Numerical Analysis of Cold-Formed Thin-Walled Steel Short Columns with Pitting Corrosion during Bridge Construction

Pitting corrosion is harmful during bridge construction,which will lead to uneven roughness of steel surfaces and reduce the thickness of steel.Hence,the effect of pitting corrosion on the mechanical properties of cold-formed thin-walled steel stub columns is studied,and the empirical formulas are established through regression fitting to predict the ultimate load of web and flange under pitting corrosion.In detail,the failure modes and load-displacement curves of specimens with different locations,area ratios,and depths are obtained through a large number of non-linear finite element analysis.As for the specimens with pitting corrosion on the web,all the specimens are subject to local buckling failure,and the failure mode will not change with pitting corrosion,but the failure location will change with pitting corrosion location;the size,location,and area ratio of pitting corrosion have little influence on the ultimate load of cold-formed thin-walled steel short columns,but the loss rate of pitting corrosion section area has a greater impact on the ultimate bearing capacity.As for the specimen with flange pitting corrosion,the location and area ratio of pitting corrosion have less influence on the ultimate load of cold-formed thin-walled steel short columns,and the section area loss rate has greater influence on the ultimate bearing capacity;the impact of web pitting corrosion on the ultimate load is greater than that of flange pitting corrosion under the same condition of pitting corrosion section area.The prediction formulas of limit load which are suitable for pitting corrosion of web and flange are established,which can provide a reference for performance evaluation of corroded cold-formed thin-walled steel.

Optimization of Fixture Number in Large Thin-Walled Parts Assembly Based on IPSO

There are lots of researches on fixture layout optimization for large thin-walled parts.Current researches focus on the positioning problem,i.e.,optimizing the positions of a constant number of fixtures.However,how to determine the number of fixtures is ignored.In most cases,the number of fixtures located on large thin-walled parts is determined based on engineering experience,which leads to huge fixture number and extra waste.Therefore,this paper constructs an optimization model to minimize the number of fixtures.The constraints are set in the optimization model to ensure that the part deformation is within the surface profile tolerance.In addition,the assembly gap between two parts is also controlled.To conduct the optimization,this paper develops an improved particle swarm optimization(IPSO)algorithm by integrating the shrinkage factor and adaptive inertia weight.In the algorithm,particles are encoded according to the fixture position.Each dimension of the particle is assigned to a sub-region by constraining the optional position range of each fixture to improve the optimization efficiency.Finally,a case study on ship curved panel assembly is provided to prove that our method can optimize the number of fixtures while meeting the assembly quality requirements.This research proposes a method to optimize the number of fixtures,which can reduce the number of fixtures and achieve deformation control at the same time.

Development of Fixture Layout Optimization for Thin-Walled Parts:A Review

An increasing number of researchers have researched fixture layout optimization for thin-walled part assembly during the past decades.However,few papers systematically review these researches.By analyzing existing literature,this paper summarizes the process of fixture layout optimization and the methods applied.The process of optimization is made up of optimization objective setting,assembly variation/deformation modeling,and fixture layout optimization.This paper makes a review of the fixture layout for thin-walled parts according to these three steps.First,two different kinds of optimization objectives are introduced.Researchers usually consider in-plane variations or out-of-plane deformations when designing objectives.Then,modeling methods for assembly variation and deformation are divided into two categories:Mechanism-based and data-based methods.Several common methods are discussed respectively.After that,optimization algorithms are reviewed systematically.There are two kinds of optimization algorithms:Traditional nonlinear programming and heuristic algorithms.Finally,discussions on the current situation are provided.The research direction of fixture layout optimization in the future is discussed from three aspects:Objective setting,improving modeling accuracy and optimization algorithms.Also,a new research point for fixture layout optimization is discussed.This paper systematically reviews the research on fixture layout optimization for thin-walled parts,and provides a reference for future research in this field.

Meter-Scale Thin-Walled Structure with Lattice Infill for Fuel Tank Supporting Component of Satellite:Multiscale Design and Experimental Verification

Lightweight thin-walled structures with lattice infill are widely desired in satellite for their high stiffness-to-weight ratio and superior buckling strength resulting fromthe sandwich effect.Such structures can be fabricated bymetallic additive manufacturing technique,such as selective laser melting(SLM).However,the maximum dimensions of actual structures are usually in a sub-meter scale,which results in restrictions on their appliance in aerospace and other fields.In this work,a meter-scale thin-walled structure with lattice infill is designed for the fuel tank supporting component of the satellite by integrating a self-supporting lattice into the thickness optimization of the thin-wall.The designed structure is fabricated by SLM of AlSi10Mg and cold metal transfer welding technique.Quasi-static mechanical tests and vibration tests are both conducted to verify the mechanical strength of the designed large-scale lattice thin-walled structure.The experimental results indicate that themeter-scale thin-walled structure with lattice infill could meet the dimension and lightweight requirements of most spacecrafts.

Boundary Element Analysis forModeⅢCrack Problems of Thin-Walled Structures from Micro-to Nano-Scales

This paper develops a new numerical framework for modeⅢcrack problems of thin-walled structures by integrating multiple advanced techniques in the boundary element literature.The details of special crack-tip elements for displacement and stress are derived.An exponential transformation technique is introduced to accurately calculate the nearly singular integral,which is the key task of the boundary element simulation of thin-walled structures.Three numerical experiments with different types of cracks are provided to verify the performance of the present numerical framework.Numerical results demonstrate that the present scheme is valid for modeⅢcrack problems of thin-walled structures with the thickness-to-length ratio in the microscale,even nanoscale,regime.

Natural Frequency of Planetary Transmission with Thin-Walled Ring Gear on Elastic Supports

A lumped parameter-rigid elastic coupled dynamic model of two-stage planetary gears for a hybrid car is established through the inter-stage coupled method,in which the supports of the ring gear of planet set Ⅱ are represented as an elastic foundation with radial and tangential uniform distributed stiffness,and the ring gear of planet set Ⅱ is modeled as an elastic continuum body. The natural frequencies based on the eigenvalue problem of dynamic model of planetary transmission are solved and the associated vibration modes are discussed. The rules are revealed which are the influences of the ring gear elastic supports stiffness and rim thickness on natural frequencies of planetary transmission. The theoretical analysis indicates that the vibration modes of planetary transmission with thin-walled ring gear on elastic supports are classified into seven types: Ⅰ/Ⅱ stage coupled rotational mode,Ⅰ stage translational mode,Ⅰ stage planet mode,Ⅱ stage translational mode,Ⅱ stage degenerate planet mode,Ⅱ stage distinct planet mode and purely ring gear mode. For each vibration mode, its properties are summarized. The numerical solutions show that the elastic supports stiffness and rim thickness of the ring gear of planet set Ⅱ have different influences on natural frequencies.

Study on buffering performance of thin-walled metal tube with different angles

High frequency shock load is often generated during pyrotechnic device working, which is detrimental to spacecraft structures and electric devices. Therefore, it is valuable to reduce the shock load in pyrotechnic device design. Actually, there are several ways to decrease pyroshock loads, such as reduction of powder,installation of buffering structure, insulation of damageable devices, and so on. Considered assuring the function of pyrotechnic device and minimum of structure modification, shock absorbing structure is more propitious to be introduced in pyrotechnic device. In this paper, based on the method of thinwalled metal tube diameter-expanding, a thin-walled tube shock buffering structure was designed on a separate bolt. Built on the simplified structure of a separate bolt, the model of cone piston impacting thin-walled tube absorber was established, and the thin-walled tube shock absorbing characteristics and the relation between cone angles and absorber performance were analyzed. The results showed that the change of buffering force of thin-walled tube could be divided into four phases, and each phase was correspondent to the cone piston structure. In addition, as the cone angle increases, the max shock acceleration changes in the style of decrease-increase-decrease-increase, which is the result of coupled effects of cone piston max enter depth, buffering force and energy loss. In short, these results could establish the relationships between thin-walled tube absorbing performance and its structure, which is of significance to develop low-shock pyrotechnic device.

Geometric Accuracy and Energy Absorption Characteristics of 3D Printed Continuous Ramie Fiber Reinforced Thin-Walled Composite Structures

The application of continuous natural fibers as reinforcement in composite thin-walled structures offers a feasible approach to achieve light weight and high strength while remaining environmentally friendly.In addition,additive manufacturing technology provides a favorable process foundation for its realization.In this study,the printability and energy absorption properties of 3D printed continuous fiber reinforced thin-walled structures with different configurations were investigated.The results suggested that a low printing speed and a proper layer thickness would mitigate the printing defects within the structures.The printing geometry accuracy of the structures could be further improved by rounding the sharp corners with appropriate radii.This study successfully fabricated structures with vari-ous configurations characterized by high geometric accuracy through printing parameters optimization and path smoothing.Moreover,the compressive property and energy absorption characteristics of the structures under quasi-static axial compression were evaluated and compared.It was found that all studied thin-walled structures exhibited progressive folding deformation patterns during compression.In particular,energy absorption process was achieved through the combined damage modes of plastic deformation,fiber pullout and delamination.Furthermore,the com-parison results showed that the hexagonal structure exhibited the best energy absorption performance.The study revealed the structure-mechanical property relationship of 3D printed continuous fiber reinforced composite thin-walled structures through the analysis of multiscale failure characteristics and load response,which is valuable for broadening their applications.

A Numerical-analytic Method for Quickly Predicting Springback of Numerical Control Bending of Thin-walled Tube

Springback is one of important factors influencing the forming quality of numerical control （NC） bending of thin-walled tube. In this paper, a numerical-analytic method for springback angle prediction of the process was put forward. The method is based on springback angle model derived using analytic method and simulation results from three-dimensional （3D） rigid-plastic finite element method （FEM）. The method is validated through comparison with experimental results. The features of the method are as follows： （1） The method is high in efficiency because it combines advantages of rigid-plastic FEM and analytic method. （2） The method is satisfactory in accuracy, since the field variables used in the model is resulting from 3D rigid-plastic FEM solution, and the effects both of axial force and strain neutral axis shift have been included. （3） Research on multi-factor effects can be carried out using the method due to its advantage inheriting from rigid-plastic FEM. The method described here is also of general significance to other bending processes.

Sheet Bulk Forming of Thin-Walled Components with External Gearing through Upsetting Using Controllable Deformation Zone Method

Sheet-bulk metal forming(SBMF)is a promising process for manufacturing complex sheet components with functional elements.In this study,the entire forming process for a typical thin-walled component with external gearing is investigated,including sheet forming and bulk forming processes.Deep drawn cups are prepared during sheet forming;subsequently,upsetting is performed on the sidewall to form external gearing.The upsetting method performed is known as upsetting with a controllable deformation zone(U-CDZ).Compared with the conventional upsetting method,a floating counter punch with a counter force is used in the U-CDZ method such that the forming mechanism is changed into the accumulation of the deformation zone instead of deformation throughout the entire sidewall.The effects of the counter force and material flow are investigated to understand the mechanism.The forming quality,i.e.,the formfilling and effective strain distribution,improved,whereas a high forming load is avoided.In addition,a punch with a lock bead is used to prevent folding at the inner corner during the experiment.

Experimental Study on Entropy Features in Machining Vibrations of A Thin-Walled Tubular Workpiece

In machining processes,chatter vibrations are always regarded as one of the major limitations for production quality and efficiency.Accurate and timely monitoring of chatter is helpful to maintain stable machining operations.At present,most chatter monitoring methods are based on the energy level at specified chatter frequencies or frequency bands.However,the spectral features of chatter could change during machining operations due to complexity and time-varying dynamics of the physical machining process.The purpose of this paper is to investigate the time-varying chatter features in turning of thin-walled tubular workpieces from the perspective of entropy.The airborne acoustics was selected as the source of information for machining condition monitoring.First,corresponding to the distinguishing surface topographies relevant to machining conditions,the features of the sound signal emitted during turning of the thin-walled cylindrical workpieces were extracted using the spectral analysis and wavelet packet transform,respectively.It was shown that the dominant vibration frequency as well as the energy distribution could shift with the transition of the machining status.After that,two relative entropy indicators based on the spectrum and the wavelet packet energy were constructed to identify chattering events in turning of the thin-walled tubes.The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed indicators could accurately reflect the transition of machining conditions with high sensitivity and robustness in comparison with the traditional FFT-based methods.The achievement of this study lays the foundations of the online chatter monitoring and control technique for turning of the thin-walled tubular workpieces.

Cover story: Neuromodulation Brings Sunshine to Diseased Brains

Various invasive and non-invasive brain modulation methods are widely used to regulate sensory,cognitive,and motor functions both within local and large brain networks.This special issue provides innovative studies to optimize relevant methods and understand their neural mechanisms,paving the way for personalized neuromodulation of cognitive function.The cover of this issue uses the image of the four heavenly Kings in Chinese culture who are in charge of good weather.It compares the process of neuroregulation technology that integrates the principles of sound,light electricity or magnetism in treating the diseased brain,to the moment when these gods cast their spells to bring sunshine and peace to the human brain in the midst of lightning and thunder.

Rising utilization of stable isotopes in tree rings for climate change and forest ecology

Analyses of stable isotopes(C,O,H)in tree rings are increasingly important cross-disciplinary programs.The rapid development in this field documented in an increasing number of publications requires a comprehensive review.This study includes a bibliometric analysis-based review to better understand research trends in tree ring stable isotope research.Overall,1475 publications were selected from the Web of Science Core Collection for 1974-2023.The findings are that:(1)numbers of annual publications and citations increased since 1974.From 1974 to 1980,there were around two relevant publications per year.However,from 2020 to 2022,this rose sharply to 109 publications per year.Likewise,average article citations were less than four per year before 1990,but were around four per article per year after 2000;(2)the major subjects using tree ring stable isotopes include forestry,geosciences,and environmental sciences,contributing to 42.5%of the total during 1974-2023;(3)the top three most productive institutions are the Chinese Academy of Sciences(423),the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest,Snow and Landscape Research(227),and the University of Arizona(204).These achievements result from strong collaborations;(4)review papers,for example,(Dawson et al.,Annu Rev Ecol Syst 33:507-559,2002)and(McCarroll and Loader,Quat Sci Rev 23:771-801,2004),are among the most cited,with more than 1000 citations;(5)tree ring stable isotope studies mainly focus on climatology and ecology,with atmospheric CO_(2) one of the most popular topics.Since 2010,precipitation and drought have received increasing attention.Based on this analysis,the research stages,key findings,debated issues,limitations and direc-tions for future research are summarized.This study serves as an important attempt to understand the progress on the use of stable isotopes in tree rings,providing scientific guid-ance for young researchers in this field.

Dynamics of a rotating ring-stiffened sandwich conical shell with an auxetic honeycomb core

The free vibration analysis of a rotating sandwich conical shell with a reentrant auxetic honeycomb core and homogenous isotropic face layers reinforced with a ring support is studied.The shell is modeled utilizing the first-order shear deformation theory(FSDT)incorporating the relative,centripetal,and Coriolis accelerations alongside the initial hoop tension created by the rotation.The governing equations,compatibility conditions,and boundary conditions are attained using Hamilton’s principle.Utilizing trigonometric functions,an analytical solution is derived in the circumferential direction,and a numerical one is presented in the meridional direction via the differential quadrature method(DQM).The effects of various factors on the critical rotational speeds and forward and backward frequencies of the shell are studied.The present work is the first theoretical work regarding the dynamic analysis of a rotating sandwich conical shell with an auxetic honeycomb core strengthened with a ring support.

Analysis and optimization of stamping and forming process of bearing outer ring

To address the common issues of wrinkling,tearing,and uneven wall thickness in the actual sheet metal stamp-ing process of the outer ring of needle roller bearings,this study analyzes critical technical indicators such asforming limits,thickness distribution,and principal strains in the forming process in detail.Three-dimensionalmodels of the concave and convex dies were constructed.The effects of different process parameters,includingstamping speed,edge pressure,sheet metal thickness,and friction coefficient,on the quality of the forming partswere investigated by varying these parameters.Subsequently,the orthogonal experimental method was used todetermine an optimal experimental group from multiple sets of experiments.It was found that under the processparameters of a stamping speed of 3000 mm/s,edge pressure of 2000 N,sheet metal thickness of 0.9 mm,andfriction coefficient of 0.125,the forming quality of the outer ring of the bearing is ideal.

Stability assessment of tree ring growth of Pinus armandii Franch in response to climate change based on slope directions at the Lubanling in the Funiu Mountains,China

Global warming will affect growth strategies and how trees will adapt.To compare the response of tree radial growth to climate warming in different slope directions,samples of Pinus armandii Franch were collected and tree-ring chronologies developed on northern and western slopes from the Lubanling in the Funiu Mountains.Correlation analyses showed that two chronologies were mainly limited by temperatures in the previous June-August and the com-bination of temperatures and moisture in the current May-July.The difference of the climate response to slopes was small but not negligible.Radial growth of the LBLO1 site on the northern slope was affected by the combined maximum and minimum temperatures,while that of the LBLO2 site was affected by maximum temperatures.With regards to moisture,radial growth of the trees on the north slope was influenced by the relative humidity in the current May-July,while on the western slope,it was affected by the relative humidity in the previous June-August,the current May-July and the precipitation in the current May-July.With the change in climate,the effects of the main limiting factors on growth on different slopes were visible to a certain extent,but the differences in response of trees on different slopes gradually decreased,which might be caused by factors such as different slope directions and the change in diurnal temperature range.These results may provide information for forest protection and ecological construction in this region,and a scientific reference for future climate reconstruction.

Stability assessment of tree ring growth of Pinus armandii Franch in response to climate change based on slope directions at the Lubanling in the Funiu Mountains,China

Global warming will affect growth strategies and how trees will adapt.To compare the response of tree radial growth to climate warming in different slope directions,samples of Pinus armandii Franch were collected and treering chronologies developed on northern and western slopes from the Lubanling in the Funiu Mountains.Correlation analyses showed that two chronologies were mainly limited by temperatures in the previous June–August and the combination of temperatures and moisture in the current May–July.The difference of the climate response to slopes was small but not negligible.Radial growth of the LBL01 site on the northern slope was affected by the combined maximum and minimum temperatures,while that of the LBL02 site was affected by maximum temperatures.With regards to moisture,radial growth of the trees on the north slope was influenced by the relative humidity in the current May–July,while on the western slope,it was affected by the relative humidity in the previous June–August,the current May–July and the precipitation in the current May–July.With the change in climate,the effects of the main limiting factors on growth on different slopes were visible to a certain extent,but the differences in response of trees on different slopes gradually decreased,which might be caused by factors such as different slope directions and the change in diurnal temperature range.These results may provide information for forest protection and ecological construction in this region,and a scientific reference for future climate reconstruction.

Annual growth of Fagus orientalis is limited by spring drought conditions in Iran’s Golestan Province

Due to the lack of a uniform and accurate defi-nition of‘drought’,several indicators have been introduced based on different variables and methods,and the efficiency of each of these is determined according to their relationship with drought.The relationship between two drought indices,SPI(standardized precipitation index)and SPEI(standard-ized precipitation-evapotranspiration index)in different sea-sons was investigated using annual rings of 15 tree samples to determine the effect of drought on the growth of oriental beech(Fagus orientalis Lipsky)in the Hyrcanian forests of northern Iran.The different evapotranspiration calcula-tion methods were evaluated on SPEI efficiency based on Hargreaves-Samani,Thornthwaite,and Penman-Monteith methods using the step-by-step M5 decision tree regression method.The results show that SPEI based on the Penman-Monteith in a three-month time scale(spring)had similar temporal changes and a better relationship with annual tree rings(R^(2)=0.81)at a 0.05 significant level.Abrupt change and a decreasing trend in the time series of annual tree rings are similar to the variation in the SPEI based on the Penman-Monteith method.Factors affecting evapotranspiration,temperature,wind speed,and sunshine hours(used in the Penman-Monteith method),increased but precipitation decreased.Using non-linear modeling methods,SPEI based on Penman-Monteith best illustrated climate changes affecting tree growth.

Single atom Cu-N-C catalysts for the electro-reduction of CO_(2) to CO assessed by rotating ring-disc electrode

The electrochemical CO_(2) reduction reaction(CO_(2)RR) to controllable chemicals is considered as a promising pathway to store intermittent renewable energy. Herein, a set of catalysts based on copper-nitrogendoped carbon xerogel(Cu-N-C) are successfully developed varying the copper amount and the nature of the copper precursor, for the efficient CO_(2)RR. The electrocatalytic performance of Cu-N-C materials is assessed by a rotating ring-disc electrode(RRDE), technique still rarely explored for CO_(2)RR. For comparison, products are also characterized by online gas chromatography in a H-cell. The as-synthesized Cu-NC catalysts are found to be active and highly CO selective at low overpotentials(from -0.6 to -0.8 V vs.RHE) in 0.1 M KHCO_(3), while H_(2) from the competitive water reduction appears at larger overpotentials(-0.9 V vs. RHE). The optimum copper acetate-derived catalyst containing Cu-N_(4) moieties exhibits a CO_(2)-to-CO turnover frequency of 997 h^(-1) at -0.9 V vs. RHE with a H_(2)/CO ratio of 1.8. These results demonstrate that RRDE configuration can be used as a feasible approach for identifying electrolysis products from CO_(2)RR.

Impact of Alcian blue and periodic acid Schiff expression on the prognosis of gastric signet ring cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND The Alcian blue(AB)and periodic acid Schiff(PAS)stains are representative mucus markers in gastric signet ring cell carcinoma(SRCC).They are low-cost special staining methods used to detect acidic mucus and neutral mucus,respectively.However,the clinical importance of the special combined AB and PAS stain is unclear.AIM To investigate AB expression,PAS expression and the AB-to-PAS(A/P)ratio in gastric SRCC patients and to assess patient prognosis.METHODS Paraffin-embedded sections from 83 patients with gastric SRCC were stained with AB and PAS,and signet ring cell positivity was assessed quantitatively.Immuno-histochemical staining for Ki67,protein 53(P53)and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2(HER2)was performed simultaneously.The cancer-specific survival(CSS)rate was estimated via Kaplan-Meier analysis.Cox proportional hazards models were used for univariate and multivariate survival analyses.RESULTS Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed that the 3-year CSS rate was significantly greater in the high-PAS-expression subgroup than in the low-PAS-expression subgroup(P<0.001).The 3-year CSS rate in the A/P≤0.5 group was significantly greater than that in the A/P>0.5 group(P=0.042).Univariate Cox regression analysis revealed that the factors affecting prognosis included tumor diameter,lymph node metastasis,vessel carcinoma embolus,tumor stage,the A/P ratio and the expression of Ki67,P53 and the PAS.Cox multivariate regression analysis confirmed that low PAS expression[hazard ratio(HR)=3.809,95%confidence interval(CI):1.563-9.283,P=0.003]and large tumor diameter(HR=2.761,95%CI:1.086-7.020,P=0.033)were independent risk factors for poor prognosis.CONCLUSION A/P>0.5 is potentially a risk factor for prognosis,and low PAS expression is an independent risk factor in the prognosis of gastric SRCC.PAS expression and the A/P ratio could help in predicting the clinical prognosis of patients with SRCC.