Effects of Metal Absorber Thermal Conductivity on Clear Plastic Laser Transmission Welding

In our previous study, metals have been used as absorbers in the clear plastic laser transmission welding. The effects of metal thermal conductivity on the welding quality are investigated in the present work. Four metals with distinctly different thermal conductivities, i.e., titanium, nickel, molybdenum, and copper, are selected as light absorbers. The lap welding is conducted with an 808 nm diode laser and simulation experiments are also conducted. Nickel electroplating test is carried out to minimize the side-effects from different light absorptivities of different metals. The results show that the welding with an absorber of higher thermal conductivity can accommodate higher laser input power before smoking, which produces a wider and stronger welding seam.The positive role of the higher thermal conductivity can be attributed to the fact that a desirable thermal field distribution for the molecular diffusion and entanglement is produced from the case with a high thermal conductivity.

Effects of Plastic Deformation and Stresses on Dilatation duringthe Martensitic Transformation in a B-bearing Steel

To provide data for improved modelling of the behaviour of steel components in a simultaneous forming and quenching process, the effects of plastic deformation and stresses on dilatation during the martensitic transformation in a B-bearing steel were investigated. It was found that plastic deformation of austenite at high temperatures enhances ferrite formation significantly, and consequently, the dilatation decreases markedly even at a cooling rate of 280’C/s. The created ferritic-martensitic microstructure possesses clearly lower hardness and strength than the martensitic structure. Elastic stresses cause the preferred orientation in martensite to be formed so that diametric dilatation can increase by nearly 200% under axial compression.

Bauschinger and size effects in thin-film plasticity due to defect-energy of geometrical necessary dislocations

The Bauschinger and size effects in the thinfilm plasticity theory arising from the defect-energy of geometrically necessary dislocations （GNDs） are analytically investigated in this paper. Firstly, this defect-energy is deduced based on the elastic interactions of coupling dislocations （or pile-ups） moving on the closed neighboring slip plane. This energy is a quadratic function of the GNDs density, and includes an elastic interaction coefficient and an energetic length scale L. By incorporating it into the work- conjugate strain gradient plasticity theory of Gurtin, an energetic stress associated with this defect energy is obtained, which just plays the role of back stress in the kinematic hardening model. Then this back-stress hardening model is used to investigate the Bauschinger and size effects in the tension problem of single crystal Al films with passivation layers. The tension stress in the film shows a reverse dependence on the film thickness h. By comparing it with discrete-dislocation simulation results, the length scale L is determined, which is just several slip plane spacing, and accords well with our physical interpretation for the defect- energy. The Bauschinger effect after unloading is analyzed by combining this back-stress hardening model with a friction model. The effects of film thickness and pre-strain on the reversed plastic strain after unloading are quantified and qualitatively compared with experiment results.

Shaking table test and cumulative deformation evaluation analysis of a tunnel across the hauling sliding surface

To explore the cumulative deformation effect of the dynamic response of a tunnel crossing the hauling sliding surface under earthquakes,the shaking table test was conducted in this study.Combined with the numerical calculations,this study proposed magnification of the Arias intensity(MIa)to characterize the overall local deformation damage of the tunnel lining in terms of the deformation characteristics,frequency domain,and energy.Using the time‐domain analysis method,the plastic effect coefficient(PEC)was proposed to characterize the degree of plastic deformation,and the applicability of the seismic cumulative failure effect(SCFE)was discussed.The results show that the low‐frequency component(f1 and f2≤10 Hz)and the high‐frequency component(f3 and f4>10 Hz)acceleration mainly cause global and local deformation of the tunnel lining.The local deformation caused by the high‐frequency wave has an important effect on the seismic damage of the lining.The physical meaning of PEC is more clearly defined than that of the residual strain,and the SCFE of the tunnel lining can also be defined.The SCFE of the tunnel lining includes the elastic deformation effect stage(<0.15g),the elastic–plastic deformation effect stage(0.15g–0.30g),and the plastic deformation effect stage(0.30g–0.40g).This study can provide valuable theoretical and technical support for the construction of traffic tunnels in high‐intensity earthquake areas.

Tensile properties and microstructure of 2024 aluminum alloy subjected to the high magnetic field and external stress

In order to explore the dependence of plasticity of metallic material on a high magnetic held,the effects of the different magnetic induction intensities（H = 0 T,0.5 T,1 T,3 T,and 5 T） and pulses number（N = 0,10,20,30,40,and 50） on tensile strength（σ;） and elongation（δ） of 2024 aluminum alloy are investigated in the synchronous presences of a high magnetic held and external stress.The results show that the magnetic held exerts apparent and positive effects on the tensile properties of the alloy.Especially under the optimized condition of H;=1 T and N;=30,the σ;and 8 are 410 MPa and 17% that are enhanced by 9.3% and 30.8% respectively in comparison to those of the untreated sample.The synchronous increases of tensile properties are attributed to the magneto-plasticity effect on a quantum scale.That is,the magnetic held will accelerate the state conversion of radical pair generated between the dislocation and obstacles from singlet to the triplet state.The bonding energy between them is meanwhile lowered and the moving flexibility of dislocations will be enhanced.At H;= 1 T and N;= 30,the dislocation density is enhanced by 1.28 times.The relevant minimum grain size is 266.1 nm,which is reduced by 35.2%.The grain rehning is attributed to the dislocation accumulation and subsequent dynamic recrystallization.The（211） and（220） peak intensities are weakened.It is deduced that together with the recrystallization,the hne grains will transfer towards the slip plane and contribute to the slipping deformation.

Investigations of a nanostructured FeMnSi shape memory alloy produced via severe plastic deformation

Low-cost iron-based shape memory alloys（SMAs） show great potential for engineering applications. The developments of new processing techniques have recently enabled the production of nanocrystalline materials with improved properties. These developments have opened avenues for newer applications for SMAs. The influence of severe plastic deformation induced by the high-speed high-pressure torsion（HSHPT） process on the microstructural evolution of an Fe–Mn–Si–Cr alloy was investigated. Transmission electron microscopic analysis of the alloy revealed the existence of nanoscale grains with an abundance of stacking faults. The high density of dislocations characteristic of severe plastic deformation was not observed in this alloy. X-ray diffraction studies revealed the presence of ε-martensite with an HCP crystal structure and γ-phase with an FCC structure.

Reversible Plasticity Shape Memory Effect in SEBS/Crystallizable Paraffin: Influence of Paraffin Content

Polymers with reversible plasticity shape memory effect(RPSME)have attracted considerable attention due to their simple programming and large deformation.However,the exact mechanisms of RPSME are still not thoroughly understood.In this work,the RPSME of SEBS/crystallizable paraffin was investigated by comparatively analyzing the performances and microstructures of samples with different paraffin content.It was found the shape fixing ratios(Rfs)of samples increased with the paraffin content,and interestingly,a significant improvement in Rf was observed when the paraffin content exceeded 60 wt%.Tensile test results showed that the deformation characteristics of samples changed from elastic to plastic as the paraffin content increased above 60 wt%.By exploring the crystallization behaviors of paraffin in various SEBS/paraffin samples,it was revealed that the microstructures of SEBS/paraffin were different when the paraffin content was below 50 wt%and above 60 wt%.In samples with low paraffin content(below 50 wt%),nearly all paraffin was co-crystallized with ethylene-co-butylene(EB)chains and its crystallization was severely restricted;while in samples with high paraffin content(above 60 wt%),“excess”paraffin appeared and this part of paraffin crystallized on the template of the EB/paraffin co-crystals,which might be responsible for the elastic-to-plastic transition and the sharp increase in Rf.Based on the above results,a possible structural model was proposed to explain the exact mechanism of RPSME in SEBS/paraffin.

Effects of molten state of ultrasonic welded Joints of plastics on their strength

Effects of molten state of ultrasonic welded joints of plastics on their strength were investigated. Physical parameters such as temperature, viscosity and thickness of melting layers of plastic material joints were measured and analyzed. Results show that when the welding vibration amplitude and pressure increase, the temperature increases, the viscosity decreases, and the thickness of molten layer decreases. The microstructure of weld fusion zone was observed by using an optical microscope. It was found that there is strong orientation along transverse direction in the microstructure of fusion zone. Testing results show that the mechanics performance of welded joints are obviously anisotropic, and strongly affected by the thickness of molten layer and the extent of orientation.

Tensile behavior of ultrafine-grained low carbon medium manganese steel by intercritical annealing treatment

The intercritical annealing treatment at 650 and 700 ℃ results in two ultrafine-grained (UFG) dual-phase ferrite-austenitesteels. The two steels exhibit different and special discontinuous yielding and pronounced Lüders-like strain phenomenawith large yielding strain which are related to their retained γ-austenite (RA) volume fractions and RA stabilities. The steelannealed at 650 ℃ shows an absent or very small strain hardening, while the steel annealed at 700 ℃ shows an obviousstrain hardening upward curvature with increasing strain. The results show that before and during straining, the steel annealedat 650 ℃ exhibits a mixture of equiaxed and elongated UFG α-ferrite and austenite phases;however, the steel annealed at700 ℃ exhibits only elongated UFG α and γ phases. It was found that most of the γ-austenite to α′-martensite transformationoccurred at the initial deformation stage and very small or almost no transformation occurred afterward. This demonstratesthat the strain-induced martensite (SIM) transformation (γ-α′) or transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) effect dominatesonly at the initial deformation stage. RA remained stable, and no TRIP effect was observed at the final deformation stage. Theload-unload-reload test was performed to evaluate the back stress (σb) hardening effect. It is believed that the pronouncedstrain hardening behavior at the later deformation stage is mainly associated with σb enhancement induced by the strainpartitioning between the soft and hard phases due to SIM transformation during tensile deformation.

Microstructures and mechanical properties of ferrite-based lightweight steel with different compositions

The microstructures and mechanical properties of ferrite-based lightweight steel with different compositions were investigated by tensile test,scanning electron microscopy（SEM）,transmission electron microscopy（TEM）,X-ray diffraction（XRD）and thermodynamic calculation（TC）.It was shown that the ferrite-based lightweight steels with 5wt.%or 8wt.%Al were basically composed of ferrite,austenite andκ-carbide.As the annealing temperature increased,the content of the austenite in the steel gradually increased,while theκ-carbide gradually decomposed and finally disappeared.The mechanical properties of the steel with 5wt.%Al and 2wt.%Cr,composed of ferrite and Cr7C3carbide at different annealing temperatures,were significantly inferior to those of others.The steel containing 5wt.%Al,annealed at 820°C for 50sthen rapidly cooled to 400°C and held for 180s,can obtain the best product of strength and elongation（PSE）of 31242MPa·%.The austenite stability of the steel is better,and its PSE is higher.In addition,the steel with higher PSE has a more stable instantaneous strain hardening exponent（n value）,which is mainly caused by the effect of transformation induced plasticity（TRIP）.When theκ-carbide or Cr7C3carbide existed in the microstructure of the steel,there was an obvious yield plateau in the tensile curve,while its PSE decreased significantly.

Stress-mediated lithiation in nanoscale phase transformation electrodes

Development of high-performance phase transformation electrodes in lithium ion batteries requires comprehensive studies on stress-mediated lithiation involving migration of the phase interface. It brings out many counter-intuitive phenomena, especially in nanoscale electrodes, such as the slowing down migration of phase interface, the vanishing of miscibility gap under high charge rate, and the formation of surface crack during lithiation. However, it is still a challenge to simulate the evolution of stress in arbitrarily-shaped nanoscale electrodes, accompanied with phase transformation and concurrent plastic deformation. This article gives a brief review of our efforts devoted to address these issues by developing phase field model and simulation. We demonstrate that the miscibility gap of two-phase state is affected not only by stress but also by surface reaction rate and particle size. In addition, the migration of phase interface slows down due to stress. It reveals that the plastic deformation generates large radial expansion, which is responsible for the transition from surface hoop compression to surface hoop tension that may induce surface crack during lithiation. We hope our effort can make a contribution to the understanding of stress-coupled kinetics in phase transformation electrodes.

Energy Absorption and Deformation Mechanism of Lotus-type Porous Coppers in Perpendicular Direction

As metallic foams used for energy absorption in the automotive and aerospace industries, recently invented lotus-type porous metals are viewed as potential energy absorbers. Yet, solid conclusion on their eligibility as energy absorbers is still in question, particularly when compression is in the direction perpendicular to the axial orientation of cylindrical pores. In this work, the energy absorption of lotus-type porous coppers in the perpendicular direction is investigated at strain rates from 0.001 s^（-1） to^2400 s^（-1）. The energy absorption capacity and the energy absorption efficiency are calculated to be4–16 k J/kg and 0.32–0.7, respectively, slightly inferior to metal foams and the same porous solid compressed in the parallel direction due to the shortened extent of the plateau stress region. The deformation mechanism is examined experimentally in conjunction with finite element modeling. Both suggest that gradual squeeze and collapse of pores are the mechanisms accommodating the energy absorption. The deformation is generally evenly distributed over pore ligaments and independent of strain rate.

Temperature dependence of Lüders strain and its correlation with martensitic transformation in a medium Mn transformation-induced plasticity steel

The Luders deformation behavior in a medium Mn transformation induced plasticity （TRIP） steel is investigated at different temperatures ranging from 25 to 300 ℃. It demonstrates that the Ltiders band appears at all testing temperatures but with varied Luders strains which do not change monoton ically with temperature. The martensitic transformation is simultaneously observed within the Ltiders band in varying degrees depending on the testing temperature. It is well verified that the martensitic transformation is not responsible for the formation of Luders band, and a reasonable explanation is given for the non-monotonic variation of Luders strain with increasing temperature.

Surrogate models for the prediction of damage in reinforced concrete tunnels under internal water pressure

In the present study,the performance of reinforced concrete tunnel(RCT)under internal water pressure is evaluated by using nonlinear finite element analysis and surrogate models.Several parameters,including the compressive and tensile strength of concrete,the size of the longitudinal reinforcement bar,the transverse bar diameter,and the internal water pre ssure,are considered as the input variables.Based on the levels of variables,36 mix designs are selected by the Taguchi method,and 12 mix designs are proposed in this study.Carbon fiber reinforced concrete(CFRC)or glass fiber reinforced concrete(GFRC)is considered for simulating these 12 samples.Principal component regression(PCR),Multi Ln equation regression(MLnER),and gene expression programming(GEP)are employed for predicting the percentage of damaged surfaces(PDS)of the RCT,the effective tensile plastic strain(ETPS),the maximum deflection of the RCT,and the deflection of crown of RCT.The error terms and statistical parameters,including the maximum positive and negative errors,mean absolute percentage error(MAPE),root mean square error(RMSE),coefficient of determination,and normalized square error(NMSE),are utili zed to evaluate the accuracy of the models.Based on the results,GEP performs better than other models in predicting the outputs.The results sh ow that the internal water pressure and the mechanical properties of concrete have the most effect on the damag e and deflection of the RCT.

Deformation Mechanism in Fe_(61)Mn_(18)Si_(11)Cr_(10) Medium Entropy Alloy Under Different Strain Rates

We introduce a non-equiatomic Fe_(61)Mn_(18)Si_(11)Cr_(10) medium entropy alloy designed by subjecting it to transformation-induced plasticity upon deformation at room temperature. Microstructure characterization carried out using scanning electron microscopy(SEM), electron backscatter diffraction(EBSD), transmission electron microscopy(TEM) and X-ray diffraction(XRD) shows a homogeneous solid solution FCC + BCC structured dual phase. Investigations on the deformation substructures at specific strain levels via EBSD reveal the deformation-induced transformations of γ→α′ and γ→ ε. The strengths, particularly yield strength, of the designed alloy are found to be higher than these of the well-studied five component FeMnNiCoCr system for the introduction of the hard phase( α′-martensite). When tensile tests are performed at different strain rates of 10^(–4)s^(-1), 10^(–3)s^(-1), 10^(–2)s^(-1), the tested material exhibits a slightly negative strain rate sensitivity and work hardening rate sensitivity.