Microwave intermodulation distortion of MgB2 thin films

The two tone intermodulation arising in MgB2 thin films deposited in-situ by planar magnetron sputtering on sapphire substrates is studied. Samples are characterised using an open-ended dielectric puck resonator operating at 8.8 GHz. The experimental results show that the third order products increase with the two-tone input power with a slope ranging between 1.5 and 2.3. The behaviour can be understood introducing a mechanism of vortex penetration in grain boundaries as the most plausible source of non linearities in these films. This assumption is confirmed by the analysis of the field dependence of the surface resistance, that show a linear behaviour at all temperatures under test.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures; to be published in Appl. Phys. Let

Effects of different cross-sections of Body Centered Cubic cells on pressure drop and heat transfer of additively manufactured heat sinks

In many industrial applications, heat loads management requires the design and production of compact heat exchangers which are expected to handle high thermal loads with acceptable pressure losses, while assuring good mechanical performances. These challenging targets can be achieved by filling the cavities where the cool/hot fluid circulates with lattice structures promoting the heat exchange between the fluid and the cavity boundaries. Such lattice structures can be only produced through Additive Manufacturing due to their high geometric complexity. Recent experimental investigations proved the effectiveness of some kinds of lattice structures having a circular cross section. Here the aerothermal behaviour of Body-Centred Cubic (BCC) lattice stagger arrays in a rectangular channel was experimentally investigated by considerably extending the previous studies to higher Reynolds numbers (up to 30′000) and to new types of lattice structures. Specifically, three new BCC structures having a cam-like, drop-like and elliptical cross section were explored in this work and compared against those having circular cross section. All the samples were manufactured by means of Laser Powder Bed Fusion and made from AlSi10Mg. At first, the heat exchangers were comprehensively characterized by means of optical non-destructive methods. Successively they were tested in a dedicated rig by imposing constant heat flux boundary conditions. The characteristics of the transitional or fully turbulent approaching flow to the test section are also reported thanks to dedicated flow field measurements performed by Particle Image Velocimetry. According to the obtained results, the BCC structure with the circular cross section of larger diameter is the most effective in terms of heat transfer, although it is largely penalized by the pressure losses. Similar heat transfer performances were achieved by the tapered cross section of elliptical shape with the advantage of a considerably lower friction factor. Pressure losses resulted almost identical for all the tapered cross sections but lower than those of the circular one having an equal frontal dimension. When considering the thermal performance factor the circular shape becomes unfavourable for Re>20′000, while the elliptical cross section is the best choice to efficiently promote heat transfer up to Re=30′000

A novel thermo-geometrical model for accurate keyhole porosity prediction in Laser Powder-Bed Fusion

When performing Laser Powder-Bed Fusion, undesired physical phenomena, such as balling, preballing and keyhole, must be avoided in order to achieve high-quality products. To date, keyhole-free process parameters can be identified either using demanding empirical methods or complex numerical simulations, while only a few analytical models can be found in literature for this purpose. In this work, state-of-the-art analytical models for predicting keyhole porosity were summarized and proved to be rather inaccurate because they are only based on thermodynamic principles, whereas they neglect the geometry and both the kinetics and kinematics of the keyhole cavity, which do also influence cavity collapse and porosity formation. Here an innovative physics-based semi-analytical model for predicting the formation of keyhole-related porosities was conceived, in which both thermodynamic and geometrical factors are taken into account. The proposed model was validated by performing single tracks experiments on Ti6Al4V according to a full factorial DoE on laser power and scanning speed. Produced samples were cross-sectioned and analyzed to evaluate keyhole porosity formation. The comparison between experimental data and model predictions confirmed the higher accuracy of the new model with respect to state of the art models. Besides improving the understanding of the keyhole phenomenon, the proposed model may provide a novel, effective and simple tool for fast process parameter optimization in industry

High quality MgB2 thin films in-situ grown by dc magnetron sputtering

Thin films of the recently discovered magnesium diboride (MgB2) intermetalic superconducting compound have been grown using a magnetron sputtering deposition technique followed by in-situ annealing at 830 C. High quality films were obtained on both sapphire and MgO substrates. The best films showed maximum Tc = 35 K (onset), a transition width of 0.5 K, a residual resistivity ratio up to 1.6, a low temperature critical current density Jc > 1 MA/cm2 and anisotropic critical field with gamma = 2.5 close to the values obtained for single crystals. The preparation technique can be easily scaled to produce large area in-situ films.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure

Effects of post-printing heat treatment on microstructure, corrosion and wet wear behavior of CoCrW alloy produced by L-PBF process

CoCr alloys are widely used as human implants because of both their superior corrosion resistance and superior mechanical properties (fatigue, wear resistance, etc.) respect to other metal alloys used in biomedical field. In particular, CoCrW alloys are used mainly to produce dental implants. In this study, the effects of thermal treatment on the corrosion resistance and wet wear resistance of CoCrW alloys produced via Laser-Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) were investigated, and the corrosion resistance and wet wear resistance of the L-PBF specimens were compared with those of the specimens obtained after forging. The heat treatment involved the solubilization of the alloy at 1150 °C in an Ar-saturated atmosphere, followed by furnace cooling. A detailed microstructural characterization of the L-PBF specimens was carried out using a light microscope and a scanning electron microscope in both the horizontal and vertical growth directions. Scanning Kelvin probe measurements were performed on the heat-treated specimens obtained by three-dimensional printing and forging. The void contents of the specimens were evaluated using the Archimedes’ method and image analysis. Vickers (HV2) hardness measurements were performed to evaluate the mechanical properties of the specimens. The corrosion properties of the specimens were evaluated by carrying out potentiodynamic tests in two different corrosive media (aqueous solution (9 g/L NaCl) at pH = 2 and 7). The corroded areas of the specimens were then examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Finally, tribological tests were performed using the pin (Ti counter material)-on-flat configuration under dry and wet conditions, using the same corrosive environments as those used in the potentiodynamic tests and two different stroke lengths. The worn samples were characterized using SEM to investigate their wear mechanisms, and a stylus profilometer was used to determine the wear rates of the materials. The experimental results showed that the additively manufactured CoCrW L-PBF alloy had higher corrosion resistance than the wrought material. In addition, the additively manufactured material showed better dry and wet wear performances than the wrought material. Nevertheless, the heat treatment did not affect the properties evaluated in this study

Study of the Effect of L-PBF Technique Temporal Evolution on Microstructure, Surface Texture, and Fatigue Performance of Ti gr. 23 Alloy

Titanium alloys are widely used in various technological fields due to their excellent performance. Since the early stages of the 3D printing concept, these alloys have been intensively used as materials for these processes. In this work, the evolution of the performance of the 3D printing process has been studied by analysing the microstructure and the mechanical properties, fatigue and tensile, of the Ti gr. 23 alloy produced by two different models of Concept Laser M2 Cusing machines (an old model and a more recent one). The process parameters recommended by the manufacturer were adopted for each machine. Both microstructural and surface texture characterisations were carried out to better correlate the differences with the production process technique. For the same purpose, tensile tests and microhardness profiles were obtained, while the dynamic mechanical properties were evaluated by means of fatigue tests aimed at determining the fatigue limit of the material using a staircase approach. The mechanical tests were carried out on specimens with three different orientations with respect to the building platform, using two different SLM techniques. The fatigue behaviour was then analysed by evaluating the fracture surfaces and, in particular, the crack nucleation sites. By comparing the calculated fatigue values with the results of local fatigue calculations, an estimate of the residual stresses near the crack nucleation site was obtained. The results showed that the specimens produced on a newer machine had lower roughness (about 10%), slightly higher ductility, and a higher fatigue limit (10–20 MPa) compared to the specimens produced with the same material but on older equipment

The Aladin2 experiment: status and perspectives

Aladin2 is an experiment devoted to the first measurement of variations of Casimir energy in a rigid cavity. The main scientific motivation relies on the possibility of the first demonstration of a phase transition influenced by vacuum fluctuations. The guiding principle of the measurement, based on the behaviour of the critical field for an in-cavity superconducting film, will be only briefly recalled. In this paper, after an introduction to the long term motivations, the experimental apparatus and the results of the first measurement of sensitivity will be presented in detail, particularly in comparison with the expected signal. Last, the most important steps towards the final measurement will be discussed.Comment: Talk given by Calloni at QFEXT05 Conference in Barcelona: Quantum Field Theory Under the Influence of External Condition

Single tracks data obtained by selective laser melting of Ti6Al4V with a small laser spot diameter

Nowadays, advanced metal components with high geometrical complexity can be 3D printed by using the Selective Laser Melting (SLM) technology. Despite SLM resolution and accuracy are generally limited to some tenths of mm, it should be possible to produce finer and more precise details by applying lasers with a small spot diameter. However, to present date the data collected with small laser spot diameters are poor. In this work, experimental data describing the effects of laser power and scan speed on single track formation when applying a small laser spot diameter of 50 \ub5m on Ti6Al4V powder are reported. SEM images and the extracted geometrical data characterizing the obtained single tracks are provided here, as well as their microstructural analysis and microhardness measurements

Critical currents of MgB2 thin films depositedin situby sputtering

We have measured the temperature and magnetic field dependencies of the critical current density J(c)(H,T) in MgB2 thin films, in situ deposited by sputtering. Three-dimensional point like normal core pinning was evidenced by measurements of the magnetic dependence of the pinning forces independently from the superconducting and structural quality of the investigated films. The analysis of the experimental data in terms of the collective pinning model has pointed out the presence of a crossover magnetic field from a single vortex to a small vortex bundle pinning regime. A DeltaT(c) pinning mechanism, i.e., a pinning associated with spatial fluctuations of the transition temperature, has been evidenced by the temperature dependence of this crossover field, in agreement with previous observations performed on MgB2 bulk materials

Unmet needs in ANCA-associated vasculitis: Physicians’ and patients’ perspectives

In recent years, clinical research has increased significantly and therapies for antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis have improved. However, there are still unanswered questions and unmet needs about AAV patients. The purpose of this review is to examine the frontiers of research related to emerging biomarkers eventually predicting relapse, and new therapeutic approaches, not to mention new quality of life assessment tools. Identifying predictors of relapse may help optimize therapeutic strategies, minimize disease recurrence, and reduce treatment-related side effects. In addition, it is important to recognize that patients may suffer long-term consequences of the disease and its treatment, which, although life-saving, is often associated with significant side effects. Our goal, therefore, is to highlight what has been achieved, the pitfalls, and what still needs to be done, comparing the views of physicians and patients