Experimental study of microstructure,mechanical and tribological properties of cBN particulates SS316 alloy based MMCs fabricated by DMLS technique

Direct metal laser sintering process (DMLS) was chosen to develop cBN particulates reinforced SS316 based Metal matrix composite (MMC) with 5 %, 7.5 % and 10 % cBN in the nitrogen gas atmosphere using continuous wave fibre laser of 400 W output capacity. Effects of process parameters such as laser power, beam scanning speed and the mixing ratio of powder on different physical properties of the developed MMC were investigated. It was found that the physical and mechanical properties such as friction and wear behavior, micro hardness and density come up with improved results. FESEM images indicate the microstructure of the composite and evidently confirms the presence of cubic boron nitride in the SS316 matrix where chromium nitride acted as a binder in the presence of nitrogen atmosphere. The Vickers hardness values of the developed MMCs with laser power 60 W and 65 W were found in the range of 276-478 HV_0.2 and 297-460 HV_0.2, respectively. It was found that Vickers hardness is directly proportional to the % of cBN in the powder mixture and the laser beam power. The wear resistance of the sintered MMCs increased with increasing cBN content in powder mixture and results show that wear of MMCs are much lower than that of SS316. X-Ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of the fabricated MMC confirms the presence of different phases such as cBN, CrN, CrB₂, Cr₂N and Fe₃N as a consequence of a series of chemical reaction between cBN and different elements of SS316 in nitrogen atmosphere.     

Optimization of flank wear using Zirconia Toughened Alumina (ZTA) cutting tool: Taguchi method and Regression analysis

In this study, Taguchi method and Regression analysis have been applied to assess machinability of AISI 4340 steel with newly developed Zirconia Toughened Alumina (ZTA) ceramic inserts. Several experiments have been carried out based on an orthogonal array L₉ with three parameters (depth of cut feed rate, cutting speed) at three levels (low, medium and high). Based on the mean response and signal to noise ratio (SNR), the best optimal cutting condition has been arrived at A₂B₁C₁ i.e. cutting speed is 280 m/min, depth of cut is 0.5 mm and feed rate is 0.12 mm/rev considering the condition smaller is the better approach. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) is applied to find out the significance and percentage contribution of each parameter. It has been observed that depth of cut has maximum contribution on tool wear. The mathematical model of flank wear has been developed using regression analysis as a function of the above mentioned independent variables. The predicted value from the developed model and experimental values are found to be very close to each other justifying the significance of the model. A confirmation run has been carried out with 95% confidence level to verify the optimized result and the values obtained are within the prescribed limit.     

Effect of source tuning parameters on the plasma potential of heavy ions in the 18 GHz high temperature superconducting electron cyclotron resonance ion source

Plasma potentials for various heavy ions have been measured using the retarding field technique in the 18 GHz high temperature superconducting ECR ion source, PKDELIS [C. Bieth, S. Kantas, P. Sortais, D. Kanjilal, G. Rodrigues, S. Milward, S. Harrison, and R. McMahon, Nucl. Instrum. Methods B 235, 498 (2005); D. Kanjilal, G. Rodrigues, P. Kumar, A. Mandal, A. Roy, C. Bieth, S. Kantas, and P. Sortais, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 77, 03A317 (2006)]. The ion beam extracted from the source is decelerated close to the location of a mesh which is polarized to the source potential and beams having different plasma potentials are measured on a Faraday cup located downstream of the mesh. The influence of various source parameters, viz., RF power, gas pressure, magnetic field, negative dc bias, and gas mixing on the plasma potential is studied. The study helped to find an upper limit of the energy spread of the heavy ions, which can influence the design of the longitudinal optics of the high current injector being developed at the Inter University Accelerator Centre. It is observed that the plasma potentials are decreasing for increasing charge states and a mass effect is clearly observed for the ions with similar operating gas pressures. In the case of gas mixing, it is observed that the plasma potential minimizes at an optimum value of the gas pressure of the mixing gas and the mean charge state maximizes at this value. Details of the measurements carried out as a function of various source parameters and its impact on the longitudinal optics are presented.     

Parallel hardware implementation of data hiding scheme for quality access control of grayscale image based on FPGA

Multidimensional Systems and Signal Processing - Dither modulation is a well-known data hiding technique for the quality access control of the digital image. Sometimes, quality access control...     

Primary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the larynx in an AIDS patient

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Interscalene brachial plexus block is a useful technique to provide anesthesia and analgesia for the shoulder and proximal upper extremity. The initial needle direction at the interscalene groove has been described as being "perpendicular to the skin in every plane" (1). A cross-sectional (axial) approach may offer a more easily conceptualized directed needle placement. The purpose of this study is to define the cross-sectional anatomy and idealized needle angles important to interscalene brachial plexus block. METHODS: Following IRB approval, 50 patients were studied. Cross-sectional volume coil T1-weighted magnetic resonance images (MRI) were obtained from 50 patients undergoing cervical region imaging for other reasons. At the interscalene groove, a simulated needle path to contact the ventral rami or trunks of the brachial plexus was approximated at the level of C6 or C6-C7 interspace. The angle of this needle path intersecting the sagittal plane was recorded for each patient. RESULTS: The mean angle of the simulated needle path relative to sagittal plane was determined to be 61.1 +/- 6.1 degrees (range, 50-78 degrees). In 13 of 50 (26%) MRI scans, the cervical nerve roots were not visualized at the level of C6 and were measured at the C6-C7 level. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest initial needle placement at the interscalene groove should be angled less perpendicularly relative to the sagittal plane than is often observed. A cross-sectional approach enables more practical visualization of initial needle placement. A more accurate initial needle placement may minimize the number of needle passes necessary to contact the nerve roots, thereby more efficiently obtaining a successful block.     

Preface

Microsystem Technologies -     

An FPGA based non-feistel block cipher through recursive substitutions of bits on prime-nonprime detection of sub-stream (RSBPNDS)

Microsystem Technologies - A non-Feistel block cipher cryptosystem viz. recursive substitutions of bits on prime–nonprime detection of sub-stream (RSBPNDS) is proposed and its FPGA...     

A hybrid edge-based technique for segmentation of renal lesions in CT images

Multimedia Tools and Applications - The entire community of medical experts uses various imaging techniques as the precursor for disease diagnosis with the assistance of computer-aided diagnosis...     

An approach for deployment of BRS in software-defined network

Innovations in Systems and Software Engineering - In the recent years due to technological development, Internet is omnipresent. With advancement, more and more people are connected through...     

Electrodeposited carbon nanotube thin films

A successful attempt to grow carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by electrodeposition technique for the first time is reported here. Carbon nanotubes were grown on Si (001) substrate using acetonitrile (1% v/v) and water as electrolyte at an applied d.c. potential ∼20 V. The films were characterized by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Raman, optical absorbance, Fourier Transform Infra Red spectroscopy (FTIR) and Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) measurements. The effect of magnetic field on the growth of nanotubes was studied critically. It was found that the presence of magnetic field during electro-deposition played a crucial role on the growth of carbon nanotubes and hence the electronic properties. Photoluminescence (PL) studies indicated band edge luminescence ∼0.72-0.83 eV. Field emission studies indicated lower turn-on voltage and higher current density for films deposited with magnetic field.