Conduction Mode Research Articles

Spatter detection and tracking in high-speed video observations of laser powder bed fusion

Purpose In laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) additive manufacturing, spatter particles are ejected from the melt pool and can be detrimental to material performance and powder recycling. Quantifying spatter generation with respect to processing conditions is a step toward mitigating spatter and better understanding the phenomenon. This paper reveals process insights of spatter phenomena by automatically annotating spatter particles in high-speed video observations using machine learning. Design/methodology/approach A high-speed camera was used to observe the L-PBF process while varying laser power, laser scan speed and scan strategy on a constant geometry on an EOSM290 using Ti-6Al-4V powder. Two separate convolutional neural networks were trained to segment and track spatter particles in captured high-speed videos for spatter characterization. Findings Spatter generation and ejection angle significantly differ between keyhole and conduction mode melting. High laser powers lead to large ejections at the beginning of scan lines. Slow and fast build rates produce more spatter than moderate build rates at constant energy density. Scan strategies with more scan vectors lead to more spatter. The presence of powder significantly increases the amount of spatter generated during the process. Originality/value With the ability to automatically annotate a large volume of high-speed video data sets with high accuracy, an experimental design of observed parameter changes reveals quantitively stark changes in spatter morphology that can aid process development to mitigate spatter occurrence and impacts on material performance.

Demonstration of normally OFF beta-gallium oxide monolithic bidirectional switch for AC switching applications

In this work, we report on the beta-gallium oxide (β-Ga2O3) monolithic bidirectional switch. The as-fabricated switch works on enhancement mode operation with a threshold voltage of ∼4 V. Maximum drain current density of 1.93 mA/mm is obtained with a drain voltage of 5 V. The bidirectional switch in a bidirectional mode has an ON/OFF current ratio of ∼107 with ON-resistance of 1.11 and 1.09 kΩ · mm in forward and reverse direction, respectively. However, in diode mode, the device shows an ON/OFF current ratio of 1.6 × 108 and 1.4 × 108 in forward and reverse conduction modes, respectively. The fabricated β-Ga2O3 monolithic bidirectional switch is then used to chop a 60 Hz Alternating Current signal at a chopping frequency of 1 kHz, indicating its potential applications in a range of converters.

A New Three‐Port DC–DC Converter: Analysis, Design, and Verification for Hybrid Energy Systems

ABSTRACTA research study on the three‐port DC–DC converters is done in this article. The proposed converter is a power electronic unit with a low‐voltage, high‐voltage, and battery port. The power of the input ports can be transferred to the output port simultaneously and individually. In this converter, the power can flow bidirectional. In other words, the battery can be charged not only by the low‐voltage port but also by the returned energy from the high‐voltage port. Hence, the proposed converter can operate in step‐up and step‐down modes. Continuous input current, the low voltage stress on semiconductors, and the low count of the devices are other advantages of the converter. These features and the benefits mentioned above make the proposed converter proper for hybrid energy systems. This converter is analyzed in continuous conduction mode, resulting in mathematical equations. To validate these theoretical analyses, a laboratory scale of the converter performs at 50 kHz, 200 W, and 115 V.

Enhanced High‐Gain Switched Capacitor DC–DC Converter Optimizing Renewable Energy Integration

ABSTRACTA novel high‐gain switched capacitor (HGSC) DC–DC converter for carbon neutral energy applications is presented in the scientific paper. It consists of two MOSFET switches, and utilization of a simultaneous switching approach for the switches enables simplified control. The switched capacitor (SC) technique is utilized to extract high gain from the proposed HGSC topology; the basic idea is periodic charging and discharging of the capacitor. The proposed HGSC topology operational mode is carried out in Continuous Conduction Mode (CCM) along with the steady‐state analysis, and different switching stages are discussed in detail. Then, an analysis is carried out to demonstrate the proposed HGSC converter's special feature with other high‐gain converters. An averaging state‐space technique is used to determine the suggested converter's dynamics performance, and a small signal analysis is used to verify its stability. Furthermore, the HGSC topology is thoroughly analyzed in terms of power losses. For comparing the practical efficiency of the designed converter, nonidealities voltage gain is derived. The maximum efficiency of 96.7% is obtained at 150 W output power with the help of the dSPACE 1104 controller. Whenever the HGSC converter is fed with an input voltage supply of 20 V. It generates output voltages between 140 and 240 V. Extensive experimental investigation is carried out on a 200 W laboratory prototype model to verify the practicability and feasibility of HGSC DC–DC converter topology.

Advancing Renewable Energy: A Quadratic High-Efficiency High Gain Step-Up DC/DC Converter

Presenting a new high-gain converter that incorporates a coupled inductor, this paper offers a range of advantages over existing designs. The circuit features a simple structure with two cascade semi-stages, two power switches operating in sync, and a coupled inductor. It provides an extensive output voltage range, ensures continuous input current with minimal ripple, maintains positive output voltage polarity, and follows a standard ground configuration. These features make it well-suited for various applications, particularly in photovoltaic systems. Additionally, the voltage stress across each power switch is significantly lower than that of other boost converters, allowing for the selection of power MOSFETs with reduced drain-source ON resistance to ensure high efficiency. This research presents comprehensive assessments of the steady-state and stress conditions as well as thorough comparisons with other similar converters operating in continuous conduction mode. Theoretical advantages of the proposed circuit design are further reinforced by experimental results obtained from a 200-W step-up 25–370 V arrangement.

Influence of adjustable ring modes on molten pool behavior and microstructure of Al–Si coated boron steel in fiber laser welding

The influence of adjustable ring modes on the phase transition and microstructural evolution in conduction mode laser welding of Al–Si coated boron steel was investigated. Distinct geometric variations and molten pool behavior were observed through a ring-shaped beam effect. The ring beam introduced by ring-beam-mode (RBM) and dual-beam-mode (DBM) laser welding inhibited Al segregation into the fusion zone (FZ). The ring beam caused the Al molten particles to be driven towards the outer boundaries of the weld pool. A ring-beam-mode (RBM) and a dual-beam-mode (DBM) laser welding inhibited Al segregation into the FZ, resulting from a minimal temperature gradient and extension of the solidification time. Phase transition calculations demonstrated that a mount of residual ferrite within the FZ is significantly correlated with the Al concentration at specific temperature points, indicating a predominant role of a central-beam-mode (CBM) FZ in δ-ferrite formation. The RBM and DBM effectively suppressed Al segregation into the FZ, leading to a reduction in ferrite formation and the development of a refined microstructure characterized by a uniform and high density of geometrically necessary dislocations. Electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) analysis revealed a higher proportion of low-angle grain boundaries in the RBM and DBM, attributed to the unique thermal distribution induced by the ring beam. These findings highlight the critical role of beam mode in tailoring the microstructure and properties of laser welds in Al–Si coated boron steel.

Impacts of conduction and radiation modes on freezing within an enclosure utilizing hybrid nanoparticles by means of mathematical modeling

Impacts of conduction and radiation modes on freezing within an enclosure utilizing hybrid nanoparticles by means of mathematical modeling

Modelling and DPWM control of continuous switched boost inverter

ABSTRACT In this paper, a new type of three-phase continuous switched boost inverter (CSBI) is proposed. The proposed inverter has a new impedance network that can obtain a high voltage boost ratio. It also can make the system work in continuous conduction mode (CCM). The shoot-through is allowed in the operating mode of the CSBI, which eliminates the dead time and leads to better EMI immunity. The modified discontinuous pulse-width modulation (DPWM) strategy is proposed to operate the CSBI. Compared with the space vector pulse-width modulation (SVPWM) method, the new modulation strategy can reduce the switching loss effectively. Meanwhile, the state space averaging method is used to design the inverter structure and calculate the impedance parameters. To investigate the dynamic performance of the CSBI impedance parameters, the small signal model analysis is used. A test bench of CSBI is built in laboratory. The operating strategy and the theoretical analysis of the proposed inverter are validated by the results of simulation and experiment.

Study of patterns and mechanisms of combustion of powdered and granulated T-C-B system

Experimental studies of the combustion patterns of the ternary system (100 – x)(Ti + C) – x(Ti + 2B) of bulk density in powder and granular form used for the synthesis of composite ceramics TiC–TiB2 were carried out. The study shows that the dependence of the powder mixture combustion rate on the Ti + 2B content has a non-monotonic character, which is associated with the influence of impurity gas release on the combustion process. By removing the influence of impurity gas by granulation, a monotonic dependence with two characteristic sections was obtained. For the granulated mixture, an increase in the Ti + 2B content 60 wt. % leads to a change from the conductive combustion mode to the convective one, accompanied by a sharp increase in the combustion rate. For the conductive combustion mode, the combustion rate of the substance inside the granule and the combustion transfer time from the granule to the granule were determined, which allowed us to estimate the inhibitory effect of impurity gas release on the combustion rate of powder mixtures of different composition. For the convective combustion mode, it was shown that a decrease in the content of the gasifying additive in the mixture (granulation with ethyl alcohol) led to an unexpected result: an increase in the combustion rate of the mixture. For compositions with (Ti + 2B) 60 wt. % the combustion rate with counter filtration of impurity gases was determined for the first time, which made it possible to estimate the front rate increase according to the filtration combustion theory. According to XRD results, the combustion products of all compositions contain only two main phases TiC and TiB2.

Optimization Control Strategy for Light Load Efficiency of Four-Switch Buck-Boost Converter

The four-switch buck-boost (FSBB) converter usually adopts a pseudo-continuous conduction mode (PCCM) soft switching (ZVS) control strategy, but there is a problem with the low efficiency of FSBB converters under light loads. Firstly, the constraints that the control variables of the FSBB converter need to satisfy are analyzed, and it is pointed out that the fixed frequency constraint is not necessary. Then, the switching frequency is used to control the degree of freedom, and the quantitative relationship between the FSBB converter loss and the switching frequency is obtained. Finally, for different input voltages and loads, the switching frequency corresponding to the minimum power loss is calculated offline. By optimizing the switching frequency, the light-load efficiency of the FSBB converter is improved. A prototype with an input voltage range of 210 V–330 V, an output voltage of 270 V, and an output power of 3 kW was developed. The loss was reduced by 15% at 20% load, and the peak efficiency of the converter reached 99.23%. The experimental results verified the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy.

A new forward‐flyback converter without right half plane zero

AbstractDue to its unique features, the flyback converter is widely used to convert DC to DC power. This converter has a non‐minimum phase (NMP) dynamic behavior, which is one of its most significant disadvantages. By changing the topology of the flyback converter to a forward‐flyback (FF) converter, the dynamic behavior of the converter can be minimum phase (MP) while the main advantages of the flyback converter such as isolation of the output from the input and simple topology are maintained. This article proposes an innovative FF converter topology by doubling the forward path and adding only one diode and one capacitor. In addition to better dynamic behavior, the proposed double FF (DFF) converter has the same advantages as the conventional FF converter. A new method is used to obtain the transfer function of the output voltage to the duty cycle of the proposed converter. The converter is designed in continuous conduction mode (CCM) with minimum phase dynamics. Finally, simulation and experimental results of both conventional FF and the proposed DFF converters are obtained and compared to validate the superiority of the proposed converter.

Growth mechanism and SERS effect of Ag nanowire arrays prepared by solid-state ionics method

Solid-state ionic method has attracted more and more attention due to its simple operation and controllable preparation, but its growth mechanism is still uncertain. In this work, Ag nanowire (Ag NW) arrays prepared by solid-state ionics method at 5 μA impressed currents using fast ionic conductor RbAg4I5 films and different metal electrodes were reported. The conduction mode of Ag+ in RbAg4I5 films, the growth mechanism of Ag NW arrays prepared by solid-state ionics method and the effect of microscopic morphology on surface-enhance Raman scattering (SERS) performance were investigated. The results show that Ag nanoparticles (Ag NPs) with diameters from 40 nm to 70 nm were attached to the surface of Ag NW arrays with diameters of 80–150 nm prepared with different metal electrodes, which lead to Ag NW arrays have high surface roughness. The conduction velocity and stability of Ag+ in RbAg4I5 films are closely related to the morphology of Ag NW arrays. The irregular electrode interface and apical growth advantage resulted in the fractal dimension of Ag NW arrays prepared with Ag electrodes is 1.69 due to macroscopic dendritic structure. Ag NW arrays have excellent SERS performance due to the many Ag NPs attached to the surface of the closely aligned Ag NWs, the limit of detection (LOD) for Basic Fuchsin (BF) and Crystal Violet (CV) detected by Ag NW arrays SERS substrates prepared with Ag electrodes are as low as 10−11and 10−14mol/L, respectively. This paper provides a reference for the preparation method of metal nanostructures, Ag NW arrays have good potential for application in the field of trace analysis.

Effect of succinonitrile on the structural, ion conductivity, and dielectric properties of PVDF‐HFP based solid polymer electrolytes

AbstractA detailed account of the poly(vinylidene difluoride‐co‐hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF‐HFP)/succinonitrile (SN)/lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) based solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) of various compositions is reported. SN is incorporated as plasticizer, while LiTFSI is employed as the source of lithium ions. Fourier transfer infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy reveals the formation of polar and electroactive γ crystal phase by PVDF in pristine PVDF‐HFP and the prepared SPE films. FTIR further confirms the interaction between the host polymer and the salt and between the salt and the plasticizer. The interaction between the salt and plasticizer suggests that SN not only offers the plasticization effect but also facilitates salt dissociation. The ion conductivity increases with increasing salt content up to 20 wt% but beyond that concentration a decline in ion conductivity is observed, which could be attributed to the ion pair association or cluster formation due to the excess salt concentration that reduces the availability of free ions and ultimately leads to the reduction in ion conductivity. After including SN in the SPE formulation, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy reveals a substantial increase in room temperature ion conductivity of the SPE from ~1.08 × 10−5 S cm−1 for pristine SPE with 20 wt% salt to ~2.7 × 10−4 S cm−1 for plasticized SPE with 40 wt% SN and 20 wt% salt. This is attributed to the plasticizing effect of SN that enhances ion mobility through the matrix and to the increased charge carrier concentration (SN facilities salt dissociation). The fabricated SPEs exhibit a significant enhancement in ion conductivity with increasing temperature and the maximum ion conductivity of 1.1 × 10−3 S cm−1 is attained at 393 K by plasticized SPE with 40 wt% SN content. The ion conductivity of all the prepared SPEs follows the temperature dependent Arrhenius behavior, suggesting the thermally activated ion hopping mechanism of ionic conduction. Further, the plasticized SPEs display near unity ion transference number indicating the predominance of the ionic mode of conduction. The dielectric and electric modulus analysis reveal a faster relaxation phenomenon and hence higher ion conductivity of the prepared SPEs with increasing salt and plasticizer content.

Implementation of Case-Based Learning in 1st-Year MBBS Students -Future of Medical Professionals Learning Methods in Indian Medical Colleges?

ABSTRACT Background: Case Based Learning (CBL) is the best method for correlation of knowledge with clinical scenarios. The present study is planned to implement case-based learning in 1st-Year MBBS students and find out the perception of the students as a guideline to incorporate this activity in the curriculum. Material and Methods: The study was conducted among 1st-Year MBBS students. The students who consented to participate were divided into 23 groups each containing 5-6 participants. The case along with the reference material was allotted to the groups of students sequentially. Faculty was allotted to each group of students for their help and discussion on the given case. The completed activity was uploaded on Moodle for all the students to go through. After 25 weeks, students’ perception of the activity were obtained with the help of validated questionnaire through Google Forms. Data was analyzed in SPSS software. Results: 85% of students felt that CBL helped them understand clinical applications, enhanced problem-solving skills and retention of knowledge. More than 85% of students were comfortable with CBL in terms of relevance to the curriculum, mode of conduction, and development of interest. Over 90% of students mentioned that provided resources and faculty were helpful. Conclusion: The study concludes that successful implementation of case-based learning is possible for 1st-Year MBBS medical students. Students perceived CBL as a motivating and effective teaching-learning method.

High efficiency AOT-controlled boost converter with pseudo-constant switching frequency

An on-time generator for boost converters is proposed to achieve an adaptive on-time (AOT) control with pseudo-constant frequency in continuous conduction mode (CCM). Since the first-order parasitic effect of the components and devices is considered in the design of the on-time generator, the switching frequency (fsw) variation of the boost converter in CCM can be better suppressed with the load current (ILOAD), input voltage (VIN) and output voltage (VOUT) changes, which can effectively solve the EMI noise problem. In addition, the idea of capacitor pre-charging is applied to simplifying circuit complexity. Meanwhile, an on-demand modulation strategy is applied to improve the conversion efficiency. Simulation results show that the boost converter based on the proposed on-time generator can realize the fsw variation of 0.4 % in case of 200 mA ILOAD change. Moreover, the VIN may range from 0.8 to 1.5 V, the VOUT is set to 1.8 V, and the peak efficiency of the simulation is 96.9 %.

A Flyback Converter with a Simple Passive Circuit for Improving Power Efficiency

This paper proposes an effective method to improve the power efficiency of the flyback converter in the continuous conduction mode (CCM). The proposed converter uses a simple passive circuit to reduce the switching power losses. The current through the output diode can be shifted to a new branch where one diode, one inductor, and one auxiliary winding of the transformer are included. The output diode current can be reduced to zero for the zero-current switching of the output diode. The additional inductor is used to control the changing rate of the additional diode current to reduce the reverse-recovery current. Keeping the simplicity of the passive method, the proposed converter improves the power efficiency compared to the conventional converter. The circuit configuration and the operation principle are described. The design considerations are presented, including the simulation verification. The experimental results for a 45 W prototype are discussed to evaluate the performance of the proposed converter. The proposed converter has achieved a power efficiency of 93.5% for the rated load condition, improving the power efficiency. The applications of the proposed converter are also discussed for the future research directions.

Analysis of conduction mode in cold energy storage using a tank filled with nanomaterial

The intensification of freezing rates through the incorporation of nano-sized powders and fins through a cold storage unit was examined. The Galerkin method with special meshing was utilized to solve equations, which were based on the supposition of conduction mode dominance. Additives of varying diameters (dp) and three different concentration levels (ϕ) were implemented. The findings are presented through ice front visualization, contour plots, and scalar curves. The computational code demonstrated high accuracy during the validation phase. The results reveal that as the dp increases, the solidification time initially drops by approximately 20 %, then subsequently increases by about 49.45 %. The optimal solidification time of 2951.17 s was achieved with medium-sized powders. Furthermore, an intensification in (ϕ) leads to a significant decrement in freezing time by about 41.43 %, with the most pronounced effect observed for nano-powders with dp = 40 nm.

A dual-stage high-gain converter with dual inputs and dual outputs for electric vehicle charging

The DC-DC converter is an essential subsystem in electric vehicle (EV) chargers, and most converters depend on a single-input single-output structure, which can be costly when multiple charging units are needed. Additionally, these converters offer limited voltage gain, restricting charging configurations. This paper proposed a dual-stage high-gain converter that operates in a boost mode with reduced components, using an inductor, capacitor, and 2-diodes (LC2D) to provide high-gain output. The proposed Dual Inputs and Dual Outputs (DIDO) converter tied with Photovoltaic (PV) and constant DC acting as inputs and two different voltage levels EV chargers are serving as the output. The proposed converter operates at continuous conduction mode (CCM), achieving high efficiency and reliability with fewer losses. The proposed work was designed for 418V and 85V systems in MATLAB/Simulink, and the results were validated with hardware implementation. The proposed converter delivers high-gain output to the electric vehicle application with 92.2 % efficiency.

Bimodal structure formation and texture transition mechanism in laser remelted Mg–Al-based alloy

Texture inheritance, texture weakening, and a complete texture transition within different solidified molten pool (MP) have been achieved by manipulating various processing parameters of conduction mode in laser remelted magnesium-aluminum (Mg–Al)-based AZ31 alloy. At a low laser power (P = 100 W), restricted number of temperature gradient directions on moving solid/liquid (S/L) interfaces within small MP leads to strong texture inheritance. Tilting angles 20°–45° away from building direction (B.D.) in {0001} plane is a preferential growth direction of texture inheritance. In contrast, spontaneous texture weakening has occurred due to frequently varied temperature gradient directions within increasing MP size in higher P cases. Meanwhile, increasing scanning speed V has a significant effect on weakening the texture as well as refining grains in the solidified MP. Furthermore, fine grains formation with random orientations in MP bottom at both high P (400 W) and high V (20, 30, and 50 mm/s) leads to the occurrence of a bimodal structure, which is affected by solidification characteristics as well as thermal convection. For the case of the highest P and the highest V, a texture transition has occurred as tilting angles of 45°–90° away from B.D. in {0001} plane within MP, compared to 0°–45° texture of base material for the Mg–Al-based alloy in the study.

The Molecular Nature of Redox-Conductive Metal-Organic Frameworks.

ConspectusRedox-conductive metal-organic frameworks (RC-MOFs) are a class of porous materials that exhibit electrical conductivity through a chain of self-exchange reactions between molecularly defined, neighboring redox-active units of differing oxidation states. To maintain electroneutrality, this electron hopping transport is coupled to the translocation of charge balancing counterions. Owing to the molecular nature of the redox active components, RC-MOFs have received increasing attention for potential applications in energy storage, electrocatalysis, reconfigurable electronics, etc. While our understanding of fundamental aspects that govern electron hopping transport in RC-MOFs has improved during the past decade, certain fundamental aspects such as questions that arise from the coupling between electron hopping and diffusion migration of charge balancing counterions are still not fully understood.In this Account, we summarize and discuss our group's efforts to answer some of these fundamental questions while also demonstrating the applicability of RC-MOFs in energy-related applications. First, we introduce general design strategies for RC-MOFs, fundamentals that govern their charge transport properties, and experimental diagnostics that allow for their identification. Selected examples with redox-active organic linkers or metallo-linkers are discussed to demonstrate how the molecular characteristics of the redox-active units inside RC-MOFs are retained. Second, we summarize experimental techniques that can be used to characterize charge transport properties in a RC-MOF. The apparent electron diffusion coefficient, Deapp, that is frequently determined in the field and obtained in large perturbation, transient experiments will be discussed and related to redox conductivity, σ, that is obtained in a steady state setup. It will be shown that both MOF-intrinsic (topology, pore size, and apertures) and experimental (nature of electrolyte, solvent) factors can have noticeable impact on electrical conductivity through RC-MOFs. Lastly, we summarize our progress in utilizing RC-MOFs as electrochromic materials, materials for harvesting minority carriers from illuminated semiconductors and within electrocatalysis. In the latter case, recent work on multivariate RC-MOFs in which redox active linkers are used to "wire" redox catalysts in the crystal interiors will be presented, offering opportunities to independently optimize charge transport and catalytic function.The ambition of this Account is to inspire the design of new RC-MOF systems, to aid their identification, to provide mechanistic insights into the governing ion-coupled electron hopping transport mode of conductivity, and ultimately to promote their applications in existing and emerging areas. With basically unlimited possibilities of molecular engineering tools, together with research in both fundamental and applied fields, we believe that RC-MOFs will attract even more attention in the future to unlock their full potential.