From Graphene constrictions to single carbon chains

We present an atomic-resolution observation and analysis of graphene constrictions and ribbons with sub-nanometer width. Graphene membranes are studied by imaging side spherical aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy at 80 kV. Holes are formed in the honeycomb-like structure due to radiation damage. As the holes grow and two holes approach each other, the hexagonal structure that lies between them narrows down. Transitions and deviations from the hexagonal structure in this graphene ribbon occur as its width shrinks below one nanometer. Some reconstructions, involving more pentagons and heptagons than hexagons, turn out to be surprisingly stable. Finally, single carbon atom chain bridges between graphene contacts are observed. The dynamics are observed in real time at atomic resolution with enough sensitivity to detect every carbon atom that remains stable for a sufficient amount of time. The carbon chains appear reproducibly and in various configurations from graphene bridges, between adsorbates, or at open edges and seem to represent one of the most stable configurations that a few-atomic carbon system accomodates in the presence of continuous energy input from the electron beam.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figure

An experimental study of process variables in turning operations of Ti 6Al 4V and Cr Co spherical prostheses

[EN] Ti 6Al 4V and Cr Co alloys are extensively used in manufacturing prostheses due to their biocompatibility, high strength-to-weight ratio and high resistance to corrosion and wear. However, machining operations involving Ti 6Al 4V and Cr Co alloys face a series of difficulties related to their low machinability which complicate the process of controlling the quality levels required in these parts. The main objective of this paper is to study the influence of cutting parameters, machine tool control accuracy and metrology procedures on surface roughness parameters and form errors in contouring operations of Ti 6Al 4V and Cr Co workpieces. The machining performance of the two biocompatible materials is compared, focusing the study on part quality at low feed per revolution and the stochastic nature of plastic deformations at this regime. The results showed a better surface roughness control for Ti 6Al 4V, whereas for Cr Co alloys, the performance presents high variability. In the case of form errors (sphericity), contouring errors and metrology procedures are important factors to be considered for quality assurance. In addition, the study analyses the correlation of the machining performance with different sensor signals acquired from a low cost non-intrusive multi-sensor, showing a high correlation of signals from acoustic emission sensors and accelerometers in the machining of spherical features on Ti 6Al 4V parts. The findings of this research work can be taken into account when designing prostheses components and planning their manufacturing processes.This work was partially supported by Fundacio Caixa-Castello Bancaixa under the research project INV-2009-39. The authors are grateful to Miguel Angel Aymerich and Arcadi Sanz, who assisted in the experimental part. The authors would also like to extend their acknowledgments to Lafitt Company for its collaboration. Additional support was provided by Tecnologico de Monterrey through the Research Chair in Mechatronics and Intelligent Machines.Abellán Nebot, JV.; Siller, H.; Vila, C.; Rodríguez, C. (2012). An experimental study of process variables in turning operations of Ti 6Al 4V and Cr Co spherical prostheses. International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology. 63(9-12):887-902. doi:10.1007/s00170-012-3955-0S887902639-12Balazic M, Kopac J, Jackson MJ, Ahmed W (2007) Review: titanium and titanium alloy applications in medicine. Int J Nano Biomater 1:3–34Long M, Rack HJ (1998) Titanium alloys in total joint replacement—a materials science perspective. Biomaterials 19:1621–1639Ohkubo C, Watanabe I, Ford JP, Nakajima H, Hosoi T, Okabe T (2000) The machinability of cast titanium and Ti–6Al–4 V. Biomaterials 21:421–428Yang X, Liu CR (1999) Machining titanium and its alloys. 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Adaptive Control Optimization of Cutting Parameters for High Quality Machining Operations Based on Neural Networks and Search Algorithms

This book chapter presents an Adaptive Control with Optimization (ACO) system for optimising a multi-objective function based on material removal rate, quality loss function related to surface roughness, and cutting-tool life subjected to surface roughness specifications constraint

Study of different cutting strategies for sustainable machining of hardened steels

This paper studies the power consumption of different cutting strategies in face milling operations in order to evaluate the efficiency of each cutting strategy. The experimental procedure evaluates the machine-tool efficiency by estimating cutting forces and measuring the power consumption. After modeling the efficiency of the machine-tool at different states (idle, fast movement and cutting at different conditions), the cutting strategies and cutting parameters are analyzed and compared in terms of sustainability (CO2 emissions) and quality (surface roughness). The optimal cutting strategy to ensure a predefined quality specification is also derived.Vila, C.; Abellán Nebot, JV.; Siller-Carrillo, HR. (2015). Study of different cutting strategies for sustainable machining of hardened steels. Procedia Engineering. 132:1120-1127. doi:10.1016/j.proeng.2015.12.604S1120112713

Multi-objective optimisation of product quality in the manufacture of Ti-6AI-4V prostheses

[EN] This paper presents a multi-objective optimisation procedure for optimising the quality of prostheses and manufacturing productivity. The aim of this procedure is to develop machining performance models through a minimal and progressive Design of Experiment (DoE), which models the variables of interest by linear regressions or Surface Response Models (SRMs). The multi-objective optimisation is based on desirability functions, which are defined according to the relative importance of each variable of interest. The procedure was implemented to optimise a process of manufacturing spherical turned components for Ti-6Al-4V hip prostheses with special requirements as regards surface roughness Ra, Rz and geometrical form toleranceThis work has been partially supported by Fundació Caixa-Castelló Bancaixa under the research project INV-2009-39. The authors are grateful to Miguel Angel Aymerich and Arcadi Sanz, who assisted in the experimental part. The authors extend their acknowledgements to Lafitt Company for its collaboration. Additional support was provided by Tecnológico de Monterrey through the research group in Mechatronics and Intelligent Machines.Abellán Nebot, JV.; Siller Carrillo, HR.; Vila, C.; Rodríguez González, CA. (2010). Multi-objective optimisation of product quality in the manufacture of Ti-6AI-4V prostheses. Journal of Manufacturing Technology Research. 5(3):353-369. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJMR.2010.033471S3533695

The Wisconsin Plasma Astrophysics Laboratory

The Wisconsin Plasma Astrophysics Laboratory (WiPAL) is a flexible user facility designed to study a range of astrophysically relevant plasma processes as well as novel geometries that mimic astrophysical systems. A multi-cusp magnetic bucket constructed from strong samarium cobalt permanent magnets now confines a 10 m$^3$, fully ionized, magnetic-field free plasma in a spherical geometry. Plasma parameters of $T_{e}\approx5$ to $20$ eV and $n_{e}\approx10^{11}$ to $5\times10^{12}$ cm$^{-3}$ provide an ideal testbed for a range of astrophysical experiments including self-exciting dynamos, collisionless magnetic reconnection, jet stability, stellar winds, and more. This article describes the capabilities of WiPAL along with several experiments, in both operating and planning stages, that illustrate the range of possibilities for future users.Comment: 21 pages, 12 figures, 2 table