Optimal design of laser solid freeform fabrication system and real-time prediction of melt pool geometry using intelligent evolutionary algorithms

With the rapid growth of laser applications and the introduction of high efficiency lasers (e.g. fiber lasers), laser material processing has gained increasing importance in a variety of industries. Among the applications of laser technology, laser cladding has received significant attention due to its high potential for material processing such as metallic coating, high value component repair, prototyping, and even low-volume manufacturing. In this paper, two optimization methods have been applied to obtain optimal operating parameters of Laser Solid Freeform Fabrication Process (LSFF) as a real world engineering problem. First, Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm was implemented for real-time prediction of melt pool geometry. Then, a hybrid evolutionary algorithm called Self-organizing Pareto based Evolutionary Algorithm (SOPEA) was proposed to find the optimal process parameters. For further assurance on the performance of the proposed optimization technique, it was compared to some well-known vector optimization algorithms such as Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm (NSGA-II) and Strength Pareto Evolutionary Algorithm (SPEA 2). Thereafter, it was applied for simultaneous optimization of clad height and melt pool depth in LSFF process. Since there is no exact mathematical model for the clad height (deposited layer thickness) and the melt pool depth, the authors developed two Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference Systems (ANFIS) to estimate these two process parameters. Optimization procedure being done, the archived non-dominated solutions were surveyed to find the appropriate ranges of process parameters with acceptable dilutions. Finally, the selected optimal ranges were used to find a case with the minimum rapid prototyping time. The results indicate the acceptable potential of evolutionary strategies for controlling and optimization of LSFF process as a complicated engineering problem.     

Analysis of arbitrarily shaped microstrip patch antennas using the Sommerfeld formulation

Triangular patch modeling is used for analysis of arbitrarily shaped microstrip patch antennas over a single lossy dielectric medium. Since the Sommerfeld formulation is used, both the single dielectric layer (over which the microstrip patch is located) and the ground plane are considered to be infinitely wide. Typical numerical results are presented for rectangular, circular, semicircular, pentagonal, and triangular patch antennas. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

A game equilibrium model of a retail electricity market with high penetration of small and mid-size renewable suppliers

Game theory has provided a practical tool to model players' strategic behavior in electricity markets, particularly as the world moves towards a more competitive market. A game theoretic approach can be used to find the clearing electricity price in a retail electricity market with a high penetration of small and mid-size renewable suppliers.     

Outage Probability Based Robust Distributed Beam-Forming in Multi-User Cooperative Networks with Imperfect CSI

In this paper, a new robust problem is proposed for relay beamforming in relay system with stochastic perturbation on channels of multi user and relay network. The robust problem aims to minimize the transmission power of relay nodes while the imperfect channel information (CSI) injects stochastic channel uncertainties to the parameters of optimization problem. In the power minimization framework, the relays amplification weights and phases are optimized assuming the availability of Gaussian channel distribution. The power sum of all relays is minimized while the outage probability of the instantaneous capacity (or SINR) at each link is above the outage capacity (or SINR) for each user. The robust problem is a nonconvex SDP problem with Rank constraint. Due to the nonconvexity of the original problem, three suboptimal problems are proposed. Simulation and numerical results are presented to compare the performance of the three proposed solutions with the existing worst case robust method.     

Luminescence properties of monoclinic Cu4I4(Piperidine)4

A new modification of Cu₄I₄Pip₄ has been synthesized under hydrothermal conditions. X-ray crystallography revealed that this compound crystallized in the monoclinic system and consists of a tetrahedral core with composition Cu₄I₄, in which each Cu atom is coordinated by a piperidine molecule via the N atom. In contrast to a previously reported modification of Cu₄I₄Pip₄, the present modification shows luminescent properties when exposed to UV-light. In addition, we have used time-dependent density functional theory calculations to characterize both compounds in term of both absorption and emission.     

Deconstructing the Effects of Matrix Elasticity and Geometry in Mesenchymal Stem Cell Lineage Commitment

A wide variety of environmental factors including physical and biochemical signals are responsible for stem cell behavior and function. In particular, matrix elasticity and cell shape have been shown to determine stem cell function, yet little is known about the interplay between how these physical cues control cell differentiation. For the first time, by using ultraviolet (UV) lithography to pattern poly(ethylene) glycol (PEG) hydrogels, it is possible to manufacture microenvironments capable of parsing the effects of matrix elasticity, cell shape, and cell size in order to explore the relationship between matrix elasticity and cell shape in mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) lineage commitment. These data show that cells cultured on 1000 μm² circles, squares, and rectangles are primarily adipogenic lineage regardless of matrix elasticity, while cells cultured on 2500 and 5000 μm² shapes more heavily depend on shape and elasticity for lineage specification. It is further characterized how modifying the cell cytoskeleton through pharmacological inhibitors can modify cell behavior. By showing MSC lineage commitment relationships due to physical signals, this study highlights the importance of cell shape and matrix elasticity in further understanding stem cell behavior for future tissue engineering strategies.     

Additive Manufacturing of Graphene–Hydroxyapatite Nanocomposite Structures

In this article, a powder‐bed class of additive manufacturing (AM) is incorporated into the manufacturing of graphene nanocomposite 3D structures. For AM of graphene‐based 3D structures, graphene oxide (GO)/hydroxyapatite (Hap) nanocomposite (GHN) was synthesized at different GO to Hap percentage (wt.%), including 0.2% and 0.4% to develop a printable powder. The synthesized powder was utilized in a powder‐bed AM system to fabricate 3D porous structures of GHN powder. It was shown that at layer thickness of 125 μm and core binder saturation level of 400%, the compressive mechanical strength of the samples with higher content of graphene was improved significantly.     

VPR-Bench: An Open-Source Visual Place Recognition Evaluation Framework with Quantifiable Viewpoint and Appearance Change

International Journal of Computer Vision - Visual place recognition (VPR) is the process of recognising a previously visited place using visual information, often under varying appearance...