Thermal fracture mechanisms in ceramic thermal barrier coatings

Ceramic thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) represent an attractive method of increasing the high-tempera-ture limits for systems such as diesel engines, gas turbines, and aircraft engines. However, the dissimilari-ties between ceramics and metal, as well as the severe temperature gradients applied in such systems, cause thermal stresses that can lead to cracking and ultimately spalling of the coating. This paper reviews the research that has considered initiation of surface cracks, initiation of interfacial edge cracks, and the effect of a transient thermal load on interface cracks. The results of controlled experiments are presented together with analytical models. The implications of these findings to the differences between diesel en-gines and gas turbines are discussed. The importance of such work for determining the proper design cri-teria for TBCs is underlined.     

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.     

A thermodynamic evaluation of the Te-Zn system

From DSC measurements, phase diagram data have been obtained that show unambiguously the presence of an invariant at 1207 ‡. From these results and literature data, an optimization/calcula-tion study has been performed to obtain the Gibbs function of each phase. To improve the descrip-tion, an ideal gas phase has been added and the effect of pressure on the phase diagram is discussed.     

Sampling strategy design for dimensional measurement of geometric features using coordinate measuring machine

Dimensional measurement using a coordinate measuring machine (CMM) has been commonly adapted in advanced manufacturing environments to ensure that manufacturing products have high quality and reliability. To conduct dimensional inspection effectively in a computer-integrated manufacturing (CIM) environment, there is an urgent need to derive a sampling strategy which can be used to specify a set of measuring points that lead to accurate sampling while minimizing the sampling time and cost. Owing to the variations in characteristics of geometric features and manufacturing processes, different feature surfaces on a workpiece usually have different variations in their dimensional accuracy and surface finish. The variations may differ considerably from one surface to another, even though those surfaces may share the same feature. Therefore, the variation in dimensional accuracy and surface finish should be considered in determining the proper sampling size for each geometric feature generated by various processes with different production parameters. In this paper, a feature-based methodology which integrates the Hammersley sequence and a stratified sampling method are developed to derive the sampling strategy for various geometric features which have specified measuring points. Case studies are used to compare the effectiveness of Hammersley sequence sampling, uniform (systematic) sampling and random sampling. The results show that the derived sampling strategy based on the Hammersley sequence leads to a nearly quadratic reduction in the number of samples compared with the uniform sampling method, and hence units of time and cost, while maintaining the same level of accuracy. The derived sampling strategy also shows a better performance when compared with the random sampling method.     

The freeway model: New concepts in understanding supercurrent transport in Bi-2223 tapes

A variety of mechanisms for supercurrent transport in (Bi, Pb)₂ Sr₂ Ca₂ Cu₃ O_x (Bi-2223) tapes have been proposed, including the brick-wall and railway-switch models and the more recent freeway model. In this article, these models are compared to a growing library of data, including structural and transport studies on specific grain boundary types as well as the systematics of microstructure and transport in the polycrystalline tapes, including new transmission electron microscopy data on some of the highest-performing samples yet fabricated. Additionally, the freeway model is developed, with the concepts of rotary junction bottlenecks corresponding to edge colony boundaries, of lane changes corresponding to c-axis redistribution within colonies, and on-ramps corresponding to tilted and bent grains.     

锌铝超塑性合金超塑压缩试验研究

对Ｚｎ－２２％Ａｌ超塑性合金进行了等温超塑压缩试验。在相同的温度、变形速率条件下，研究了不同的变形强度与流动应力及硬度，以及在相同的温度、变形程度条件下，不同的变形速率与流动应力等的关系。     

Wear of CBN tool in turning of silicon nitride with cryogenic cooling

This paper reports the wear characteristics of a CBN tool in the turning of an advanced structural ceramic (silicon nitride) under dry cutting and cryogenic cooling conditions. A cooling system is designed to control the cutting temperatures on the tool by circulating cryogenic coolant through a reservoir built on the top of the cutting tool. This arrangement maintains the tool's hot-strength at its desirable range to resist tool wear in the cutting process. Experiments show that the tool wear significantly reduces with cryogenic cooling. Finite element analysis is used to estimate cutting temperatures on the tool and to reveal the reasons for different wear characteristics in the two cases. The analysis shows that the maximum temperature on the tool falls from 1153°C (without liquid nitrogen cooling) to 829°C (with liquid nitrogen cooling).     

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.     

密肋复合墙结构与空心砖砌体结构模型抗震试验对比分析

介绍相同建筑形式的密肋复合墙结构与空心砖砌体结构房屋模型的试验情况,根据试验结果,对两种结构体系的抗震性能进行了对比分析。结果表明,密肋复合墙结构在承载能力、变形能力及耗能性能诸方面均优于砌体结构,是一种新型的抗震结构体系。     

Hydroelastic response of a box-like floating fuel storage module modeled using non-conforming quadratic-serendipity Mindlin plate element

Presented herein are the hydroelastic responses of a floating fuel storage module under wave action. The box-like fuel storage module is modeled by an equivalent solid plate. For the analysis, a non-conforming quadratic-serendipity (NC-QS) element based on the Mindlin plate theory was developed. In this element, we make use of the reduced integration method and the superposition of non-conforming modes onto the basis function of the 8-node element in order to prevent spurious modes and shear locking phenomena. Thus the element may be applied for both thick and thin plates. The solution for the hydroelastic response involves solving the coupled plate–water equation and the water equation numerically using the hybrid finite element–boundary element (FE-BE) method. The coupled plate–water equation is derived by equating the force term in the Mindlin plate equation with the wave pressure distribution obtained from the linearized Bernoulli equation; whereas the boundary integral equation relates the displacement of the plate and water velocity potential using the free-surface Green’s function. Results of the displacement and water velocity potential are found to be more accurate when compared with existing solutions for special cases. Moreover, the stress resultants computed are significantly more accurate than previous results as spurious modes are eliminated.