Improving surface integrity of micro-holes in ECDM using ultrahigh-speed rotary of tool cathode and non-water-based electrolyte

The surface integrity of metal micro-hole structures produced by electrochemical discharge machining is unsatisfactory owing to the insufficient reaction area and strength of electrolysis action.A novel ultrahigh-speed Rotary Electrochemical Discharge Machining(R-ECDM)using non-water-based electrolyte is proposed to improve surface integrity by changing the breakdown medium of spark discharge and increasing the reaction area and strength of electrolysis.A mathematical model was developed to establish the relationship between rotational speed and forces acting on the bubble.Based on the magnitude of forces,controlling rotational speed changed the behavior and departure radius of bubbles on the cathode surface.High-speed photographs validate that,in the mathematical model,the number and departure radius of bubbles on the cathode surface gradually decrease with the increase of rotational speed.The experimental results show that the roughness(Ra)of the micro-hole sidewall decreases from 2.54μm to 0.20μm when the rotational speed increases from 500 r/min to 40000 r/min.The length loss and wear ratio of the cathode are only 9.75μm and 6.5%,respectively.Finally,the micro-holes array with recast-free and surface roughness of 0.20μm is fabricated,demonstrating that the proposed approach contributes to improving surface integrity of metal micro-holes.

Helical wire electrochemical discharge machining on large-thickness Inconel 718 alloy in lowconductivity salt-glycol solution

Wire electrochemical machining(WECM) is a flexible and effective method for machining complex-shaped metal components, but the ability to machine large-thickness workpieces is hampered by the difficulty of transporting electrolytic products in the narrow machining gap. This paper proposes a novel hybrid machining technique that combines the characteristics of WECM and wire electric discharge machining(WEDM), namely, helical wire electrochemical discharge machining. The formation mechanism of electrical discharge in salt-glycol solution was elucidated.Experiments and simulation were conducted to verify the machining mechanism and investigate the performance of the proposed technique. The results show that as the recast layer can be removed by electrochemical action during the proposed process, the surface quality is effectively improved.Minimum surface roughness of the slit sidewall after machining reaches Ra= 0.12 μm. Minimum standard deviation of the slit after machining reaches 5 μm. Moreover, the existence of the discharges significantly improves the transport of the electrolytic products, thus ensuring high machining efficiency. In the experiments, the maximum feed rate of the helical wire electrochemical discharge machining reaches 7 μm/s(12.6 mm^(2)/min). Finally, mortise structures of Inconel 718 with good machining accuracy and surface quality are fabricated with a feed rate of 5 μm/s(9 mm^(2)/min),demonstrating that electrical discharge assisted helical wire ECM is a promising technique for machining large-thickness hard metal materials.

Taurocholic acid inhibits the response to interferon-αtherapy in patients with HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B by impairing CD8^(+)T and NK cell function

Pegylated interferon-alpha (PegIFNα) therapy has limited effectiveness in hepatitis B e-antigen (HBeAg)-positive chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. However, the mechanism underlying this failure is poorly understood. We aimed to investigate the influence of bile acids (BAs), especially taurocholic acid (TCA), on the response to PegIFNα therapy in CHB patients. Here, we used mass spectrometry to determine serum BA profiles in 110 patients with chronic HBV infection and 20 healthy controls (HCs). We found that serum BAs, especially TCA, were significantly elevated in HBeAg-positive CHB patients compared with those in HCs and patients in other phases of chronic HBV infection. Moreover, serum BAs, particularly TCA, inhibited the response to PegIFNα therapy in HBeAg-positive CHB patients. Mechanistically, the expression levels of IFN-γ, TNF-α, granzyme B, and perforin were measured using flow cytometry to assess the effector functions of immune cells in patients with low or high BA levels. We found that BAs reduced the number and proportion and impaired the effector functions of CD3^(+)CD8^(+) T cells and natural killer (NK) cells in HBeAg-positive CHB patients. TCA in particular reduced the frequency and impaired the effector functions of CD3^(+)CD8^(+) T and NK cells in vitro and in vivo and inhibited the immunoregulatory activity of IFN-α in vitro. Thus, our results show that BAs, especially TCA, inhibit the response to PegIFNα therapy by impairing the effector functions of CD3^(+)CD8^(+) T and NK cells in HBeAg-positive CHB patients. Our findings suggest that targeting TCA could be a promising approach for restoring IFN-α responsiveness during CHB treatment.

Electrochemical cutting of mortise-tenon joint structure by rotary tube electrode with helically distributed jet-flow holes

In aero-engines,mortise-tenon joint structures are often used to connect the blades to the turbine disk.The disadvantages associated with conventional manufacturing techniques mean that a low-cost,high-efficiency,and high-quality nickel-based mortise–tenon joint structure is an urgent requirement in the field of aviation engineering.Electrochemical cutting is a potential machining method for manufacturing these parts,as there is no tool degradation in the cutting process and high-quality surfaces can be obtained.To realize the electrochemical cutting of a mortise-tenon joint structure,a method using a tube electrode with helically distributed jet-flow holes on the side-wall is proposed.During feeding,the tube electrode rotates along its central axis.Flow field simulations show that the rotational speed of the tube electrode determines the direct spraying time of the high-speed electrolyte ejected from the jet-flow holes to the machining area,while the electrolyte pressure determines the flow rate of the electrolyte and the velocity of the electrolyte ejected from the jet-flow holes.The machining results using the proposed method are verified experimentally,and the machining parameters are optimized.Finally,mortise and tenon samples are successfully machined using 20 mm thick Inconel 718 alloy with a feeding rate of 5μm/s.