotropic structure to attain infinite dynamic stiffness to avoid chatter vibration in boring operations. Because a long and slender tool is used for boring operations, the stiffness of the tool holder is likely to decrease, resulting in low chatter stability. Although it is difficult to improve the stiffness of the boring holder itself, the nominal dynamic stiffness for the cutting process can be improved by designing an appropriate anisotropy in the dynamic stiffness of the boring tool. In this study, we formulate a theoretical relationship between the mechanical structural dynamics and chatter stability in boring operation and present the basic concept of tool design with anisotropic structure. In the actual tool design, ideal anisotropy may not be realized because of the influence of design error. Therefore, an analytical study was conducted to clarify the influence of the design error on the vibration suppression effect. Analytical investigations verified that the similarity of the frequency response functions in the modal coordinate system and the design of the compliance ratio according to the machining conditions are important. Furthermore, we designed a boring tool with an anisotropic structure which can achieve the proposed anisotropic dynamics. The frequency response function was evaluated utilizing FEM analysis. The estimated anisotropic dynamics of the proposed structure could significantly improve the nominal dynamics for boring operations.     

The influence of flash design on material flow and tool pressure in closed-die forging: a practical example

The closed-die hot-forging of components for the automobile industry involves heavy forces, high energies and severe wear conditions in the die. After a relatively short period of time in service — corresponding to the production of about 5000 components — the dies must be re-engraved. A conventional die is usually re-engraved twice and consequently the tool can only be used for the production of about 15 000 components. The cost of the tools amounts to about 10% of the total expenses for closed-die forged products. The material yield in closed die forging is low: the material losses are about 30%, the main part of which constitutes the flash. Considering the total expenses for a product, the cost of the material makes up about 50%. From the above, it is clear that the material yield and the tool life are two factors of utmost importance in considering the economy of a closed-die forging process.In the present work, plane-strain numerically-optimized upper-bound solutions for various flash designs are presented for the closed-die forging of a spindle. Metal flow just before and just after filling of the die cavity is analysed. The theoretical results are compared with experimental results obtained by the use of plasticine. It is concluded that from the material-yield point of view it is favourable to use a flash land with a V-notch. When the material flows through this kind of flash gap the notches are filled with material and intense shear takes place within the material itself. This kind of braking or restraining device is found to improve the material yield by restricting the material flow out into the flash gap. After die filling, however, the mean die-pressures are much heavier than those for dies with conventionally lubricated flat flash-lands. V-notched flash-lands are recommended provided that it is possible to stop the deformation process just before die filling. This statement pre-supposes, however, that the initial shape and weight of the workpiece can be accurately controlled and reproduced.     

Development of a measuring method for several types of programmed tool paths for NC machine tools using a laser displacement interferometer and a rotary encoder

Many circular motion measuring methods for NC machine tools have been proposed, however, the drawback common to many of these methods is the restriction on the radius size due to the short measuring range of the displacement transducers used. Moreover, most of these measurement tools are specialized, and can only perform circular test path measurements. A circularity test method using a laser displacement interferometer and a rotary encoder has been developed. The measuring method features a much longer range of motion than ordinal circular test methods such as the double ball bar (DBB) method and, therefore, the radius restriction on these measurements is greatly reduced. Moreover, this measuring system can also be used for the evaluation of positioning accuracy and other more complex test paths.

The proposed device consists primarily of a laser displacement interferometer and a rotary encoder. The holders for the interferometer head and the retroreflector are connected with a stainless steel rod. The retroreflector holder has a synthetic resin linear bearing allowing it to move relative to the interferometer head so that both optical components are always facing each other. The laser interferometer measures the change in distance between the interferometer head and the retroreflector, and the rotary encoder measures the rotation angle of the stainless steel rod.

In this paper, the background, measuring principle and apparatus structure are briefly described. The experimental setup is also presented. The apparatus was employed in several measuring experiments, including circularity tests for a vertical machining center. The results from these experiments support the validity of this measurement apparatus.     

Development of a cutting tool with a nano/micro-textured surface—Improvement of anti-adhesive effect by considering the texture patterns

Demand for lightweight aluminum-based composites is rapidly increasing in the transport industry. Generally it is considered that aluminum alloys are easy-to-cut materials due to their low hardness. However, it is noted that some serious problems exist. Because of low lubricity against the cutting tool surface during deep-hole drilling, milling, and tapping, aluminum chips may adhere strongly to the cutting edge of the tool, leading to tool breakage. To solve this problem, a cutting tool with a nano/micro-textured surface utilizing femto-second laser technology was proposed in our previous research. A series of face-milling experiments for aluminum alloy showed that a nano/micro-textured surface promoted anti-adhesive effects at the tool–chip interface, although adhesion remained a problem. In this study, the ways to improve the anti-adhesive effect with nano/micro-textures were studied. Based on this, a cutting tool with a banded nano/micro-textured surface was newly developed and it was revealed that the surface significantly improved the anti-adhesiveness and lubricity.     

Development and experimental validation of a mechanistic model of cutting forces in micro- ball end milling of full slots

In the present work, a mechanistic model of cutting forces is developed with a novel approach to arrive at the cutting edge geometry as well as the cutting mechanics. The geometry of cutting elements derived and verified using a virtual tool generated in CAD environment is considered. The cutting and edge force coefficients at every discrete point on the cutting edge of micro-ball end mill are established in a novel way from the basic metal cutting principles and fundamental properties of materials, considering edge radius and material strengthening effects. Further, measured edge radius is used in the model. Full slot micro-ball end milling experiments are conducted on a high-precision high-speed machining center using a 0.4 mm diameter tungsten carbide tool and cutting forces are measured using a high-sensitive piezo-electric dynamometer. It is established that the predicted as well as experimental cutting forces are higher at very low uncut chip thickness in comparison with the cutting edge radius in micro-ball end milling also. Amplitudes of cutting forces and instantaneous values with incremental rotation of the tool are compared with predicted values over two revolutions for validation of proposed model.     

MRT letter: Human bloodstains on antique aboriginal weapons: a guiding low-vacuum SEM study of erythrocytes in experimental samples on ethnographically documented biological raw materials

The aboriginal use of reed and bone as raw materials for knives and daggers, respectively, has been well-documented ethnographically in some geographical areas of Melanesia. Because of the significant role that these weapons played in inter- and intra-ethnic aggression, they can potentially have retained smears from the contact with human blood. To carry out a guiding low-vacuum scanning electron microscopy (SEM) study of specific interest to ethnography, the outsides of a fragment of stalk of giant cane (Arundo donax) and tibial diaphysis of domestic sheep (Ovis aries) were smeared with peripheral human blood. No biological specimen preparation was applied to the samples. After just over 1 month, bloodstain boundaries and their neighboring inner areas were examined via secondary electrons by a variable-pressure SEM (VP-SEM) working in low-vacuum mode. On both substrates, bloodstains exhibited micro-scales. No janocyte (erythrocyte negative replica) was observed in the examined areas. However, erythrocytes were seen crowded together as grain-shaped corpuscles in the smear on reed, and several hecatocytes (moon-like shaped erythrocytes) were evidenced in the smear on bone. The results of this study suggest that a VP-SEM working in low-vacuum mode can be used fruitfully to detect blood remains in medium-sized reed and bone antique aboriginal artifacts. This procedure can prospectively help to ethnographic museum curators and aboriginal-art surveyors as an easy guiding test in the valuation of antique traditional weapons prior to acquisition, when the real use of a piece has been claimed by the supplier.     

Capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry as a powerful tool in biomarker discovery and clinical diagnosis: an update of recent developments

Proteome analysis has emerged as a powerful technology to decipher biological processes. One of the main goals is to discover biomarkers for diseases from tissues and body fluids. However, the complexity and wide dynamic range of protein expression present an enormous challenge to separation technologies and mass spectrometry (MS). In this review, we examine the limitations of proteomics, and aim towards the definition of the current key prerequisites. We focus on capillary electrophoresis coupled to mass spectrometry (CE-MS), because this technique continues to show great promise. We discuss CE-MS from an application point of view, and evaluate its merits and vices for biomarker discovery and clinical applications. Finally, we present several examples on the use of CE-MS to determine urinary biomarkers and implications for disease diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy evaluation.     

Technical note: A toy as tool: a low-cost image analysis system for the evaluation of tumor size in experimental small animal models

Image analysis systems are an essential tool in measurements of size of intraparenchymal tumors or lesions in experimental small animal models. Conventional image analysis systems are relatively expensive. We therefore compared the performance of a professional image analysis system with an inexpensive setup by evaluating tumor size in an orthotopic glioma mouse model. The maximum cross-sectional tumor area of H&E stained brain-slides of two groups of mice (treatment and control group) was measured by two independent investigators using a professional image analysis system (Leica DM IRB microscope) with the Leica Quantimet 500c software, and a low-cost-system (Intel QX3 microscope) with a non-commercial image analysis software. Mean tumor volumes were calculated and the results from each of the image analysis systems, investigators, and treatment effects were compared. The tumor volumes as measured with the low-cost and the professional system differed between -3.7 and +7.5% (P = 0.69-0.99). Measurements made by investigator A and B differed between -7.0 and +3.9% (P = 0.69-0.88). Treatment in all cases significantly reduced the tumor volume between 58.4 and 62.7% (P = 0.0002 or 0.0003), regardless of the investigator or the used image analysis system. We therefore conclude that the QX3 low-cost microscope in combination with a non-commercial image-analysis software represents an inexpensive solution to reliably analyze the size of regions of interest, if they provide a sufficient contrast. However, the low-cost setup due to its low resolution definitely limits a detailed analysis of histologic features.     

Argon broad ion beam tomography in a cryogenic scanning electron microscope: a novel tool for the investigation of representative microstructures in sedimentary rocks containing pore fluid

The contribution describes the implementation of a broad ion beam (BIB) polisher into a scanning electron microscope (SEM) functioning at cryogenic temperature (cryo). The whole system (BIB‐cryo‐SEM) provides a first generation of a novel multibeam electron microscope that combines broad ion beam with cryogenic facilities in a conventional SEM to produce large, high‐quality cross‐sections (up to 2 mm²) at cryogenic temperature to be imaged at the state‐of‐the‐art SEM resolution. Cryogenic method allows detecting fluids in their natural environment and preserves samples against desiccation and dehydration, which may damage natural microstructures. The investigation of microstructures in the third dimension is enabled by serial cross‐sectioning, providing broad ion beam tomography with slices down to 350 nm thick. The functionalities of the BIB‐cryo‐SEM are demonstrated by the investigation of rock salts (synthetic coarse‐grained sodium chloride synthesized from halite‐brine mush cold pressed at 150 MPa and 4.5 GPa, and natural rock salt mylonite from a salt glacier at Qom Kuh, central Iran). In addition, results from BIB‐cryo‐SEM on a gas shale and Boom Clay are also presented to show that the instrument is suitable for a large range of sedimentary rocks. For the first time, pore and grain fabrics of preserved host and reservoir rocks can be investigated at nm‐scale range over a representative elementary area. In comparison with the complementary and overlapping performances of the BIB‐SEM method with focused ion beam‐SEM and X‐ray tomography methods, the BIB cross‐sectioning enables detailed insights about morphologies of pores at greater resolution than X‐ray tomography and allows the production of large representative surfaces suitable for FIB‐SEM investigations of a specific representative site within the BIB cross‐section.     

Long-term monitoring of live cell proliferation in presence of PVP-Hypericin: a new strategy using ms pulses of LED and the fluorescent dye CFSE

During fluorescent live cell imaging it is critical to keep excitation light dose as low as possible, especially in the presence of photosensitizer drugs, which generate free radicals upon photobleaching. During fluorescent imaging, stress by excitation and free radicals induces serious cell damages that may arrest the cell cycle. This limits the usefulness of the technique for drug discovery, when prolonged live cell imaging is necessary. This paper presents a strategy to provide gentle experimental conditions for dynamic monitoring of the proliferation of human lung epithelial carcinoma cells (A549) in the presence of the photosensitizer Polyvinylpyrrolidone-Hypericin. The distinctive strategy of this paper is based on the stringent environmental control and optimizing the excitation light dose by (i) using a low-power pulsed blue light-emitting diode with short pulse duration of 1.29 ms and (ii) adding a nontoxic fluorescent dye called carboxyfluorescein-diacetate-succinimidyl-ester (CFSE) to improve the fluorescence signals. To demonstrate the usefulness of the strategy, fluorescence signals and proliferation of dual-marked cells, during 5-h fluorescence imaging under pulsed excitation, were compared with those kept under continuous excitation and nonmarked reference cells. The results demonstrated 3% cell division and 2% apoptosis due to pulsed excitation compared to no division and 85% apoptosis under the continuous irradiation. Therefore, our strategy allows live cell imaging to be performed over longer time scales than with conventional continuous excitation.     

Numerical modeling of the churning power losses in planetary gearboxes: An innovative partitioning‐based meshing methodology for the application of a computational effort reduction strategy to complex gearbox configurations

Thanks to the recent developments in the computer science, simulations are becoming an increasingly widespread approach that can help the designers in the development of new products. In the specific field of gearboxes, simulations are used mainly for structural evaluations. However, while for the structural design beside the simulations, many analytical methods and international standard are available; for the prediction of the power losses and the efficiency of gears, neither accurate analytical methods nor automated simulation tools are available. The authors work on this topic since years and have developed new methodologies based on computational fluid dynamics. With respect to general purpose commercial software, these techniques allow a significant reduction of the computational effort and have the capability to take into account particular physical phenomena that occurs in gears, such as cavitation, and for which no information are available in literature. The purpose of this paper is to introduce a new automated mesh‐partitioning strategy implemented to extend the applicability of the previously developed computational effort reduction method to complex gearboxes getting over the geometrical limitations adopted in the past. To show the capabilities of this new strategy, we simulated a planetary gearbox that represents at the same time one of the most complicated kinematic arrangements of gears and the configuration for which the numerical fluid dynamics simulation can give the major contribution both with planar simplified models as well as with complete 3D models.