A framework for dynamic modelling of railway track switches considering the switch blades,actuators and control systems

The main contribution of this paper is the development and demonstration of a novel methodology that can be followed to develop a simulation twin of a railway track switch system to test the functionality in a digital environment.This is important because,globally,railway track switches are used to allow trains to change routes;they are a key part of all railway networks.However,because track switches are single points of failure and safety-critical,their inability to operate correctly can cause significant delays and concomitant costs.In order to better understand the dynamic behaviour of switches during operation,this paper has developed a full simulation twin of a complete track switch system.The approach fuses finite element for the rail bending and motion,with physics-based models of the electromechanical actuator system and the control system.Hence,it provides researchers and engineers the opportunity to explore and understand the design space around the dynamic operation of new switches and switch machines before they are built.This is useful for looking at the modification or monitoring of existing switches,and it becomes even more important when new switch concepts are being considered and evaluated.The simulation is capable of running in real time or faster meaning designs can be iterated and checked interactively.The paper describes the modelling approach,demonstrates the methodology by developing the system model for a novel“REPOINT”switch system,and evaluates the system level performance against the dynamic performance requirements for the switch.In the context of that case study,it is found that the proposed new actuation system as designed can meet(and exceed)the system performance requirements,and that the fault tolerance built into the actuation ensures continued operation after a single actuator failure.

Fractal Prediction Model of Thermal Contact Conductance of Rough Surfaces

The thermal contact conductance problem is an important issue in studying the heat transfer of engineering surfaces, which has been widely studied since last few decades, and for predicting which many theoretical models have been established. However, the models which have been existed are lack of objectivity due to that they are mostly studied based on the statistical methodology characterization for rough surfaces and simple partition for the deformation formats of contact asperity. In this paper, a fractal prediction model is developed for the thermal contact conductance between two rough surfaces based on the rough surface being described by three-dimensional Weierstrass and Mandelbrot fractal function and assuming that there are three kinds of asperity deformation modes： elastic, elastoplastic and fully plastic. Influences of contact load and contact area as well as fractal parameters and material properties on the thermal contact conductance are investigated by using the presented model. The investigation results show that the thermal contact conductance increases with the increasing of the contact load and contact area. The larger the fractal dimension, or the smaller the fractal roughness, the larger the thermal contact conductance is. The thermal contact conductance increases with decreasing the ratio of Young＇s elastic modulus to the microhardness. The results obtained indicate that the proposed model can effectively predict the thermal contact conductance at the interface, which provide certain reference to the further study on the issue of heat transfer between contact surfaces.

Investigation of Experimental Devices for Finger Active and Passive Tactile Friction Analysis

Complicated tribological behavior occurs when human fingers touch and perceive the surfaces of objects.In this process,people use their exploration style with different conditions,such as contact load,sliding speed,sliding direction,and angle of orientation between fingers and object surface consciously or unconsciously.This work addressed interlaboratory experimental devices for finger active and passive tactile friction analysis,showing two types of finger movement.In active sliding experiment,the participant slid their finger freely against the object surface,requiring the subject to control the motion conditions themselves.For passive sliding experiments,these motion conditions were adjusted by the device.Several analysis parameters,such as contact force,vibration acceleration signals,vibration magnitude,and fingerprint deformation were recorded simultaneously.Noticeable friction differences were observed when comparing active sliding and passive sliding.For passive sliding,stick-slip behavior occurred when sliding in the distal direction,evidenced by observing the friction force and the related deformation of the fingerprint ridges.The employed devices showed good repeatability and high reliability,which enriched the design of the experimental platform and provided guidance to the standardization research in the field of tactile friction.

Tribocorrosion behaviour of Ti6Al4V under various normal loads in phosphate buffered saline solution

Tribocorrosion tests were conducted on Ti6 Al4 V against alumina in phosphate buffered saline solution under normal loads of 3-30 N(corresponding to the maximum Hertzian contact pressures of 816-1758 MPa) using a ball-on-disk tribometer. Nano-hardness measurements revealed the formation of work-hardened layers on the pure wear and tribocorrosion surfaces. As the normal load increased from 15 to 30 N during the pure wear, the surface hardness was increased by about 100%. However, a lower generation of wear debris resulted in a lower wear rate under a normal load of 30 N. The presence of corrosion caused an increase in the wear rates by 28%-245% under various normal loads. The corrosion current density acquired from polarization curves was increased by three orders of magnitude and the open circuit potential(OCP) shifted to more negative potentials during tribocorrosion compared with the stagnant condition. The successive formation and removal of tribofilms, which consisted of oxygen and phosphorous compounds, resulted in peaks in the OCP trend and lower fluctuations in coefficient of friction under normal loads higher than 3 N.

Harnessing the HDAC–histone deacetylase enzymes,inhibitors and how these can be utilised in tissue engineering

There are large knowledge gaps regarding how to control stem cells growth and differentiation.The limitations of currently available technologies,such as growth factors and/or gene therapies has led to the search of alternatives.We explore here how a cell’s epigenome influences determination of cell type,and potential applications in tissue engineering.A prevalent epigenetic modification is the acetylation of DNA core histone proteins.Acetylation levels heavily influence gene transcription.Histone deacetylase (HDAC) enzymes can remove these acetyl groups,leading to the formation of a condensed and more transcriptionally silenced chromatin.Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACis) can inhibit these enzymes,resulting in the increased acetylation of histones,thereby affecting gene expression.There is strong evidence to suggest that HDACis can be utilised in stem cell therapies and tissue engineering,potentially providing novel tools to control stem cell fate.This review introduces the structure/function of HDAC enzymes and their links to different tissue types (specifically bone,cardiac,neural tissues),including the history,current status and future perspectives of using HDACis for stem cell research and tissue engineering,with particular attention paid to how different HDAC isoforms may be integral to this field.

Biomechanical Optimization of Elastic Modulus Distribution in Porous Femoral Stem for Artificial Hip Joints

Long-term loosening is the major cause of failure of arthroplasty. One of the major causes is stress shielding, initiated by the large stiffness difference between prosthesis and bone tissue. Therefore, prosthesis with reduced stiffness properties to match those of the bone tissue may be able to minimize such a problem. Design with porous structure is believed to reduce the stiffness of the prosthesis, however at the cost of decreased strength. In this study, a patient-specific bone-implant finite element model was developed for contact mechanics study of hip joint, and algorithms were developed to adjust the elastic modulus of elements in certain regions of the femoral stem, until optimal properties were achieved according to the pre-defined criterions of the strength and stability of the system. The global safety factor of the optimized femoral stem was 11.3, and 26.4% of elements were designed as solid. The bone volume with density loss was reduced by 40% compared to the solid stem. The methodology developed in this study provides a universal method to design a patient-specific prosthesis with a gradient modulus distribution for the purposes of minimizing the stress shielding effect and extending the lifespan of the implant.

Fretting-corrosion mechanisms of Ti6Al4V against CoCrMo in simulated body fluid under various fretting states

Ti6Al4V alloy‒CoCrMo alloy pair is commonly applied for modular head‒neck interfaces for artificial hip joint.Unfortunately,the fretting corrosion damage at this interface seriously restricts its lifespan.This work studied the fretting corrosion of Ti6Al4V‒CoCrMo pair in calf serum solution.We established this material pair’s running condition fretting map(RCFM)regarding load and displacement,and revealed the damage mechanism of this material pair in various fretting regimes,namely partial slip regime(PSR),mixed fretting regime(MFR),and gross slip regime(GSR).The damage mechanism of Ti6Al4V alloy was mainly abrasive wear induced by CoCrMo alloy and tribocorrosion.Adhesive wear(material transfer)also existed in MFR.The damage mechanism of CoCrMo alloy was mainly abrasive wear induced by metal oxides and tribocorrosion in GSR and MFR,while no apparent damage in PSR.Furthermore,a dense composite material layer with high hardness was formed in the middle contacting area in GSR,which reduced the corrosion and wear of Ti alloys and exacerbated damage to Co alloys.Finally,the ion concentration maps for Ti and Co ions were constructed,which displayed the transition in the amount of released Ti and Co ions under different displacements and loads.

以超声振动原理模拟滑动轴承的气蚀磨损

采用超声振动原理建立了滑动轴承气蚀磨损模拟试验装置 ,并用该试验装置研究了滑动轴承气蚀磨损现象 .通过分析比较大量实验研究结果 ,发现了一些新的气蚀现象 ,并对滑动轴承气蚀机理进行了分析 .

全膝关节置换个体化患者右转步态的骨肌多体动力学仿真

目的构建个体化患者全膝关节置换(total knee replacement,TKR)的骨肌多体力学模型,模拟患者下肢右转步态时体内膝关节的生物力学行为。方法以1位具体患者的相关数据为材料,基于骨肌动力学仿真软件Any Body及其依赖于力的运动学建模方法,建立与患者相对应的TKR下肢骨肌多体动力学模型,并对患者的右转步态进行模拟。通过逆动力学分析右转步态,同时预测患者膝关节接触力、关节运动、肌肉活性和韧带力。结果模型预测的胫骨-股骨关节内、外侧接触力的均值均方根误差分别为285、164 N,相关系数分别为0.95和0.61,预测的髌骨接触力均值最大值为250 N。模型预测的接触力和肌肉活性与患者实验测量结果基本一致。此外,模型预测的胫骨-股骨的伸展弯曲、内外旋和内外翻运动的均值分布范围分别为3°~47°、-3.4°~1.5°、0.2°^-1.5°,胫骨-股骨的前后、上下和内外侧平移的运动范围分别为2.6~9.0 mm、1.6~3.2 mm、4.2~5.2 mm。模型还预测了内、外侧旁系韧带力和后交叉韧带力,其最大值分别为190、108、108 N。结论所开发的模型能够预测人工膝关节体内生物力学行为,为后续研究膝关节假体临床失效问题提供强有力的计算平台。

A review of recent advances in tribology

The reach of tribology has expanded in diverse fields and tribology related research activities have seen immense growth during the last decade.This review takes stock of the recent advances in research pertaining to different aspects of tribology within the last 2 to 3 years.Different aspects of tribology that have been reviewed including lubrication,wear and surface engineering,biotribology,high tem perature tribology,and computational tribology.This review attempts to highlight recent research and also presents future outlook pertaining to these aspects.It may however be noted that there are limitations of this review.One of the most important of these is that tribology being a highly multidisciplinary field,the research results are widely spread across various disciplines and there can be omissions because of this.Secondly,the topics dealt with in the field of tribology include only some of the salient topics(such as lubrication,wear,surface engineering,biotribology,high tem perature tribology,and computational tribology)but there are many more aspects of tribology that have not been covered in this review.Despite these limitations it is hoped that such a review will bring the most recent salient research in focus and will be beneficial for the growing community of tribology researchers.

Running-in Test and Fractal Methodology for Worn Surface Topography Characterization

Studying and understanding of the surface topography variation are the basis for analyzing tribological problems,and characterization of worn surface is necessary.Fractal geometry offers a more accurate description for surface roughness that topographic surfaces are statistically self-similar and can be quantitatively evaluated by fractal parameters.The change regularity of worn surface topography is one of the most important aspects of running-in study.However,the existing research normally adopts only one friction matching pair to explore the surface topography change,which interrupts the running-in wear process and makes the experimental result lack authenticity and objectivity.In this paper,to investigate the change regularity of surface topography during the real running-in process,a series of running-in tests by changing friction pairs under the same operating conditions are conducted on UMT-II Universal Multifunction Tester.The surface profile data are acquired by MiaoXAM2.5X-50X Ultrahigh Precision Surface 3D Profiler and analyzed using fractal dimension D,scale coefficient C and characteristic roughness Ra ＊based on root mean square（RMS） method.The characterization effects of the three parameters are discussed and compared.The results obtained show that there exists remarkable fractal feature of surface topography during running-in process,both D and Ra ＊increase gradually,while C decreases slowly as the wear-in process goes on,and all parameters tend to be stable when the wear process steps into the normal wear process.Ra ＊illustrates higher sensitivity for rough surface characterization compared with the other two parameters.In addition,the running-in test carried with a set of identical surface properties is more scientific and reasonable than the traditional one.The proposed research further indicates that the fractal method can quantitatively measure the rough surface,which also provides an evidence for running-in process identification and tribology design.

Comparisons of corrosion behaviour for X65 and low Cr steels in high pressure CO2-saturated brine

Appropriate materials for injection pipelines and tubing for carbon dioxide geologic storage is fundamental to ensure asset integrity and save cost.This paper evaluates the corrosion behaviour of X65,1Cr,3Cr and 5Cr,which have the potential to be injection pipeline/tubing materials.The influence of steel Cr content on the general and localised corrosion behaviour was investigated at time periods from 6 to 192 h at 60℃and 100 bar.The evolution,morphology and chemistry of corrosion products on the surface of each material were evaluated using a combination of scanning electron microscopy,energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction and related to their overall corrosion protection.Results indicate that prior to the formation of protective films on the steel surfaces,the resistance of the materials to corrosion increase with increasing Cr content(Corrosion resistance:X65<1Cr<3Cr<5Cr).However,as corrosion products evolve,the protection afforded to the different steels significantly varies and decreases with increasing Cr content.×65 becomes the material with the lowest general corrosion rate by the end of the 192 h experiments and 5Cr exhibits the highest corrosion rate(ranking of corrosion resistance:X65>1Cr>3Cr>5Cr).In terms of the corrosion products on X65,both inner amorphous and outer crystalline corrosion layers consist of FeCO3.For the Cr-containing steels,the outer layer also comprises FeCO3,but the inner layer is enriched with Cr,and is predominantly amorphous Cr(OH)3.The extent of localised corrosion(determined using surface profilometry)is noticeably less for X65 compared to the Cr-containing steels.The paper raises questions about the benefits that low Cr steels offer towards extending component design life compared to carbon steel under the test conditions considered here.

A review of advances in tribology in 2020–2021

Around 1,000 peer-reviewed papers were selected from 3,450 articles published during 2020–2021,and reviewed as the representative advances in tribology research worldwide.The survey highlights the development in lubrication,wear and surface engineering,biotribology,high temperature tribology,and computational tribology,providing a show window of the achievements of recent fundamental and application researches in the field of tribology.

A review of the bio-tribology of medical devices

Numerous medical devices have been applied for the treatment or alleviation of various diseases.Tribological issues widely exist in those medical devices and play vital roles in determining their performance and service life.In this review,the bio-tribological issues involved in commonly used medical devices are identified,including artificial joints,fracture fixation devices,skin-related devices,dental restoration devices,cardiovascular devices,and surgical instruments.The current understanding of the bio-tribological behavior and mechanism involved in those devices is summarized.Recent advances in the improvement of tribological properties are examined.Challenges and future developments for the prospective of bio-tribological performance are highlighted.

Designing soft/hard double network hydrogel microsphere/UHMWPE composites to promote water lubrication performance

Several soft tissues residing in the living body have excellent hydration lubrication properties and can provide effective protection during relative motion.In order to apply this advantage of soft matters in practical applications and try to avoid its disadvantage,such as swelling and weakening in water,a design strategy of a soft/hard double network(DN)hydrogel microsphere modified ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene(UHMWPE)composite is proposed in this study.A series of microspheres of urea-formaldehyde(UF),polyacrylamide(PAAm)hydrogel,UF/PAAm double network,and their composites were prepared.The mechanical properties,swelling,wettability,friction properties,and the lubrication mechanisms of the composites were investigated.The results show that DN microspheres can have an excellent stability and provide hydration lubrication.The performance of 75 DN-1 composite was superior to others.This finding will provide a novel strategy for the development of water-lubricated materials and have wide application in engineering fields.

Extension of analytical indicial aerodynamics to generic trapezoidal wings in subsonic flow

Analytical indicial aerodynamic functions are calculated for several trapezoidal wings in subsonic flow, with a Mach number 0.3 Ma 0.7. The formulation herein proposed extends wellknown aerodynamic theories, which are limited to thin aerofoils in incompressible flow, to generic trapezoidal wing planforms. Firstly, a thorough study is executed to assess the accuracy and limitation of analytical predictions, using unsteady results from two state-of-the-art computational fluid dynamics solvers as cross-validated benchmarks. Indicial functions are calculated for a step change in the angle of attack and for a sharp-edge gust, each for four wing configurations and three Mach numbers. Then, analytical and computational indicial responses are used to predict dynamic derivatives and the maximum lift coefficient following an encounter with a one-minus-cosine gust. It is found that the analytical results are in excellent agreement with the computational results for all test cases. In particular, the deviation of the analytical results from the computational results is within the scatter or uncertainty in the data arising from using two computational fluid dynamics solvers. This indicates the usefulness of the developed analytical theories.

Lowering the cost of large-scale energy storage:High temperature adiabatic compressed air energy storage

Compressed air energy storage is an energy storage technology with strong potential to play a significant role in balancing energy on transmission networks,owing to its use of mature technologies and low cost per unit of storage capacity.Adiabatic compressed air energy storage(A-CAES)systems typically compress air from ambient temperature in the charge phase and expand the air back to ambient temperature in the discharge phase.This papers explores the use of an innovative operating scheme for an A-CAES system aimed at lowering the total cost of the system for a given exergy storage capacity.The configuration proposed considers preheating of the air before compression which increases the fraction of the total exergy that is stored in the fom of high-grade heat in comparison to existing designs in which the main exergy storage medium is the compressed air itself.Storing a high fraction of the total exergy as heat allows reducing the capacity of costly pressure stores in the system and replacing it with cheaper thermal energy stores.Additionally,a configuration that integrates a system based on the aforementioned concept with solar thermal power or low-medium grade waste heat is introduced and thoroughly discussed.

Elastohydrodynamic lubrication and wear modelling of the knee joint replacements with surface topography

This numerical study predicted wear of lubricated total knee replacements with the existing of textured surfaceand the possibility of surface designs to reduce wear.In the first part,a wear model of metal-on-polyethylene total kneereplacement was developed.The medial and lateral knee compartments was accounted for separately,with the contactforce and motion during walking cycles applied.An adapted Archard wear formula was employed where the wearfactor was an exponential function of the'Lambda ratio'(film thickness to the average roughness).Wear of the softbearing surface(polyethylene insert)was simulated with regularly geometry update until a steady-state wear observed.ln the second part,the effect of surface topography of the knee replacements was investigated.The surface texturingtechniques have shown promising benefit to machine components in many areas of engineering practice.The textureparameters were designed using the Taguchi method for the geometry,size,and distribution of the micro dimples.twas observed that the lateral compartment may benefit from surface texturing if dimples were properly designed,while the texturing showed hardly advantageous effect on the medial surface in terms of lubrication enhancement andwear reduction.Some results were presented in the 6th World Tribology Conference.

A preliminary experimental investigation on the biotribocorrosion of a metal-on-polyethylene hip prosthesis in a hip simulator

Corrosion at the taper/trunnion interface of total hip replacement(THR)often results in severe complications.However,the underlying mechanisms of biotribocorrosion at the taper/trunnion interface during the long-term walking gait cycles remain to be fully understood.In this study,a hip joint simulator was therefore instrumented with an electrochemical cell for in-situ monitoring of the tribocorrosion evolution in a metal-on-polyethylene(MoP)THR during a typical long-term walking gait.In addition,the biotribocorrosion mechanism was investigated via surface and chemical characterizations.The experimental results confirmed that the taper/trunnion interface dominated the contemporary MoP hip joint corrosion.Three cyclic variations in the open circuit potential(OCP)were observed throughout the long-term electrochemical measurements,attributed to the formation and disruption of the adsorbed protein layer.The corrosion exhibited an initial increase at each period,peaking at approximately 0.125 million cycles,followed by a subsequent gradual reduction.Surface and chemical analyses revealed the formation of a tribochemical reaction layer(tribolayer)on the worn surface of the taper/trunnion interface.The surface/chemical characterizations and the electrochemical measurements indicated that the adhesion force of the adsorbed protein layer was weaker than that of the tribolayer.In contrast,the opposite was true for the corrosion resistance.Based on the observations from this study,the tribocorrosion mechanism of the taper/trunnion interface under the long-term walking gait cycles is deduced.

Overview of finger friction and tactile perception

A tribological phenomenon usually occurs when fingers move against object surfaces.Friction plays an essentialrole during this process as well as in the corresponding tactile perception.This work focuses on an overview of fingerfriction and tactile perception,particularly from a synergistic perspective.A wealth of literature was analysed tosummarise the current trend in research methods and contents in this area.The corresponding gaps in earlier studiesand a trend analysis are provided in this study.