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Simulated annealing algorithm is a mathematic model, which imitates the physical process of annealing. And optical thin film is widely used in many industry, To perform the functions for which they were designed, the films must have proper thickness, roughness and other characteristics. In the paper, the simulated annealing algorithm is used to determine the film optical constant It uses the transmission data through thin film over a range of wavelengths to calculate the thickness. According to the experimental results, the solution found by simulated annealing algorithm is unique and correct.

This paper completed a reinforced test of eight aging damaged old wooden beams of CFRP, studied the different layers of the CFRP reinforced rectangular failure pattern of the old wooden beams, the bending bearing capacity, load-deflection curve. The results show that reinforced aging old wooden beam repaired with CFRP not only improve the flexural bearing capacity and its failure mode changed from brittle tensile damage to compression of ductile damage.

This paper presents the effect of surface roughness on soft elastohydrodynamic lubrication in circular contact with non-Newtonian lubricant. The time independent modified Reynolds equation, elastic equation and lubricant viscosity equation were formulated for compressible fluid. Perturbation method, Newton-Raphson method, finite different method and full adaptive multigrid method were implemented to obtain the film pressure, film thickness profiles and friction coefficient in the contact region at various the amplitude of surface roughness, surface speed of sphere, modulus of elasticity and radius of sphere. The simulation results showed that the film thickness in contact region depended on the profile of surface roughness. The minimum film thickness decreased but maximum film pressure and friction coefficient increase when the amplitude of surface roughness and modulus of elasticity increased. For increasing surface speeds, the minimum film thickness and friction coefficient increase but maximum film pressure decreases. When radius of sphere increases, the minimum film thickness increases but maximum film pressure and friction coefficient decrease.

This paper describes some recent work on the stress analyses and failure prediction of some typical pressurised high temperature components under creep conditions, including plain pipes, pipe bends, branch connections and welds etc, in the main steam pipework of power plant. The materials used are typically low alloy ferritic CrMoV steels. Experimental creep testing methods, and the procedures used for generating the material properties in creep and damage constitutive equations, are briefly described. Some typical numerical results are presented to illustrate the main characteristics of the behaviour of these components and to demonstrate the effects of geometry, material properties and loading modes on stress distributions and failure life predictions. The emphasis of the paper is on welded components.

Recent work by the authors has allowed the estimation of crack-tip SIFs by direct curvefitting of a cardioid form to measured isopachics from thermoelastic stress analysis. However, some of the curve-fits indicated that the cardioid form was inappropriate for the base model. One of the possible explanations for this is that the cardioid form is only suitable for an isolated crack-tip stress field. In the experimental data for the previous studies, a crack was placed centrally in a plate and there will therefore have been two (potentially) interacting crack-tips involved. The object of the current paper is to determine numerically, the stress field for such a crack system and to quantify the effect of any interactions on the curve-fitting procedure.

A new inverse method has been developed for the simultaneous derivation of tensile and compressive stress strain behaviour from bending tests only. This new procedure can be applied to materials having asymmetric tensile and compressive stress strain behaviour and also materials that have been previously strain hardened (Bauschinger Effect). This paper presents results obtained using the new method and compares them with experimentally obtained tensile and compressive stress strain curves. The agreement of the derived stress strain data in tension and compression is encouraging.

This paper describes initial investigations into the use of frozen-stress photoelasticity to study the development of slippage within shrink-fitted shaft/hub pairs, with the aim of studying the residual stresses remaining after partial slippage has occurred. Results to date show the feasibility of measuring the shear stresses along the partially-slipping interface between shaft and hub.

An application of the elastic-plastic problem by the photoelastic coating method is presented in this paper. A general procedure of this experiment, such as image processing and separation of the difference of principal strain to obtaine stresses from isochromatic fringes is referred. The methodology to extract centre lines of coloured isochromatic fringes is explained. Experiments are conducted with cross-shaped aluminum specimens with a circular hole subjected to uniaxial tension and equi-biaxial tension. Results of image processing are shown, and the distribution of difference of principal strains and separated principal strain are shown in the case of equi-biaxial tension.

Self-expanding stents are small medical devices used to treat vascular disease and are typically fabricated from a super-elastic, shape memory alloy known as Nitinol and have a fine mesh structure. This paper describes preliminary work on the application of Thermoelastic Stress Analysis (TSA) to Nitinol stents. Uniaxial tensile tests were conducted on thin tubes of Nitinol to characterise the material mechanical properties. TSA calibration exercises were conducted, which showed that Nitinol exhibits a non-uniform thermoelastic response through its elastic region that corresponded to the superelastic behaviour. Initial TSA demonstrated that a viable thermoelastic signal could be obtained from the stents. In high resolution tests the effect of motion and noise were considerable but it was still possible to obtain a readable thermoelastic signal.

This paper describes a development of a new method (: Cantilever Method) to measure Young’s modulus of flexible materials. The method is based on a nonlinear deformation theory that takes into account large deformation behaviors. A set of testing devices was designed and machined. Measurements were carried out on two kinds of flexible materials (PVC: a high-polymer material and SWPA: a steel material). The modulus measured by this method is “Secant modulus”. The results of my evaluation confirm that the new method is suitable for flexible thin plates or rods. Based on the assessments made the method can be further applied to thin sheet and fiber materials (e.g., steel belt, glass fiber, carbon fiber, optical fiber, etc.).

Damaging temperature effects observed during ultrasonic cutting operations are typically a result of friction between the vibrating blade and material, and combustion of debris. In order to prevent the high temperatures causing damage, the ultrasonic blade has to cut with a sufficient speed. This can be achieved either by applying a relatively high static load or by increasing the working vibration amplitude of the cutting edge, however, the result can be poor operational control and exceeding the fatigue limit of the blade, respectively. In this paper, the effect of blade tip profile is considered, particularly with reference to the influence of the cutting edge contact area on temperature under different static loading conditions. Titanium blades, with different cutting edge profiles are tested in a series of experiments that monitor cutting speed, static load, temperature around the cut site, and vibration amplitude at the cutting edge. The blades are tested cutting bovine femur and artificial bone material, and the cut surfaces are examined for signs of damage after each test. The experimental data reveal that blades with a small cutting edge contact area cut at a lower temperature, and that signs of thermal damage are less evident.

This paper describes a study of laser generated ultrasonic waves in an 2-layer elastic, isotropic biomaterial model, in order to establish a modelling technique to simulate the thermoelastic response of high-power short pulse laser beams in human skin. The theory proposed in this paper takes into consideration the fundamental understanding of the laser/material interface. A finite element model using the commercial finite element code ANSYS is used to study the effects of laser pulse duration and energy flux contribution to the surface waves. The simulation comprises a set of boundary conditions that approximate a heat flux point source located on top of the surface of the material. Because of the time scale of interest, the elastic effects do not feed back into the thermal problems, so that a sequential coupled-field analysis was performed where the thermal and elastodynamic fields are uncoupled and treated separately. The initial finite element analysis involves a transient thermal analysis using a heat flux with Gaussian spatial variation to simulate the laser pulse heating. The results from the thermal analysis were read and applied to the structural analysis where the out-of-plane displacements histories are analyzed in the skin model with varying thicknesses

The marine industry at present employs the use of aluminium extrusions in the construction of decks and superstructures that could be replaced with pultruded glass reinforced plastic (GRP) profiles. The length of the pultruded section is limited and therefore, efficient and economic jointing techniques must be developed that can withstand the loads applied to ship structures. This paper evaluates a novel means of adhesively bonded connection for GRP structures known as a finger joint. Various joint geometries are examined, load displacement behaviour is established and Thermoelastic Stress Analysis (TSA) is used to provide the full field stress distribution over the joint. The results of the TSA are compared with the load displacement behaviour. It is shown that by increasing fingertip angle there is a decrease in load carrying capacity, a decrease in shear stress and an increase in stress concentration factor at the finger joint tip.

The characterisation of composite plates used in structural work in the field of aeronautics is approached by associating ultrasound and speckle interferometry measurements. The reduced thickness of the specimens does not allow for gauge instrumentation to measure out-of plane deformation. A system was therefore used which makes it possible to obtain the cartography of the deformations in and out of-plane. This paper describes an application of electronic speckle interferometry in the measurement of through thickness deformation in composites.

Facing compressive failure, facing wrinkling and core shear failure are the most commonly encountered failure modes in sandwich beams with facings made of composite materials. The occurrence and sequence of these failure modes depends on the geometrical dimensions, the form of loading and type of support of the beam. In this paper the above three failure modes in sandwich beams with facings made of carbon/epoxy composites and cores made of aluminum honeycomb and two types of foam have been investigated. Two types of beams, the simply supported and the cantilever have been considered. Loading included concentrated and uniform. It was found that in beams with foam core facing wrinkling and core shear failure occur, whereas in beams with honeycomb core facing compressive failure and core shear crimping take place. Results were obtained for the dependence of failure mode on the geometry of the beam and the type of loading. The critical beam spans for failure mode transition from core shear to wrinkling failure were established. It was found that initiation of a particular failure mode depends on the properties of the facing and core materials, the geometrical configuration and loading of composite sandwich beams.

This paper reports recent results from a set of experimental and computational studies of ductile flat fracture in modern gas pipeline steel. Experimental data from plain and notched cylindrical tensile bars and standard C(T) specimens together with damage mechanics theories have been used to capture the flat fracture characteristics of a gas pipeline steel of grade X100. The modelling was via finite element analysis using the Gurson-Tvergaard modified model (GTN) of ductile damage development. The assumption of effective material damage isotropy was sufficiently accurate to allow the transfer of data from the notched bars to predict, in a 2D model, the crack growth behaviour of the C(T) specimen. This was in spite of the considerable ovalisation of the bars at the end of their deformation. However, it was not possible to obtain similar accuracy with a 3D model of the C(T)test, even after a large number of attempts to adjust the values of the GTN parameters. This, and the anisotropic shape change in the tensile bars, suggests very strongly that the damage behaviour is so anisotropic that conventional models are not good enough for a full engineering description of the flat fracture behaviour. Suitable averaging (of shape) in the modelling of the notched bar data, and the companion averaging associated with the 2D model of the C(T) data provide a relatively fast way of transferring engineering data in the tests. There is a discussion of potential ways in which to incorporate 3D effects into the modelling for those purposes where the considerable increase in computational time (due to the microstructurally-sized finite elements needed to capture the damage behaviour) is acceptable in order to include through-thickness effects.

This paper describes the conceptual, embodiment and detailed design of a representative test specimen to mimic fretting variables in aero-engine splined couplings. A fretting bridge design was chosen for the multi-axial representative specimen from a set of four concepts evaluated. The test specimen was intended to facilitate more rapid testing for design against fretting fatigue and wear in the complex contact geometry of the spline coupling.

The paper presents a procedure whereby the Poisson’s ratio and dynamic Young’s modulus of isotropic and homogeneous materials are determined using two of the first four frequencies of natural vibration in thin square plates. The procedure is based on suitable approximate relationships relating the resonant frequencies to the elastic constants of the material. These relations were derived from an extensive series of numerical analysis carried out by a finite element code. To measure the fundamental resonant frequencies, inexpensive computerized equipment is proposed. The procedure has been validated on Carbon Steel specimens.

The reinforcement effect of a strain gauge installed on low modulus materials can be significant. The increasing use of low modulus materials requires therefore the evaluation of such effect. This paper concerns the relationship between the local reinforcement effect and the strain gauge stiffness. The conclusion is that the gauge stiffness alone does not allow the user a thorough evaluation of the reinforcement effect.

This paper presents the study of nested rings crushed laterally between rigid platens at 2 different velocities. In this investigation two different types of nested ring configurations are analysed: (A) In-Plane; where three rings of varying diameter are placed within each other and their axes are parallel. (B) Out of-Plane; where the rings have a 90 degree orientation. Material used was cold finished, drawn over mandrel (DIN 2393 ST 37-2) and is referred throughout the paper as mild steel. The Cowper-Symonds relation was used to predict the dynamic yield stress of the rings and this was included in the FE material model. The results obtained from experiments were compared to that of finite element method using the software package Ansys. Discussion is made on the post – collapse behaviour of these systems. It was found that the Out of-Plane ring system exhibited a more desirable force-deflection response due to its 90 degree orientation.

This paper concerns fracture dynamic problems for elastic cracked solids with allowance for crack faces contact interaction. The contact problem for a penny-shaped crack with an initial opening under normally incident tension-compression wave is solved by the method of boundary integral equations. The solution is compared with those obtained without allowance for crack faces contact interaction for various values of the initial opening.

Ultrasonically assisted turning (UAT) is a novel material-processing technology, where high frequency vibration (frequency f ≈ 20kHz, amplitude a ≈15μm) is superimposed on the movement of the cutting tool. Advantages of UAT have been demonstrated for a broad spectrum of applications. Compared to conventional turning (CT), this technique allows significant improvements in processing intractable materials, such as high-strength aerospace alloys, composites and ceramics. Superimposed ultrasonic vibration yields a noticeable decrease in cutting forces, as well as a superior surface finish. A vibro-impact interaction between the tool and workpiece in UAT in the process of continuous chip formation leads to a dynamically changing stress distribution in the process zone as compared to the quasistatic one in CT. The paper presents a three-dimensional, fully thermomechanically coupled computational model of UAT incorporating a non-linear elasto-plastic material model with strain-rate sensitivity and contact interaction with friction at the chip–tool interface. 3D stress distributions in the cutting region are analysed for a representative cycle of ultrasonic vibration. The dependence of various process parameters, such as shear stresses and cutting forces on vibration frequency and amplitude is also studied.

Composite laminates are used for the construction of a wide range of products; from civil infrastructure to aeronautical or space structures. Since all these structures cannot be built at once, but they are composed by several structural elements connected in various patterns, the problem of stress concentrations strikes importantly. Additionally, the structures are often designed in a “fail safe” manner, which bespeaks the damage tolerance of the material. This means that the structural element and the structure are called to operate in the presence of various forms of damage. Damage locations within a structural element or a structure cause stress rising. In the present paper experimental investigation of the stress concentration arising in composite laminates, (a) around a circular notch and (b) due to damage onset and growth during their lifetime, is presented. The experimental results are compared to analytical model predictions.

The performance of an ultrasonic cutting device critically relies on the interaction of the cutting tool and the material to be cut. A finite element (FE) model of ultrasonic cutting is developed to enable the design of the cutting blade to be influenced by the requirements of the toolmaterial interaction and to allow cutting parameters to be estimated as an integral part of designing the cutting blade. In this paper, an application in food processing is considered and FE models of cutting are demonstrated for toffee; a food product which is typically sticky, highly temperature dependent, and difficult to cut. Two different 2D coupled thermal stress FE models are considered, to simulate ultrasonic cutting. The first model utilises the debond option in ABAQUS standard and the second uses the element erosion model in ABAQUS explicit. Both models represent a single blade ultrasonic cutting device tuned to a longitudinal mode of vibration cutting a specimen of toffee. The model allows blade tip geometry, ultrasonic amplitude, cutting speed, frequency and cutting force to be adjusted, in particular to assess the effects of different cutting blade profiles. The validity of the model is highly dependent on the accuracy of the material data input and on the accuracy of the friction and temperature boundary condition at the blade-material interface. Uniaxial tensile tests are conducted on specimens of toffee for a range of temperatures. This provides temperature dependent stress-strain data, which characterises the material behaviour, to be included in the FE models. Due to the difficulty in gripping the tensile specimens in the test machine, special grips were manufactured to allow the material to be pulled without initiating cracks or causing the specimen to break at the grips. A Coulomb friction condition at the bladematerial interface is estimated from experiments, which study the change in the friction coefficient due to ultrasonic excitation of a surface, made from the same material as the blade, in contact with a specimen of toffee. A model of heat generation at the blade-toffee interface is also included to characterise contact during ultrasonic cutting. The failure criterion for the debond model assumes crack propagation will occur when the stress normal to the crack surface reaches the tensile failure stress of toffee and the element erosion model uses a shear failure criterion to initiate element removal. The validity of the models is discussed, providing some insights into the estimation of contact conditions and it is shown how these models can improve design of ultrasonic cutting devices.

This paper investigates the comparison of the measured and predicted force-displacement loops of a multiaxial representative fretting fatigue test rig for aeroengine spline couplings. A local finite element model of the fretting specimen and the fretting bridge is outlined. A more extensive model of the fretting test rig is then introduced. This global model also includes the loading structures. The model captures the compliance of the fretting test rig and improves the correlation of the observed hysteresis. This method allows the slip amplitude at the contacts to be quantified.

Establishing the relationship between process parameters and the magnitude of residual stresses is essential to determine the life of welded components. It is the aim of this paper to develop mathematical models to assess residual stresses in the heat-affected zone of dissimilar butt jointed welds of AISI304 and AISI1016. These models determine the effect of process parameters on maximum residual stress. Laser power, travel speed and focal position are the process input parameters. Plates of 3 mm thick of both materials were laser welded using a 1.5 kW CW CO2 Rofin laser as a welding source. Hole-drilling method was used to compute the maximum principal stress in and around the HAZ of both sides of the joint. The experiment was designed based on a three factors five levels full central composite design (CCD). Twenty different welding runs were performed in a random order, 6 of them were centre point replicates and the maximum residual stresses were calculated for each sample. Design-expert software was used to fit the experiential data to a second order polynomial. Sequential F test and other adequacy measures were used to check the model’s performance. The results show that the developed models explain the residual stress successfully. Using the developed models, the main and interaction effect of the process input variables on the residual stresses at either side of the weld were investigated. It is found that all the investigated laser parameters are affecting the performance of the residual stress significantly.

This paper reports on a practical investigation into methodology confidence of detection (COD) in acoustic emission (AE) testing. The developed technique relies on a commercially available software technique called “source cluster analysis” that examines the number of detected signals over a specific area. Two factors that control cluster analysis are cluster size (the area that signals are detected within) and cluster threshold (the number of detected events required to trigger a cluster). A confidence of detection matrix was developed based on altering cluster size and cluster threshold which was then applied to a practical investigation of a four-point bend test monitored using AE. Fracture length in the specimen was monitored using a foil crack gauge. The varying sizes and thresholds of the confidence matrix were used in a cluster analysis of the recorded AE data, as the initial cluster formed in the fracture region a crack length could be identified (based on the foil crack gauge). Results showed that it was possible to detect a crack length of 0.55 mm with a very high level of confidence.

This work deals with the development of a full-field extensometric method at a micrometric scale in order to precisely identify the local features of a metallic alloy at the scale of the grains. The full-field method that has been chosen is the grid method that applies a spatial phase-shifting algorithm to a periodic pattern. To mark the sample, direct interferometric photolithography was used. The paper presents the basic features of the technique and first mechanical test results are commented.

The aim of this collaborative study was to measure mechanical properties of 14MoV67-3 steel taken from small sections of material machined in-situ from an operating high pressure collector pipe after different operating lifetimes (from 0h to 186 000h) at elevated temperatures (540°C). Conventional methods of measuring mechanical properties of materials, such as the uniaxial tensile test require relatively large test samples. This can create difficulties when the amount of material available for testing is limited. One way of measuring mechanical properties from small quantities of material is using micro tensile test samples. In this work, micro-samples with a total length of 7.22mm were used. Digital Image Correlation method (DIC) was employed for the strain measurements in a uniaxial tensile test. This paper shows that there is measurable difference in the yield, ultimate tensile strength and elongation to failure as a function of the plant operating conditions. This work demonstrates, therefore, a ‘semi-invasive’ method of determining uniaxial stress-strain behaviour from plant components.

This paper describes an experimental and an analytical and numerical investigation into the buckling behaviour of cylindrical composite tubes under external hydrostatic pressure. The investigations concentrated on fibre reinforced plastic tube specimens made from a mixture of three carbon and two E-glass fibre layers. The lay-up was 0°/90°/0°/90°/0; the carbon fibres were laid lengthwise (0°) and the E-glass fibres circumferentially (90°). The theoretical investigations were carried out using a simple solution for isotropic materials, namely a well-known formula by “von Mises” and also by finite element analyses using ANSYS. The experimental investigations showed that the composite specimens behaved similarly to isotropic materials tested by various other researchers. The specimens failed by the common modes associated with this study, namely due to elastic buckling, inelastic buckling and axisymmetric yield failure. Furthermore it was discovered that the specimens failed at changes of the composite lay-up due to the manufacturing process of these specimens. These changes seem to be the weak points of the specimens. For the theoretical investigations two different types of material properties were used to analyse the composite. These were calculated properties derived from the properties of the single layers given by the manufacturer and experimentally obtained properties. Two different approaches were chosen for the investigation of the theoretical buckling pressure, a program called “MisesNP”, based on a well-known formula by von Mises for single layer isotropic materials, and two finite element analyses using the famous computer package called “ANSYS”. This latter analyses simulated the composite with a single layer orthotropic element (Shell93) and also with a multi layer element (Shell99). It was found out that the results obtained with ANSYS predicted questionable buckling pressures that could not be reproduced logically. Nevertheless this report provides Design Charts for all approaches and material types. These Design Charts allow the possibility of obtaining a ‘plastic knockdown factor’. The theoretical buckling pressures obtained using MisesNP or ANSYS can then be divided by the plastic knockdown factor, to give predicted buckling pressures. This method can be used for the design of full-scale vessels.

This paper describes the development of a software simulation tool of discrete elements which has been developed for the purpose of investigating the dynamic response of multilayer sandwich structures that incorporate highly nonlinear crumple (buckling) elements. These structures are to be optimised as cushions in order to minimise the transmission of shocks when exposed to transient excitation, such as in a free fall. Presented results are for multilayer corrugated paperboard. A single layer was modelled as a nonlinear 2-DOF system with an additional elastoplastic element to reflect contact conditions. Numerical models of the platen and the exciter with either acceleration or displacement control were developed and applied to perform numerical compression tests of the sandwich layer at various strain rates to validate the model of a single layer. Sandwich structures were then numerically assembled and subjected to simulated impacts. The model predicted inter- and intralaminar forces, displacements, velocities and accelerations. The shock attenuation characteristics were obtained and presented as the time-acceleration-static stress maps. A postprocessor was developed to produce animations to reveal complex dynamic interactions within modelled sandwich structures.

Resistance spot welding (RSW) is widely employed in sheet metal fabrication, in particular in automotive bodies and structures. Manufacturers are increasingly demanding reduced design periods with improved safety requirements, which could potentially be achieved through computational simulations. This paper presents an integrated approach combining simulation of the welding process, materials characterisation and mechanical modelling to study the effect of welding parameters on the strength of spot-welded joints. The welding process was simulated and the dimensional attributes were used to build the mechanical models for strength analysis. The constitutive material properties of the base, nugget and the heat-affected-zone (HAZ) were determined by an inverse FE modelling approach using indentation test data. The predicted deformation of spot-welded joints of a typical automotive steel under tensile-shear load showed a good agreement with experimental results. The validated models were further used to predict effects of welding parameters on the strength and failure behaviour of weld joints. Potential uses of the approach in optimising welding parameters for strength were also discussed.

Laser forming is a technique of using the energy from a laser beam to modify and adjust the curvature of sheet metals or hard materials. 2-dimention (2D) laser forming can reasonably accurately control bend angles with various materials. To advance this process further for realistic forming applications in a manufacturing industry, it is necessary to consider larger scale controlled 3-dimention (3D) laser forming. On the base of mechanism of 2D laser forming, the deformation mainly depends on the temperature gradient between upper and bottom surface of sheet metal. The work presented in this paper shows that the temperature field of using the spider scanning path to transform the thin square sheet to spherical dome by 3D laser forming. The explicit thermal analysis on 3D laser forming is shown in the article. This paper discusses the interaction between moving laser beam and sheet, the varied temperature field on the sheet during laser scanning. In order to give the verification on the results of simulation, the correlative experiment has progressed and the results of experiments are in accord with the simulation.

Shot peening is a cold-work process in which a stream of small spherical shot is blasted against a metallic component to generate a high compressive residual stress regime at the surface of the target. This paper presents a computational modelling of the shot peening process, in which the finite element (FE) method was employed to study the elastic-plastic dynamic process of the shot impact on a metallic target, and the discrete element (DE) method was used to study the multiple particles dynamics. Statistical analyses of the shot impact data reveal the relationships between peening process parameters and peening intensity, which can be used to optimise these process parameters to produce an improved outcome.

In order to investigate the effects of cutting edge radius on micro/meso-scale cutting process, the current paper is concerned with a fundamental investigation of the contribution of cutting edge radius to cutting temperature, stress field and size effect by means of two-dimensional finite-element simulation for orthogonal cutting process. The results indicated that cutting edge radius has remarkable effects on cutting temperature and stress field, and the existence of cutting edge radius is one of the main reasons generating size effect. The cutting edge radius affects the micro/meso scale cutting process at smaller uncut chip thickness by altering the effective rake angle and enhancing the plowing effect, affecting the material deformation process, expanding and widening the plastic deformation zone, and causing higher energy dissipation due to increased tool-chip contact length.

Scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM) is a powerful non-destructive testing tool used in the field of electronic package, micro-and nanomaterial and medication. The capability to distinct how minimum of defect is very important to detect the flaw in electronic packages. The detection resolution of SAM depends on the frequency of ultrasonic focus transducers. In this paper, the Multi-Gaussian Beam model to simulate the sound field of the focused transducers is discussed. Mainly the frequency domain imaging algorithm and 2D-Deconvolution method for better image quality and high resolution is analyzed. Finally, the calibration experiments for the detection resolution of 100MHZ transducer is carried out. In addition, the micro flaws with different dimensions are observed at different defocusing location. It is concluded that the detection resolution decreases with the deviating from focus plane, so the flaws should be sensitive on the focus area by precisely controlling the vertical position for better detection resolution.

In this paper, a method of fabricating single crystal silicon microstructures on oriented silicon wafer is developed. The relationship of the (111) planes on silicon silicon wafer is analyzed based on the crystal lattice of the silicon, the method of judging these (111) planes is given. An anisotropy wet-etching experiment is done to verify the etching characteristics of silicon. The process of fabricating three dimension structures on silicon wafer is then given out and some basic MEMS structures such as cantilever beams, doubly-clamped beams are fabricated. With this method, it is easy to define the shape and thickness of the microstructure and the process is not complicate. Moreover, the structures made in this way have higher structural precision and mechanical strength.

This paper presents the modelling of the effects due to load conditions on the cervical section defined between C3 and C5 after a cervical plate implant is used to transfer the compression loads from C3 to C5 as C4 is considered to be damaged as a result of a medical condition. For this study, three different scenarios which describe the common motion condition of the head-neck system are modelled. The first one refers to the effect of the head weight over the considered section. In the second case the average patient weight is supported by C3 and C5 vertebrae. The last case simulates extreme loading conditions as vertebrae lesions occur when these are compressed beyond its failure limit; the ultimate stress to compression load failure value is applied to C3. The stability and mechanical behaviour of cervical plates under compression loading conditions is evaluated using the Finite Element Method (FEM). Cervical plates are useful to restore stability of the spine by improving the inter-vertebral fusion, particularly when the cervical body has been damaged. The results show that the stresses on the plate and fixation screws, for the three cases, are within the elastic range. Conversely, it has to be considered that cortical and trabecular bone densities vary from one patient to another due to a number of factors, which can influence the fixation conditions of the screws. In the case of this analysis, healthy bone conditions were considered and the obtained results show that the risk of the integrity of the screwimplant- vertebrae system is not compromised.

This paper discusses the penetration behavior of fully supported sandwich panels with micro-lattice and foam cores, and composite skins. This behaviour is of importance during foreign object impact and perforation of sandwich structures. Experimental results are given for quasi-static penetration of micro-lattice and foam blocks, and it is shown that these two cellular materials are comparable. Experimental results are also given for drop weight penetration of fully supported skinned panels, and it is shown that skin failure and core penetration are also similar for the two core materials. It is concluded that there is scope for improving the performance of micro-lattice structure and so making such material superior to that of aluminium foam.

The sensitivity of the thermoelastic response to variations in the fibre volume fraction, resin material and manufacturing route is assessed. To quantify any effects a comprehensive materials testing programme has been conducted to obtain coefficients of thermal expansion, specific heat, density and the elastic properties, which is described in detail in the paper. The work is focused on attempting to ascertain if the source of the response is from the isotropic resin rich layer or from the orthotropic substrate. It is also demonstrated that small variations in material properties can have a significant effect on the calculated thermoelastic response.

In this paper, we demonstrate that a dynamic stress concentration around Lüders band can be directly displayed using mechanoluminescence (ML) sensing film of SrAl2O4:Eu (SAO) coated on the surface of metal. Uniaxial tensile test of an aluminum alloy (2.5% Mg) plate coated with the SAO sensing film was performed and the ML images were recorded using a high-speed camera. Captured ML images confirmed the formation and propagation of Lüders band clearly in real time.

This paper presents the results of the tensile strength evaluation of the fibers of the leaves of the agave species angustifolia Haw. The purpose of the study was to determine the mechanical behavior of the fibers under the following test conditions: (1) in fibers of the agave leave as a whole; (2) in three different longitudinal sections of the fiber: base, center and tip; (3) with a variable length and a constant test speed and (4) with a constant length and a variable test speed. The experiment began with the classification of the agave leaves by level; later the fibers were extracted through the process of retting; next the fibers were stabilized at a temperature of 20 ºc ± 2 ºc and at a relative humidity of 65 %; then the tensile tests were carried out. Finally, the Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS), the Modulus of Elasticity (ME) and the Ultimate Strain (%) were evaluated. The results show that the fibers exhibit viscoelastic behavior and their characteristics are within the range of other similar vegetal fibers, which are currently being used by industry in the manufacture of new composites.

The interest on the application of the shot peening process to arrest and/or delay crack growth is rising. The main effect of the shot peening technique is to introduce a residual stress field that increases the working life of mechanical components. In this paper, it is presented the numerical simulation (FEM) of the shot peening process and the effect of introducing a residual stress field. Besides, the consequence of changing the sizes of the impacting ball is analyzed. This work also used the Crack Compliance Method (CCM) for the determination of residual stresses in beams subjected to a numerical simulation of a shot peening process. The numerical results obtained provide a quantitative demonstration of the effect of shot peening on the introduction of residual stresses by using different sizes of impacting balls and assess the efficiency of the CCM.

Friction of two objects or inner friction of loose materials in vibration case can present different characteristics that are different from conventional conditions. The practice shows that vibration can reduce friction coefficient and friction force between two objects, lighten abrasion of objects, reduce energy consumption and increase greatly working efficiency. The mechanism of friction in vibration case was revealed in this paper. The Curve of vibration intensity to internal friction of soil was given. The investigation indicated that friction converts from static to sliding in vibration case. The internal friction is reduced with frequency increasing and there exists the optimal vibration intensity to make internal friction least. At last, nonlinear dynamic model of vibration friction system about compaction equipment was established and its resonance response was obtained.

The spiral bevel gears of attack helicopter transmission systems are taken as an object in this paper. The numerical analysis model for starved elastohydrodynamic lubrication (SEHL) of spiral bevel gears is established on the basis of the analysis of load tooth contacts analysis and SEHL in elliptical contacts. The SEHL characteristics of spiral bevel gears are also analyzed. The results are as follows: during the course of a gear-tooth meshing cycle of the spiral bevel gear, the extremum of minimal film thickness and maximal film pressure occurs near midpoint of the path of contact, and leans to dedendum. The minimal value of the minimal film thickness is 0.39 um, and the maximal value of the maximal film pressure is 0.69 GPa. The value of minimal film thickness gradually increases with the increasing of meshing point velocity. When the velocity of meshing point exceeds 110 m/s, the increase became tardiness. As the load of meshing point increases, the value of minimal film thickness gently diminishes.

In this paper, elastic-plastic finite element analysis has been performed in order to obtain the fatigue crack tip parameters under tension-compression loading. Two centre-cracked high-strength aluminum alloy with a crack length of 2mm under different tension-compression loading are analyzed. The analysis shows that the compressive loading has a significant contribution towards the crack tip plasticity and the crack tip stress. In a tension-compression loading the crack tip displacement increases with the increase of the compressive stress and the crack tip compress stress increases with the increase of the compressive stress. The maximum stress intensity Kmax in the tension part of the stress cycle and the maximum compressive stress in the compression part of the stress cycle are the main factors controlling the near crack tip parameters.

A new free-form surfaces shape-adaptive polishing tool is introduced in this paper, which can change its pose with the surface of workpiece. The simulation of this tool system’s polishing process is taken using ADAMS, and the kinematics of the shape-adaptive tool on the curvature varying surfaces of the workpiece is investigated. The simulating results indicate that the tool system can fit the varying curvature and slope of the workpiece’s surface very well.

The analytical stiffness equations of the 3-RPR planar parallel mechanism are derived in this paper based on the Conservative Congruence Transformation (CCT) stiffness matrix proposed in [1-3]. Stiffness maps of the 3-RPR mechanism are plotted in order to show the behaviour of the stiffness with and without external forces. The stiffness characteristics of the mechanism are analyzed and discussed in details. Numerical examples show that the stiffness in x and in y are well balanced, while the stiffness in tends to be lower.

Capacitive grating sensor can be used to measure the length, as its capacitance changes with the shift difference. There are several measuring systems consisting of capacitive sensor, but all their basic principles are capacitive differential sensing. The structure, principles and characteristics of capacitive sensors are introduced in this paper. Especially, we designed a high-resolution electronic length measuring system based on Capacitive Grating Sensor. And the measurement error of the system and the reason are analysed. For this system, the measuring range is from 0 to 500mm, the resolution is 1um, the indication error is 5um, the measuring speed is 1m/s. Accurate measurement on account of large displacement is achieved with the system.

Nano ZnO is an important kind of semiconductor materials, and it has been widely used in various single detection fields. In this paper, we prepared nano ZnO powder through direct precipitation method. We fabricated temperature sensor utilizing the interdigitated Au electrodes drop-deposited by nano ZnO powder. The response of the sensor to temperature was studied by CHI660 electrical chemical workstation. The results proved that the temperature sensor based on nano ZnO material presented sensitivity and repeatibility