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Abstract In the current article, a defective interface is characterized by “Dc,” representing the smallest diameter of nanosheets crucial for effective conduction transfer from the conductive filler to the medium, and by “ψ” as interfacial conduction. These parameters define the effective aspect ratio and operational volume fraction of graphene in the samples. The resistances of the graphene and polymer layer in contact zones are also considered to determine the contact resistance between adjacent nanosheets. Subsequently, a model for the tunneling conductivity of composites is proposed based on these concepts. This innovative model is validated by experimental data. Additionally, the effects of various factors on the conductivity of the composites and contact resistance are analyzed. Certain parameters such as filler concentration, graphene conductivity, interfacial conduction, and “Dc” do not affect the contact resistance due to the superconductivity of the nanosheets. However, factors like thin and large nanosheets, short tunneling distance (d), high interfacial conduction (ψ), low “Dc,” and low tunnel resistivity (ρ) contribute to increased conductivity in nanocomposites. The maximum conductivity of 0.09 is obtained at d = 2 nm and ψ = 900 S/m, but d > 6 nm and ψ

The distribution of oil and gas phases around ball–raceway local regions is an important basis and foundation for determining whether a bearing is sufficiently lubricated. To obtain the oil phase distribution law in the inner raceway–ball contact local region (IBCR) and outer raceway–ball contact local region (OBCR) of the ball bearing with under-race lubrication, the numerical simulation method is used. The effects of bearing rotation speed, oil flow rate, oil viscosity, and oil density on these two regions are studied. The results indicate that the oil phase exhibited significant periodic changes in both time and space. Compared with that in the IBCR, the oil phase distribution in the OBCR is more uniform. Increasing the bearing rotation speed and reducing the oil flow rate made the IBCR and OBCR more uniform. Changing the oil viscosity only alters the distribution pattern of the OBCR. The oil density may not affect the fluid flow state or the oil phase distribution in the bearing.

Most contact models addressing the solution of the tangential problem assume an elliptical shape of the contact patch which is derived from the Hertz theory. In particular, the linear theory of rolling contact developed by Kalker is based on this assumption. However, it is well known that in many practical cases the shape of the contact region formed between the rail and a railway wheel can be far from elliptic. Recently, the Simple Double-Elliptic Contact (SDEC) shape has been proposed as an approximation of a wide variety of non-elliptic patches. In this paper, a formulation of the linear theory of rolling contact for a SDEC shape is proposed. The coefficients of the original linear theory for elliptic patches are maintained and four new coefficients are introduced to consider the effect of non-ellipticity. The coefficients of the theory are derived numerically using software CONTACT. Then, an extension of FASTSIM for a SDEC region is introduced and the obtained creep force curves under various conditions are compared to existing formulations of FASTSIM, using results from software CONTACT as a reference. The comparisons show that the proposed model is as fast as FASTSIM and provides more accurate solutions than existing versions of FASTSIM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The distribution of oil and gas phases around ball–raceway local regions is an important basis and foundation for determining whether a bearing is sufficiently lubricated. To obtain the oil phase distribution law in the inner raceway–ball contact local region (IBCR) and outer raceway–ball contact local region (OBCR) of the ball bearing with under-race lubrication, the numerical simulation method is used. The effects of bearing rotation speed, oil flow rate, oil viscosity, and oil density on these two regions are studied. The results indicate that the oil phase exhibited significant periodic changes in both time and space. Compared with that in the IBCR, the oil phase distribution in the OBCR is more uniform. Increasing the bearing rotation speed and reducing the oil flow rate made the IBCR and OBCR more uniform. Changing the oil viscosity only alters the distribution pattern of the OBCR. The oil density may not affect the fluid flow state or the oil phase distribution in the bearing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When the load acting on a mechanical structure is greater than the yield strength of the material, the contact surface will undergo plastic deformation. Cumulative plastic deformation has an important influence on the lifespan of mechanical parts. This article presents a three-dimensional semi-analytical model based on the conjugate gradient method and fast Fourier transform algorithm, with the aim of studying the characteristic parameters of the contact region between a rigid ellipsoid and elasto-plastic half-space. Moreover, normal forces and tangential traction were considered, as well as the contact pressure resulting from various sliding speeds and friction coefficients. The contact pressure, effective plastic strain, von Mises stress, and residual stress were measured and shown to increase with increasing sliding velocity. Finally, when the friction coefficient, contact pressure, and effective plastic strain are increased, the von Mises stress is also shown to increase, whereas the residual stress decreases.

Graphene-metal contact is crucial to fabricate high-performance graphene photodetectors since the external quantum efficiency (EQE) of the photodetector depends on the contact properties, and the influence of the contact properties is particularly dominant in short channel devices for high-speed applications. Moreover, junction properties between the channel graphene and graphene near the contact are also important to analyze the photoresponse because the built-in electric field in the junction determines the EQE of the photodetector. In this study, we investigated a relation between the photoresponse and the built-in electric field induced from the doping level difference in the junction between the channel graphene and graphene near the contact. The photoresponse could be enhanced with a high junction barrier height that is tuned by the doping level difference. In addition, we observed that the improved electrical characteristics of channel graphene do not guarantee the enhancement of the photoresponse characteristics of graphene photodetectors.

An improved generalized single-source tangential equivalence principle algorithm (GSST-EPA) is proposed for analyzing array structures with connected elements. In order to use the advantages of GSST-EPA, the connected array elements are decomposed and computed by a contact-region modeling (CRM) method, which makes that each element has the same meshes. The unknowns of elements can be transferred onto the equivalence surfaces by GSST-EPA. The scattering matrix in GSST-EPA needs to be solved and stored only once due to the same meshes for each element. The shift invariant of translation matrices is also used to reduce the computation of near-field interaction. Furthermore, the multilevel fast multipole algorithm (MLFMA) is used to accelerate the matrix-vector multiplication in the GSST-EPA. Numerical results are shown to demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed method.

It is of great importance to develop an in-depth understanding of interfacial flow around a lubricated rolling point contact region (RPCR). Consideration of the flow patterns around an RPCR will be important for the lubrication, cooling, and cleaning of machine parts, such as rolling bearings and gearboxes. In this study, an experiment using laser-induced fluorescence and a simulation using computational fluid dynamics of interfacial flow around an oil-lubricated ball-on-disk RPCR are presented. The results show good agreement with each other, and the flow patterns are clearly classified. The forming mechanisms are analyzed in terms of force competition caused by inertia, viscosity, pressure gradient, and air–oil surface tension. Quantitative criteria are proposed to evaluate the behaviors at the air–oil interface and the transition of flow patterns. Analyses have shown that the competition between these forces drives the motion of the air–oil interface, and the formation of flow patterns can be considered a self-adjusting process for the air–oil interface toward the equilibrium positions of the forces. High surface tension is beneficial for maintaining interface stability and can prevent the meniscus from rupturing at an outlet and concaving at an inlet. High capillary numbers may increase the risk for outlet meniscus rupture and the degree of concavity of the inlet meniscus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies showed that cytochrome P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) forms a homomeric complex that influences its metabolic characteristics. Specifically, CYP1A2 activity exhibits a sigmoidal response as a function of NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase (POR) concentration and is consistent with an inhibitory CYP1A2•CYP1A2 complex that is disrupted by increasing [POR] (Reed et al. (2012) Biochem. J. 446, 489-497). The goal of this study was to identify the CYP1A2 contact regions involved in homomeric complex formation. Examination of X-ray structure of CYP1A2 implicated the proximal face in homomeric complex formation. Consequently, the involvement of residues L91-K106 (P1 region) located on the proximal face of CYP1A2 was investigated. This region was replaced with the homologous region of CYP2B4 (T81-S96) and the protein was expressed in HEK293T/17 cells. Complex formation and its disruption was observed using bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET). The P1-CYP1A2 (CYP1A2 with the modified P1 region) exhibited a decreased BRET signal as compared with wild-type CYP1A2 (WT-CYP1A2). On further examination, P1-CYP1A2 was much less effective at disrupting the CYP1A2•CYP1A2 homomeric complex, when compared with WT-CYP1A2, thereby demonstrating impaired binding of P1-CYP1A2 to WT-CYP1A2 protein. In contrast, the P1 substitution did not affect its ability to form a heteromeric complex with CYP2B4. P1-CYP1A2 also showed decreased activity as compared with WT-CYP1A2, which was consistent with a decrease in the ability of P1-CYP1A2 to associate with WT-POR, again implicating the P1 region in POR binding. These results indicate that the contact region responsible for the CYP1A2•CYP1A2 homomeric complex resides in the proximal region of the protein., (© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Portland Press Limited on behalf of the Biochemical Society.)