High frequency linear friction welding.

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A Study of the Reinforcement Effect of MWCNTs onto Polyimide Flat Sheet Membranes

Polyimides rank among the most heat-resistant polymers and find application in a variety of fields, including transportation, electronics, and membrane technology. The aim of this work is to study the structural, thermal, mechanical, and gas permeation properties of polyimide based nanocomposite membranes in flat sheet configuration. For this purpose, numerous advanced techniques such as atomic force microscopy (AFM), SEM, TEM, TGA, FT-IR, tensile strength, elongation test, and gas permeability measurements were carried out. In particular, BTDA–TDI/MDI (P84) co-polyimide was used as the matrix of the studied membranes, whereas multi-wall carbon nanotubes were employed as filler material at concentrations of up to 5 wt.% All studied films were prepared by the dry-cast process resulting in non-porous films of about 30–50 μm of thickness. An optimum filler concentration of 2 wt.% was estimated. At this concentration, both thermal and mechanical properties of the prepared membranes were improved, and the highest gas permeability values were also obtained. Finally, gas permeability experiments were carried out at 25, 50, and 100 ◦C with seven different pure gases. The results revealed that the uniform carbon nanotubes dispersion lead to enhanced gas permeation properties

Research Letter An Analytical Description of the Frictional Behaviour of a Titanium Alloy

In recent years, significant effort has been put in the enhancement of our understanding of the physics and mechanics of moving objects under contact. Developed theoretical models can not fully account for the observed frictional behaviour of materials due to the lack of understanding of the interaction processes which occur at the microscopic level. In this paper, an analytical contact model will be described and its application to a titanium alloy will be presented. Conclusions will be drawn on the ability of this model to describe different friction regimes. The inclusion of additional factors which impact on frictional behaviour will be discussed, as well as the derivation of constitutive equations and their utilisation in continuum models

An Analytical Description of the Frictional Behaviour of a Titanium Alloy

In recent years, significant effort has been put in the enhancement of our understanding of the physics and mechanics of moving objects under contact. Developed theoretical models can not fully account for the observed frictional behaviour of materials due to the lack of understanding of the interaction processes which occur at the microscopic level. In this paper, an analytical contact model will be described and its application to a titanium alloy will be presented. Conclusions will be drawn on the ability of this model to describe different friction regimes. The inclusion of additional factors which impact on frictional behaviour will be discussed, as well as the derivation of constitutive equations and their utilisation in continuum models

On the Friction Stir Welding of Al 7075 Thin Sheets

The aim of this work was to weld thin sheets (2 mm) of Al 7075 in a butt joint configuration using friction stir welding and to identify the appropriate tool geometry and optimum process parameters. Two tools were produced with heat treatable low alloy steel WNr 1.6582/DIN 34CrNiMo6 with a different pin diameter (3 mm and 4 mm). Welding was performed at a range of rotation speeds 1000–2500 rpm and various welding speeds 80–800 mm/min. The tensile strength was measured to evaluate mechanical properties. Results showed that despite the difficulties in friction stir welding thin plates, sound joints can be produced in a repeatable manner, without visible wear on the welding tool. The mechanical strength of the welds showed a decrease (33.75%) over that of the parent material. The mechanical strength was less affected by rotation speed than welding speed and there was a significant decrease in tensile strength compared to the parent material

The Effect of Tool Geometry on the Strength of FSW Aluminum Thin Sheets

Welding tools of different designs have been used to join friction stir welding 2-mm-thick Al 7075 sheets, to investigate the effect of the tool geometry on the weld performance. Five cylindrical tools with different pin geometries were manufactured from heat-treatable low alloy steel WNr 1.6582/DIN 34CrNiMo6. Additionally, the effect of the welding speed was considered in the work, with six different speeds ranging from 80 mm/min to 300 mm/min. The weld tool rotational speed was kept constant at 1000 rpm and all other parameters were also kept constant in the experiments. The tensile strength was measured to investigate the mechanical properties of the weld. Results were processed with statistical analysis tools, which showed that the mechanical strength was affected by tool geometry as well as welding speed. The weld tool with the highest pin diameter achieved the highest tensile strength. The welding speed affected the tensile strength differently in the different weld tool geometries studied. The highest weld efficiency reported in the tests is 72.20%, achieved with a cylindrical pin weld tool at 250 mm/min

Assessing Stability of Crutch Users by Non-Contact Methods

Enhancing gait stability in people who use crutches is paramount for their health. With the significant difference in gait compared to users who do not require an assistive device, the use of standard gait analysis tools to measure movement for temporary crush users and physically disabled people proves to be more challenging. In this paper, a novel approach based on video analysis is proposed as non-contact low-cost solution to the more expensive alternative with the data collected from processed videos, two values are calculated: the Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) of acceleration, and the Signal to Noise Ratio of the jerk (time derivative of acceleration), to assess the user’s stability while they walk with crutches. The adopted methodology has been tested on a total of 10 participants. Five are temporary users of assistive devices with one being a long-term user and the other four novice users, and five are disabled participants who use those assistive devices permanently. Preliminary results show differences between novice users, long-term users, and physically disabled users. The approach is promising and could improve the assessment of crutch user stability, allowing for the correction of gait for individuals while using an inexpensive non-contact setup and preventing unnecessary falls