Fatigue life assessment in bainitic steels based on the cumulative strain energy density

UIDB/00667/2020 016713 (PTDC/EMS-PRO/1356/2014) Project 3599Carbide-free bainitic steels are an example of high-strength steels that show an excellent combination of strength, ductility, toughness and rolling fatigue contact resistance and are progressively being introduced in the production of railways, crossings and automotive components. Although there are Mn-free approaches able to produce carbide-free bainitic steels, those based on the addition of Mn are less expensive. Therefore, it is important to fully understand the mechanical behavior of such materials to develop reliable engineering products. In this paper, three low-carbon bainitic steels, differing in Mn content, namely 0%, 2.3% and 3.2%, designated as steel A, B and C, respectively, were studied in a systematic manner. Low-cycle fatigue tests were conducted under symmetrical strain-controlled conditions for different strain amplitudes (0.6%, 0.7%, 0.8% and 1%). Independent of Mn content, a strong relationship between cumulative strain energy density and number of cycles to failure was found. Based on this relationship, a new predictive model, capable of estimating the fatigue lifetime, was developed. Predictions based on the new model were close to the experimental lives and were more accurate than those computed via the well-known Smith-Watson-Topper (SWT) and Liu criteria.publishersversionpublishe

A Wearable Head-mounted Projection Display

Conventional head-mounted projection displays (HMPDs) contain of a pair of miniature projection lenses, beamsplitters, and miniature displays mounted on the helmet, as well as a retro-reflective screen placed strategically in the environment. We have extened the HMPD technology integrating the screen into a fully mobile embodiment. Some initial efforts of demonstrating this technology has been captured followed by an investigation of the diffraction effects versus image degradation caused by integrating the retro-reflective screen within the HMPD. The key contribution of this research is the conception and development of a mobileHMPD (M-HMPD). We have included an extensive analysis of macro- and microscopic properties that encompass the retro-reflective screen. Furthermore, an evaluation of the overall performance of the optics will be assessed in both object space for the optical designer and visual space for the possible users of this technology. This research effort will also be focused on conceiving a mobile M-HMPD aimed for dual indoor/outdoor applications. The M-HMPD shares the known advantage such as ultralightweight optics (i.e. 8g per eye), unperceptible distortion (i.e. ≤ 2.5%), and lightweight headset (i.e. ≤ 2.5 lbs) compared with eyepiece type head-mounted displays (HMDs) of equal eye relief and field of view. In addition, the M-HMPD also presents an advantage over the preexisting HMPD in that it does not require a retro-reflective screen placed strategically in the environment. This newly developed M-HMPD has the ability to project clear images at three different locations within near- or far-field observation depths without loss of image quality. This particular M-HMPD embodiment was targeted to mixed reality, augmented reality, and wearable display applications

Use of fluent for the development of a di-si engine

The recent surge of electric vehicles has put pressure on the development and manufacture of batteries. However, batteries are still expensive, bulky and heavy, creating the need for inboard electricity generation using an internal combustion engine, usually referred as “range extender”. This paper presents the initial development of a DI-SI engine to work as range extender, focusing on the interaction between fuel spray and airflow inside the combustion chamber. To enable efficient combustion of lean and extra lean mixtures, a technique called stratified charge, is used. With direct injection spark ignition (DI-SI) engines it is important, under part load, to direct the fuel spray to the vicinities of the spark plug, enabling a fast and stable combustion of a lean mixture. A rich mixture region is created near the spark plug allowing an easy kernel formation and development. There are three types of systems for “directing” the fuel spray towards the spark plug: wall guided, air guided and spray guided. The developed design is a mixture of wall and air guided systems and the idea is to inject the spray towards the piston crown and to divert it to the spark plug location by the barrel swirl existent within the combustion chamber at this time. The system development was carried out using CFD FLUENT code. The study comprises three parts, the design of the components and its location (combustion chamber, piston crown, intake passage and injector location and aim), the air flow modeling and finally, the two phase modelling. A simple engine geometry and mesh were created in the Ansys CFD software. The air flow was considered to be transient, incompressible, Newtonian and viscous turbulent. The turbulence model used was the standard k-ε model, since it is the most common, simple and well-known model of turbulence. The spray has been simulated using the Discrete Phase Model. The Lagrangian discrete phase model in Fluent™ follows the Euler-Lagrange approach, where the fluid phase is treated as a continuum by solving the time-averaged Navier-Stokes equations, while the dispersed phase is solved by tracking a large number of particles through the calculated flow field. Preliminary results are now being obtained.MIT Portugal, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

The complete dynamics description of positively curved metrics in the Wallach flag manifold SU(3)/T2\mathrm{SU}(3)/\mathrm{T}^2

The family of invariant Riemannian manifolds in the Wallach flag manifold $\mathrm{SU}(3)/\mathrm{T}^2$ is described by three parameters $(x,y,z)$ of positive real numbers. By restricting such a family of metrics in the \emph{tetrahedron} $\cal{T}:= x+y+z = 1$, in this paper, we describe all regions $\cal R \subset \cal T$ admitting metrics with curvature properties varying from positive sectional curvature to positive scalar curvature, including positive intermediate curvature notion's. We study the dynamics of such regions under the \emph{projected Ricci flow} in the plane $(x,y)$, concluding sign curvature maintenance and escaping. In addition, we obtain some results for positive intermediate Ricci curvature for a path of metrics on fiber bundles over $\mathrm{SU}(3)/\mathrm{T}^2$, further studying its evolution under the Ricci flow on the base.Comment: 15 pages, 12 figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2305.0611

Structural integrity of polymeric components produced by additive manufacturing (Am)—polymer applications

Funding Information: Authors acknowledge Funda??o para a Ci?ncia e a Tecnologia (FCT-MCTES) for its financial support via the project UIDB/00667/2020 (UNIDEMI) and project UIDB/00285/2020 (CEMMPRE). Funding Information: Funding: Authors acknowledge Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT-MCTES) for its financial support via the project UIDB/00667/2020 (UNIDEMI) and project UIDB/00285/2020 (CEMMPRE). Publisher Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.In the work presented herein, the structural integrity of polymeric functional components made of Nylon-645 and Polylactic acid (PLA) produced by additive manufacturing (Fused Deposition Modelling, FDM) is studied. The PLA component under study was selected from the production line of a brewing company, and it was redesigned and analyzed using the Finite Element Method, 3D printed, and installed under real service. The results obtained indicated that, even though the durability of the 3D printed part was lower than the original, savings of about EUR 7000 a year could be achieved for the component studied. Moreover, it was shown that widespread use of AM with other specific PLA components could result in even more significant savings. Additionally, a metallic hanger (2700 kg/m3 ) from the cockpit of an airplane ATR 70 series 500 was successfully redesigned and additively manufactured in Nylon 645, resulting in a mass reduction of approximately 60% while maintaining its fit-for-purpose. Therefore, the components produced by FDM were used as fully functional components rather than prototype models, which is frequently stated as a major constraint of the FDM process.publishersversionpublishe

Development of an experimental setup for microflow measurement using interferometry

This work performed under MeDDII project has received funding from the EMPIR programme co-financed by the Participating States and from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.The precise measurement of micro and nanoflow of incompressible liquids (below 1 μL/h) is a complex task due to several factors involved in, namely, evaporation, adsorption and the existence of air bubbles within the system. Nevertheless, the importance of its measurement is undeniable in equipment such as insulin pumps, or medical drug delivery devices for new-born, microchip flow pumps, to mention few. The work herein presented was developed in a partnership between the Volume and Flow Laboratory (LVC) of the Portuguese Institute of Quality (IPQ) and the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering (DEMI) of The New University of Lisbon under the project MeDD II – Metrology for Drug Delivery. It had the main objective of conceiving a new Portuguese standard for the measurement of ultra-low flow using interferometry, with a target uncertainty of 1% (k = 2). Therefore, the new setup relies on an interferometer made up of a laser unit, two retroreflector cubes, one beam splitter, as well as a flow generator (a Nexus syringe pump) and a computer for data acquisition. Experimental tests on a Flow generator and a Coriolis flow meter were carried out at different flow rates. With the innovative methodology developed during the present research, it was possible to measure flow rates of an incompressible fluid (water) down to 1 μL/h with an uncertainty of 3% (k = 2).publishersversionpublishe

Long-term management practices successfully reduce bird-related electrical faults in a transmission grid increasingly used by white storks for nesting

Bird nests on transmission lines can cause electrical faults which reduce service reliability. To address this problem, since the mid-90s, the Portuguese Transmission System Operator (TSO) has undertaken management actions to discourage white storks Ciconia ciconia from nesting in hazardous locations of the pylons. Here, we compiled and analyzed an 18-year series of data on electrical faults, TSO management actions to tackle these, and stork nests on transmission pylons in Portugal to: (a) determine the relative importance of bird-related faults over the total number of faults; (b) describe variations in bird-related faults across time (season of the year and time of the day); (c) describe spatial variations in bird-related faults and their association with the occurrence of white stork nests on pylons; and (d) analyze the trends, over the years, of the number of white stork nests on pylons, the TSO management actions and their effectiveness in reducing bird-related fault rates. Overall, birds accounted, on average, for 25.3% of the electrical faults in the transmission network, with the vast majority being attributed to white storks. The seasonal pattern of bird-related faults showed higher rates in April and in October–November. Faults occurred more often during the night period, when storks spend more time on the pylons. We found a positive spatial relationship between the electrical fault rate and the proportion of pylons with stork nests (and the correlated number of nests per 100 km of line). There was, however, considerable variation in the fault rates not explained by the stork nest variables, particularly during the non-breeding season. The TSO management actions (namely removal/translocation of nests in hazardous locations of the pylons, installation of anti-perching devices and provision of alternative nesting platforms) significantly reduced, as a whole, the annual number of bird-related faults between 2001 and 2018, despite the three-fold increase in the number of white stork nests on transmission pylons. A deeper understanding of how white storks use the transmission pylons outside the breeding season is needed, so that targeted management actions can be taken to reduce the remaining bird-related fault rates to residual levels.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Population Dynamics of the Critically Endangered Golden Lancehead Pitviper, Bothrops insularis: Stability or Decline?

Little is known about vital rates of snakes generally because of the difficulty in collecting data. Here we used a robust design mark-recapture model to estimate survival, behavioral effects on capture probability, temporary emigration, abundance and test the hypothesis of population decline in the golden lancehead pitviper, Bothrops insularis, an endemic and critically endangered species from southeastern Brazil. We collected data at irregular intervals over ten occasions from 2002 to 2010. Survival was slightly higher in the wet season than in the dry season. Temporal emigration was high, indicating the importance of accounting for this parameter both in the sampling design and modeling. No behavioral effects were detected on capture probability. We detected an average annual population decrease (lambda = 0.93, CI = 0.47- 1.38) during the study period, but estimates included high uncertainty, and caution in interpretation is needed. We discuss the potential effects of the illegal removal of individuals and the implications of the vital rates obtained for the future persistence and conservation of this endemic, endangered species.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Fundacao Grupo Boticario de Protecao a NaturezaConselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Fundo de Auxilio aos Docentes e Alunos (FADA-UNIFESP)Instituto Nacional de Cienca e Tecnologia em Toxinas (INCTTOX)Univ Estadual Campinas, Inst Biol, Dept Biol Anim, Campinas, SP, BrazilUniv Nacl Autonoma Mexico, Fac Estudios Super Iztacala, FES Iztacala, Tlalnepantla, Estado de Mexic, MexicoColorado State Univ, Dept Fish Wildlife & Conservat Biol, Ft Collins, CO 80523 USAUniv São Paulo, Inst Biociencias, Dept Ecol, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Ciencias Biol, Diadema, SP, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Ciencias Biol, Diadema, SP, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Development and characterization of β-lactoglobulin nanohydrogels for bioactive compound delivery

Whey proteins produced during bovine cheese manufacture, or membrane fractionation of bovine milk, account for increasingly valuable food ingredients – owing to their nutritionally-balanced composition in amino acid residues, coupled with their functional properties (e.g. solubility, gel-forming, emulsifying and foaming features). Whey protein-based gelling systems may indeed play several functional roles in food formulation by enhancing textural properties, acting as stabilizing agents or by being used as carrier of bioactive substances (e.g. nutraceuticals) [1]. The rates and pathways for manufacture of a protein gel system are controlled by heating conditions, protein concentration pH and ionic strength. The combination of different treatments can potentially interfere with unfolding and aggregation of whey proteins, and thus with protein-protein interactions. β-Lactoglobulin (β-Lg) is the major protein fraction of bovine whey serum (i.e. 50 wt%), and a primary gelling agent; it is stable at low pH and highly resistant to proteolytic degradation in the stomach, further to its appropriateness as encapsulating agent [2]. The objective of this work was to understand the kinetics of aggregation during heat treatment, under narrow pH ranges, leading to formation of edible β-Lg nanohydrogels, as well as to rationalize the contribution and importance of covalent and noncovalent interactions to maintain structure thereof. Furthermore, the ability of said nanohydrogels to encapsulate bioactive compounds (e.g. vitamin B2) was also assessed. Aqueous dispersions of β-Lg (10 mg/mL) were accordingly produced, and formation of stable nanostructures was ascertained after heating at 80 ºC for 20 min, under different pH values (i.e. 4, 5, 6 and 7); particular emphasis was placed on pH 6.0. The protein aggregates formed were characterized for stability, role of covalent or non-covalent bonds, morphology, size, surface charge and content in accessible thiol groups. Stable dispersions of β-Lg nanohydrogels were obtained at pH 6, corresponding to aggregation yield of ca. 77% at 80 ºC, for a holding period of 20 min. Such structures were characterized by particle size between 100 and 150 nm, low degree of polydispersity (<0.2), and association efficiency of vitamin B2 above 85%. Their ζ-potential varied from +20 to −40 mV, depending on pH. Nanohydrogels obtained at pH 5 displayed a lower content of accessible thiol groups than those obtained at pH values above or below. For pH between 5 and 6, large settling protein particulates were obtained, whereas soluble aggregates were formed at pH values off that range