Electron-acoustic and surface electron beam induced voltage signal formation in scanning electron microscopy analysis of semiconducting samples

The conditions for the detection of electron-acoustic (EA) and surface electron beam induced voltage (SEBIV) signals using a common sample mount and bottomside detection scheme are hereby discussed. It is shown that while the intrinsic properties of the sample under electron-beam irradiation would chiefly determine the presence of these contrast mechanisms, the manner in which the sample is mechanically and electrically configured in relation to the signal detection is crucial in determining the actual signal coupling mechanisms at work and hence the assumptions by which a robust and consistent interpretation of experimental results can be made. EA signals are detectable only if electrical coupling between the sample and the detector is defeated, a necessary pre-requisite as the signal magnitude of carrier-generated SEBIV coupling is 2-3 orders larger in most cases. With regards to SEBIV detection, bottomside SEBIV detection may be preferable to topside detection owing to minimization of topographic signal contribution, higher signal coupling efficiency and a less complex sample-detector mounting procedure.     

Nano-Wear Mechanism for Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) Sliding Against a Model Hard Asperity

This paper investigates the mechanism of wear-particle generation when a single asperity is passed over the surface of UHMWPE. A single asperity is modelled using a conical diamond-tip indenter attached to a nano-scratch tester. Scratches are produced by passing the indenter over the surface of the polymer in a single pass and multiple passes on a single track or on orthogonally intersecting tracks. The debris-generation process, as observed in the nano-scratch test, is complex and depends upon the direction of scratches. It is found that the rate of wear-debris generation is much higher when two consecutive scratches orthogonally intersect each other compared to when the scratches are made on the same track. Wall formation was observed between orthogonally intersecting scratches, and it is believed that this is central to the low-cycle wear mechanism in these systems.     

Product Grouping and Resource Allocation in Multiline Manufacturing Systems

This paper studies the product grouping problem and the resource allocation problem in the design of manufacturing systems where multiple production lines are used to manufacture a range of products. Each production line in the product grouping problem is dedicated to manufacturing a group of products. A mathematical model is developed to determine the number of product groups and the composition of each product group in the manufacturing system. For the resource allocation problem, a mathematical model is developed to determine the optimal resource allocation scheme for each production line and the optimal inventory level for each product. A genetic-based algorithm is proposed to solve the product grouping problem and the resource allocation problem simultaneously, and its results are compared to those of the conventional heuristic approaches. The proposed genetic approach is a simple but effective means of solving these problems.     

世界文化遗产定义的新界定

文章在对文化、文化资源定义的基础上,对世界文化遗产的定义做了新的界定。该文认为：文化遗产包括文化资源和文化产业两个子系统。而文化资源则包括文化基因、文化载体、文化环境、文化市场。本定义的原创点在于突出了文化遗产的信息性和经济性两大本质属性。同时,自觉地运用基因理论来研究文化遗产,兼顾有形文化载体和无形文化载体两个层次也是此定义的特色所在。     

Seismic damage and fragility analysis of structures with tuned mass dampers based on plastic energy

The effectiveness of using a tuned mass damper (TMD) to improve a structure's ability to dissipate earthquake input energy is investigated through the use of seismic fragility curves. The nonlinear material behaviour of the structure is captured using the force analogy method, the backbone for analytically quantifying plastic energy dissipation in the structure. Numerical analysis was performed to study the global response and local energy dissipation of a six‐storey moment‐resisting steel frame with and without a TMD installed for 100 simulated non‐stationary Gaussian earthquake ground motions. The effectiveness of the TMD, based on reduction of seismic responses and enhancement of the seismic fragility, is considered at structural performance levels for immediate occupancy and life safety as identified in FEMA 440. An ‘equivalent monotonic plastic strain’ approach—a local measure of structural damage—is used to correlate the seismic fragilities at different global performance levels based on storey drift. Results illustrate that a TMD can enhance the structure's ability to dissipate energy at low levels of earthquake shaking, while less effective during moderate to strong earthquakes, which can cause a significant period shift associated with major structural damage. This ‘de‐tuning’ effect suggests that an extremely sizable TMD is not effective in reducing damage of a structure. Published in 2010 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Displacement field analysis for cracking processes in bonded-particle model

Bonded-particle model (BPM) is widely used to model the cracking processes in rock/rock-like materials. However, the discrete particles in the BPM cannot produce a continuous displacement field, which is comparable with those in physical experiments and numerical method such as the finite element method. Displacement trend lines are introduced to analyze the displacement field type of the BPM in the present study. Three displacement field types (DF_I, DF_II and DF_III) are defined and used in the analysis of the cracking processes. The study shows that the type of displacement field may evolve during the cracking processes. Researchers are advised to examine the displacement field before and right after a particular crack has formed. An examination of the associated type of displacement field can help reveal the nature of the crack.     

Investigation of microstructure of laser cladding Ni-WC layer on Al-Si alloy

A plasma-sprayed Ni-WC layer was deposited on an Al-Si cast alloy surface, and then it was further melted by a 5 kW CO₂ laser. The microstructure and chemical composition of the laser-melted zone were investigated, and the microhardness in different parts was measured. Experimental results showed that the chemical composition of the sample was not uniform. Compositional segregation in the laser-melted zone was found. Some amorphous structure appeared in the nickel-rich locations after laser melting. Owing to the thermal effect of the laser scanning, an intermediate-phase Ni₃Al segregated from this region and formed Ni₃Al grains and amorphous grains. Some WC particles melted in the matrix, and chromium carbide Cr2;|C6 and (Cr,W)C separated during the cooling process. The highest microhardness (1027HV) was found in the high-nickel region.     

Tool wear and chatter detection using the coherence function of two crossed accelerations

Tool wear and chatter have been found to be the main causes of rejects in the machining of super alloys. A novel detection technique to identify both tool wear and chatter in turning a nickel-based super alloy is introduced. It uses the coherence function between two crossed accelerations from the bending vibration of the tool shank. The value of the coherence function at the chatter frequency reaches unity at the onset of chatter. Its values at the first natural frequencies of the tool shank approach unity in the severe tool wear stage. The results are interpreted using the analysis of the coherence function for a single input-two output model. The advantage of using this method is that the thresholds for detecting severe tool wear and chatter can be easily set, since values of coherence function are normalized to a range of between zero and unity, and are also not so susceptible to changing cutting conditions, because the value of the coherence function is close to unity at the onset of chatter and severe tool wear.     

An evaluation model for indoor environmental quality (IEQ) acceptance in residential buildings

The indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in residential buildings is examined from the prospect of an occupant's acceptance in four aspects: thermal comfort, indoor air quality, noise level and illumination level. Based on the evaluations by 125 occupants living in 32 typical residential apartments in Hong Kong, this study proposes empirical expressions to approximate the overall IEQ acceptance with respect to four contributors, namely operative temperature, carbon dioxide concentration, equivalent noise level and illumination level, via a multivariate logistic regression model. A range of IEQ acceptances for regular residential conditions is determined and the dependence of the predicted overall IEQ acceptance on the variations of the contributors is discussed. The proposed overall IEQ acceptance can be used as a quantitative assessment criterion for similar residential environments where an occupant's evaluation is expected.     

Behaviour of composite cellular steel — Concrete beams at elevated temperatures

The behaviour of composite cellular floor beams is becoming important as such members are increasingly used in multistorey buildings. In the event of fire, this issue becomes increasingly critical, particularly for exposed steelwork. In a fire situation, a composite beam has a much higher perimeter area exposed to fire in its lower web-flange section than in the upper web-flange section, and so the temperature distribution across a composite beam is usually non-uniform. The reduction in fire of the strength and stiffness of the material properties of the perforated steel beam, as well as differential thermal expansion, therefore becomes an important influence on the overall behaviour of the composite beam. The objective of this research is to enhance the level of understanding of the generic behaviour of composite cellular floor beams in fire conditions. In this paper, three-dimensional nonlinear finite element models of composite cellular floor beams have been developed, taking into consideration the influence of the changes in material properties with temperature. Experimental data from furnace tests on cellular composite floor beams obtained from previous research work has been used to validate the FE models. An analytical model based on existing design guides is also presented in this paper. It is concluded that finite element analysis results are in good agreement with the experimental data, and all the failure modes have been accurately predicted. The proposed simplified analytical methods show reasonable agreement with the test and FE results, and are always conservative.