Process capability study of laser assisted micro milling of a hard-to-machine material

Laser assisted micro milling (LAMM) is capable of generating three-dimensional micro scale features in hard-to-machine materials. This paper compares the process capability of LAMM with conventional micro milling of a hardened tool steel. In particular, the potential advantages of LAMM over micro milling with respect to cutting forces, tool wear, material removal rate, burr formation and surface roughness are investigated when micro milling hardened A2 tool steel (62 HRC). The results show that LAMM has significant advantages over micro milling, especially in terms of cutting forces, material removal rate and tool wear. The average reduction in the resultant cutting force is found to be up to 69% with laser assist. In addition, tool wear is found to be substantially less with laser assist even when the material removal rates are increased by a factor of six over the tool manufacturer recommended cutting conditions.     

Mapping eucalypt forest susceptible to dieback associated with bell miners (Manorina melanophys) using laser scanning, SPOT 5 and ancillary topographical data

Mapping the location and extent of forest at risk from damaging agents or processes assists forest managers in prioritizing their planning and operational mitigation activities. In Australia, Bell Miner Associated Dieback (BMAD) refers to a form of canopy decline observed in eucalypt crowns occupied by colonies of bell miners (Manorina melanophrys). High densities of bell miners are associated with decreased avian abundance and diversity and an increase in psyllid abundance on crown foliage. BMAD has recently been nominated as a key threatening process in New South Wales (NSW). Consequently, a modelling system for predicting bell miner distribution in coastal eucalypt forests of NSW has been developed. The presence or absence of bell miners was recorded in 130 plots located within a 12,800 ha catchment study area containing a range of eucalypt forest types. The modelling system was produced by integrating a machine learning software suite (WEKA), and the statistical software R within the geographic resources analysis support system (GRASS) geographical information system (GIS). The variable modelled was the binary variable: presence or absence of bell minors. Six modelling techniques (Logistic regression; generalised additive models; two tree-based ensemble classification algorithms, random forest and Adaboost and Neural Networks) were integrated with airborne laser scanning; SPOT 5 and topographic derived variables. Model evaluation and parameter selection were measured by three threshold dependent measures (sensitivity, specificity and kappa) and the threshold independent Receiver Operator Curve (ROC) analysis. The final presence and absence maps were obtained through maximisation of the kappa statistic and applied at a resolution of 10 m across the entire catchment study area. For this data set, the most accurate algorithm for predicting the distribution of bell miner colonies was random forest (kappa = 0.84; ROC area under curve = 0.97). Variables most commonly selected in the six models were the laser scanning metrics; coefficient of variation, skewness, and the 10th and 90th percentiles derived from the shape of the height frequency distribution which, in turn, is directly influenced by vertical structure of the forest. An image textural statistic based on the shortwave infrared (SWIR) band of SPOT 5 was also commonly selected by the models. The SWIR band is sensitive to vegetation and soil moisture content. These models predicted that forest stands with a sparse eucalypt canopy over a moist, dense understorey were susceptible to being colonised by bell miners and hence BMAD.     

Influence of displacement constraints in thermomechanical analysis of laser micro-spot welding process

The evolution of mechanical components into smaller size generating a need for microwelding of these components using laser which offers better control as compared to arc and plasma processing. The present article describes the numerical simulation of laser micro-spot welding using finite element method. A two dimensional Gaussian distributed surface heat flux as a function of time is used to perform a sequentially coupled thermal and mechanical analysis. The model is used for simulating laser micro-spot welding of stainless steel sheet under different power conditions and configurations of mechanical constraints. The temperature dependent physical properties of SS304 have been considered for the simulation and an isotropic strain hardening model has been used. The simulated weld bead dimensions have been compared with experimental results and temperature profiles have been calculated. The maximum deformation of 0.02 mm is obtained with maximum laser power of 75 W. The thermal stress is more inducing factor to temperature induced residual stresses and plastic strain as compared to mechanical constraints. The plastic strain changes significantly by displacement constraints as compared to residual stress.     

Problems and issues in laser beam welding of aluminum–lithium alloys

Aluminum–lithium (Al–Li) alloys are very attractive for potential aerospace applications due to their lower density, higher specific strength and rigidity, better corrosion and fatigue crack growth resistance properties, compared to conventional aluminum alloys. Laser beam welding (LBW), being an advanced joining method, has already been approved for applications involving aluminum alloys. However, there are still a number of problems and issues to be answered and solved in LBW of Al–Li alloys. In this review, the properties of Al–Li alloys and the characteristics of LBW are introduced, the formation and prevention of the main weld defects such as porosity and hot cracking are discussed, and then the weld microstructure and the joint mechanical properties are described in highlight. At the end, an outlook on future trends is presented.     

Characterization of particulate products for aging of ethylbenzene secondary organic aerosol in the presence of ammonium sulfate seed aerosol

Aging of secondary organic aerosol(SOA) particles formed from OH– initiated oxidation of ethylbenzene in the presence of high mass(100–300 μg/m~3) concentrations of(NH_4)_2SO_4seed aerosol was investigated in a home-made smog chamber in this study.The chemical composition of aged ethylbenzene SOA particles was measured using an aerosol laser time-of-flight mass spectrometer(ALTOFMS) coupled with a Fuzzy C-Means(FCM) clustering algorithm.Experimental results showed that nitrophenol,ethyl-nitrophenol,2,4-dinitrophenol,methyl glyoxylic acid,5-ethyl-6-oxo-2,4-hexadienoic acid,2-ethyl-2,4-hexadiendioic acid,2,3-dihydroxy-5-ethyl-6-oxo-4-hexenoic acid,1H-imidazole,hydrated N-glyoxal substituted1H-imidazole,hydrated glyoxal dimer substituted imidazole,1H-imidazole-2-carbaldehyde,N-glyoxal substituted hydrated 1H-imidazole-2-carbaldehyde and high-molecular-weight(HMW) components were the predominant products in the aged particles.Compared to the previous aromatic SOA aging studies,imidazole compounds,which can absorb solar radiation effectively,were newly detected in aged ethylbenzene SOA in the presence of high concentrations of(NH_4)_2SO_4seed aerosol.These findings provide new information for discussing aromatic SOA aging mechanisms.     

激光法与传统方法比较测定土壤粒度分布的研究

激光法测定土壤粒度是近年来应用的新方法,它的特点是测定速度快、效率高,比传统的经典测定法省时省力省试剂消耗,实验室对环境的二次污染也小,特别是在处理和测定大量样品时,它的优势更为明显。本文作者选择内蒙古地区有代表性的暗棕壤、草甸土、黑土、黑钙土、栗钙土、棕钙土和风沙土7种土壤类型共42个土壤样本为例,采用激光法与传统比重计法对土壤粒度分布测定进行了方法比对研究,设计了激光法三个参数三个水平的正交实验,结果表明粘粒含量激光法测定低于传统方法,粉粒含量则相反,砂粒含量两种方法测定结果最接近;得出了两种方法之间的相关系数和回归方程,P〈0．05时,最大相关系数是：粘粒含量r=0．5822,粉粒含量r=0．9094,砂粒含量r=0．9152;本研究结果还表明激光法与传统比重计法两种方法确定的质地大致相同,认为虽然土壤的粘粒部分就目前的测定结果来看不适合用激光法测定,但粉粒部分和砂粒部分可以用激光法测定后通过两种方法之间的线性回归方程换算,从而提高测定效率。这一研究结果明确了激光法与传统比重计法测定土壤粒度分布的差异,对使用两种不同方法研究土壤颗粒组成具有借鉴作用,并且在土壤批量样品粒度的分析测定中具有非常实用的推广意义。