Energy dissipation in laser-based free form heading: a numerical approach

Cold forming generally allows the fast generation of parts with very low tolerances. In addition, mechanical properties are improved, if work hardening materials are used. Transferring the cold forming process to micro range leads to a decrease in the maximum achievable upset ratio so that the forming process becomes inefficient. Therefore, a laser-based free form heading process has been developed to generate preforms which can be calibrated in a secondary cold forming step. The achievable upset ratios reach values of several hundreds instead of 2.1 which is common for single step mechanical upsetting. In this article, heat losses arising in the material accumulation process using laser-based free form heading are analyzed and discussed. For this purpose, the process is modeled within the framework of continuum mechanics and simulated by a finite element method. By using a numerical approach, a systematic study on heat losses is performed in order to identify the influence of radiation, heat transfer due to convection and thermal conduction during laser irradiation time. The simulation results, which are validated with experimental data, show that the radiation is the most important mechanism reducing the efficiency of the accumulation process.     

Thermal deformations of cutting tools: measurement and numerical simulation

Challenges for machining include greater and greater material removal rates coupled with an increase in the use of difficult to machine materials, as well as environmental-friendly dry or minimum quantity lubrication machining, small manufacturing batches and frequently changed manufacturing orders. These trends are accompanied by high temperatures in the machining process and large, variable heat flows causing thermo-elastic displacements of the tool, the workpiece and the clamping devices. Although the displacements are small, in the range of a few micrometers, they have assumed more and more importance because of growing requirements for manufacturing accuracy. Thermo-elastic displacements of the tool due to heat flow during machining are investigated and analysed in this paper. Temperatures and displacements are measured on a test bed equipped with measuring instruments. The identification of the thermal boundary and contact conditions is supported by finite element models. Knowledge of the heat flows resulting from the machining process is a prerequisite for control of and compensation for displacements. Since these heat flows either cannot be measured or can only be measured with enormous effort, heat flows are determined by means of numerical simulation of the machining process itself. This strategy has been previously used as a systematic approach for turning in orthogonal cutting conditions. However, further investigations are needed for oblique turning conditions, milling and drilling operations.     

Combined Protein and Alkaloid Research of Chelidonium majus Latex Reveals CmMLP1 Accompanied by Alkaloids with Cytotoxic Potential to Human Cervical Carcinoma Cells

Chelidonium majus L. is a latex-bearing plant used in traditional folk medicine to treat human papillomavirus (HPV)-caused warts, papillae, and condylomas. Its latex and extracts are rich in many low-molecular compounds and proteins, but there is little or no information on their potential interaction. We describe the isolation and identification of a novel major latex protein (CmMLP1) composed of 147 amino acids and present a model of its structure containing a conserved hydrophobic cavity with high affinity to berberine, 8-hydroxycheleritrine, and dihydroberberine. CmMLP1 and the accompanying three alkaloids were present in the eluted chromatographic fractions of latex. They decreased in vitro viability of human cervical cancer cells (HPV-negative and HPV-positive). We combined, for the first time, research on macromolecular and low-molecular-weight compounds of latex-bearing plants in contrast to other studies that investigated proteins and alkaloids separately. The observed interaction between latex protein and alkaloids may influence our knowledge on plant defense. The proposed toolbox may help in further understanding of plant disease resistance and in pharmacological research.     

Microchemical Characterization of Alluvial Gold Grains as an Exploration Tool

There is considerable variation in the composition of native gold and the nature of minerals co-existing with it, and this reflects differences in the geological environment and chemistry of ore-forming processes. In areas where gold-bearing mineralization is subject to active fluvial erosion, especially in temperate climatic regimes, any discrete grains of native gold pass into alluvial sediment with little modification. The chemical characteristics of alluvial grains and the nature of preserved mineral inclusions provide a signature which points back to the type of source mineralization. This signature may be established using electron probe microanalysis and scanning electron microscopy and can be interpreted to provide information about the original bedrock mineralization. Identification of the type of source mineralization using the technique at an early stage in regional exploration can help focus attention on targets with the most potential economic importance.     

A priori performance assessment of line-less mobile assembly systems

Present assembly systems are often based on rigid, line-based approaches and are hindered in their reconfiguration capability. Line-less Mobile Assembly Systems (LMAS) are a novel approach for assembly organization. They improve flexibility through mobile resources, permitting spatiotemporal freedom in scheduling and resource assignment. This paper presents a method for a priori assessment of LMAS during the early stages of the assembly system design process. The method applies a modified, extended mean value analysis to a closed queuing network representation of LMAS to estimate performance. The method is validated model analysis and comparison on two use cases indicating plausible model behavior.     

Surface analysis of disbonded titanium/sol-gel/polyimide joints

Disbonded lap-shear specimens were analyzed to determine the locus of failure within bonded titanium (Ti) sol-gel polyimide joints. Bonded Ti alloys are being evaluated for use at an operating temperature of 175 °C. Determining the locus of failure for bonded Ti lap-shear specimens is part of a larger effort to develop durable, environmentally safe surface treatments for Ti alloys. Surface-treated Ti alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) plates are bonded in a standard lap-shear specimen configuration and exposed to temperature for specified intervals. The lap-shear bond joint consists of two etched Ti panels coated with a silicon and zirconium containing sol-gel, primed with a polyimide, and then bonded together with adhesive and supporting scrim material. The lap-shear specimens are tested for overall strength and failure modes. Specimens with adhesive failure modes were examined with x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to determine the composition of the bond joint failure layer. Analysis shows that the failure was located closer to the sol-gel/polyimide interface than to the Ti/sol-gel interface. Transmission electron micrographs (TEM) of the cross-sectioned joint confirmed the chemical distribution determined from the XPS data.     

Rare Glutamic Acid Methyl Ester Peptaibols from Sepedonium ampullosporum Damon KSH 534 Exhibit Promising Antifungal and Anticancer Activity

Fungal species of genus Sepedonium are rich sources of diverse secondary metabolites (e.g., alkaloids, peptaibols), which exhibit variable biological activities. Herein, two new peptaibols, named ampullosporin F (1) and ampullosporin G (2), together with five known compounds, ampullosporin A (3), peptaibolin (4), chrysosporide (5), c(Trp-Ser) (6) and c(Trp-Ala) (7), have been isolated from the culture of Sepedonium ampullosporum Damon strain KSH534. The structures of 1 and 2 were elucidated based on ESI-HRMSⁿ experiments and intense 1D and 2D NMR analyses. The sequence of ampullosporin F (1) was determined to be Ac-Trp¹-Ala²-Aib³-Aib⁴-Leu⁵-Aib⁶-Gln⁷-Aib⁸-Aib⁹-Aib¹⁰-GluOMe¹¹-Leu¹²-Aib¹³-Gln¹⁴-Leuol¹⁵, while ampullosporin G (2) differs from 1 by exchanging the position of Gln⁷ with GluOMe¹¹. Furthermore, the total synthesis of 1 and 2 was carried out on solid-phase to confirm the absolute configuration of all chiral amino acids as L. In addition, ampullosporin F (1) and G (2) showed significant antifungal activity against B. cinerea and P. infestans, but were inactive against S. tritici. Cell viability assays using human prostate (PC-3) and colorectal (HT-29) cancer cells confirmed potent anticancer activities of 1 and 2. Furthermore, a molecular docking study was performed in silico as an attempt to explain the structure-activity correlation of the characteristic ampullosporins (1–3).     

Adsorption of 1,2-Dichlorobenzene from the Aqueous Phase onto Activated Carbons and Modified Carbon Nanotubes

This study aimed to describe the adsorption process of ortho-dichlorobenzene (o-DCB) onto activated carbons (ACs) and modified carbon nanotubes (CNTs) from the aqueous phase. The starting material NC_7000 carbon nanotubes were modified by chlorination (NC_C) and then by the introduction of hydroxyl groups (NC_C_B). The concentration of o-DCB in solutions was performed by UV-VIS spectrophotometry. After adsorption, the activated carbons were regenerated by extraction with organic solvents such as acetone, methanol, ethanol, and 1-propanol; the carbon nanotubes were regenerated by methanol. The degree of adsorbate recovery was determined by gas chromatography (GC) with flame ionization detection, using ethylbenzene as an internal standard. The equilibrium isotherm data of adsorption were satisfactorily fitted by the Langmuir equations. The results indicate that carbon adsorbents are effective porous materials for removing o-DCB from the aqueous phase. Additionally, activated carbons are more regenerative adsorbents than carbon nanotubes. The recoveries of o-DCB from ACs were in the range of 76–85%, whereas the recoveries from CNTs were in the range of 23–46%. Modifications of CNTs affect the improvement of their adsorption properties towards o-DCB compared to unmodified CNTs. However, the introduction of new functional groups on carbon nanotube surfaces makes the regeneration process less effective.