Finite Element Analysis and Experiment on Viscous Warm Pressure Bulging of AZ31B Magnesium Alloy

Aiming at overcoming the low plasticity of magnesium alloy at room temperature, we researched viscous warm pressure bulging（VWPB） of AZ31B magnesium alloy based on the excellent thermal stability of viscous medium under the warm forming condition. The potential improvements of plastic deformation ability and forming quality of AZ31B magnesium alloy are expected with the aid of thermal characteristics of viscous medium. During bulging process the velocity field variation and pressure stress field distribution of viscous medium are observed at different temperatures through which the effect of temperature on the mechanical property of viscous medium and AZ31B magnesium alloy are analyzed. The results show that the formability of AZ31B magnesium alloy increases first and then decreases as the temperature increases and it is the best at 200 ℃. On the other hand, the viscous medium which can build non-uniform pressure stress field also exhibits a good flow property at elevated temperature, and it is helpful to improving the formability of AZ31B magnesium alloy.

Mechanical design and analysis of bio-inspired reentrant negative Poisson’s ratio metamaterials with rigid-flexible distinction

Aiming at achieving tunable reentrant structures with rigidity and uniformity,respectively,the C-shaped and S-shaped reentrant metamaterials were proposed by the bionic design of animal structures.Utilizing beam theory and energy methodology,the analytical expressions of the equivalent elastic modulus of the metamaterials were derived.Differences in deformation modes,mechanical properties,and energy absorption capacities were characterized by using experiments and the finite element analysis method.The effects of ligament angle and thickness on the mechanical characteristics of two novel metamaterials were investigated by using a parametric analysis.The results show that the stiffness,deformation mode,stress-strain curve,and energy absorption effects of three metamaterials are significantly different.This design philosophy can be extended from 2D to 3D and is applicable at multiple dimensions.

Enhanced tribological properties of aligned graphene-epoxy composites

The random distribution of graphene in epoxy matrix hinders the further applications of grapheneepoxy composites in the field of tribology.Hence,in order to fully utilize the anisotropic properties of graphene,highly aligned graphene-epoxy composites(AGEC)with horizontally oriented structure have been fabricated via an improved vacuum filtration freeze-drying method.The frictional tests results indicated that the wear rate of AGEC slowly increased from 5.19x10^(-6)mm^(3)/(N-m)to 2.87x10^(-5)mm^(3)/(N-m)with the increasing of the normal load from 2 to 10 N,whereas the friction coefficient(COF)remained a constant of 0.109.Compared to the neat epoxy and random graphene-epoxy composites(RGEC),the COF of AGEC was reduced by 87.5%and 71.2%,and the reduction of wear rate was 86.6%and 85.4%at most,respectively.Scanning electron microscope(SEM)observations illustrated that a compact graphene self-lubricant film was formed on the worn surface of AGEC,which enables AGEC to possess excellent tribological performance.Finally,in light of the excellent tribological properties of AGEC,this study highlights a pathway to expand the tribological applications of graphene-epoxy composites.

Rapid Ultrasonic-Assisted Soldering of AZ31B Mg Alloy/6061 Al Alloy with Low-Melting-Point Sn–xZn Solders Without Flux in Air

A novel ultrasonic-assisted low-temperature soldering was developed to join AZ31B Mg alloy and 6061 Al alloy with a series of Sn–x Zn solders. The average maximum shear strength of the joints reaches up to 87.5 MPa at soldering temperature of 300 °C under ultrasonic assistance for only 5 s using Sn–20 Zn solder. The fracture path propagates completely in the soldering seam. The results indicate that the microjet generated by ultrasonic pressure in liquid solder could strike and splinter the Mg_2Sn intermetallic compounds into small pieces, which contributes to the enhancement of the joint strength. In addition, the primary Al(Zn) solid solution phase formed during cooling stage could also strengthen the joint due to the prevention of microcracks propagation.

Developing Prototype Simulants for Surface Materials and Morphology of Near Earth Asteroid 2016 HO3

There are a variety of applications for asteroid simulants in asteroid studies for science advances as well as technology maturation.For specific purpose,it usually requires purpose-specialized simulant.In this study,we designed and developed a set of prototype simulants as S-type asteroid surface materials analogue based on H,L,and LL ordinary chondrites’mineralogy and terrestrial observations of near-earth asteroid 2016 HO3,which is the Chinese sample return mission target.These simulants are able to simulate morphology and reflectance characteristics of asteroid(469219)2016 HO3 and,thus,to be used for engineering evaluation of the optical navigation system and the sampling device of the spacecraft during the mission phase.Meanwhile,these prototype simulants are easily to modify to reflect new findings on the asteroid surface when the spacecraft makes proximate observations.