Development of thermal simulation system for heavy section ductile iron solidification

A new reliable thermal simulation system for studying solidification of heavy section ductile iron has been developed using computer feedback control and artificial intelligent methods. Results of idle test indicate that the temperature in the system responses exactly to the inputted control data and the temperature control error is less than ±0.5%. It is convenient to simulate solidification of heavy section ductile iron using this new system. Results of thermal simulation experiments show that the differences in nodularity and number of graphite nodule per unit area in the thermal simulation specimen and the actual heavy section block is less than 5% and 10%, respectively.

Modularity Techniques in High Performance Permanent Magnet Machines and Applications

This paper reviews the modularity techniques in the stator manufacture of permanent magnet machines for different applications.Some basic concepts of modular machines are firstly introduced.Modular machines for several typical applications are then described in details,including domestic appliances,automobiles and electric vehicles,more electric aircrafts and civic applications,wind power generators,etc.Besides,the influence of manufacture tolerance gaps and flux barriers on the electromagnetic performance is discussed.

Oxidation behavior and microstructural evolution of FeCoNiTiCu five-element high-entropy alloy nanoparticles

High-entropy alloys(HEAs)have attracted extensive attention ascribed to their unique physical and chemical properties induced by the cocktail effect.However,their oxidation behaviors,in particular at nanoscale,are still lack because of multi-element complexity,which could also be completely differ-ent from the bulk counterparts.In this work,we synthesized FeCoNiTiCu five-element HEA nanopar-ticles(NPs)with uniform elemental distribution by arc-discharging approach,and further investigated their oxidation behaviors at 250 ℃,and 350 ℃.The morphology,structure and element distribution of NPs were analyzed by transmission electron microscopy(TEM),energy dispersive spectroscopy(EDS)and electron energy loss spectroscopy(EELS).The surface oxidation in FeCoNiTiCu NPs during the high-temperature process can induce nanoscale pores at core/shell interfaces by Kirkendall effect,and even the eventual coalescence into a single cavity.Additionally,the oxidation states of NPs with diameters(d)varying from 60 to 350 nm were analyzed in detail,revealing two typical configurations:hollow(d<150 nm)and yolk-shell structures(d>150 nm).The experimental results were complemented by first-principles calculations to investigate the diffusion behaviors of five elements,evidencing that the surface oxidation strongly alters the surface segregation preferences:(1)in the initial stage,Cu and Ni appear to prefer segregating on the surface,while Co,Ti and Fe tend to stay in the bulk;(2)in the oxidation process,Cu prefers to stay in the center,while Ti segregates to the surface ascribed to the reduced po-tential energies.The study gives new insights into oxidation of nanoscale HEA,and also provides a way for fabrication of high-entropy oxides with controllable architectures.