Effect of N on microstructure and mechanical properties of as-cast Ti-6Al alloy

In-situ titanium matrix composites with N content of 0.045-0.27 wt% have been produced by a casting method. The microstructure and mechanical properties of as-cast materials have been observed and tested. The results show that when N content in Ti-6Al alloy is between 0045 wt% and 027 wt%, the reinforcement is a compound of Ti, Al and N, and volume fraction of reinforcements increases with an increase of N content. The hardness, compressive strength and elastic modulus are all higher than that of the matrix alloy. With the increase of N content, the compressive strength, the hardness and the elastic modulus increase. Fracture surface analysis has also shown that the matrix alloy fractures in a ductile model and the composites fracture in a cleavage brittle model with characteristics of dimple and cleavage surface.

EVALUATION OF THE PROBABILITY DISTRIBUTION OF PITTING CORROSION FATIGUE LIFE IN AIRCRAFT MATERIALS

Corrosion and fatigue properties of aircraft materials are known to have a considerable scatter due to the random nature of materials,loading,and environmental conditions.A probabilistic approach for predicting the pitting corrosion fatigue life has been investigated which captures the effect of the interaction of the cyclic load and corrosive environment and all stages of the corrosion fatigue process (i.e.the pit nucleation and growth,pit-crack transition,short- and long-crack propagation).The probabilistic model investigated considers the uncertainties in the initial pit size,corrosion pitting current,and material properties due to the scatter found in the experimental data.Monte Carlo simulations were performed to define the failure probability distribution.Predicted cumulative distribution functions of fatigue life agreed reasonably well with the existing experimental data.

Effects of carbon content and solidification rate on thermal conductivity of grey cast iron

The thermal conductivity or diffusivity of pearlitic grey irons with various carbon contents is investigated by the laser flash method. The materials are cast in controlled thermal environments and produced in three dissimilar cooling rates. The cooling rate together with the carbon content largely influence the thermal conductivity of grey iron. Linear relationships exist between the thermal conductivity and the carbon content,the carbon equivalent and the fraction of former primary solidified austenite transformed into pearlite. The work shows that optimal thermal transport properties are obtained at medium cooling rates. Equations describing the thermal conductivity of pearlite,solidified as pre-eutectic austenite,and the eutectic of grey iron are derived. The thermal conductivity of pearlitic grey iron is modeled at both room temperature and elevated temperature with good accuracy.

Investigation of ductile iron casting process parameters using Taguchi approach and response surface methodology

To find the optimized levels of various casting parameters in the ductile iron casting, various casting defects and the rejection rate were observed from a medium scale foundry. The controlled values of different casting parameters such as pouring temperature, inoculation, carbon equivalent, moisture content, green compression strength, permeability and mould hardness were selected. Three different melts of metal with 0.4wt.%, 0.6wt.%, and 0.8wt.% inoculation(Fe-Si-Mg alloy and post inoculant) were produced using a 1-ton capacity coreless medium frequency induction furnace. L-27 orthogonal array with 3-level settings were chosen for the analysis. Responses for each run were observed. The signal-to-noise(S/N) ratio for each run was calculated using the Taguchi approach, and the optimized levels of different casting parameters were identified based on the S/N ratio. The analysis of variance for the casting acceptance percentage concludes that inoculation is the most significant factor affecting the castings' quality with a contribution percentage of 44%; an increase in inoculation results in a significant improvement in acceptance percentage of ductile iron castings. The experiment results showed that with the optimized parameters, the rejection rate was reduced from 16.98% to 6.07%.

ON THE IDENTIFICATION OF RESIDUAL IMPACT PROPERTIES OF MATERIALS BY ACOUSTO-ULTRASONICS——A PATTERN RECOGNITION APPROACH

This paper deals with the application of Acousto-ultrasonics,in con-junction with Pattern Recognition and Classification techniques,to the identificationof residual impact properties of a class of polymeric material,namely,Polyvinylchlo-ride(PVC).PVC specimens of different low-energy repeated impact damage statesare processed by Acousto-ultrasonics(AU)to retrieve AU signals in the form of dig-italized records.These AU signals are grouped as distinct classes,each pertaining toa known level of repeated impact damage.Describing features of these AU signalsare used to build Pattern Recognition(PR)Classifiers.These classifiers are usedto identify unknown damage states in other PVC specimens by classifying the re-trieved AU signals as belonging to one of the classes.The obtained results indicatethat Acousto-ultrasonics in combination with Pattern Recognition and Classificationtechniques can be used for the quantitative non-destructive identification of damagestates in PVC specimens of unknown low-energy repeated impact conditions.

Directional solidification of metal-gas eutectic and fabrication of regular porous metals

Directional solidification of metal-gas eutectic (Gasar) is a novel process for making regular porous metals.This process is based on a solid-gas eutectic reaction involving a gaseous medium and a metal or a ceramic phase, andallows an easy control of the porosity, such as its pore size, pore orientation and morphology in a wide range by properlyadjusting its melting and solidification conditions. The latest progress and our research work in this field are reviewed inthis paper.

Refinement of primary Si grains of A390 alloy slurry through serpentine channel pouring process

In this paper, the serpentine channel pouring process for preparing a semi-solid A390 alloy slurry and refining the primary Si grains of the A390 alloy, was used. The effects of the pouring temperature, the cooling water flow and the number of the curves on the size of the primary Si grains in the semi-solid A390 alloy slurry were investigated. The results show that the pouring temperature, the cooling water flow and the number of the curves have a major effect on the size and the distribution of primary Si grains. Under the experimental condition of the four-curve copper channel whose cooling water flow was 500 L·h-1 and the pouring temperature was 690 oC, the primary Si grains of the semi-solid A390 alloy slurry were refined to the greatest extent and the lath-like grains were changed into granular ones. Additionally, the equivalent grain diameter and the average shape factor of the primary Si grains of the satisfactory semi-solid A390 alloy slurry are 18.6 μm and 0.8, respectively. Further, the refinement mechanism of the primary Si grains through the serpentine channel pouring process was analyzed and discussed. In summary, the primary Si nuclei could be easily precipitated due to the chilling effect of the channel inner wall, thus the primary Si grains were greatly refined. Meanwhile, the subsequent alloy melt fluid also promoted the separation of primary Si grains from the inner wall, further refining the primary Si grains.

Flow and cavitation characteristics of water hydraulic poppet valves

Two types of poppet valves were tested, one is a poppet with a sharp-edged seats, and the other is that with a chamfered seat. During the tests, the effects of backpressure and poppet lift on flow characteristics were considered. Cavitation inception was detected by the appearance and rapid growth of a particular low frequency component of the outlet pressure fluctuation of valve when cavitation occurs. Experimental results show cavitation, back pressure, valve opening and its geometrical shape have significant effects on the flow characteristics of valve. The flow coefficient of throttle with water used as working medium is 0 85～0 95 when there is no cavitation. The pressure drop of flow saturation decreases with the increasing of poppet lift. The sharp-edged throttle has stronger anti-cavitation ability than the chamfered one.

Reduce the noise of punch press with the equivalent damping

To reduce the noise of the punch press during the punching process, the polyurethane elastomer is used as the damping material. The experiments of reducing noise were made by means of adding the polyurethane elastomer at different positions on the 100 kN and 1 000 kN punch presses. The better effect of reducing noise was obtained. After researching and analyzing a large number of test data, the ″equivalent damping hypothesis″ is put forward. The hypothesis makes the experiment of reducing noise simpler and also more economical. It is estimated that there is a vast application in the research area of vibration control and noise reduction.

Study on the servo control system of MWEDM

An ultra-precision servo control system for MWEDM (micro wire electrical discharge machining) based on piezoelectric ceramic motor drivers was developed. The servo discharge detection adopts an average voltage detection method, utilizes statistical methods to analyze the measured data, then controls discharge gap and makes the process more stable. The servo feed system based on DSP microprocessors applies a PID controller with incomplete derivation to reduce overshoot to improve machining accuracy, and also adopts adaptive dead-zone inverse compensation to eliminate dead-zone caused by piezoelectric ceramic motions in low servo feed speed. The simulation results show that the methods proposed in this paper can make the system recover its linearity and converge the dead-zone parameters. It is proved that the method proposed is efficient in solving this problem. Cooperating with a micro energy pulse generator, this equipment’s machining accuracy is smaller than ±0.2 micron, and surface roughness Ra is less than 0.1 micron. Punch die and cavity die (micro gear die, module 100 micron, thickness 3.5 millimeter) have been machined independently in two die steel work-pieces. These pieces can mate very well to work, which shows that the servo control system satisfies the need of MWEDM for high precision micro fabrication.

A new visco-elastic contact model of traveling wave ultrasonic motor with stator frictional layer

A new contact model of traveling wave ultrasonic motor (TWUSM) with a visco-elastic stator frictional layer was presented. In this model, the initial boundaries were revised, and the rotor revolution speed could be calculated iteratively. This model was compared with compliant slider and rigid stator model. The results of motor characteristics simulations showed that the motors based on this model would gain bigger stall torque. Then the friction and wear characteristics of two models were analyzed. The motors based on this model had lower coefficient of friction and better wear resistance.

Simulation analysis on influential factors of stick-slip

In this paper a new physical model for studying stick-slip is established. Based on the dynamics system of the model,the state equation of the system is presented. And simulation analysis on the influential factors of stick-slip is carried out. The relationship between stiffness ( horizontal and normal) ,dampness,mass, difference of static and kinetic coefficients of friction,driving velocity,and amplitude in normal direction is analyzed and parameters of stick-slip are evaluated. Results show that stick-slip can be reduced by improving horizontal stiffness,decreasing dampness,reducing mass,cutting down the difference of static and kinetic coefficients of friction,properly choosing the vertical stiffness and properly inducting the normal oscillation.

Study on geometric models of non-numerically controlled machining revolving cutter with constant pitch

This paper presents a new approach of designing the revolving cutter with constant pitch, and provides geometric models. The corresponding models in the non-numerically controlled manufacturing, such as designing the helical groove, grinding wheel, relative feeding motion, and calculating the helical angle of the cutting edge, are introduced. The examples are given to testify that the design approach is simple and readily realized in machining the revolving cutter with constant pitch. The effective design and manufacture method provides general references for non-NC machining revolving cutter with constant pitch and reducing the equipments input.

Effect of Oxide Assisted Metal Nanoparticles on Microstructure and Morphology of Gallium oxide Nanowires

Several researches have been reported about the characteristic of β-Ga_2O_3 nanowires which was synthesized on nickel oxide particle.But indeed,recent researches about synthesis of β-Ga_2O_3 nanowires on oxide-assisted transition metal are limited to nickel or cobalt oxide catalyst.In this work,Gallium oxide(β-Ga_2O_3)nanowires were synthesized by a simple thermal evaporation method from gallium powder in the range of 700-1000℃ using the iron,nickel,copper,cobalt and zinc oxide as a catalyst,respectively.The β-Ga_2O_3 nanowires with single crystalline without defects were successfully synthesized at the reaction temperature of 850,900 and 950℃ in all the catalysts.But optimum experimental condition in synthesis of nanowires varied with the kind of catalyst.As increasing synthesis temperature,the morphology of gallium oxide nanowires changed from nanowires to nanorods,and its diameter increased.From these results,we could be proposed that the growth mechanism of β-Ga_2O_3 nanowires was changed with synthesis temperature of nanowires.Microstructure and morphology of Synthesized nanowire was characterized by HR-TEM,FE-SEM,EDX and XRD.

Numerical analysis and experimental studies of membrane wrinkles

Wrinkling patterns and the rules of wrinkling formation and expansion were analyzed in this paper. Direct disturbing method,a numerical method for membrane wrinkling analysis,was established based on finite element programme. The experimental results using photogrammetric procedure were compared with numerical analysis results. It is shown that the reasonable wrinkling deformation can be obtained by rational mesh density and timely removes the initial flaw during analysis. Wrinkles firstly appear on the left and right sides then extend to the membrane center,and the wrinkling amplitude increases with shear displacement. Results from both of the experiments and numerical analysis have a good agreement,which verifies the rationality of the numerical analysis method.

Optimization of a High Speed Spinning Disk Spindle System for Minimum RRO , NRRO, and Lightweight by Using G.A.

Law level of RRO(Repeatable Run Out), NRRO(Non Repe at able Run Out), and lightweight construction are a major trend in the high-speed HDD(Hard Disk Drive) sytem to reduce track misregestration and to achieve high track density, which lead to succeed in the market. However, it is not easy to r educe RRO, NRRO, and the weight of the spinning disk spindle system efficiently because lightweight construction and or bearing stiffness changes often yields a decrease in the static and dynamic stiffness of the system, and consequently hi gh vibrations may be generated as a results. Therefore, it is of importance to e valuate in advance the accurate dynamic behavior of the high speed spinning disk spindle system of a HDD sysem. This study introduces an optimum design of the high speed spinning disk spindle system of a HDD for minimum RRO, NRRO, and lightweight construction using a gene tic algorithm. The spinning disk, hub, and bearing components of a HDD system ar e modelled as appropriate finite elements respectively and their equations of mo tion are derived to construct the system equations of the whole spinning disk sp indle system of the HDD system. The RRO and NRRO responses of the spinning disk, due to exciting forces arised from ball bearing faults and rotating unbalance, are analyzed. In the design optimation, the hub thickness, the disk thickness, bearing positio ns (or bearing span) and bearing stiffness were set as design variables. The uni que objective function is obtained by multiplying an appropriate weighting facto r by multi-objective functions, such as RRO, NRRO, and the total weight of HDD the system. The constraints are maximum RRO limit, maximum weight linit, and the critical speed limit of the HDD spindle system. Results show that the RRO, NRRO, and weight are reduced by 6%, 66.7% and 28% r espectively compared with the initial design of the HDD system. Therefore, thi s present study can be used for an optimum design of the spinning disk spindle s ystem of a HDD for lightweight construction and low vibrations.

Experimental Methods of Determining Fracture Toughness of Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composites under Various Loading Conditions

Polymer composites is a typical material consisting of a matrix reinforced with fiber/filler and the general nature of construction of the material itself provides innumerable sites for the initiation of a defect or for the growth of delamination. The life expectancy of composite structure requires a clear understanding of the material’s response to the growth of interlaminar delamination under Mode I, Mode II, Mode III and Mixed Modes. Fracture testing of fiber reinforced polymer-matrix composites is an active area of research. Even though substantial progress in the area of fracture testing has been achieved, there are still several problems awaiting solution. The new aspects in the experimental studies of interlaminar and intralaminar fracture toughness of polymer matrix composites were emphasized in this review paper. The different modes to evaluate the fracture energy were listed and their suitability was mentioned.

Superplastic Solid-Phase Welding of 40 Cr-T10A Steel

The microstructure of 40Cr and T10A steel sample and its surface to be welded is ultra-fined through salt-bath cyclic quenching and high frequency hardening, then the surface is cleaned. Under non-vacuum and no shielded gas, the welding parameter of isothermal superplastic solidphase welding and the effect of surface microstructure prior to pressure welding on the quality of joint are studied. At the temperature of 730～750°C and at initial strain rate of (2～4) × 10-4 s-1,the strength of the joint is up to or close to that of 40Cr base metal in 3～5 min pressure welding.

Analysis of Key Technologies and Equipments Development of Largescale Melted Extrusion Manufacturing Systems

To develop large-scale RP systems used to producing functional parts and large-sized models has become an urgentcall now. In this paper, a large-scale RP system, MEM600-l, based on the melted extrusion manufacturing (MEM)process has been developed successfully. And the key issues to develop such a system are discussed. Based on theactual forming experiment, it is concluded that the MEM600-l works reliably and the forming efficiency is muchhigher than its parallel equipments.

AN INVESTIGATION OF MODELLING ON DRAFTING PROCCES OF WOOLLEN GILL MACHINE

The combing process of gill machine is an important link in the wool spinning technology.Inorder to improve the quality of products,it is necessary to study the new autoleveling device whichuses the modern control theory and microcomputer science.We have to set up a mathematicalmodel for object:As the woolen yarns (both input and output) are complex random process,it issuitable for CARMA (controlled autoregressive-moving average) to describe the object by meansof time series analyses of models.