Conduction Mode Research Articles

Effects of volumetric energy density on melting modes, printability, microstructures, and mechanical properties of laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) printed pure nickel

Volumetric energy density (VED) is a fundamental criterion for the laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) process, influencing various forming characteristics. This study employed L-PBF to print pure nickel (Ni) using different VEDs across various melting modes. The thermodynamics in the different melt pools, obtained microstructural features, and tensile properties were characterized and investigated. The results reveal a higher likelihood of keyhole mode melt pool formation than the conduction mode due to the peak temperature exceeding 3005 K. The larger size and slower cooling rate of the keyhole mode melt pool facilitate the formation of cellular subgrains in the central zone and the overall grain coarsening. Compared to the conduction mode, the microstructure in the keyhole mode exhibits a higher dislocation density and a distinct distribution pattern for each type of dislocation. Unlike the L-PBF of commercial Ni alloys, where alloy element distribution significantly impacts tensile performance, the tensile performance of L-PBF Ni is governed by the interaction between grain morphology, dislocation density and distribution.

A Gaussian Process-Based extended Goldak heat source model for finite element simulation of laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing process

Laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) additive manufacturing (AM) is a key enabling technology to manufacture highly complex and integrated metallic structures. In L-PBF AM process, the melting of the metal powders and the layers underneath can be governed by either “conduction mode” or “keyhole mode”, with the keyhole mode reportedly leading to porosity and decreased strength and ductility by many studies. In part scale simulations, finite element (FE) model is often used to study the temperature distribution during printing and to predict the residual stress, where a volumetric heat flux with a Gaussian or a double ellipsoidal (Goldak) distribution is often applied as the laser heat source. However, the above heat source models can only capture the melt pool shape in the conduction mode, and fail to capture the transition to keyhole melting mode when the process parameters change. To overcome this inaccuracy, an extended Goldak heat source model is proposed by introducing a laser penetration term as a function of laser parameters obtained from a Gaussian-Process (GP) model. The model is validated by “2D pad” AlSi10Mg L-PBF experiments under a wide range of laser power, scan speed, and laser focus offset, and the results show the model successfully captures the measured melt pool shape in all conditions.

Fractional-Order Modeling and Nonlinear Dynamic Analysis of Forward Converter

To accurately investigate the nonlinear dynamic characteristics of a forward converter, a fractional-order state-space averaged model of a forward converter in continuous conduction mode (CCM) is established based on the fractional calculus theory. And nonlinear dynamical bifurcation maps which use PI controller parameters and a reference current as bifurcation parameters are obtained. The nonlinear dynamic behavior is analyzed and compared with that of an integral-order forward converter. The results show that under certain operating conditions, the fractional-order forward converter exhibits bifurcations characterized by low-frequency oscillations and period-doubling as certain circuit and control parameters change. Under the same circuit conditions, there is a difference in the stable parameter region between the fractional and integral-order models of the forward converter. The stable zone of the fractional-order forward converter is larger than that of the integral-order one. Therefore, the circuit struggles to enter states of bifurcation and chaos. The stability domain for low-frequency oscillations and period-doubling bifurcations can be accurately predicted by using a small signal model and a predictive correction model of the fractional-order forward converter, respectively. Finally, by performing circuit simulations and hardware-in-the-loop experiments, the rationality and correctness of the theoretical analysis are verified.

Generalized state‐space averaging modeling to fourth‐order power converters operating in DCM

AbstractThis paper presents a novel methodology for correcting the state‐space averaging (SSA) modeling for DC‐DC power converters represented for fourth‐order systems operating in discontinuous conduction mode (DCM). SSA modeling has been widely employed for converters operating in continuous conduction mode (CCM), obtaining a good similarity between the switched converter and the mathematical model. In contrast, when the converters work in DCM, significant deviations between the average and RMS values imply errors in the SSA model. Hence, the proposed generalized SSA modeling methodology provides an accurate model to aid the controllers and system design. Consequently, the proposed technique can be applied to distinct fourth‐order power converters such as Zeta, Ćuk, and SEPIC in several applications. Additionally, SSA corrections can be associated with different techniques for obtaining the small‐signals representation. Simulation and experimental results and mathematical analyses that prove the feasibility and functionality of the proposal are addressed.

Computational study of magnetohydrodynamic mixed convective flow in a nanofluid-filled cavity with diagonally moving lid

This study examines the phenomenon of uniform magnetohydrodynamic mixed convective flow in a cavity filled with nanofluid. The research focuses on analyzing the mixed convection induced by a uniformly heated lid-driven cavity with diagonal motion. The fluid and heat transport equations are solved using the finite volume method. Numerical simulations are conducted for various parameters including Richardson number (Ri) ranging as 0.1, 1 & 10, Hartmann number (Ha) 0, 10, 25 & 50, angle of inclination (γ) 0°, 30°, 45°, 60° & 90°, and solid volume fraction from 0.0 to 0.05. The results are presented in terms of flow and thermal fields. It is observed that higher Hartmann numbers and inclination angles of the magnetic field lead to a suppression of convection, favoring a dominant conduction mode and reducing the overall heat transfer rate. Specifically, the study highlights a significant enhancement in the heat transfer rate in a nanofluid-filled cavity with a diagonally moving wall. The movement’s of diagonal wall has significant power consumption, the tool may be used in an industrial process that improves heat transfer, offers flexibility, and raises the quality of the finished product. Additionally, the correlations that were found are a useful tool for heat exchanger design.

Extended high gain DC‐DC converter with switched‐inductors, switched‐capacitors and soft‐switching: Analysis and implementation

AbstractThis paper proposes an extended DC‐DC converter with high voltage conversion ratio and soft‐switching ability. The proposed converter has active switched‐inductors, switched‐capacitors included in the conventional high gain converter and operates in continuous conduction mode (CCM). Simple auxiliary resonant elements are added on the primary leg of the converter to provide design freedom for soft‐switching operation. The significant merits of the proposed converter are lesser voltage and current stresses, high voltage gain with reduced component count and better efficiency. Additional feature of this converter is soft‐switching operation under different load conditions and duty ratios without considerably increasing stresses. The zero voltage switching (ZVS) turn‐on operation is obtained for all switching devices. Therefore, switching power losses are minimized greatly. This paper presents the description, principles of operation and steady state analysis in comparison with the existing high gain converters. The theoretical analysis is verified with a 350 W prototype operated at input is 20 V and output is 220 V. The overall efficiency achieved is 96.7%. The obtained results confirm ZVZCS operation at full load.

Enhanced thermistor performance of LaCrO3 through high-entropy strategy

Lanthanum chromite (LaCrO3) based perovskites are crucial in advanced electronics for their stability, but efforts to enhance their density and structural stability remain vastly lacking. Here, we introduced high-entropy concept to enhance the microstructure and electrical properties of LaCrO3 for thermistor applications. The obtained La(Cr0.2Mn0.2Fe0.2Co0.2Ni0.2)O3-δ and (La0.2Nd0.2Sm0.2Gd0.2Y0.2)(Cr0.2Mn0.2Fe0.2Co0.2Ni0.2)O3-δ ceramics showed high relative densities of up to 89.48 % and 99.57 %, respectively. The shear strain due to significant lattice distortions caused by differences in elemental size, mass and electronegativity increased resistivity through enhancing phonon scattering. Meanwhile, this strain effect and native defects changed the charge conduction mode, thus resulting in a significant linearity at critical temperatures exceeding 163 K. Our results reveal that the high-entropy enhances the performance of LaCrO3 materials for thermistor applications, especially in terms of improving the ceramic density, reducing the resistivity and enhancing the temperature sensing accuracy. This high-entropy approach is expected to be widely applicable for the development of high-performance low-temperature thermistors.

Impedance Characteristics of Berea Sandstone Cores in the Process of CO<sub>2</sub> Injection Displacement with Saturated Brine

As an important means of CO<sub>2</sub> geological storage leakage monitoring, resistivity monitoring technology is of great significance to the safety and stability of CCUS project. In order to study the electrical signal response rule of the evolution of CO<sub>2</sub> saturation in the reservoir, a joint core displacement experiment system of electrochemical impedance analysis and microfocus X-ray CT was designed and constructed to simulate the process of CO<sub>2</sub> displacement of brine in Berea sandstone cores under stratigraphic temperature and pressure conditions. The electrochemical impedance characteristics of the core-fluid system are analyzed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The experimental results show that at lower temperature and pressure, it is more difficult for CO<sub>2</sub> to invade the pore space occupied by the brine in situ, resulting in drastic changes in CO<sub>2</sub> plane saturation along the displacement direction. With the increase of temperature and pressure, the CO<sub>2</sub> saturation curve becomes smoother and the migration and displacement front becomes even. The Cole equivalent circuit model is used to describe the conduction mode of AC electrical signals inside the core, and the electrochemical impedance characteristic analysis focusing on the high frequency region shows that the system impedance increases with the increase of CO<sub>2</sub> saturation, and decreases with the increase of scanning frequency. In addition, the changes of impedance characteristics in the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy not only reflect the pore structure characteristics of the core, but also reveal the evolution law of CO<sub>2</sub> saturation in the porous medium. With the increase of CO<sub>2</sub> saturation, the low pore space is gradually occupied by CO<sub>2</sub>, and the residual brine connectivity of the pore space as a conductive component decreases. The decrease of the internal conductive circuit leads to the rapid increase of the impedance, which is consistent with the change of resistance and capacitance when fitting the Cole equivalent circuit model.

Sample Voltage Dead-Beat Control Based on Differentiative Voltage Prediction and Switching-Cycle Extension for DC-DC Converters

In this paper, a sample voltage dead-beat control based on differentiative voltage prediction (DVP) and switching-cycle extension (SCE) is presented to achieve optimal transient response for DC-DC converters under discontinuous conduction mode (DCM) operation. Firstly, to improve load transient response, a DVP method is proposed to estimate the load. With the estimated load, the controller realizes load current feedforward and thus improves the transient response with a wide load range. Secondly, an SCE strategy is proposed to enlarge the output current range and output voltage slew rate, both of which have limited value under conventional digital pulse width modulation (DPWM). When the output current reaches the limited value, the proposed strategy increases the switching cycle to enlarge the current range without losing DCM operation. Finally, combining DVP with SCE, the converter not only achieves optimal response in large signal transients, but also doubles the load range in DCM operation.

Modeling and analysis of digital current‐mode controlled single‐inductor dual‐output DC–DC converter with different PWM modulation modes

SummaryCurrent‐mode control is extensively used in dc–dc converters as the merits of fast transient performance, simple control loop, and elimination of right‐half‐plane zeros for boost‐type dc–dc converters. In single‐inductor multiple‐output (SIMO) dc–dc converter, the inductor current would present different trends under different circuit parameters. Therefore, the control logic changes for different inductor current trends, and the corresponding modulations are absolutely different. In this paper, a digital current‐mode control technology for SIMO dc–dc converter is proposed to expend the convenience of current‐mode control with different inductor trends. Choosing continuous conduction mode (CCM) single‐inductor dual‐output (SIDO) dc–dc converter as the research object, the principles are analyzed under different pulse width modulation modes, and the corresponding control algorithms are derived. Moreover, the discrete iterative map model is established to analyze the stability of input and output voltages varying. The results show that not only the digital current‐mode controlled SIDO buck converter has fast load transient response and small cross‐regulation but also the input and output voltages will not affect the stability in the leading edge modulation, which is different from the corresponding analog current‐mode control technology. Finally, the experimental results verify the correctness of the theoretical analysis.

Correlative spatter and vapour depression dynamics during laser powder bed fusion of an Al-Fe-Zr alloy

Spatter during laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) can induce surface defects, impacting the fatigue performance of the fabricated components. Here, we reveal and explain the links between vapour depression shape and spatter dynamics during LPBF of an Al-Fe-Zr aluminium alloy using high-speed synchrotron x-ray imaging. We quantify the number, trajectory angle, velocity, and kinetic energy of the spatter as a function of vapour depression zone/keyhole morphology under industry-relevant processing conditions. The depression zone/keyhole morphology was found to influence the spatter ejection angle in keyhole versus conduction melting modes: (i) the vapour-pressure driven plume in conduction mode with a quasi-semi-circular depression zone leads to backward spatter whereas; and (ii) the keyhole rear wall redirects the gas/vapour flow to cause vertical spatter ejection and rear rim droplet spatter. Increasing the opening of the keyhole or vapour depression zone can reduce entrainment of solid spatter. We discover a spatter-induced cavity mechanism in which small spatter particles are accelerated towards the powder bed after laser-spatter interaction, inducing powder denudation and cavities on the printed surface. By quantifying these laser-spatter interactions, we suggest a printing strategy for minimising defects and improving the surface quality of LPBF parts.

Novel Integrated Zeta Inverter for Standalone Applications

In recent years, distributed generation systems based on renewable energy sources have gained increasing prominence. Thus, the DC/AC converters based on power electronics devices have become increasingly important. In this context, this article presents an integrated Zeta inverter for low-power conditions, which operates in continuous conduction mode (CCM), achieving efficiency greater than 95%. The proposed topology is composed of four power switches, two operating at high frequency and two operating at low frequency, i.e., at the output frequency. Compared with the topologies in the literature, these configurations make it a competitive solution from the point of view of efficiency, number of elements, and, consequently, implementation cost. The proposed converter operates as a sinusoidal voltage source for local loads and is supplied by a DC source, such as batteries or a photovoltaic array. A multi-resonant voltage controller was used to guarantee the sinusoidal voltage provided to the non-linear load while dealing with the complex dynamics of the Zeta converter in the CCM. Experimental results from a 324 W prototype show the converter’s implementation feasibility and the high efficiency of the DC/AC conversion.

Unsupervised quality monitoring of metal additive manufacturing using Bayesian adaptive resonance

Metal additive manufacturing is a recent breakthrough technology that promises automated production of complex geometric shapes at low operating costs. However, its potential is not yet fully exploited due to the low reproducibility of quality in mass production. The monitoring of parts quality directly during manufacturing promises to solve this problem, while machine learning showed efficient performance correlating versatile manufacturing measurements with different quality grades. Today, most monitoring algorithms are based on semi- or supervised learning, thus, requiring a collection and ground-truth validation of training sets. This is costly and time consuming in real-life conditions. Our work is a feasibility study of the application of unsupervised machine learning to monitor different manufacturing regimes and quality in metal additive manufacturing. The algorithm combines the kernel Bayes rule for inference and Bayesian adaptive resonance for structuring the incoming data. Airborne acoustic emission from laser powder bed fusion is used as an algorithm input. The recognition of the main manufacturing regimes (conduction mode, stable, and unstable keyholes) are shown on real-life data, while the self-learning accuracy of developed algorithm exceeds 88 %. Our approach promises future development of plug-and-play quality monitoring systems for laser processing technology, requiring minimum modifications of the existing machines, reducing time/cost for algorithm preparation and providing continuous data driven adaptation of the algorithm to changes in manufacturing conditions.

Recurrence plot embeddings as short segment nonlinear features for multimodal speaker identification using air, bone and throat microphones

Speech is produced by a nonlinear, dynamical Vocal Tract (VT) system, and is transmitted through multiple (air, bone and skin conduction) modes, as captured by the air, bone and throat microphones respectively. Speaker specific characteristics that capture this nonlinearity are rarely used as stand-alone features for speaker modeling, and at best have been used in tandem with well known linear spectral features to produce tangible results. This paper proposes Recurrent Plot (RP) embeddings as stand-alone, non-linear speaker-discriminating features. Two datasets, the continuous multimodal TIMIT speech corpus and the consonant-vowel unimodal syllable dataset, are used in this study for conducting closed-set speaker identification experiments. Experiments with unimodal speaker recognition systems show that RP embeddings capture the nonlinear dynamics of the VT system which are unique to every speaker, in all the modes of speech. The Air (A), Bone (B) and Throat (T) microphone systems, trained purely on RP embeddings perform with an accuracy of 95.81%, 98.18% and 99.74%, respectively. Experiments using the joint feature space of combined RP embeddings for bimodal (A–T, A–B, B–T) and trimodal (A–B–T) systems show that the best trimodal system (99.84% accuracy) performs on par with trimodal systems using spectrogram (99.45%) and MFCC (99.98%). The 98.84% performance of the B–T bimodal system shows the efficacy of a speaker recognition system based entirely on alternate (bone and throat) speech, in the absence of the standard (air) speech. The results underscore the significance of the RP embedding, as a nonlinear feature representation of the dynamical VT system that can act independently for speaker recognition. It is envisaged that speech recognition too will benefit from this nonlinear feature.

Long Propagating Polaritonic Heat Transfer: Shaping Radiation to Conduction.

Surface phonon polaritons (SPhPs) originate from the coupling of mid-IR photons and optical phonons, generating evanescent waves along the polar dielectric surface. The emergence of SPhPs gives rise to a phase of quantum matter that facilitates long-range energy transfer (100s μm-scale). Albeit of the recent experimental progress to observe the enhanced thermal conductivity of polar dielectric nanostructures mediated by SPhPs, the potential mechanism to present the high thermal conductivity beyond the Landauer limit has not been addressed. Here, we revisit the comprehensive theoretical framework to unify the distinct pictures of two heat transfer mechanisms by conduction and radiation. We first designed our experimental platform to distinguish contributions of two distinct fundamental modes of SPhPs, resulting in far-field radiation and long propagating conduction, respectively, by tuning the configuration of a nanostructured heat channel integrated into the thermometer. We could effectively control the transmission of long-propagating SPhPs to influence the apparent thermal conductivity of the nanostructure. This study reveals the high thermal conductance of 1.63 nW/K by a fast SPhP mode comparable to that by classical phonons, with measurements showing apparent conductivity values of up to 2 W/m·K at 515 K. The origin of the enhanced thermal conductivity was exploited by observing the interference of dispersive evanescent waves by double heat channels. Furthermore, our experimental observations of length-dependent thermal conductance by SPhPs are in good agreement with the revisited Landauer formula to illustrate a polaritonic mode of heat conduction, considering the dispersive nature of radiation not limited to the physical boundaries of a solid object yet directionally guided along the surface.

A fast-response RBCOT buck converter with second-order differential and integrator compensation based on FVF

A second-order differential and integration circuit based on a flipped voltage follower (SDI-FVF) is proposed in the paper, providing compensation ripple for the buck convert with ripple-based constant on-time (RBCOT). Additionally, an adaptive conduction time module is designed which stabilizes the operating frequency of the converter in continuous conduction mode (CCM) and guarantees stable conduction time in discontinuous conduction mode (DCM). The proposed RBCOT buck convert has been designed using 180 nm process. It operates with an input voltage range of 2.5 V–5 V and an output voltage range of 0.8 V–5 V, accommodating a load current range of 0 A to 3 A. It operates at a frequency of 4 MHz, exhibiting an output ripple of 1.4 mV, achieving a peak efficiency of 91.5 %. The efficiency exceeds 85 % under a load current of 1 mA. The undershoot and overshoot voltage are only 0.13 mV and 7.1 mV with a load current variation rate of 3 A/μs.

Interleaved high gain modified SEPIC converter in DC microgrid systems

ABSTRACT This research paper presents an Interleaved High-Gain Modified SEPIC (IHGM-SEPIC) power converter for use in PV-based microgrids. The converter operates in continuous conduction mode, achieving high efficiency and reducing switching stress. This paper explores the application of the converter in the microgrid, using an incremental conductance algorithm to calculate maximum power from the solar PV array. The power management algorithm is based on feed-forward control. This paper demonstrates the converter’s high performance, achieving a maximum efficiency of 98.87% and exhibiting excellent transient performance under line and load regulation. A robust experimental setup confirms the mathematical computations. The proposed converter is suitable for renewable applications and contributes to the advancement of renewable energy technology.

Generalized Pulse Width Modulation Switch Model for Converters Based on the Multistate Switching Cell in Discontinuous Conduction Mode.

This work introduces a generalized version of the pulse width modulation (PWM) switch model applied in the small-signal modeling of converters based on the multistate switching cell (MSSC) operating in discontinuous conduction mode (DCM). It consists of extending the concept formerly introduced by Vorperian for the representation of multiphase converters in DCM, yielding a circuit-based approach that does not rely on matrix manipulations unlike state-space averaging (SSA). The derived dc and ac models are valid for any number of switching states and any operating region defined in terms of the duty cycle, thus allowing for determining the voltage gain and distinct transfer functions. A thorough discussion of results is presented to demonstrate the applicability of the derived models to represent distinct configurations of the MSSC.

Balancing Ionic and Electronic Conduction at the LiFePO4 Cathode–Electrolyte Interface and Regulating Solid Electrolyte Interphase in Lithium‐Ion Batteries

AbstractRecently, in electric mobilities and stationary energy storage device applications, the development of long‐lasting, low‐cost, and high‐safety lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) is widely studied. LiFePO4 (LFP) is a core cathode material for LIBs owing to its cost‐effectiveness and high safety. However, it exhibits low electronic conductivity and sluggish Li+ diffusion, hindering the application of LFP cathodes in high‐power battery industries. Herein, a triazole‐motivated electrolyte additive, 1‐(trimethylsilyl)−1H‐benzotriazole (TMSBTA) is presented, for mitigating iron dissolution via HF scavenging, reinforcing the robustness of the solid electrolyte interphase and constructing a cathode–electrolyte interface (CEI) to balance the ion and electron conduction of the CEI on the LFP cathode. Scanning probe microscopy performed in the conductive atomic force microscopy mode indicates that the electronically conductive CEI created by the oxidative decomposition of TMSBTA enables rapid and homogeneous lithiation and delithiation during cycling without morphological changes in the LFP particles. This study elucidates the design principles of the CEI on the LFP cathode and is expected to guide integrated electrolyte additive engineering for LFP‐containing LIBs.

5.1µm Ion-Regulated Rigid Quasi-Solid Electrolyte Constructed by Bridging Fast Li-Ion Transfer Channels for Lithium Metal Batteries.

An ultra-thin quasi-solid electrolyte (QSE) with dendrite-inhibiting properties is a requirement for achieving high energy density quasi-solid lithium metal batteries (LMBs). Here, a 5.1µm rigid QSE layer is directly designed on the cathode, in which Kevlar (poly(p-phenylene terephthalate)) nanofibers (KANFs) with negatively charged groups bridging metal-organic framework (MOF) particles are served as a rigid skeleton, and non-flammable deep eutectic solvent is selected to be encapsulated into the MOF channels, combined with in situ polymerization to complete safe electrolyte system with high rigidness and stability. The QSE withconstructed topological network demonstrates high rigidity (5.4GPa), high ionic conductivity (0.73 mS cm-1 at room temperature), good ion-regulated properties, and improved structural stability, contributing to homogenized Li-ion flux, excellent dendrite suppression, and prolonged cyclic performance for LMB. Additionally, ion regulation influences the Li deposition behavior, exhibiting a uniform morphology on the Li-metal surface after cycling. According to density-functional theory, KANFs bridging MOFs as hosts play a vital function in the free-state and fast diffusion dynamics of Li-ions. This work provides an effective strategy for constructing ultrathin robust electrolytes with a novel ionic conduction mode.