Modeling of the Plasma 3D Deposition of Wire Materials

The numerical modeling of the physical process of manufacturing parts using additive technologies is complex and needs to consider a variety of thermomechanical behavior. This is connected with the extensive use of the finite element computer simulation by means of specialized software packages that implement mathematical models of the processes. The algorithm of calculation of nonstationary temperature fields and stress-strain state of the structure during the process of 3D deposition of wire materials developed and implemented in ANSYS is considered in the paper. The verification of the developed numerical algorithm for solving three-dimensional problem of the production of metal products using arc 3D deposition of wire materials with the results of the experiment is carried out. The data obtained from calculations on the developed numerical model are in good agreement with the experiment

Omecamtiv mecarbil in chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, GALACTIC‐HF: baseline characteristics and comparison with contemporary clinical trials

Aims: The safety and efficacy of the novel selective cardiac myosin activator, omecamtiv mecarbil, in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is tested in the Global Approach to Lowering Adverse Cardiac outcomes Through Improving Contractility in Heart Failure (GALACTIC‐HF) trial. Here we describe the baseline characteristics of participants in GALACTIC‐HF and how these compare with other contemporary trials. Methods and Results: Adults with established HFrEF, New York Heart Association functional class (NYHA) ≥ II, EF ≤35%, elevated natriuretic peptides and either current hospitalization for HF or history of hospitalization/ emergency department visit for HF within a year were randomized to either placebo or omecamtiv mecarbil (pharmacokinetic‐guided dosing: 25, 37.5 or 50 mg bid). 8256 patients [male (79%), non‐white (22%), mean age 65 years] were enrolled with a mean EF 27%, ischemic etiology in 54%, NYHA II 53% and III/IV 47%, and median NT‐proBNP 1971 pg/mL. HF therapies at baseline were among the most effectively employed in contemporary HF trials. GALACTIC‐HF randomized patients representative of recent HF registries and trials with substantial numbers of patients also having characteristics understudied in previous trials including more from North America (n = 1386), enrolled as inpatients (n = 2084), systolic blood pressure < 100 mmHg (n = 1127), estimated glomerular filtration rate < 30 mL/min/1.73 m2 (n = 528), and treated with sacubitril‐valsartan at baseline (n = 1594). Conclusions: GALACTIC‐HF enrolled a well‐treated, high‐risk population from both inpatient and outpatient settings, which will provide a definitive evaluation of the efficacy and safety of this novel therapy, as well as informing its potential future implementation

Application of Dynamic Beam Positioning for Creating Specified Structures and Properties of Welded Joints in Electron-Beam Welding

The application of electron beam sweep makes it possible to carry out multifocal and multi-beam welding, as well as combine the welding process with local heating or subsequent heat treatment, which is important when preparing products from thermally-hardened materials. This paper presents a method of electron beam welding (EBW) with dynamic beam positioning and its experimental-calculation results regarding the formation of structures and properties of heat-resistant steel welded joints (grade of steel 20Cr3MoWV). The application of electron beam oscillations in welding makes it possible to change the shape and dimensions of welding pool. It also affects the crystallization and formation of a primary structure. It has been established that EBW with dynamic beam positioning increases the weld metal residence time and the thermal effect zone above the critical A3 point, increases cooling time and considerably reduces instantaneous cooling rates as compared to welding without beam sweep. Also, the difference between cooling rates in the depth of a welded joint considerably reduces the degree of structural non-uniformity. A bainitic–martensitic structure is formed in the weld metal and the thermal effect zone throughout the whole depth of fusion. As a result of this structure, the level of mechanical properties of a welded joint produced from EBW with dynamic electron beam positioning approaches that of parent metal to a greater extent than in the case of welding by a static beam. As a consequence, welding of heat-resistant steels reduces the degree of non-uniformity of mechanical properties in the depth of welded joints, as well as decreases the level of hardening of a welded joint in relation to parent metal

Plasma Charge Current for Controlling and Monitoring Electron Beam Welding with Beam Oscillation

Electron beam welding (EBW) shows certain problems with the control of focus regime. The electron beam focus can be controlled in electron-beam welding based on the parameters of a secondary signal. In this case, the parameters like secondary emissions and focus coil current have extreme relationships. There are two values of focus coil current which provide equal value signal parameters. Therefore, adaptive systems of electron beam focus control use low-frequency scanning of focus, which substantially limits the operation speed of these systems and has a negative effect on weld joint quality. The purpose of this study is to develop a method for operational control of the electron beam focus during welding in the deep penetration mode. The method uses the plasma charge current signal as an additional informational parameter. This parameter allows identification of the electron beam focus regime in electron-beam welding without application of additional low-frequency scanning of focus. It can be used for working out operational electron beam control methods focusing exactly on the welding. In addition, use of this parameter allows one to observe the shape of the keyhole during the welding process

Cardiac myosin activation with omecamtiv mecarbil in systolic heart failure

BACKGROUND The selective cardiac myosin activator omecamtiv mecarbil has been shown to improve cardiac function in patients with heart failure with a reduced ejection fraction. Its effect on cardiovascular outcomes is unknown. METHODS We randomly assigned 8256 patients (inpatients and outpatients) with symptomatic chronic heart failure and an ejection fraction of 35% or less to receive omecamtiv mecarbil (using pharmacokinetic-guided doses of 25 mg, 37.5 mg, or 50 mg twice daily) or placebo, in addition to standard heart-failure therapy. The primary outcome was a composite of a first heart-failure event (hospitalization or urgent visit for heart failure) or death from cardiovascular causes. RESULTS During a median of 21.8 months, a primary-outcome event occurred in 1523 of 4120 patients (37.0%) in the omecamtiv mecarbil group and in 1607 of 4112 patients (39.1%) in the placebo group (hazard ratio, 0.92; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.86 to 0.99; P = 0.03). A total of 808 patients (19.6%) and 798 patients (19.4%), respectively, died from cardiovascular causes (hazard ratio, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.92 to 1.11). There was no significant difference between groups in the change from baseline on the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire total symptom score. At week 24, the change from baseline for the median N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide level was 10% lower in the omecamtiv mecarbil group than in the placebo group; the median cardiac troponin I level was 4 ng per liter higher. The frequency of cardiac ischemic and ventricular arrhythmia events was similar in the two groups. CONCLUSIONS Among patients with heart failure and a reduced ejection, those who received omecamtiv mecarbil had a lower incidence of a composite of a heart-failure event or death from cardiovascular causes than those who received placebo. (Funded by Amgen and others; GALACTIC-HF ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02929329; EudraCT number, 2016 -002299-28.)