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This study looks at how welding intensity, speed, voltage, and stick-out affect the structural and mechanical characteristics of metal inert gas (MIG) welding on SUS 201 stainless steel and C20 steel. The Taguchi method is used to optimize the study's experiment findings. The results show that the welding current has a more significant effect on the tensile test than the welding voltage, stick-out, and welding speed. Welding voltage has the lowest influence. In addition to the base metals' ferrite, pearlite, and austenite phases, the weld bead area contains martensite and bainite microstructures. The optimal parameters for the ultimate tensile strength (UTS), yield strength, and elongation values are a 110 amp welding current, 15 V of voltage, a 500 mm.min−1 welding speed, and a 10 mm stick-out. The confirmed UTS, yield strength, and elongation values are 452.78 MPa, 374.65 MPa, and 38.55%, respectively, comparable with the expected value derived using the Taguchi method. In the flexural test, the welding current is the most critical element affecting flexural strength. A welding current of 110 amp, an arc voltage of 15 V, a welding speed of 500 mm.min−1, and a stick-out of 12 mm are the ideal values for flexural strength. The flexural strength, confirmed at 1756.78 MPa, is more than that of the other samples. The study's conclusions can offer more details regarding the dissimilar welding industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the effects of stick-out, welding current, welding speed, and voltage on the mechanical characteristics and microstructure of MIG welding on SUS 304 stainless steel and S20C steel. The Taguchi method was used to maximize the experiment's outcomes. Fine columnar dendrites formed at fusion sites, and δ-ferrite phases with dark lines and shapes accumulated between the fusion line and the austenite phases. A welding current of 110 A, voltage of 15 V, welding speed of 500 mm/min, and stick-out of 12 mm were the optimal settings for the ultimate tensile strength (UTS). The UTS value confirmation was 469.4 MPa, which agrees with the estimated value determined using the Taguchi technique. The tensile test revealed that welding current had a far greater impact on mechanical qualities than welding voltage, speed, and stick-out distance. The ideal welding parameters for flexural strength were as follows: stick-out of 12 mm, arc voltage of 15 V, welding speed of 450 mm/min, and welding current of 110 amp. The Taguchi method is useful, as evidenced by the validation of the flexure strength of 1937.45 MPa, which is much greater than the other samples. The impact of the thermal annealing process on the mechanical characteristics of the dissimilar weld joints could be the subject of future research. The investigation results may offer more insightful information about the dissimilar welding field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we present a novel approach to injection molding, focusing on the strength of weld lines in polyamide 6 (PA6) composite samples. By implementing a mold temperature significantly higher than the typical molding practice, which rarely exceeds 100°C, we assess the effects of advanced mold temperature management. The research introduces a newly engineered mold structure specifically designed for localized mold heating, distinguishing it as the 'novel cavity.' This innovative design is compared against traditional molding methods to highlight the improvements in weld line strength at elevated mold temperatures. To optimize the molding parameters, we apply an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) in conjunction with a Genetic Algorithm (GA). Our findings reveal that the optimal ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and elongation values are achieved with a filling time of 3.4 seconds, packing time of 0.8 seconds, melt temperature of 246°C, and a novel high mold temperature of 173°C. A specific sample demonstrated the best molding parameters at a filling time of 3.4 seconds, packing time of 0.4 seconds, melt temperature of 244°C, and mold temperature of 173°C, resulting in an elongation value of 582.6% and a UTS of 62.3 MPa. The most influential factor on the PA6 sample's UTS and elongation at the weld line was found to be the melt temperature, while the filling time had the least impact. SEM analysis of the fracture surfaces revealed ductile fractures with rough surfaces and grooves, indicative of the weld line areas' bonding quality. These insights pave the way for significant improvements in injection molding conditions, potentially revolutionizing the manufacturing process by enhancing the structural integrity of the weld lines in molded PA6 samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Weld line defects, commonly occurring during the plastic product manufacturing process, are caused by the merging of two opposing streams of molten plastic. The presence of weld lines harms the product's aesthetic appeal and durability. This study uses artificial neural networks to forecast the ultimate tensile strength of a PA6 composite incorporating 30% glass fibers (GFs). Data were collected from tensile strength tests and the technical parameters of injection molding. The packing pressure factor is the one that significantly affects the tensile strength value. The melt temperature has a significant impact on the product's strength as well. In contrast, the filling time factor has less impact than other factors. According to the scanning electron microscope result, the smooth fracture surface indicates the weld line area's high brittleness. Fiber bridging across the weld line area is evident in numerous fractured GF pieces on the fracture surface, which enhances this area. Tensile strength values vary based on the injection parameters, from 65.51 MPa to 73.19 MPa. In addition, the experimental data comprise the outcomes of the artificial neural networks (ANNs), with the maximum relative variation being only 4.63%. The results could improve the PA6 reinforced with 30% GF injection molding procedure with weld lines. In further research, mold temperature improvement should be considered an exemplary method for enhancing the weld line strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the mechanical properties of coconut sawdust powder combined with polypropylene (PP). The effect of compatibility content, wood powder (WP) content, and injection molding parameters on the properties of coconut wood powder composite (WPC) is evaluated. The results could be used to figure out the optimal mechanical properties such as tensile strength, elongation, elastic modulus, and flexural strength by selecting suitable parameters and composition. The bonding between the WP particles and the PP matrix is good, and the WP is uniformly distributed across the composite matrix, as indicated in the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results. Interestingly, with the presence of the compatibilizer oleamide, increasing the WP content from 20 wt.% to 40 wt.% did not result in WP accumulation in the composite matrix. Notably, at 20 wt.% WP, the elongation is the highest (at 7.40 wt.%), while at 30 wt.% WP, the elastic modulus reaches the highest value. The maximum ultimate tensile strength (UTS) value is obtained at 35 wt.% WP. Higher WP mostly results in greater flexural strength and shore D hardness. At 40 wt.% WP, the WPC achieves its peak shore D hardness of 77.6. The Taguchi results suggest that WP content is the most critical factor in the UTS value of coconut WPCs. The filling pressure ranks second, followed by the packing pressure. Finally, unlike the other characteristics, the melt temperature has a minimal impact on the UTS value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the effects of heating movement techniques on the properties of low-carbon steel samples that are 3D printed using S20C lamination object manufacturing (LOM). A Tungsten iner gas (TIG) machine and a computer numerical control (CNC) machine were used together to join the steel sheet. The LOM samples were created with a straight-profile, short-profile, cross-profile, and curved-profile. The results indicate that the majority of the samples had a grain size number of 7–9. The samples exhibited an isotropy grain shape. The LOM samples exhibited dimples, which suggests ductility fractures. Pore flaws showed up in the microstructure of the cross-profile and short-profile samples during the LOM process. The samples with curved- and straight-profiles had a better microstructure. In comparison to samples with a short profile and a cross-profile, the samples with a straight-profile and a curved-profile had a superior combination of ultimate tensile strengths (UTSs) and elongation value. The straight- and curved-profiles' greater elongation and tensile strength can be attributed to their improved microstructure and finer grain size. A straight-profile sample with an elongation value of 25.6% and a UTS value of 430 MPa was the ideal LOM sample. Conversely, the weakest sample was the LOM sample with a cross-profile, which had an elongation value of 10.8% and a UTS value of 332.5 MPa. This research could provide further information about the LOM method and the best straight-profile movement strategy. A suitable TIG gun movement strategy could produce a good LOM sample with a good microstructure, tensile strength, and ductility. Further research should incorporate more movement strategies and techniques that completely prevent the formation of pore defects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study surveys the impacts of injection parameters on the deformation rate of the injected flexure hinge made from ABS, PP, and HDPE. The flexure hinges are generated with different filling time, filling pressure, filling speed, packing time, packing pressure, cooling time, and melt temperature. The amplification ratio of the samples between different injection parameters and different plastic types is measured and compared to figure out the optimal one with a high amplification ratio. The results show that the relationship between the input and output data of the ABS, PP, and HDPE flexure hinges at different injection molding parameters is a linear relation. Changing the material or many injection molding parameters of the hinge could lead to a great impact on the hinge's performance. However, changing each parameter does not lead to a sudden change in the input and output values. Each plastic material has different optimal injection parameters and displacement behaviors. With the ABS flexure hinge, the filling pressure case has the greatest amplification ratio of 8.81, while the filling speed case has the lowest value of 4.81. With the optimal injection parameter and the input value of 105 µm, the ABS flexure hinge could create a maximum average output value of 736.6 µm. With the PP flexure hinge, the melt temperature case achieves the greatest amplification ratio of 6.73, while the filling speed case has the lowest value of 4.1. With the optimal injection parameter and the input value of 128 µm, the PP flexure hinge could create a maximum average output value of 964.8 µm. The average amplification ratio values of all injection molding parameters are 6.85, 5.41, and 4.01, corresponding to ABS, PP, and HDPE flexure hinges. Generally, the ABS flexure hinge has the highest amplification ratios, followed by the PP flexure hinge. The HDPE flexure hinge has the lowest amplification ratios among these plastic types. With the optimal injection parameter and the input value of 218 µm, the HDPE flexure hinge could create a maximum average output value of 699.8 µm. The results provide more insight into plastic flexure hinges and broaden their applications by finding the optimal injection parameters and plastic types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of welding angle, welding current, travel speed, pulse time, and torch height on the geometry, macrostructure, and mechanical properties of Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) orbital welding on an SUS 304 stainless steel pipe is investigated in this study. The results show that an electrode angle of 45° produces better weld joints than angles of 30°, 60°, 90°, and 120°. Furthermore, the electrode angle of 30° results in an acceptable weld width but a low depth of penetration (DOP) value. Welding current and weld speed have a significant impact on heat dispersion during TIG welding of an SUS 304 stainless steel pipe. The high welding current may result in blow-hole flaws, particularly near the conclusion of the welding process when heat is accumulated. A long torch height of 2 mm causes unevenness in the weld joints because the arc may be distorted when compared to shorter torch height cases. The pulse time of 0.2 s is too lengthy for a low-welding current situation because it will generate a small weld pool. As a result, the weld pool solidification process speeds up, and porosity emerges in the weld bead. A pulse time of 0.1 s results in a better weld joint. To avoid blow-hole creation, the welding current should be gradually reduced during the process. In addition, the Taguchi results demonstrate that the welding current has the greatest effect on the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) value, followed by welding speed, pulse time, electrode angle, and torch height. Furthermore, the ideal parameters for the UTS value are an electrode angle of 45°, a torch height of 2.0 mm, a welding current of 174 A, a welding speed of 72 mm/min, and a pulse time of 0.3 s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Material additive or 3D printing technology has been recognized as a future manufacturing technique. The mechanical properties of products manufactured using 3D printing technology depend on many factors, especially the printing angle. Resin Castable Wax can be used as a matrix or scaffold for sensor devices in 3D printing. In this study, we explore the effects of printing angle on the mechanical properties of Resin Castable Wax V1 using the 3D stereolithography printing method. The samples are printed at three different printing angles of 0, 45, and 90°. Increasing the printing angle from 0 to 90° improves the tensile and compressive strengths. The sample printed at the angle of 90° shows the highest ultimate tensile and compressive strengths of 23.13 and 124.97 MPa, respectively, and vice versa for the sample printed at 0°. Because of the gradual inclination of the material toward the direction of load force and the larger printing boundary at a higher printing angle, the mechanical properties are improved when the printing angle is increased. These findings can be used to choose an appropriate printing angle for Resin Castable Wax V1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research focuses on the fabrication of plastic flexure hinges from diverse plastics such as ABS, PP, HDPE, and LDPE. To enhance hinge efficiency, the recycling ratios are also investigated. The amplification ratio of different recycle ratios and plastic types are measured. The results show that the input and output displacements of all PP, ABS, and HDPE hinges are linear. The presence of recycled plastics has no impact on this basis. The pure PP, ABS, and HDPE flexure hinges achieve the highest amplification ratios of 5.728, 8.249, and 5.668. The addition of recycled plastics reduces the amplification ratio. This decrease in the amplification ratio, however, is small. At a 25% recycle ratio, the PP, ABS, and HDPE flexure hinges have 12%, 13.3%, and 21.7% lower amplification ratios than the pure plastic hinges. Furthermore, the utilization of recycled plastics may lessen the need for new plastic made from raw materials. With the PP flexure hinge, a maximum input value of 157 µm could result in an output value of 886 µm. At a maximum input value of 115 µm, the ABS flexure hinge could achieve an output value of 833 µm. Finally, a maximum input value of 175 µm might result in an output value of 857 µm when using the HDPE flexure hinge. The average amplification ratio values for all recycling ratios for PP, ABS, and HDPE flexure hinges are, respectively, 5.35, 7.60, and 5.02. The ABS flexure hinge frequently outperforms the PP and HDPE flexure hinge in terms of amplification ratios. Among these plastics, HDPE flexure hinges have the lowest amplification ratio. In general, increasing the thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) content of the LDPE/TPU blend increases the amplification ratio. The cause could be the TPU's high compatibility with the LDPE polymer. The LDPE/TPU blend hinge offers a broader range of the amplification ratio of 2.85–10.504 than the PP, ABS, and HDPE flexure hinges. It is interesting that changing the blend percentage has a much greater impact on the amplification ratio than changing the recycling ratio. The findings broaden the range of applications for plastic flexure hinges by identifying optimal plastic types. The impact of the hinge shape on the performance of the injected plastic flexure hinge might be studied in further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three-dimensional printing (3D printing) is one of the most common methods applied in rapid prototyping for manufacturing, medical, and education applications. In addition to the shape design and materials, the mechanical quality of 3D printing products also depends on printing parameters such as temperature, infill angle, infill density, and layer thickness. In this study, the mechanical characteristics of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) polymer are tested by examining these parameters. The Taguchi method is employed to design, analyze, and optimize the mechanical properties. To achieve maximum tensile strength, the parameters that should be applied are 210 °C, 45° infill angle, 100% infill density, and 0.1 mm thickness. Moreover, optimal parameters for maximum elastic modulus are 240 °C, infill angle 90°, 100% infill density, and 0.18 mm thickness. Finally, printing should be performed at 210 °C, with an infill angle of 45°, 15% infill density, and 0.1 mm thickness to achieve the highest elongation at break value. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of the sample reveal the stacking structure and the different breaking mechanisms between infill angles of 45 and 90°. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the impact of injection parameters on the weld line strength of the polyamide 6 and 30% fiberglass (PA6 + 30% FG) composite samples. The effects of filling time, packing time, packing pressure, melt temperature, and mold temperature on the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and the elongation value of the weld line are investigated. The results reveal that the filling time factor has the lowest influence rate. On the contrary, the packing pressure has the most considerable value of UTS standard deviation, indicating that this factor has a high impact rate. The melt temperature factor has the highest elongation standard deviation, pointing out the strong impact of melt temperature on the elongation value. In reverse, the filling time factor has the lowest elongation standard deviation, showing the low impact of this factor on the elongation value. Increasing the mold temperature enhances the elongation value greatly because a higher temperature generates a better connection in the weld line area. Although the UTS value improves modestly when the mold temperature control system is used, the elongation result from the mold temperature parameter is better than expected. The UTS result from all parameters presents a minor deviation; therefore, it is lower than expected. The optimal strength result from artificial neural networks with genetic algorithm optimization is 85.1 MPa, which is higher than the best experiment result of 76.8 MPa. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results show that the interface between the fiberglass and the PA matrix has high adherence. The fracture surface is smooth, indicating that the PA6 + 30% FG composite sample has a high fragility level. The findings could help to increase the injection sample's weld line strength by optimizing the injection molding conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: The mechanical characteristics and deformation behavior of Cu material under the nanoscratching through a diamond tooltip on the workpiece are studied using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. Effects of scratching velocity, scratching depth, workpiece temperature, and grain size on the total force, shear strain, pile-up, shear stress, workpiece temperature, and phase transformation are investigated. The results reveal that increasing the scratching velocity leads to higher oscillation in total force, greater shear strain and shear stress, higher pile-up on the workpiece surface, and higher workpiece temperatures. The effect of the scratching velocity on phase transformation shows that most of the dislocation is a transformation structure from the FCC structure to the HCP, BCC, and other structures in all workpieces during the nanoscratching process. In addition, with increasing the scratching depth, material pile-up becomes more prominent, consequently elevating the contact area between the diamond tooltip and the workpiece, which simultaneously leads to an increase in total force, shear strain, pile-up, shear stress, and workpiece temperature. The MD simulation results revealed that the subsurface region of nanoscratched Cu single-crystal experiences the formation of stacking faults, vacancy defects, and cluster vacancies. In studying the effect of workpiece temperature, the results show that higher temperatures lead to the decline of scratching force, high plastic deformation, increased shear strain and stress, lower pile-up height, and high transition from the FCC structure to both other and BCC structures. For polycrystalline structures, the force curves occur in the oscillation state in all cases of different grain sizes because of the dislocation deformation during the cutting process. The maximum force decreases with diminishing grain size, attributed to the inverse Hall-Petch relation. As the grain size increases, leading to a decrease in the shear strain, stress, and an uneven pile up; also, the HCP structure rises with decreasing grain boundary and the partial dislocation and stacking fault mobilize inside grains. Methods: By using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation based on the Large-scale Atomic/Molecular Massively Parallel Simulator (LAMMPS) software, all molecular interactions were described by the Lennard-Jones (LJ) and embedded atom method (EAM) potentials. In order to mitigate the effects of temperature fluctuations, the system employs an isothermal and isobaric (NPT) ensemble for precise temperature control. The temperature was set as 300 K and the time step was 1 fs (femtosecond). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly(butylene terephthalate) is a rigid polymer with poor elasticity and impact resistance. In this research, thermoplastic polyurethane is mixed with poly(butylene terephthalate) through injection molding to improve the impact strength and elasticity of the blend. The findings revealed that the blend had higher impact toughness but lower tensile and flexural strengths when compared to neat poly(butylene terephthalate). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrical discharge machining (EDM) is a highly regarded method for producing ultra-precise mechanical parts. In this study, the process parameters of die-sinking EDM using copper electrodes and American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) P20 tool steel workpieces are optimized for various output responses. The study surveys three input parameters, including Current (I), Pulse on Time (Ton), and Pulse Off Time (Toff). Some statistical methods, such as Taguchi and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), are applied to find the optimal set of parameters for the output responses, consisting of Material Removal Rate (MRR), Electrode Wear Rate (EWR), and Surface Roughness (SR), and determine the most influential input factor. With the L9 Orthogonal Array (OA), the analytical results demonstrate the optimal parameter set for MRR is I = 6 A, Ton = 120 µs, and Toff = 30 µs, while those optimal values for EWR and SR are I = 2 A, Ton = 120 µs, and Toff = 90 µs and I = 2 A, Ton = 60 µs, and Toff = 30 µs, respectively. The study also indicates that input factor I has the most effect on the output responses, followed by Ton and Toff. Moreover, Grey relational analysis in the Taguchi method is also employed for multi-response optimization. The optimal parameter set for the three output factors is I = 6 A, Ton = 120 µs, and Toff = 60 µs, respectively. In this research, the microstructure and recast layer of the machined surfaces are investigated using optical microscopy as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mold heating is an essential process in plastic injection molding. Raising the temperature of the mold before injecting liquefied plastic can ease the mold-filling process. A cooling channel can be used to transport high-temperature fluids for this purpose, such as hot water or oil. This dual purpose is a cost-effective solution for heating the mold because the target temperature is easily achieved using this method. In addition, a conformal cooling channel (CCC) can provide more efficient mold heating than a straight cooling channel. This study used the response surface methodology to determine the optimum CCC shape for heat distribution in a mold, and the simulation results confirmed its optimization. The average temperature of the mold using a CCC was better than that using a straight cooling channel, and the heat zone was uniform across the mold surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents an innovative approach to enhancing weld line strength in advanced polymer injection molding through applying gas-assisted mold temperature control, significantly increasing mold temperature beyond typical values observed in conventional processes. We investigate the effects of various heating times and frequencies on the fatigue strength of Polypropylene (PP) samples and the tensile strength of Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) composite samples at different Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) percentages and heating times. Using gas-assisted mold heating, mold temperatures exceeding 210 °C are achieved, which represents a significant advancement compared to the standard mold temperatures of less than 100 °C. As a result, the fatigue strength of the PP sample with mold heating at 15 s shows a remarkable increase of up to 5.4 times at 5 Hz compared to the sample without mold temperature control. Moreover, ABS/TPU blends with 15 wt.% TPU exhibit the highest ultimate tensile strength (UTS) value of 36.8 MPa, while blends with 30 wt.% TPU have the lowest UTS value of 21.3 MPa. This advancement demonstrates the potential for improved welding line bonding and fatigue strength in manufacturing. Our findings reveal that increasing the mold temperature before injection results in higher fatigue strength in the weld line, with the TPU percentage having a more significant influence on the mechanical properties of ABS/TPU blends than heating time. The results of this study contribute to a deeper understanding of advanced polymer injection molding and offer valuable insights for process optimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to explore the effects of Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) content on the weld line properties of Polypropylene (PP) and Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) blends. In PP/TPU blends, increasing the TPU content results in a significant decrease in the PP/TPU composite's ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and elongation values. Blends with 10 wt%, 15 wt%, and 20 wt% TPU and pure PP outperform blends with 10 wt%, 15 wt%, and 20 wt% TPU and recycled PP in terms of UTS value. The blend with 10 wt% TPU and pure PP achieves the highest UTS value of 21.85 MPa. However, the blend's elongation decreases due to the poor bonding in the weld line area. According to Taguchi's analysis, the TPU factor has a more significant overall influence on the mechanical properties of PP/TPU blends than the recycled PP factor. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) results show that the TPU area has a dimple shape on the fracture surface due to its significantly higher elongation value. The 15 wt% TPU sample achieves the highest UTS value of 35.7 MPa in ABS/TPU blends, which is considerably higher than other cases, indicating good compatibility between ABS and TPU. The sample containing 20 wt% TPU has the lowest UTS value of 21.2 MPa. Furthermore, the elongation-changing pattern corresponds to the UTS value. Interestingly, SEM results present that the fracture surface of this blend is flatter than the PP/TPU blend due to a higher compatibility rate. The 30 wt% TPU sample has a higher rate of dimple area than the 10 wt% TPU sample. Moreover, ABS/TPU blends gain a higher UTS value than PP/TPU blends. Increasing the TPU ratio mainly reduces the elastic modulus of both ABS/TPU blends and PP/TPU blends. This study reveals the advantages and disadvantages of mixing TPU with PP or ABS to ensure that it meets the requirements of the intended applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study surveys the influences of travel speed, voltage, and intensity on the characteristics of low-carbon steel samples generated by the Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) technique. The results indicated that the WAAM samples have isotropy grain shape, with grain size number values varying from about 8 to 12. Interestingly, the WAAM sample achieves better mechanical properties with a higher ultimate tensile strength (UTS) value and higher elongation at break value than the original wire. The UTS value of the WAAM sample is 21–40% higher than the original steel wire. The WAAM sample with a travel rate of 350 mm·min−1, a voltage of 24 V, and an electrical intensity of 120 A reaches the highest UTS value of 694 MPa. The WAAM sample with a travel rate of 400 mm·min−1, a voltage of 22 V, and an electrical intensity of 170 A gains the lowest UTS value of 599 MPa. Moreover, the elongation values oscillate around 41–57%, two or three times higher than the original steel wire. SEM microstructure reveals a ductile fracture surface with dimples of the samples after the tensile test, indicating the toughness of the samples. The fracture surface also shows the equiaxial shape and grain size of the WAAM samples. According to Taguchi analyses, the travel rate factor greatly impacts grain size. The voltage factor has the highest effect on the UTS value. The intensity factor has the most significant impact on the elongation value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) technique has evolved into a cutting-edge 3D printing technique. This study surveys the influences of trajectory on the characteristics of low-carbon steel samples generated by the WAAM technique. The results show that the grains in the WAAM samples are isotropic, with grain size numbers ranging from 7 to 12. Strategy 3, with a spiral trajectory, has the smallest grain size, while strategy 2, with a lean zigzag trajectory, has the largest. The variations in grain size are caused by differences in heat input and output during the printing process. The WAAM samples achieve a significantly higher UTS value than the original wire, demonstrating the WAAM technique's benefit. Strategy 3, with a spiral trajectory, achieves the highest UTS value, 616.5 MPa, 24% higher than the original wire. The UTS values of strategy 1 (horizontal zigzag trajectory) and strategy 4 (curve zigzag trajectory) are comparable. WAAM samples have significantly higher elongation values than the original wire, with only 22% elongation. The sample with the highest elongation value, 47.2%, was produced by strategy 3. Strategy 2 has an elongation value of 37.9%. The value of elongation is proportional to the value of UTS. WAAM samples have average elastic modulus values of 95.8 GPa, 173.3 GPa, 92.2 GPa, and 83.9 GPa, corresponding to strategies 1, 2, 3, and 4. Only a strategy 2 sample has a similar elastic modulus value to the original wire. All samples have dimples on the fracture surface, indicating that the WAAM samples are ductile. These fracture surfaces' equiaxial shape corresponds to the original microstructure's equiaxial shape. The results provide the optimal trajectory for the WAAM products is the spiral trajectory, while the lean zigzag trajectory gains only modest characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As 3D-printed (3DP) patterns are solid and durable, they can be used to create thin wall castings, which is complicated with wax patterns because of the wax's fragility and high shrinkage ratio. According to this study's experiment results, polylactic acid (PLA), polyvinyl butyral (PVB), and castable wax (CW) are suitable materials for preparing investment casting (IC) cavities. The results indicate that the casting product with the highest-quality surface is obtained using a cavity prepared using a CW-printed pattern. PLA- and PVB-printed patterns provide a good surface finish for casted products. In addition, the roughness of both the printed and casted surfaces increases as the printing layer height increases. The roughness of the casted surface varies from 2.25 μm to 29.17 μm. This investigation also considers the correlation between the infill ratio and mechanical properties of PLA-printed patterns. An increase in the infill ratios from 0% to 100% leads to a significant increase in the tensile properties of the PLA-printed pattern. The obtained results can be practically used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fatigue performance of polypropylene (PP) at various amplitudes and frequencies on fatigue cycles under tensile test conditions is investigated in this study. The results show that increasing the frequency leads to a decrease in fatigue cycles due to increased cycle time. The decline rate can be divided into two stages, between 1 and 5 Hz. The first stage rapidly decreases fatigue performance as the frequency increases from 1 Hz to 2 Hz or 3 Hz. The second stage has a lower reduction rate, which occurs between 2 Hz or 3 Hz and 5 Hz due to the strengthening effect of increasing frequency. Furthermore, increasing the amplitude from 0.1 mm to 0.4 mm reduces the fatigue cycle due to the higher deformation rate. In summary, expanding both amplitude and frequency reduces the fatigue performance of the PP material. Moreover, according to the scanning electron microscope microstructure, increasing the frequency results in more microcracks in the polymer matrix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, low melting point binary mixtures of two bismaleimide (BMI) monomers are investigated. The bismaleimide monomers, designed B9 and B11, containing polymethylenic group in the center linked with aramide-arylate mesogenic groups through ester junctions, were synthesized with high yields. The binary mixtures were prepared by a solution process, with molar composition varied from 0.1 to 0.9. The differential scanning calorimetry analysis showed that the two monomers are miscible and the melting temperature of mixtures were a function of compositions. Two melting points were observed, except the mixture with determined composition around 0.56/0.44. This mixture showed only one melting temperature that was 23 °C lower than the lowest one of pure BMI (B9) and was considered as eutectic mixtures. This decrease in the melting temperature of the eutectic mixture allows to expand the processing window. Additionally, the blend didn't affect the formation of mesogenic phase after crosslinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This report explores the effects of machining depth, velocity, temperature, multi-machining, and grain size on the tribological properties of a diamond substrate. The results show that the appearance of graphite atoms can assist the machining process as it reduces the force. Moreover, the number of graphite atoms relies on the machining speed and substrate temperature improvement caused by the friction force. Besides, machining in a machined surface for multi-time is affected by its rough, amorphous, and deformed surface. Therefore, machining in the vertical direction for multi-time leads to a higher rate of deformation but a reduction in the rate of graphite atoms generation. Increasing the grain size could produce a larger graphite cluster, a higher elastic recovery rate, and a higher temperature but a lower force and pile-up height. Because the existence of the grain boundaries hinders the force transformation process, and the reduction in the grain size can soften the diamond substrate material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly (butylene terephthalate) (PBT) is a popular thermoplastic polyester resin but has low strength and low melting point. To improve its properties, PBT is often mixed with other resins, such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE). In this study, PBT/HDPE samples with 100% PBT, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 100% HDPE are generated and tested. The samples are analyzed by tensile strength, flexural strength, impact strength, and SEM tests. Adding HDPE will reduce tensile strength compared to pure PBT, in which 5%, 10%, and 15% PBT/HDPE samples obtain the values 40.23, 38.11, and 27.77 MPa, respectively. These values are lower than that of pure PBT but still higher than that of HDPE. Improving the HDPE portion mostly results in decreasing flexural strength. The flexural strengths of these samples are 87.79, 70.47, 55.3, 58.98, and 19.14 MPa corresponding to 100% PBT, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 100% HDPE samples, respectively. Moreover, the SEM microstructure of PBT and HDPE indicates a two-phase heterogeneous mixture with little or no adhesion between these phases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly (butylene terephthalate) (PBT) is a popular thermoplastic polyester resin but has low strength and low melting point. To improve its properties, PBT is often mixed with other resins, such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE). In this study, PBT/HDPE samples with 100% PBT, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 100% HDPE are generated and tested. The samples are analyzed by tensile strength, flexural strength, impact strength, and SEM tests. Adding HDPE will reduce tensile strength compared to pure PBT, in which 5%, 10%, and 15% PBT/HDPE samples obtain the values 40.23, 38.11, and 27.77 MPa, respectively. These values are lower than that of pure PBT but still higher than that of HDPE. Improving the HDPE portion mostly results in decreasing flexural strength. The flexural strengths of these samples are 87.79, 70.47, 55.3, 58.98, and 19.14 MPa corresponding to 100% PBT, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 100% HDPE samples, respectively. Moreover, the SEM microstructure of PBT and HDPE indicates a two-phase heterogeneous mixture with little or no adhesion between these phases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of CaCO3 on the mechanical properties of polyethylene terephthalate/polypropylene (PET/PP) blends with styrene-ethylene/butylene-styrene (SEBS) as a compatibilizer was investigated. Samples with different compositions of PET/PP/CaCO3 blend were prepared by injection molding method with CaCO3 content of 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 wt%. The ratio of PET/PP was fixed at 90/10, while compatibilizer SEBS had a fixed ratio of 5%. The samples were formed according to the ASTM D638, ASTM D790, and ISO 868 standards. The results show that adding 2% of CaCO3 helps to improve the mechanical properties of the plastic sample. Specifically, tensile strength and the flexural strength increase as CaCO3 increases from 0 to 2%. With 2% of CaCO3, the tensile strength and the flexural strength gain the highest value of 34.79 MPa, and 60.59 MPa, respectively. However, if the sample content is more than 4% CaCO3, both the tensile strength and the flexural strength will experience a decline as the percentage of CaCO3 rises. The SEM microstructure indicates that CaCO3 particles are well dispersed on the PET substrate. Additionally, the number of particles increases when enhancing the CaCO3 content in the blends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the laser cladding is created by using Co50 powder and TiC mixture, covering a H13 hot-working steel substrate. The samples are analyzed by the hardness test, XRD, SEM, and friction test to identify the forming phases, microhardness distribution, and wear-resistant characteristics. The results indicated that hardness reduces from the coating zone to the substrate, achieving the highest value at the coating zone. Increasing the content of TiC results in improving the coating hardness. The coatings with 10%–20% TiC show high-quality surface morphology and macrograph. With 30% TiC, the hardness obtains a higher hardness, but the surface appears to crack. The microstructures of the coatings present a well-mixed and well-distribution of the TiC particle on the Co matrix. The friction coefficient of H13 steel and Co50 coating reaches the maximum value when the load is 50 N and mostly decreases with the increase in the load. The wear rates of H13 steel and Co50 coatings mainly increase with the increase in the load. The temperature has a greater influence on the friction coefficient of the Co50 coating. However, the temperature has a small effect on the friction coefficient of the 20% TiC coating. The wear resistance of 20% TiC coating is higher than that of H13 steel, Co50 coating, and 10% TiC composite coating. At room temperature, the wear mechanism of the coating is mainly brittle spalling, adhesive wear, and ploughing. At 700°C, the wear mechanism is mostly oxidation wear and fatigue wear. After laser cladding, the service life of the coated surface could be greatly improved. The Co + 20% TiC coating has high hardness and wear resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

H13 steel surfaces are covered by coatings of Co-based alloy with 0, 10, 20, and 30 wt. % TiC using the laser cladding (LC) method. The morphological characteristics, growth mechanism, and the mechanical properties of TiC on the microstructure of the coatings were studied. The results show that TiC in the TiC/Co50 composite coating is composed of two parts: incompletely melted TiC and in situ TiC. TiC content has a great effect on the morphology of TiC, and it exists in different shapes: original TiC, fine-particle TiC, segregated TiC, petal-shaped TiC, and branch-shaped TiC. Additionally, the morphology of TiC in different areas of the coating is different, while TiC size gradually increases from bonding zone to surface. In the 10% TiC+Co50 coating, TiC mainly appears as undermelted, fine particles, precipitates, and having shapes of polygons and petals. From the bottom of this coating, the number of petal-shaped TiC has increased, and the particle size is also enlarged. In the 20% TiC+Co50 coating, the TiC in the coating mainly presents as undermelted, fine particles, and dendritic morphology. From the bottom of this coating to the surface, the particle size of the undermelted TiC shows a clear gradient change. Finally, the 30% TiC+Co50 coating does not have in situ TiC, and there is no obvious gradient change in the particle size of undermelted TiC. After coating by the LD method, the surface hardness is strongly enhanced. The average hardness of Co50 alloy, Co+10% TiC, and Co+20% TiC composite coatings is 499 HV0.2, 552 HV0.2, 590 HV0.2, and 824 HV0.2, respectively. These values are 2.4–4.0 times harder than that of the H13 substrate. The wear resistance of Co50 alloy, Co+10% TiC, and Co+20% TiC composite coatings is greatly higher than that of H13 steel, showing excellent wear characteristics. The friction coefficient of the coatings which have TiC is very stable. Therefore, the coatings can satisfy the requirement of tool steels applications. Additionally, the wear mechanism of the coating at room temperature is mainly brittle spalling, adhesive, and ploughing. At 700°C, the wear mechanism is mainly oxidation and fatigue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Type-1 reactions (T1R) are pathological inflammatory episodes and main contributors to nerve damage in leprosy. Here, we evaluate the genewise enrichment of rare protein-altering variants in 7 genes where common variants were previously associated with T1R. We selected 474 Vietnamese leprosy patients of which 237 were T1R-affected and 237 were T1R-free matched controls. Genewise enrichment of nonsynonymous variants was tested with both kernel-based (sequence kernel association test [SKAT]) and burden methods. Of the 7 genes tested 2 showed statistical evidence of association with T1R. For the LRRK2 gene an enrichment of nonsynonymous variants was observed in T1R-free controls (PSKAT-O = 1.6 x 10-4). This genewise association was driven almost entirely by the gain-of-function variant R1628P (P = 0.004; odds ratio = 0.29). The second genewise association was found for the Parkin coding gene PRKN (formerly PARK2) where 7 rare variants were enriched in T1R-affected cases (PSKAT-O = 7.4 x 10-5). Mutations in both PRKN and LRRK2 are known causes of Parkinson's disease (PD). Hence, we evaluated to what extent such rare amino acid changes observed in T1R are shared with PD. We observed that amino acids in Parkin targeted by nonsynonymous T1R-risk mutations were also enriched for mutations implicated in PD (P = 1.5 x 10-4). Hence, neuroinflammation in PD and peripheral nerve damage due to inflammation in T1R share overlapping genetic control of pathogenicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mitsuda reaction, a delayed granulomatous skin reaction elicited by the intradermal injection of heat-killed Mycobacterium leprae, is an in vivo test reflecting the ability to generate an immune granuloma after sensitization by diverse mycobacterial infections. Accumulating evidence for the genetic control of the Mitsuda reaction has been reported. We performed a genomewide linkage scan for the quantitative Mitsuda reaction in 19 large families from Vietnam with a history of leprosy (114 offspring). Suggestive linkage was found at chromosomal regions 2q35 (P = 9 × 10-4 at the SLC11A1 locus) and 17q21-25 (P = 8 × 10-4 ). Interestingly, these 2 regions have been previously linked to mycobacterial infection and other granulomatous diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leprosy is caused by Mycobacterium leprae and affects about 700,000 individuals each year. It has long been thought that leprosy has a strong genetic component, and recently we mapped a leprosy susceptibility locus to chromosome 6 region q25-q26 (ref. 3). Here we investigate this region further by using a systematic association scan of the chromosomal interval most likely to harbour this leprosy susceptibility locus. In 197 Vietnamese families we found a significant association between leprosy and 17 markers located in a block of approx. 80?kilobases overlapping the 5' regulatory region shared by the Parkinson's disease gene PARK2 and the co-regulated gene PACRG. Possession of as few as two of the 17 risk alleles was highly predictive of leprosy. This was confirmed in a sample of 975 unrelated leprosy cases and controls from Brazil in whom the same alleles were strongly associated with leprosy. Variants in the regulatory region shared by PARK2 and PACRG therefore act as common risk factors for leprosy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]