Identification of machining defects by Small Displacement Torsor and form parameterization method

In the context of product quality, the methods that can be used to estimate machining defects and predict causes of these defects are one of the important factors of a manufacturing process. The two approaches that are presented in this article are used to determine the machining defects. The first approach uses the Small Displacement Torsor (SDT) concept [BM] to determine displacement dispersions (translations and rotations) of machined surfaces. The second one, which takes into account form errors of machined surface (i.e. twist, comber, undulation), uses a geometrical model based on the modal shape's properties, namely the form parameterization method [FS1]. A case study is then carried out to analyze the machining defects of a batch of machined parts

A new filtering approach dedicated to heat sources computation from thermal field measurements

International audienceThis paper presents a new approach in heat source evaluation from thermal field measurements. A modal projection based on dynamics (Discrete Modal Decomposition) is used to estimate the spatial term of a heat diffusion problem. A numerical example is presented in order to validate this approach and compare it to a more classical spectral decompostion (based on strictly thermal considerations). Results show that the proposed projection basis not only provides closer assessement of the heat sources but is also more stable to measurement noise and side effects

Modeling of 2D and 3D Assemblies Taking Into Account Form Errors of Plane Surfaces

The tolerancing process links the virtual and the real worlds. From the former, tolerances define a variational geometrical language (geometric parameters). From the latter, there are values limiting those parameters. The beginning of a tolerancing process is in this duality. As high precision assemblies cannot be analyzed with the assumption that form errors are negligible, we propose to apply this process to assemblies with form errors through a new way of allowing to parameterize forms and solve their assemblies. The assembly process is calculated through a method of allowing to solve the 3D assemblies of pairs of surfaces having form errors using a static equilibrium. We have built a geometrical model based on the modal shapes of the ideal surface. We compute for the completely deterministic contact points between this pair of shapes according to a given assembly process. The solution gives an accurate evaluation of the assembly performance. Then we compare the results with or without taking into account the form errors. When we analyze a batch of assemblies, the problem is to compute for the nonconformity rate of a pilot production according to the functional requirements. We input probable errors of surfaces (position, orientation, and form) in our calculus and we evaluate the quality of the results compared with the functional requirements. The pilot production then can or cannot be validated

Psychoactive Pharmaceuticals Induce Fish Gene Expression Profiles Associated with Human Idiopathic Autism

Idiopathic autism, caused by genetic susceptibility interacting with unknown environmental triggers, has increased dramatically in the past 25 years. Identifying environmental triggers has been difficult due to poorly understood pathophysiology and subjective definitions of autism. The use of antidepressants by pregnant women has been associated with autism. These and other unmetabolized psychoactive pharmaceuticals (UPPs) have also been found in drinking water from surface sources, providing another possible exposure route and raising questions about human health consequences. Here, we examined gene expression patterns of fathead minnows treated with a mixture of three psychoactive pharmaceuticals (fluoxetine, venlafaxine & carbamazepine) in dosages intended to be similar to the highest observed conservative estimates of environmental concentrations. We conducted microarray experiments examining brain tissue of fish exposed to individual pharmaceuticals and a mixture of all three. We used gene-class analysis to test for enrichment of gene sets involved with ten human neurological disorders. Only sets associated with idiopathic autism were unambiguously enriched. We found that UPPs induce autism-like gene expression patterns in fish. Our findings suggest a new potential trigger for idiopathic autism in genetically susceptible individuals involving an overlooked source of environmental contamination

Dietary Crude Lecithin Increases Systemic Availability of Dietary Docosahexaenoic Acid with Combined Intake in Rats

Crude lecithin, a mixture of mainly phospholipids, potentially helps to increase the systemic availability of dietary omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA), such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Nevertheless, no clear data exist on the effects of prolonged combined dietary supplementation of DHA and lecithin on RBC and plasma PUFA levels. In the current experiments, levels of DHA and choline, two dietary ingredients that enhance neuronal membrane formation and function, were determined in plasma and red blood cells (RBC) from rats after dietary supplementation of DHA-containing oils with and without concomitant dietary supplementation of crude lecithin for 2–3 weeks. The aim was to provide experimental evidence for the hypothesized additive effects of dietary lecithin (not containing any DHA) on top of dietary DHA on PUFA levels in plasma and RBC. Dietary supplementation of DHA-containing oils, either as vegetable algae oil or as fish oil, increased DHA, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and total n-3 PUFA, and decreased total omega-6 PUFA levels in plasma and RBC, while dietary lecithin supplementation alone did not affect these levels. However, combined dietary supplementation of DHA and lecithin increased the changes induced by DHA supplementation alone. Animals receiving a lecithin-containing diet also had a higher plasma free choline concentration as compared to controls. In conclusion, dietary DHA-containing oils and crude lecithin have synergistic effects on increasing plasma and RBC n-3 PUFA levels, including DHA and EPA. By increasing the systemic availability of dietary DHA, dietary lecithin may increase the efficacy of DHA supplementation when their intake is combined.Nutricia Researc

N-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid and neuroinflammation in aging and Alzheimer's disease

The innate immune system of the brain is mainly composed of microglial cells, which play a key role in the maintenance of synapses and the protection of neurons against noxious agents or lesions owing to their phagocytic activity. In the healthy brain, microglia are highly motile and strongly interact with neurons either by physical contact, induction of oxidative stress or through specific mediators, such as chemokines and cytokines. In response to inflammatory insult however, microglial cells get activated and produce inflammatory cytokines. The action of cytokines on specific receptors expressed in the brain triggers the development of sickness behavior and altered cognitive and emotional processes. The effects are acute and reversible as normal behavior is restored once the synthesis of inflammatory brain cytokines returns to baseline after a few hours. However, in pathological situations, these cytokines may reach toxic levels and have irreversible consequences such as neuronal death, as observed in neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. Omega-3 (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are essential nutrients and fundamental components of neuronal and glial cell membranes. They accumulate in the brain during the perinatal period in a dietary supply-dependent fashion. Their brain levels may diminish with age, but can be increased by diets enriched in n-3 PUFAs. Changes in the immune profile have been associated with n-3 PUFAs intake in humans and animal models. Therefore, the increasing exposure of the population to diets low in n-3 PUFAs could contribute to the deleterious effects of the chronic activation of microglia in the brain

How Form Errors Impact on 2D Precision Assembly with Clearance?

International audienceMost models of assembling simulations consider that form errors are negligible, but how can this assumption be assessed? When clearances are high, form deviations can be neglected, but on the case of very precise mechanisms with small clearances, this assumption can lead to non-accurate models. This paper is the continuation of our previous works presented at IPAS 2008 dealing with the assembly of two parts regarding their form deviation. The proposed method considers the positioning of the pair of surface with a given external force to identify contact points. The parts relative positioning is expressed by a small displacement torsor that can be transferred to any referee and compared to the functional requirement. The objective of this paper is to identify the clearance domain of a mechanical linkage regarding the form deviation of parts. Several parameters are identified as influent such as the clearance value, the straightness of the form deviation and the localization of the ideal least squared associated shape

Tolérancement Modal : De la Métrologie vers les Spécifications

The product definition uses an established language between every actors of the product life cycle : designer, producer and metrologist. It can be a common language, such as the ISO standard, or specific one. It allows to define dimensions, tolerances and any kind of geometrical errors : form, position and orientation. The production of parts is never to be perfect, therefore it is necessary to reach a compromise between the designer requirements and the manufacturing processes. Morevoer, controlling the acceptable variations of the real geometry around the target remains a major issue of geometrical tolerancing. Many existing models aiming at defining those variations but appear to be insufficient to characterize the form error. The objective of the presented work is to define a new form parameterization from which a model of form tolerancing is built. Resulting from vibratory mechanics and namely called "modal parameterization", it models a geometrical element in a geometrical form space. First, the modal parameterization is used to visualize the geometrical errors of surfaces and to characterize those surfaces using tailor-made metrology, this latter approach is called Modal Metrology of Surfaces (MemoSurf®). Beyond visualization, the metrology is also a checking stage of the geometrical specifications. As a consequence, in the second approach, an assembly method allowing to assess the accuracy of an assembly exhibiting form errors. The applicability of the presented tolerancing model is related to a proper statement of the functional requirements. Finally, the last part of this document proposes to define a specification language throughout the modal parameterization framework. In order to assess the acceptable variations of the modal parameters, two industrial exemples are presented : the first is concerning a process control and the second, a requirement specification.La définition d'un produit fait appel à l'utilisation d'un langage établi entre les acteurs intervenant dans le cycle de vie du produit : concepteur, fabricant et métrologue. Il peut s'agir d'un langage commun, c'est le cas de la norme ISO, ou spécifique. Il permet de définir la manière dont doivent être spécifiées une cote, la ou les tolérances, ainsi que les défauts géométriques de forme, position et orientation. La production des pièces ne pouvant être parfaite, il est nécessaire de trouver un compromis entre le besoin du concepteur et les procédés de fabrication. La maîtrise des variations admissibles de la géométrie réelle autour de la géométrie cible est un enjeu du tolérancement géométrique. Les modèles définissant ces variations sont nombreux mais restent incomplets pour caractériser le défaut de forme. L'objet des travaux présentés dans ce mémoire est de définir un nouveau paramétrage des formes à partir duquel nous construisons un modèle de tolérancement de forme. Nommé paramétrage modal, il modélise un élément géométrique dans un espace de formes géométriques, issues de la mécanique vibratoire. Dans un premier temps, le paramétrage modal est utilisé pour visualiser les défauts géométriques des surfaces et fait l'objet d'une méthode d'expertise des surfaces en métrologie, la Métrologie Modale des Surfaces (MemoSurf®). Au delà de la visualisation, la métrologie est également une étape de vérification des spécifications géométriques. C'est pourquoi dans un deuxième temps, nous développons une méthode permettant d'estimer la précision d'un assemblage avec défauts de forme. La définition des exigences fonctionnelles est indispensable à tout modèle de tolérancement. Nous proposons donc, dans la dernière partie de ce document, de définir un langage de spécification à travers le paramétrage modal. Deux démarches sur des problématiques industrielles sont présentées dans l'optique d'estimer les variations admissibles des paramètres modaux relatives à la maîtrise d'un procédé et à la spécification d'un besoin