Effects of friction stir processing and nano-hydroxyapatite on the microstructure,hardness,degradation rate and in-vitro bioactivity of WE43 alloy for biomedical applications

Nowadays,magnesium alloys are emerging in biomedical implants for their similar properties to natural bones.However,the rapid degradation of magnesium alloys in biological media hinders successful implantation.Refinement of microstructure,as well as reinforcement particles can significantly improve the degradation rate.In this work,multi-pass friction stir processing(FSP)was proposed to synthesize WE43/nano-hydroxyapatite(n HA)surface composite,the microstructure,reinforced particle distribution,micro-hardness,corrosion behavior and in-vitro bioactivity were studied.The subsequent FSP passes of WE43 alloy and WE43/n HA composite refined the grain size which was reduced by 94.29%and 95.92%(2.63 and 1.88μm,respectively)compared to base metal after three passes.This resulted in increasing the microhardness by 120%(90.86 HV0.1)and 135%(105.59 HV0.1)for the WE43 and WE43-n HA,respectively.It is found that increasing FSP passes improved the uniform distribution of n HA particles within the composite matrix which led to improved corrosion resistance and less degradation rate.The corrosion rate of the FSPed WE43/n HA composite after three passes was reduced by 38.2%(4.13 mm/year)and the degradation rate was reduced by 69.7%(2.87 mm/y).This is attributed to secondary phase(Mg24Y5and Mg41Nd5)particle fragmentation and redistribution,as well as a homogeneous distribution of n HA.Additionally,the growing Ca-P and Mg(OH)2layer formed on the surface represented a protective layer that reduced the degradation rate.The wettability test revealed a relatively hydrophilic surface with water contact angle of 49.1±2.2°compared to 71.2±2.1°for base metal.Also,biomineralization test showed that apatite layer grew after immersion 7d in simulated body fluid with atomic ratio of Ca/P 1.60 approaching the stoichiometric ratio(1.67)indicating superior bioactivity of FSPed WE43/n HA composite after three passes.These results raise that the grain refinement by FSP and introduction of n HA particles significantly improved the degradation rate and in-vitro bioactivity of WE43 alloy for biomedical applications.

Efficient Numerical Scheme for Solving Large System of Nonlinear Equations

A fifth-order family of an iterative method for solving systems of nonlinear equations and highly nonlinear boundary value problems has been developed in this paper.Convergence analysis demonstrates that the local order of convergence of the numerical method is five.The computer algebra system CAS-Maple,Mathematica,or MATLAB was the primary tool for dealing with difficult problems since it allows for the handling and manipulation of complex mathematical equations and other mathematical objects.Several numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the properties of the proposed rapidly convergent algorithms.A dynamic evaluation of the presented methods is also presented utilizing basins of attraction to analyze their convergence behavior.Aside from visualizing iterative processes,this methodology provides useful information on iterations,such as the number of diverging-converging points and the average number of iterations as a function of initial points.Solving numerous highly nonlinear boundary value problems and large nonlinear systems of equations of higher dimensions demonstrate the performance,efficiency,precision,and applicability of a newly presented technique.

Impact of Artificial Compressibility on the Numerical Solution of Incompressible Nanofluid Flow

The numerical solution of compressible flows has become more prevalent than that of incompressible flows.With the help of the artificial compressibility approach,incompressible flows can be solved numerically using the same methods as compressible ones.The artificial compressibility scheme is thus widely used to numerically solve incompressible Navier-Stokes equations.Any numerical method highly depends on its accuracy and speed of convergence.Although the artificial compressibility approach is utilized in several numerical simulations,the effect of the compressibility factor on the accuracy of results and convergence speed has not been investigated for nanofluid flows in previous studies.Therefore,this paper assesses the effect of this factor on the convergence speed and accuracy of results for various types of thermo-flow.To improve the stability and convergence speed of time discretizations,the fifth-order Runge-Kutta method is applied.A computer program has been written in FORTRAN to solve the discretized equations in different Reynolds and Grashof numbers for various grids.The results demonstrate that the artificial compressibility factor has a noticeable effect on the accuracy and convergence rate of the simulation.The optimum artificial compressibility is found to be between 1 and 5.These findings can be utilized to enhance the performance of commercial numerical simulation tools,including ANSYS and COMSOL.

Fluid Flow and Mixed Heat Transfer in a Horizontal Channel with an Open Cavity and Wavy Wall

Heat exchangers are utilized extensively in different industries and technologies.Consequently,optimizing heat exchangers has been a major concern among researchers.Although various studies have been conducted to improve the heat transfer rate,the use of a wavy wall in the presence of different types of heat transfer mechanisms has not been investigated.This study thus investigates the mixed heat transmission behavior of fluid in a horizontal channel with a cavity and a hot,wavy wall.The fluid flow in the channel is considered laminar,and the governing equations including continuity,momentum,and energy are all solved numerically.The numerical solution is stabilized by using a first-order multi-dimensional characteristic-based scheme in combination with a fifth-order Runge-Kutta method.The flow and heat transfer effects of varying Richardson numbers,Reynolds numbers,wave amplitude,wavelength,channel height,and cavity width are examined.The results indicate that the mean Nusselt number increases with an increase in Reynolds number,wave amplitude,and cavity width,while it decreases with an increase in Richardson number,wavelength,and channel height.The minimum Nusselt number is calculated to be 0.7,whereas the maximum Nusselt number is 27.09.The Nusselt number has only increased by 40%in the higher depths of the cavity,despite the Richardson number being 10,000 times larger.But this figure increases to 130%at lower depths.The mean Nusselt number is thus significantly influenced by channel height and cavity width.The influence of wave amplitude on the mean Nusselt number is twice that of wavelength.

Investigation of Coronavirus Deposition in Realistic Human Nasal Cavity and Impact of Social Distancing to Contain COVID-19:A Computational Fluid Dynamic Approach

The novel coronavirus responsible for COVID-19 has spread to several countries within a considerably short period.The virus gets deposited in the human nasal cavity and moves to the lungs that might be fatal.As per safety guidelines by theWorld Health Organization(WHO),social distancing has emerged as one of the major factors to avoid the spread of infection.However,different guidelines are being followed across the countries with regards to what should be the safe distance.Thus,the current work is an attempt to understand the virus deposition pattern in the realistic human nasal cavity and also to find the impact of distance that could be termed as a safety measure.This study is performed usingComputationalFluid Dynamics as a solution tool to investigate the impact of COVID-19 deposition(i)On a realistic 3D human upper airway model and(ii)2D social distancing protocol for a distance of 0.6,1.2,1.8,and 2.4 m.The results revealed that the regional deposition flux within the nasal cavity was predominantly observed in the external nasal cavity and nasopharyngeal section.Frequent flushing of these regions with saltwater substitutes can limit contamination in healthy individuals.The safe distancing limit estimated with 1 m/s airflow was about 1.8 m.The extensive deposition was observed for distances less than 1.8 m in this study,emphasizing the fact that social distancing advisories are not useful and do not take into account the external dynamics associated with airflow.

Multiple Response Optimization of Dimensional Accuracy of Nimonic Alloy Miniature Gear Machined on Wire Edm Using Entropy Topsis Andpareto Anova

The purpose of this research is to obtain the optimum cutting parameters to achieve the dimensional accuracy of Nimonic alloy miniature gear manufactured using Wire EDM.The cutting parameters investigated in this study are current,pulse on time(PON),pulse off time(POFF),wire tension(WT)and dielectric fluids.Ethylene glycol,nanopowder of alumina and oxygen are mixed to demineralized water to prepare novel dielectric fluids.Deviation in inner diameter,deviation in outer diameter,deviation in land and deviation in tooth width are considered to check the dimensional accuracy.Taguchi L_(16) is employed for experimental design and multiple response optimization is performed using Entropy TOPSIS and Pareto ANOVA.Results indicate that pulse on time is the most notable parameter for good dimensional accuracy followed by dielectric fluid,current,pulse off time and wire tension.Ethylene glycol mixed demineralized water is preferred for low dimensional deviation.The optimum WEDM parameters are pulse on time at 20μs,Ethylene glycol mixed demineralized water dielectric fluid,current at 3 A,pulse off time at 4μs,and wire tension at 18 N.

Computational Analysis of Airflow in Upper Airway under Light and Heavy Breathing Conditions for a Realistic Patient Having Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Background:Obstructive sleep apnea is a sleeping disorder that has troubled a sizeable population.There is an active area of research on obstructive sleep apnea that intends to better understand airflow behaviors and therefore treat patients more effectively.This paper aims to investigate the airflow characteristics of the upper airway in an obstructive sleep apnea(OSA)patient under light and heavy breathing conditions by using Turbulent Kinetic Energy(TKE),an accurate method in expressing the flow concentration mechanisms of sleeping disorders.It is important to visualize the concentration of flow in the upper airway in order to identify the severity level of the obstruction during sleep.Methods:Computational fluid dynamic(CFD)analysis was used as a solution tool to evaluate the airflow during light and heavy breathing conditions.A medical imaging technique was used to extract the 3D model from the CT scan images.Additionally,mesh generation and simulation were carried out via CFD software to evaluate the light and heavy breathing characteristics related to obstructive sleep apnea.Steady state Reynold’s averaged Navier-Stoke(RANS)with the k-ωshear stress transport(SST)turbulence model was utilized.The airflow characteristics were quantified using parameters such as pressure distribution,skin friction coefficient,velocity profile,Reynolds number,turbulent Reynolds number and turbulence kinetic energy.Results:Contour plots at different planes were used to visualize the airflow distribution as it passed through different cross-sectional areas of the airway.The results revealed that the presence of a smaller cross-sectional area of the airway caused an increase in airflow parameters,especially during heavy breathing.Furthermore,turbulent airflow conditions along the airway were noticed during heavy breathing.The severity of OSA could be measured by the turbulent kinetic energy which is able to show the behavior and concentration of mean flow.This study is expected to provide crucial and important results by visualizing the concentration of airflow mechanisms and characteristics of a patient’s airway during light and heavy breathing. These findings enable TKE to be used as a new tool for characterizing theseverity of obstructive sleep apnea in the upper airways of patients.