Rapid fabrication of modular 3D paper-basedmicrofluidic chips using projection-based 3D printing

Paper-based microchips have different advantages,such as better biocompatibility,simple production,and easy handling,making them promising candidates for clinical diagnosis and other fields.This study describes amethod developed to fabricate modular three-dimensional(3D)paper-based microfluidic chips based on projection-based 3D printing(PBP)technology.A series of two-dimensional(2D)paper-based microfluidic modules was designed and fabricated.After evaluating the effect of exposure time on the accuracy of the flow channel,the resolution of this channel was experimentally analyzed.Furthermore,several 3D paper-based microfluidic chips were assembled based on the 2D ones using different methods,with good channel connectivity.Scaffold-based 2D and hydrogel-based 3D cell culture systems based on 3D paper-based microfluidic chips were verified to be feasible.Furthermore,by combining extrusion 3D bioprinting technology and the proposed 3D paper-based microfluidic chips,multiorgan microfluidic chips were established by directly printing 3D hydrogel structures on 3D paperbased microfluidic chips,confirming that the prepared modular 3D paper-based microfluidic chip is potentially applicable in various biomedical applications.

Gelatin-Based Metamaterial Hydrogel Films with High Conformality for Ultra-Soft Tissue Monitoring

Implantable hydrogel-based bioelectronics(IHB)can precisely monitor human health and diagnose diseases.However,achieving biodegradability,biocompatibility,and high conformality with soft tissues poses significant challenges for IHB.Gelatin is the most suitable candidate for IHB since it is a collagen hydrolysate and a substantial part of the extracellular matrix found naturally in most tissues.This study used 3D printing ultrafine fiber networks with metamaterial design to embed into ultra-low elastic modulus hydrogel to create a novel gelatin-based conductive film(GCF)with mechanical programmability.The regulation of GCF nearly covers soft tissue mechanics,an elastic modulus from 20 to 420 kPa,and a Poisson’s ratio from-0.25 to 0.52.The negative Poisson’s ratio promotes conformality with soft tissues to improve the efficiency of biological interfaces.The GCF can monitor heartbeat signals and respiratory rate by determining cardiac deformation due to its high conformability.Notably,the gelatin characteristics of the biodegradable GCF enable the sensor to monitor and support tissue restoration.The GCF metamaterial design offers a unique idea for bioelectronics to develop implantable sensors that integrate monitoring and tissue repair and a customized method for endowing implanted sensors to be highly conformal with soft tissues.

Multi-Physics Coupled Acoustic-Mechanics Analysis and Synergetic Optimization for a Twin-Fluid Atomization Nozzle

Fine particulate matter produced during the rapid industrialization over the past decades can cause significant harm to human health.Twin-fluid atomization technology is an effective means of controlling fine particulate matter pollution.In this paper,the influences of the main parameters on the droplet size,effective atomization range and sound pressure level(SPL)of a twin-fluid nozzle(TFN)are investigated,and in order to improve the atomization performance,a multi-objective synergetic optimization algorithm is presented.A multi-physics coupled acousticmechanics model based on the discrete phase model(DPM),large eddy simulation(LES)model,and Ffowcs Williams-Hawkings(FW-H)model is established,and the numerical simulation results of the multi-physics coupled acoustic-mechanics method are verified via experimental comparison.Based on the analysis of the multi-physics coupled acoustic-mechanics numerical simulation results,the effects of the water flow on the characteristics of the atomization flow distribution were obtained.A multi-physics coupled acoustic-mechanics numerical simulation result was employed to establish an orthogonal test database,and a multi-objective synergetic optimization algorithm was adopted to optimize the key parameters of the TFN.The optimal parameters are as follows:A gas flow of 0.94 m^(3)/h,water flow of 0.0237 m^(3)/h,orifice diameter of the self-excited vibrating cavity(SVC)of 1.19 mm,SVC orifice depth of 0.53 mm,distance between SVC and the outlet of nozzle of 5.11 mm,and a nozzle outlet diameter of 3.15 mm.The droplet particle size in the atomization flow field was significantly reduced,the spray distance improved by 71.56%,and the SPL data at each corresponding measurement point decreased by an average of 38.96%.The conclusions of this study offer a references for future TFN research.

Switching Frequency Improvement of a High Speed on/off Valve Based on Pre-excitation Control Algorithm

The high-speed on/off valve(HSV)serves as the fundamental component responsible for generating discrete fluids within digital hydraulic systems.As the switching frequency of the HSV increases,the properties of the generated discrete fluid approach those of continuous fluids.Therefore,a higher frequency response characteristic of HSV is the key to ensure the control accuracy of digital hydraulic systems.However,the current research mainly focuses on its dynamic performance,but neglect its FRC.This paper presents a theoretical analysis demonstrating that the FRC of the HSV can be enhanced by minimizing its switching time.The maximum switching frequency(MSF)is mainly determined by opening dynamic performance when HSV operates with low switching duty ratio(SDR),whereas the closing dynamic performance limits the MSF when HSV operates with high SDR.Building upon these findings,the pre-excitation control algorithm(PECA)is proposed to reduce the switching time of the HSV,and consequently enhance its FRC.Experimental results demonstrate that PECA shortens the opening delay time of HSV by 1.12 ms,the closing delay time by 2.54 ms,and the closing moving time by 0.47 ms in comparison to the existing advanced control algorithms.As a result,a larger MSF of 417 Hz and a wider controllable SDR range from 20%to 70%were achieved at a switching frequency of 250 Hz.Thus,the proposed PFCA in this paper has been verified as an effective and promising approach for enhancing the control performance of digital hydraulic systems.

Multi-Objective Optimization of VBHF in Deep Drawing Based on the Improved QO-Jaya Algorithm

Blank holder force(BHF)is a crucial parameter in deep drawing,having close relation with the forming quality of sheet metal.However,there are different BHFs maintaining the best forming effect in different stages of deep drawing.The variable blank holder force(VBHF)varying with the drawing stage can overcome this problem at an extent.The optimization of VBHF is to determine the optimal BHF in every deep drawing stage.In this paper,a new heuristic optimization algorithm named Jaya is introduced to solve the optimization efficiently.An improved“Quasi-oppositional”strategy is added to Jaya algorithm for improving population diversity.Meanwhile,an innovated stop criterion is added for better convergence.Firstly,the quality evaluation criteria for wrinkling and tearing are built.Secondly,the Kriging models are developed to approximate and quantify the relation between VBHF and forming defects under random sampling.Finally,the optimization models are established and solved by the improved QO-Jaya algorithm.A VBHF optimization example of component with complicated shape and thin wall is studied to prove the effectiveness of the improved Jaya algorithm.The optimization results are compared with that obtained by other algorithms based on the TOPSIS method.

Bionic lightweight design of limb leg units for hydraulic quadruped robots by additive manufacturing and topology optimization

Galloping cheetahs,climbing mountain goats,and load hauling horses all show desirable locomotion capability,which motivates the development of quadruped robots.Among various quadruped robots,hydraulically driven quadruped robots show great potential in unstructured environments due to their discrete landing positions and large payloads.As the most critical movement unit of a quadruped robot,the limb leg unit(LLU)directly affects movement speed and reliability,and requires a compact and lightweight design.Inspired by the dexterous skeleton–muscle systems of cheetahs and humans,this paper proposes a highly integrated bionic actuator system for a better dynamic performance of an LLU.We propose that a cylinder barrel with multiple element interfaces and internal smooth channels is realized using metal additive manufacturing,and hybrid lattice structures are introduced into the lightweight design of the piston rod.In addition,additive manufacturing and topology optimization are incorporated to reduce the redundant material of the structural parts of the LLU.The mechanical properties of the actuator system are verified by numerical simulation and experiments,and the power density of the actuators is far greater than that of cheetah muscle.The mass of the optimized LLU is reduced by 24.5%,and the optimized LLU shows better response time performance when given a step signal,and presents a good trajectory tracking ability with the increase in motion frequency.

Observer-Based Adaptive Robust Precision Motion Control of a Multi-Joint Hydraulic Manipulator

Hydraulic manipulators are usually applied in heavy-load and harsh operation tasks.However,when faced with a complex operation,the traditional proportional-integral-derivative(PID)control may not meet requirements for high control performance.Model-based full-state-feedback control is an effective alternative,but the states of a hydraulic manipulator are not always available and reliable in practical applications,particularly the joint angular velocity measurement.Considering that it is not suitable to obtain the velocity signal directly from differentiating of position measurement,the low-pass filtering is commonly used,but it will definitely restrict the closed-loop bandwidth of the whole system.To avoid this problem and realize better control performance,this paper proposes a novel observerbased adaptive robust controller(obARC)for a multi-joint hydraulic manipulator subjected to both parametric uncertainties and the lack of accurate velocity measurement.Specifically,a nonlinear adaptive observer is first designed to handle the lack of velocity measurement with the consideration of parametric uncertainties.Then,the adaptive robust control is developed to compensate for the dynamic uncertainties,and the close-loop system robust stability is theoretically proved under the observation and control errors.Finally,comparative experiments are carried out to show that the designed controller can achieve a performance improvement over the traditional methods,specifically yielding better control accuracy owing to the closed-loop bandwidth breakthrough,which is limited by low-pass filtering in fullstate-feedback control.

MAPOD Analysis in Eddy Current Testing of Flaws Considering Multiple Response Signals and Multiple Flaw Parameters

The reliability of the eddy current testing (ECT) in flaw detection is quantitatively evaluated by theprobability of detection (POD). Precise and efficient modeling of POD gives direction for the implement of ECTon sites to avoid false or missing flaw detection. Traditional POD analysis focuses on single uncertain factor orsingle response signal with limited credibility in engineering. This paper considers multiple response signals andmultiple flaw parameters to perform POD. The flaw length, the flaw depth, the coil impedance, and the magneticflux density are comprehensively studied under various lift-off distances. A finite element model (FEM) of ECT isestablished and verified with experiments to obtain sufficient simulation data for discrete POD modeling. Thecontinuous POD function is then fitted based on the discrete values to show the superiority of integrating multiplefactors. A comparison with conventional POD analysis further demonstrates the higher reliability of ECT flawdetection considering multiple flaw parameters and multiple response signals, especially for small flaws.

Impact of Typical Steady-state Conditions and Transient Conditions on Flow Ripple and Its Test Accuracy for Axial Piston Pump

The current research about the flow ripple of axial piston pump mainly focuses on the effect of the structure of parts on the flow ripple. Therein, the structure of parts are usually designed and optimized at rated working conditions. However, the pump usually has to work in large-scale and time-variant working conditions. Therefore, the flow ripple characteristics of pump and analysis for its test accuracy with respect to variant steady-state conditions and transient conditions in a wide range of operating parameters are focused in this paper. First, a simulation model has been constructed, which takes the kinematics of oil film within friction pairs into account for higher accuracy. Afterwards, a test bed which adopts Secondary Source Method is built to verify the model. The simulation and tests results show that the angular position of the piston, corresponding to the position where the peak flow ripple is produced, varies with the different pressure. The pulsating amplitude and pulsation rate of flow ripple increase with the rise of pressure and the variation rate of pressure. For the pump working at a constant speed, the flow pulsation rate decreases dramatically with the increasing speed when the speed is less than 27.78% of the maximum speed, subsequently presents a small decrease tendency with the speed further increasing. With the rise of the variation rate of speed, the pulsating amplitude and pulsation rate of flow ripple increase. As the swash plate angle augments, the pulsating amplitude of flow ripple increases, nevertheless the flow pulsation rate decreases. In contrast with the effect of the variation of pressure, the test accuracy of flow ripple is more sensitive to the variation of speed. It makes the test accuracy above 96.20% available for the pulsating amplitude of pressure deviating within a range of ~6% from the mean pressure. However, with a variation of speed deviating within a range of ±2% from the mean speed, the attainable test accuracy of flow ripple is above 93.07%. The model constructed in this research proposes a method to determine the flow ripple characteristics of pump and its attainable test accuracy under the large-scale and time-variant working conditions. Meanwhile, a discussion about the variation of flow ripple and its obtainable test accuracy with the conditions of the pump working in wide operating ranges is given as well.

A Research Review on the Key Technologies of Intelligent Design for Customized Products

The development of technologies such as big data and cyber-physical systems （CPSs） has increased the demand for product design. Product digital design involves completing the product design process using advanced digital technologies such as geometry modeling, kinematic and dynamic simulation, multi- disciplinary coupling, virtual assembly, virtual reality （VR）, multi-objective optimization （MOO）, and human-computer interaction. The key technologies of intelligent design for customized products include： a description and analysis of customer requirements （CRs）, product family design （PFD） for the customer base, configuration and modular design for customized products, variant design for customized products, and a knowledge push for product intelligent design. The development trends in intelligent design for customized products include big-data-driven intelligent design technology for customized products and customized design tools and applications. The proposed method is verified by the design of precision computer numerical control （CNC） machine tools.

STUDY ON THE INTERACTION OF SEDIMENTING CYLINDRICAL PARTICLES IN STILL FLUID

The sedimentations of two cylindrical particles in three different initial relative po- sitions are numerically simulated using the lattice Boltzmann method.The movement characteristics and particle interactions during their sedimentation are presented and discussed in detail.The results show that,(i)if the two particles are released parallel but separated horizontally,they push away each other,rotate inwards and separate horizontally as they fall;(ii)if the two particles are released par- allel but separated vertically,the sedimentation behavior can be classified into three stages:trailing, tumbling and separating;(iii)if the two particles are released perpendicular but separated vertically, the sedimentation behavior can be characterized as:trailing and rotating,touching and sliding.In order to validate our simulation,experiments were also conducted and the results agree well with the numerical ones.

The pressure compensation technology of deep-sea sampling based on the real gas state equation

Compressed gas is usually used for the pressure compensation of the deep-sea pressure-maintaining sampler.The pressure and volume of the recovered fluid sample are highly related to the precharged gas. To better understand the behavior of the gas under high pressure, we present a new real gas state equation based on the compression factor Z which was derived from experimental data. Then theoretical calculation method of the pressure and volume of the sample was introduced based on this empirical gas state equation. Finally, the proposed calculation method was well verified by the high-pressure vessel experiment of the sampler under 115 MPa.

Theoretical Model of Dynamic Bulk Modulus for Aerated Hydraulic Fluid

Existing models of bulk modulus for aerated hydraulic fluids primarily focus on the effects of pressure and air fraction,whereas the effect of temperature on bulk modulus is disregarded.Based on the lumped parameter method and the full cavitation model,combined with the improved Henry’s law and the air polytropic course equation,a theoretical model of dynamic bulk modulus for an aerated hydraulic fluid is derived.The effects of system pressure,air fraction,and temperature on bulk modulus are investigated using the controlled variable method.The results show that the dynamic bulk modulus of the aerated hydraulic fluid is inconsistent during the compression process.At the same pressure point,the dynamic bulk modulus during expansion is higher than that during compression.Under the same initial air faction and pressure changing period,a higher temperature results in a lower dynamic bulk modulus.When the pressure is lower,the dynamic bulk modulus of each temperature point is more similar to each other.By comparing the theoretical results with the actual dynamic bulk modulus of the Shell Tellus S ISO32 standard air-containing oil,the goodness-of-fit between the theoretical model and experimental value at three temperatures is 0.9726,0.9732,and 0.9675,which validates the theoretical model.In this study,a calculation model of dynamic bulk modulus that considers temperature factors is proposed.It predicts the dynamic bulk modulus of aerated hydraulic fluids at different temperatures and provides a theoretical basis for improving the analytical model of bulk modulus.

Influence of Self-excited Vibrating Cavity Structure on Droplet Diameter Characteristics of Twin-fluid Nozzle

It is a great challenge to find effective atomizing technology for reducing industrial pollution; the twin-fluid atomizing nozzle has drawn great attention in this field recently. Current studies on twin-fluid nozzles mainly focus on droplet breakup and single droplet characteristics. Research relating to the influences of structural parameters on the droplet diameter characteristics in the flow field is scarcely available. In this paper, the influence of a self-excited vibrating cavity structure on droplet diameter characteristics was investigated. Twin-fluid atomizing tests were performed by a self-built open atomizing test bench, which was based on a phase Doppler particle analyzer(PDPA). The atomizing flow field of the twin-fluid nozzle with a self-excited vibrating cavity and its absence were tested and analyzed. Then the atomizing flow field of the twin-fluid nozzle with different self-excited vibrating cavity structures was investigated.The experimental results show that the structural parameters of the self-excited vibrating cavity had a great effect on the breakup of large droplets. The Sauter mean diameter(SMD) increased with the increase of orifice diameter or orifice depth. Moreover, a smaller orifice diameter or orifice depth was beneficial to enhancing the turbulence around the outlet of nozzle and decreasing the SMD. The atomizing performance was better when the orifice diameter was2.0 mm or the orifice depth was 1.5 mm. Furthermore, the SMD increased first and then decreased with the increase of the distance between the nozzle outlet and self-excited vibrating cavity, and the SMD of more than half the atomizing flow field was under 35 μm when the distance was 5.0 mm. In addition, with the increase of axial and radial distance from the nozzle outlet, the SMD and arithmetic mean diameter(AMD) tend to increase. The research results provide some design parameters for the twin-fluid nozzle, and the experimental results could serve as a beneficial supplement to the twin-fluid nozzle study.

DESIGN OF NOVEL HIGH PRESSURE-RESISTANT HYDROTHERMAL FLUID SAMPLE VALVE

Sampling study is an effective exploration method, but the most extreme environments of hydrothermal vents pose considerable engineering challenges for sampling hydrothermal fluids. Moreover, traditional sampler systems with sample valves have difficulty in maintaining samples in situ pressure. However, decompression changes have effect on microorganisms sensitive to such stresses. To address the technical difficulty of collecting samples from hydrothermal vents, a new bidirectional high pressure-resistant sample valve with balanced poppet was designed. The sample valve utilizes a soft high performance plastic ＂PEEK＂ as poppet. The poppet with inapposite dimension is prone to occur to plastic deformation or rupture for high working pressure in experiments. To address this issue, based on the fmite element model, simulated results on stress distribution of the poppet with different structure parameters and preload spring force were obtained. The static axial deformations on top of the poppet were experimented. The simulated results agree with the experimental results. The new sample valve seals well and it can withstand high working pressure.

Effects of supported angle on stability and dynamical bifurcations of cantilevered pipe conveying fluid

The effects of the supported angle on the stability and dynamical bifurcations of an inclined cantilevered pipe conveying fluid are investigated. First, a theoretical model of the pipe is developed through the force balance and stress-strain relationship. Second, the response surfaces, stability, and critical lines of the typical hanging system （H-S） and standing system （S-S） are discussed based on the modal analysis. Last, the bifurcation diagrams of the pipe are presented for different supported angles. It is shown that pipes will undergo a series of bifurcation processes and show rich dynamic phenomena such as buckling, Hopf bifurcation, period-doubling bifurcation, chaotic motion, and divergence motion.

A review on the flow instability of nanofluids

Nanofluid flow occurs in extensive applications, and hence has received widespread attention. The transition of nanofluids from laminar to turbulent flow is an important issue because of the differences in pressure drop and heat transfer between laminar and turbulent flow. Nanofluids will become unstable when they depart from the thermal equilibrium or dynamic equilibrium state. This paper conducts a brief review of research on the flow instability of nanofluids, including hydrodynamic instability and thermal instability. Some open questions on the subject are also identified.

Study on the mixing of fluid in curved microchannels with heterogeneous surface potentials

In this paper the mixing of a sample in the curved microchannel with heterogeneous surface potentials is analysed numerically by using the control-volume-based finite difference method. The rigorous models for describing the wall potential and external potential are solved to get the distribution of wall potential and external potential, then momentum equation is solved to get the fully developed flow field. Finally the mass transport equation is solved to get the concentration field. The results show that the curved microchannel has an optimized capability of sample mixing and transport when the heterogeneous surface is located at the left conjunction between the curved part and straight part. The variation of heterogeneous surface potential ψn has more influence on the capability of sample mixing than on that of sample transport. The ratio of the curved microchanners radius to width has a comparable effect on the capability of sample mixing and transport. The conclusions above are helpful to the optimization of the design of microfluidic devices for the improvement of the efficiency of sample mixing.

Continuous Separation of Multiple Size Microparticles using Alternating Current Dielectrophoresis in Microfluidic Device with Acupuncture Needle Electrodes

The need to continuously separate multiple microparticles is required for the recent development of lab-on-chip technology. Dielectrophoresis（DEP）-based separation device is extensively used in kinds of microfluidic applications. However, such conventional DEP-based device is relatively complicated and difficult for fabrication. A concise microfluidic device is presented for effective continuous separation of multiple size particle mixtures. A pair of acupuncture needle electrodes are creatively employed and embedded in a PDMS（poly-dimethylsiloxane） hurdle for generating non-uniform electric field thereby achieving a continuous DEP separation. The separation mechanism is that the incoming particle samples with different sizes experience different negative DEP（n DEP） forces and then they can be transported into different downstream outlets. The DEP characterizations of particles are calculated, and their trajectories are numerically predicted by considering the combined action of the incoming laminar flow and the n DEP force field for guiding the separation experiments. The device performance is verified by successfully separating a three-sized particle mixture, including polystyrene microspheres with diameters of 3 μm, 10 μm and 25 μm. The separation purity is below 70% when the flow rate ratio is less than 3.5 or more than 5.1, while the separation purity can be up to more than 90% when the flow rate ratio is between 3.5 and 5.1 and meanwhile ensure the voltage output falls in between 120 V and 150 V. Such simple DEP-based separation device has extensive applications in future microfluidic systems.

Machine learning of materials design and state prediction for lithium ion batteries

With the widespread use of lithium ion batteries in portable electronics and electric vehicles,further improvements in the performance of lithium ion battery materials and accurate prediction of battery state are of increasing interest to battery researchers.Machine learning,one of the core technologies of artificial intelligence,is rapidly changing many fields with its ability to learn from historical data and solve complex tasks,and it has emerged as a new technique for solving current research problems in the field of lithium ion batteries.This review begins with the introduction of the conceptual framework of machine learning and the general process of its application,then reviews some of the progress made by machine learning in both improving battery materials design and accurate prediction of battery state,and finally points out the current application problems of machine learning and future research directions.It is believed that the use of machine learning will further promote the large-scale application and improvement of lithium-ion batteries.