Additive manufacturing (AM) is a type of advanced manufacturing process that enables fast prototyping to realize personalized products in complex shapes. However, quality defects existed in AM products can directly lead to significant failures (e.g., cracking caused by voids) in practice. Thus, various inspection techniques have been investigated to evaluate the quality of AM products, where X-ray computed tomography (CT) serves as one of the most accurate techniques to detect geometric defects (e.g., voids inside an AM product). Taking a selective laser melting (SLM) process as an example, voids can be detected by investigating CT images after the fabrication of products with limited disturbance from noises. However, limited by the sensor size and scanning speed issue, CT is difficult to be used for online (i.e., layer-wise) voids detection, monitoring, and process control to mitigate the defects. As an alternative, optical cameras can provide layer-wise images to support online voids detection. The intricate texture of the layer-wise image restricts the accuracy of void detection in AM products. Therefore, we propose a new method called pyramid ensemble convolutional neural network (PECNN) to efficiently detect voids and predict the texture of CT images using layer-wise optical images. The proposed PECNN can efficiently extract informative features based on the ensemble of the multiscale feature-maps (i.e., image pyramid) from optical images. Unlike deterministic ensemble strategies, this ensemble strategy is optimized by training a neural network in a data-driven manner to learn the fine-grained information from the extracted feature-maps. The merits of the proposed method are illustrated by both simulations and a real case study in a SLM process.

Three-dimensional (3D) extrusion printing of cellular/acellular structures with biocompatible materials has been widely investigated in recent years. However, the requirement of a suitable solidification rate of printable ink materials constrains the utilization of extrusion-based 3D printing techniques. In this study, the nanoclay yield-stress suspension-enabled extrusion-based 3D printing system has been investigated and demonstrated to overcome solidification rate constraints during printing. Utilizing the liquid–solid transition property of nanoclay suspension, two fabrication approaches, including nanoclay support bath-enabled printing and nanoclay-enabled direct printing, have been proposed. For the former approach, nanoclay (Laponite ® EP) has been used as a support bath material to fabricate alginate-based tympanic membrane patches. The constituents of alginate-based ink have been investigated to have the desired mechanical property of alginate-based tympanic membrane patches and facilitate the printing process. For the latter approach, nanoclay (Laponite ® XLG) has been used as an internal scaffold material to help print poly (ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA)-based neural chambers, which can be further cross-linked in air. Mechanical stress analysis has been performed to explore the geometric limitation of printable Laponite ® XLG-PEGDA neural chambers.

This study focuses on developing and demonstrating a straightforward workflow for identifying pathways to increase green part density in binder jetting additive manufacturing (BJAM) using statistically driven process maps. The workflow was applied to investigate the effects of process parameters toward improving green part density, with a direct application in manufacturing of Fe-Si components. Specifically, a half-factorial experimental design was used to study the effects of four key parameters—layer thickness, powder spreading speed, roller rotational speed, and binder saturation—on Fe-Si spherical powder with D 50 of 32.40 µm. Relative bulk density was estimated via three methods: geometrical and mass measurements, the Archimedes test, and CT imaging. The study discusses relative bulk density as well as localized density variation in the printed parts, which is attributed to both parameter selection and inherent process variability. A regression analysis was used to reveal the significance of main effects and second-order interactions. The regression model (R 2 = 0.915) was used to derive an expression for green density as a function of the parameters and had a prediction error of 0.96%. Based on the regression model, an optimized set of parameters was obtained that would maximize green density up to 57.96% for the machine and material system.

The diamond-turning process is a mean optical surface generation technique with high figure accuracy and surface finish. The diamond-turned surface has a significant diffraction effect introduced by the tool marks remaining on the surface, which heavily degrade the optical performance in the visible wavelength spectrum. The traditional approach that was used to eliminate this effect was polishing. In this paper, we present a method to find turning parameters that can generate an optical surface without diffraction effect directly by coupling a surface micro-topography model of a turned surface via the scattering theory. The surface micro-topography model of the turned surface reveals the relationship between tool marks and the diamond-turning parameters (DTPs). The scattering theory reveals the relationship between diffraction intensity distributions (DIDs) and surface micro-topography of the turned surface. Therefore, we obtained the relationship between DIDs and DTPs. The diffraction effect is considered to be eliminated when the first-order diffraction intensity is less than 0.01% of incidence intensity. The criterion of turning parameters for diffraction elimination is then obtained. Finally, turning experiments are performed to confirm the effectiveness of this method, and the diffraction-free surface finish is achieved.

Single-phase cold plate liquid cooling attracts more and more attention to high-performance computing (HPC), cloud computing, and general computing data centers for the thermal management of modern microprocessors and adjacent components due to liquid’s inherent advantage of higher specific heat compared to air. Deionized (DI) water is usually used as a coolant for liquid cooling in data centers. On the contrary, propylene glycol/water is recommended as a coolant for single-phase cold plate liquid cooling in this study for following reasons. The inhibited propylene glycol-based fluids of 25+% vol have the benefit of being biostatic and not requiring addition of biocides. They also offer freezing protection in the usage of data centers in cold climates. The cold plates made from copper is prone to oxide even under the room temperature, and the dissimilarity between brazing material and copper can also cause galvanic corrosion in the usage. In this paper, a study was carried out to investigate cold plate corrosion with inhibited propylene glycol/water using design of experiments (DOE) method. This study shows manufacturing process plays an important role on corrosion of cold plates made from copper and the corrosion risk can be mitigated by enabling new manufacturing processes, including friction stir welding (FSW) and nickel plating to the inside surface of the cold plate in the manufacturing process.

This work reports and compares the structural crystallochemical transformations occurring during the microwave and conventional porcelain manufacture. Batches of greenware (just dried) porcelain pieces are microwave and electrically fired at increasing temperatures, from 420 °C up to 1100 °C. Crystallochemical transformations are identified by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and compared the results from samples microwave and conventionally fired. Microwave fired samples show the full and rapid collapse of kaolinite structure for firing temperatures just above 500 °C, whereas the collapse of kaolinite structure of the electrically fired samples is progressive, from about 500 °C up to 950 °C. Muscovite structure totally collapses at about 950 °C for microwave fired greenware samples, whereas muscovite structure total collapse only occurs at about 1050 °C for electrically fired greenware samples. Microwave and electric firing lead to appreciable differences in the sanidine–orthoclase–microcline structural transformations. Mullite formation could be identified in the microwave fired samples at temperatures 50 °C lower than in the electrically fired ones, especially for the conventional firing temperatures above 1050 °C, the same temperature reported in the literature.

This study presents a novel expression for the tendon force associated with residual stresses produced during welding of large, thin sections. A general engineering equation is presented as the combination of a closed-form expression, based on idealized treatment, and correction factors to account for the effects of temperature-dependent thermal and mechanical material properties. The closed-form expression corresponds to the assumption of constant material properties. A rigorous mathematical treatment is utilized to derive explicit, exact expressions for the temperature-dependent correction factors without the need for empirical correlations. The temperature-dependent behavior of materials is captured accurately using four dimensionless groups. The analysis was validated through numerical simulations with common structural grades of low-carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum, and titanium. The idealized treatment resulted in predictions with a mean difference of 18%, which was reduced to 7% by incorporating the correction factors. The remaining error is a systematic overestimate, which can be attributed to compliance effects of the finite plate used in the simulations, and is the focus of ongoing research. The utility of applying the novel tendon force equation to problems in fabrication procedure design is demonstrated with an example predicting distortion during manufacturing of hollow structural sections.

This article presents a novel approach to optimize geometric tolerances (flatness and cylindricity) by manipulating the rigidity among finishing and roughing cutting sequences during end milling of thin-walled components. The proposed approach considers the design configuration of the thin-walled component as an input and aims to determine semi-finished geometry such that the geometric tolerance parameters are optimized while performing a finish cutting sequence. The objective is accomplished by combining mechanistic force model, finite element (FE) analysis-based workpiece deflection model, and particle swarm optimization (PSO) technique to determine optimal disposition of material along the length of component thereby regulating rigidity. The algorithm has been validated by determining the rigidity-regulated semi-finished geometries for thin-walled components having straight, concave, and convex configurations. The outcomes of the proposed algorithm are substantiated further by conducting a set of end milling experiments for each of these cases. The results of the proposed strategy are compared with a traditional approach considering no change in the rigidity of component along length of the cut. It is demonstrated that the proposed approach can effectively optimize geometric tolerances for thin-walled components during end milling operation.

A new approach to precision electroforming of a wafer scale nickel shim using a rotating cathode with an auxiliary cathode mask is developed to improve thickness uniformity and flatness. The effects of critical process parameters, including cathode rotating speed, cathode mask size, and current density, on the thickness uniformity and flatness of electroformed nickel shim are systematically studied based on experiments and simulations. The results show that the thickness uniformity of the deposits is highly dependent on the current density distribution, where a cathode mask can effectively tune electrical field lines and induce a more uniform current density distribution. The simulations and experimental results consistently agree that a minimum thickness nonuniformity of 8% and below 1% on the wafer with a diameter of 80 mm and 40 mm, respectively, can be achieved using a mask with a 70 mm opening size. However, for flatness, the cathode rotating speed influences the surface warpage due to the intrinsic stress. It is also found that the gradient current density can significantly reduce the intrinsic stress with better flatness. The best flatness is controlled below 47 µm and 32 µm on the wafer with diameters of 80 mm and 40 mm, respectively, under the synergistic effect of optimal cathode rotating speed (30 rpm) and gradient current density.

The goal of this research was to examine how altering the amount of friction stir tool eccentricity while controlling the amount of slant in the tool shoulder (drivers of oscillatory process forces) effects the generation of process force transients during sub-surface void interaction. The knowledge gained will help improve the accuracy of force-based void monitoring methods that have the potential to reduce the need for post-weld inspection. Process force transients during sub-surface void formation were examined for multiple tools with varying magnitudes of kinematic runout. The eccentric motion of the tool produced oscillations in the process forces at the tools rotational frequency that became distorted when features (flats) on the tool probe interacted with voided volumes, generating an amplitude in the force signals at three times the tool rotational frequency (for three-flat tools). A larger tool eccentricity generates a larger amplitude in the force signals at the tool’s rotational frequency that holds a larger potential to create a distortion during void interaction. It was determined that once void becomes large enough to produce an interaction that generates an amplitude at the third harmonic larger than 30% of the amplitude at the rotational frequency in a weld with no interaction (amplitude solely at rotational frequency), the trailing edge of the tool shoulder cannot fully consolidate the void, i.e., it will remain in the final weld. Additionally, once the void exceeds a certain size, the amplitudes of the third harmonics saturate at 70% of the amplitude at the rotational frequency during full consolidation. The interaction between the eccentric probe and sub-surface void was isolated by ensuring any geometric imperfection in the shoulder (slant) with respect to the rotational axis was removed. The results suggest that geometric imperfections (eccentricity and slant) with respect to the tool’s rotational axis must be known when developing a void monitoring method from force transients of this nature.

To obtain high-quality plastic products, an industrial volume-pulsatile injection-molding (VPIM) machine is developed to achieve high screw displacement amplitude. However, it is difficult for engineers to optimize vibration parameters and improve equipment due to lack of a comprehensive understanding of the coupling correlation between amplitude and frequency, which seriously hinders the development of VPIM technology and machine. To address the challenge, this paper investigates the amplitude–frequency characteristics during the volume-pulsatile packing process. According to the working principle of this machine, the dynamics model of injection screw is established and equivalent to a mass-spring-damper system. Based on the dynamics equivalent model, we deduce the forced vibration response of screw displacement, and the vibration responses of screw displacement and oil pressure under the hydraulic system. An oil pressure control model is proposed and numerically solved. Experimental and theoretical results reveal the effects of material properties, machine components, and control system on the amplitude–frequency characteristics during the volume-pulsatile packing process. For injection-molding grade materials, the reductions in oil pressure amplitude and screw displacement amplitude are attributed to the inertial delay of the hydraulic system in this paper, rather than the viscous resistance of materials in the previous perception. The response speed of the servo control system to pressure should be improved to enhance oil pressure amplitude and screw displacement amplitude. This paper enriches the basic theories of polymer vibration processing and points out the direction of equipment improvement.

Welding expulsion is a common problem in the resistance spot welding (RSW) process, which severely impacts weld quality and surrounding facilities. Existing expulsion control strategies are ineffective for complex and changeable welding conditions. This article studied the growth relationship between weld nugget and corona bond under two abnormal conditions: edge proximity (EP) and initial sheet gaps (IG). It is testified that expulsion would occur when the nugget size exceeds the corona bond size under EP and IG conditions. Reducing the welding current before the expulsion time can increase the size difference between the corona bond and the weld nugget, thereby delay and even eliminate the occurrence of expulsion. In this way, a novel online expulsion control strategy, named short-time current regulation (STCR), is proposed through the expulsion moment analysis of historical weld data. The effect of the new control strategy is verified with workpieces ranging from low carbon steel to ultra-high strength steel. Experimental results showed that STCR can effectively reduce the amount of expelled metal, decrease the indentation depth, and increase the nugget diameter. The method not only works well under one specific abnormal condition but also adapts to the transition between different welding conditions. This novel expulsion control strategy can help achieve the expulsion-free RSW process in mass production without frequent manual offline optimization of welding parameters.

Micro-milling is widely used in various crucial fields with the ability of machining micro- and meso-scaled functional structures on various materials efficiently. However, the micro-milling force model is not comprehensively developed yet when tool feature sizes continually decrease to under 200 µm in a low-stiffness system. This paper proposes an analytical force model considering the influence of tool radius, size effect, tool runout, tool deflection, and the actual trochoidal trajectories and the interaction of historical tool teeth trajectories (IHTTT). Different micro-milling status are recognized by analyzing the cutting process of different tool teeth. Conditions of single-tooth cutting status are determined by a proposed numerical algorithm, and entry angle and exit angle are analyzed under various cutting conditions for the low-stiffness system. Three micro-milling status, including single-tooth cutting status, are distinguished based on the instantaneous undeformed chip thickness resulting in three types of material removal mechanisms in predicting micro-milling force components. Discontinuous change rates of undeformed chip thickness are found in the low-stiffness micro-milling system. The proposed micro-milling force model is then verified through experiments of micro slot milling Elgiloy alloy with a 150-μm-diametrical two-teeth micro-end mill. The experimental results show a root-mean-square error (RSME) of 0.092 N in the predicted resultant force, accounting for approximately 5.12% of the measured force, by which the proposed theoretical model is verified to be of good prediction accuracy.

Numerical modeling of the plastic deformation and fracture during the high-speed machining is highly challengeable. Consequently, there is a need for an advanced constitutive model and fracture criterion to make the numerical models more reliable. The aim of the present study is to extend the recent advanced static Lou-Yoon-Huh (LYH) ductile fracture creation to high strain rate and temperature applications such as machining. In the present work, the LYH static fracture creation was extended to machining conditions by introducing strain rate and temperature dependency terms. This extended LYH fracture criterion was calibrated over the wide range of stress triaxialities and different temperatures. Modified Khan- Huang-Liang (KHL) constitutive model along with the variable friction model was employed to predict the flow behavior of work material during the machining simulation. Damage evolution method was coupled to identify the element deletion point during the machining simulation. Orthogonal machining experiments were carried out for an aerospace-grade AA2024-T351 at cutting speeds varying between 100 and 400 m/min with the feed rates varying between 0.1 and 0.3 mm/rev. To assess the prediction capabilities of extended LYH fracture criterion, numerical simulations were also carried out using Johnson-Cook (JC) fracture criterion under all experimental conditions. Specific cutting energy, chip morphology, and compression ratio predictions were compared with the experimental data. Numerical predictions with coupled extended LYH criterion showed good agreement with experimental results compared to coupled JC fracture criterion.

Additive manufacturing (AM) is a manufacturing method that can build high-strength materials layer-by-layer to form complex geometries. Previous studies have reported large variations in the mechanical properties of materials made by this process. One of the key factors that may contribute to variations within and among parts made by this process is a difference in the material’s microstructural phase and composition. A continuous cooling transformation (CCT) diagram is a useful tool that can be used with a thermal model for microstructure design and manufacturing process control. However, traditional CCT diagrams are developed based on slow and monotonic cooling processes such as furnace cooling and air cooling, which are greatly different from the repetitive heating and cooling processes in AM. In this study, a new general methodology is presented to create CCT diagrams for materials fabricated by AM. We showed that the effect of the segmented duration within the critical temperature range, which induced precipitate formation, could be cumulative. As multiple cooling processes occurred in a short time, and the temperature drops at a high cooling rate, a constant average cooling rate was assumed when constructing the CCT diagram. Inconel 718 parts fabricated by selective laser melting were analyzed. The accumulated duration required for γ′/γ″ precipitate formation was found to shift from at least 432 s to about 83.38 s. The large difference in the duration (around 518%) highlights the importance of creating CCT diagrams specifically for AM materials. The key factor contributing to phase transformation was identified as the accumulated duration within the critical temperature range. The presented methodology demonstrated the capability of combining a thermal model and experimental observation to quantitatively predict phase transformation and could be used to design microstructures and control AM processes.

Electrical discharge machined surfaces inherently possess recast layer on the surface with heat affected zone (HAZ) beneath it and these have a detrimental effect on the mechanical properties viz., hardness, elastic modulus, etc. It is very difficult to experimentally characterize each machined surface. Therefore, an attempt is made in this study to numerically calculate the mechanical properties of the parent material, HAZ and the recast layer on a hemispherical protruded micro feature fabricated by reverse micro EDM (RMEDM). In the first stage, nano indentation was performed to experimentally determine the load–displacement plots, elastic modulus and hardness of the parent material, HAZ, and the recast layer. In the second stage, finite element analysis (FEA) simulation was carried out to mimic the nano indentation process and determine the load–displacement plots for all the three cases viz., parent material, recast layer, and HAZ. Results demonstrated that the load–displacement plots obtained from numerical model in each case was in good agreement with that of the experimental curves. Based on simulated load–displacement plots, hardness was also calculated for parent material, HAZ, and the recast layer. A maximum of 11% error was observed between simulated values of hardness and experimentally determined values. This model can be utilized to predict the mechanical properties of surfaces fabricated by micro scale EDM process and this will help in reducing the number of experiments thereby saving time and cost.

Chemical vapor deposition (CVD), which involves chemical reactions in gases for deposition on a heated surface, is an extensively used manufacturing technique for obtaining thin films of materials like silicon, graphene, silicon carbide, aluminum nitride, and gallium nitride (GaN). The process is driven by heat and mass transfer, fluid flow, and chemical reactions in the gases and at the surface. GaN is one of the most promising materials for manufacturing optical and electronic devices. However, the reliability and durability of the GaN-based devices depend on the crystalline quality of the thin films used. In this study, the epitaxial growth of GaN thin films on sapphire (Al 2 O 3 ) wafers is carried out in a vertical rotating disk metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) system. Epitaxial growth refers to the process of growing a crystal of a particular orientation on the top of another crystal, with the orientation being determined by the underlying crystal. MOCVD reactors are CVD systems that use metalorganic compounds that consist of metal and organic ligands, leading to materials like GaAs, AlN, InN, and GaN. The quality of the thin films is largely determined by the choice of operating conditions such as the flowrate, surface temperature, and concentration of the metalorganic precursors that decompose due to heat in the reactor, react, and deposit the desired material on the surface of a wafer or a heated susceptor. In this experimental study, the crystalline quality and surface morphology of GaN thin films are evaluated using atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Raman spectroscopy. The correlation between the crystalline quality of GaN thin films and the flowrate of the precursors is examined in detail on the basis of an evaluation of the dislocation density. The results indicate that a low concentration (V/III) ratio, where V and III refer to elements in the fifth and third groups of the periodic table, is beneficial for obtaining a high deposition rate since a low value of this ratio implies a high precursor concentration. However, it negatively affects the crystalline quality of the thin film. Similarly, high V/III ratios lead to low deposition rates and better crystalline quality, indicating the need to optimize the process.

Single polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) cutting is a practical technique to understand the rock–tool interactions in drag-bit-type geothermal drilling operations. This paper introduces a rotary cutting method to determine specific cutting energy (SCE) and compares it with the conventional linear cutting method. In this work, granite is selected to represent hard rock formations in geothermal drilling. Cutting tests are conducted on a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machine with a realistic cutting speed of 12.7 m/min and several chip loads ranging from 0.08 to 0.25 mm. The cutting force is measured using a dynamometer and then converted to specific cutting energy (SCE). The results show that the rotary method produces an inverse relationship between SCE and chip load, whereas the linear method shows the opposite. As a result, the produced SCE by the rotary method tends to be lower than that of the linear method at a higher chip load at and over 0.16 mm. The difference may be attributed to the cutting configuration and associated force components.

The traditional material constitutive model can effectively simulate the mechanical properties during the cutting process. However, the scale characteristics contained in materials are not considered in the traditional cutting model, and the inherent scale effect of materials is also ignored. Therefore, the traditional cutting constitutive model cannot effectively reflect the size effect in the cutting process, and then cannot obtain the accurate stress, strain, and temperature. In this present paper, a material constitutive model which can reflect the scale effect is established based on the strain gradient plasticity theory. Through the established model and secondary development of abaqus , the two-dimensional dynamic finite element simulation model of cutting Inconel 718 is established. By comparing the cutting experiment results with the simulation results, the established simulation model can more accurately reflect the effects of temperature, strain gradient effect, equivalent stress, and its scale effect on cutting deformation during the machining process.

This paper reports a novel method for fabrication of an electro-thermal heating element, as de-icer or anti-icer, for the polymer-based composites. The plasma spray technique was utilized for the deposition of a Nickel-Chrome-Aluminum-Yttrium (NiCrAlY) coating layer as a heating element on top of the glass/epoxy composite. To improve the adhesion strength and deposition efficiency of the coatings and to protect the composite fibers during grit blasting and spraying, a woven wire stainless steel mesh was added to the composite substrates during the composite fabrication process. Metal mesh will act as an anchor to keep the coating on the surface. Two types of woven wire and two types of NiCrAlY powder with the fine and coarse particle size distributions were used. Good processing parameters for grit blasting and plasma spraying are identified. It is found that the surface modification method applied to the composite substrates prior to the coating process makes a significant improvement in the coating thickness uniformity and deposition efficiency. Several tests were conducted on the coated samples for determination of their mechanical and electrical properties. Using flatwise tensile tests, it is shown that application of proper surface modification method and set of spray parameters could result in improving the coating bonding strength significantly. The electrical and thermal analyses of the coated samples are also performed. It is shown that the coated samples have a high capability in the generation of heat and can be used as a heating element.