Fast Failure Research Articles

Fast in-line failure analysis of sub-micron-sized cracks in 3D interconnect technologies utilizing acoustic interferometry

More than Moore technology is driving semiconductor devices towards higher complexity and further miniaturization. Device miniaturization strongly impacts failure analysis (FA), since it triggers the need for non-destructive approaches with high resolution in combination with cost and time efficient execution. Conventional scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM) is an indispensable tool for failure analysis in the semiconductor industry, however resolution and penetration capabilities are strongly limited by the transducer frequency. In this work, we conduct an acoustic interferometry approach, based on a SAM-setup utilizing 100 MHz lenses and enabling not only sufficient penetration depth but also high resolution for efficient in-line FA of Through Silicon Vias (TSVs). Accompanied elastodynamic finite integration technique-based simulations, provide an in-depth understanding concerning the acoustic wave excitation and propagation. We show that the controlled excitation of surface acoustic waves extends the contingency towards the detection of nm-sized cracks, an essential accomplishment for modern FA of 3D-integration technologies.

Deformation mechanisms and slip behaviors of tectonically deformed conglomerates from the Central Apennines fold-and-thrust belt: Implications for shallow aseismic and seismic slip

Fold-and-thrust belts and accretionary prisms exhibit considerable variability in slip behaviors along active faults. While numerous studies have investigated fault mechanics and slip behaviors in carbonate-, shale-, and sandstone-hosted faults as well as clay-rich portions of shallow accretionary prisms, the deformation mechanisms and slip behaviors of deformed, thrust-top molasse-type conglomerates remain poorly understood. To fill this knowledge gap, we conducted structural and microstructural analyses on exhumed and deformed conglomerates in the footwall of an out-of-sequence thrust from the Central Apennines fold-and-thrust belt (Italy). Our findings aim to constrain conglomerate deformation mechanisms and infer possible slip behaviors. We observed flattened pebbles and an intense foliation comprising densely spaced, thrust-parallel, clay-rich stylolites that indicate slow deformation attributed to carbonate dissolution during aseismic creep. In contrast, quartz clasts with calcite micro veins and micrometer-thick slip increments in slickenfibers suggest fast brittle failure and fluid overpressure in competent pebbles, while the matrix continues to deform aseismically through pressure solution. The general structure is similar to block-in-matrix textures observed in tectonic mélanges from exhumed subduction zones and accretionary prisms. Our results provide new insights into the slip behaviors of shallow (<∼1 km) portions of fold-and-thrust belts, complementing existing understandings of deformation mechanisms and slip behaviors across different depth ranges in fold-and-thrust belts and accretionary prisms.

Study on optimization of preparation and liquid content of thermo-responsive inhibitor for preventing coal spontaneous combustion

To address the issue of fast failure of salt inhibiting liquid in preventing coal spontaneous combustion, our team proposed the use of a thermo-responsive secundina sphere inhibitor (TRSSI). This agent involved wrapping the salt inhibiting liquid with phase change materials (PCMs). The previous experimental results were proven. However, subsequent observations revealed surface cracks in the TRSSI upon room temperature cooling, leading to internal liquid leakage and a low rate of complete formation. To address this, this paper conducted a thermal analysis of the TRSSI preparation process. Through range analysis, three factors affecting the thickness of the shell were determined: notably, the ice-ball radius exhibited a significant positive correlation, while the initial temperature of the PA-SA had a substantial negative impact. Conversely, the initial temperature of the ice-ball showed relatively minimal influence on thickness. By combining the regression analysis equation and mechanical conditions, the optimal volume ratio, ice-ball radius, and shell thickness under varying compressive strengths were obtained. Water retention tests showed that the TRSSI exhibited a mere 3.67% water loss rate over nine months at room temperature. The adiabatic heating test of coal demonstrated that the TRSSI, when applied to coal seam surface, accurately targeted the heat source center and swiftly reduced its temperature. Ineffective TRSSIs absorbed heat, stacked on each other, and formed a tight water-retaining layer on coal seam surface, effectively prolonging the coal’s self-heating oxidation period.

A Slightly Expanded Graphite Anode with High Capacity Enabled By Stable Lithium-Ion/Metal Hybrid Storage.

Integrating lithium-ion and metal storage mechanisms to improve the capacity of graphite anode holds the potential to boost the energy density of lithium-ion batteries. However, this approach, typically plating lithium metal onto traditional graphite anodes, faces challenges of safety risks of severe lithium dendrite growth and short circuits due to restricted lithium metal accommodation space and unstable lithium plating in commercial carbonate electrolytes. Herein, a slightly expanded spherical graphite anode is developed with a precisely adjustable expanded structure to accommodate metallic lithium, achieving a well-balanced state of high capacity and stable lithium-ion/metal storage in commercial carbonate electrolytes. This structure also enables fast kinetics of both Li intercalation/de-intercalation and plating/stripping. With a total anode capacity of 1.5 times higher (558mAhg-1) than graphite, the full cell coupled with a high-loading LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 cathode (13mgcm-2) under a low N/P ratio (≈1.15) achieves long-term cycling stability (75% of capacity after 200 cycles, in contrast to the fast battery failure after 50 cycles with spherical graphite anode). Furthermore, the capacity of the full cell also reaches a low capacity decay rate of 0.05% per cycle at 0.2C under the low temperature of -20°C.

Unrecoverable lattice rotation governs structural degradation of single-crystalline cathodes.

Transitioning from polycrystalline to single-crystalline nickel-rich cathodes has garnered considerable attention in both academia and industry, driven by advantages of high tap density and enhanced mechanical properties. However, cathodes with high nickel content (>70%) suffer from substantial capacity degradation, which poses a challenge to their commercial viability. Leveraging multiscale spatial resolution diffraction and imaging techniques, we observe that lattice rotations occur universally in single-crystalline cathodes and play a pivotal role in the structure degradation. These lattice rotations prove unrecoverable and govern the accumulation of adverse lattice distortions over repeated cycles, contributing to structural and mechanical degradation and fast capacity fade. These findings bridge the previous knowledge gap that exists in the mechanistic link between fast performance failure and atomic-scale structure degradation.

Experimental Study Of Parsian Port Breakwater Toe Stability

The stability performance of toe layer in structures with single-layer concrete armoures such as accropods and Xblocks is more crucial regarding their fast instability propagation and failure mechanism. This paper presents the case study concerning toe stability of Pasrsian port breakwater by experimental tests on physical model in Tarbiat modares university wave flume. Parsian industrial port is located in the south of Iran at Persian Gulf coastline. Its nineteen berths in final phase will be protected by approximately 1500 meter breakwater which at the most critical section, W5, reaches the sea bed level of -25 m.C.D. Figure 1. In concrete armored breakwaters, heterogeneous packing could increase the porosity in top rows and eventually result in instability. Therefore the number of rows in which the concrete units can be placed would be limited. According to the SUGRA guidance for Accropode units, this the maximum number of rows shall be 20, which leads designers to consider toe berm for breakwaters in deep water. Hence, it was vital to conduct a comprehensive physical model study.

A pair of two-stage Kalman filters to detect and isolate failures in aircraft with redundant actuators

As critically-safe systems, aircraft must be able to adapt if a failure occurs. A fast failure detection may reduce the possibility of loss of control in-flight. Model-based Failure Detection and Isolation Systems (FDIS) have been proposed to identify actuation failures in aircraft, being most of them based on Multiple Models approaches. An additional challenge in FDIS strategies for aircraft is the high level of actuation redundancy. This article proposes to use only a pair of Two-Stage Kalman Filters (TSKF) for detecting and isolating failures. A Feed-Forward Differential (FFD) is introduced to facilitate the fault isolation process, providing further information with low perturbation during flight. The TSKF results are interpreted by a Supervisory Loop, which automatically diagnoses the aircraft for actuation failures. The proposed solution is validated using the Boeing 747 GARTEUR RECOVER Benchmark Simulator. The proposed solution has an overall better response when compared to a multiple-models solution of the literature with an 85% reduction in the computational time.

Implantation of Solid Electrolyte Interphase Stabilizer within High-Capacity Silicon Electrode Enabling Enhanced Battery Performance

The commercial application of high-capacity silicon (Si) anode in lithium-ion batteries is limited by the marked volume expansion and continuous interface side reactions between the active material and the electrolyte. To address the issues, one popular strategy is to induce functional salt additives to the electrolyte, which could help to construct a robust solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) to resist the undesirable parasitic reactions and fast electrode failure. However, there exists the shortness of the dependency in the solubility of the additive salt and the possible homogeneity of the SEI. In light of this, we propose an innovative method of incorporating an SEI stabilization regent, exemplified by lithium difluorooxalate borate (LiDFOB), in the Si anode. This approach facilitates the effective utilization of the functional SEI stabilizer and impressively enhances the presence of inorganic compounds within the SEI. The resultant stable SEI effectively impedes interfacial side reactions, mitigates substantial expansion/contraction, and promotes the transport of Li + ions. As a result, the Si electrode incorporated with LiDFOB displays superior long cycle life and enhanced rate capability, indicating the advancement of planting LiDFOB in the electrode in promoting the development of advanced high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries.

Machine Learning-Based Monitoring Trail: On Fast and Accurate Optical Path Failure Localization in All-Optical DCNs

Machine Learning-Based Monitoring Trail: On Fast and Accurate Optical Path Failure Localization in All-Optical DCNs

Quantitative measurement of link failure reaction time for devices with P4-programmable data planes

Quick handling of link failures remains a challenging issue in current communication networks, although it is crucial to many routing algorithms. Link failures are the leading cause of packet losses and delays, therefore, failure recovery is tied to stringent requirements for certain services, such as the sub-50 millisecond completion time for carrier-grade networks, which is sometimes difficult to achieve in traditional routing schemes. For this reason, fast recovery strategies are key pillars of modern communication networks. In this paper, we demonstrate the benefits of the devices with Programmable Data Planes (PDP) for fast reacting to link failures. We first review the link failure detection, reaction and recovery procedures and then we discuss the main fast failure recovery mechanisms employed by different types of devices in current communication networks. In addition, we present a novel method to measure the link failure reaction time of an Intel Tofino switch with PDP, as well as the results obtained when measuring such time using real hardware equipment. Our results show that such hardware devices provide a failure reaction time in the order of microseconds, with an average of 472.88μ\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$\\upmu $$\\end{document}s, which poses PDP as a key technology to achieve zero packet loss and zero delay failure recovery.

Business model shift in independent restaurant operation: the COVID-19 impacts

ABSTRACT Restaurant operators adapted their business practices and concepts during the COVID-19. The aim of this research is to identify the transformation of key components of independent restaurant business models. We used a reference framework comprising three key variables—Process, People and Profit—used to distinguish the influence of fast failure concept and the necessary adaptation of the traditional revenue model. The impact of this crisis on their business models and the decisions on which some practices are grounded have allowed us to review traditional processes and assess their relevance. This research is based on 10 interviews with restaurant operators located in various regions of Québec (Canada). The results show that, in this period of insecurity shared by customers and restaurant operators, processes were the components most affected by this upheaval. These processes were characterized by sharing of responsibilities among team members, speed of deployment of tests, and the importance of three elements: partners with multidisciplinary skills, stakeholders, and financial performance centered on profit margins instead of the usual volume aspect. Organic adaptation centered on experimentation and mutual adjustment of resources are what characterized an emergent form of business model in the restaurant industry.

Dynamic Concentration of Alloying Element on Anode Surface Enabling Cycle‐Stable Li Metal Batteries

AbstractThe pursuit of high energy density Li‐based rechargeable batteries has intrigued numerous research interest on Li metal anode. However, several significant challenges, including severe parasitic reactions and growth of Li dendrites, lead to fast electrode failure and impede its practical implantation. Herein, it is revealed that the dynamic concentration of alloying element in Li solid solution can significantly improve the cycling stability. It is demonstrated that the alloying element of Li solid solution continuously evolved in the reaction layer on cycling. Alloying element got enriched on anode surface after Li stripping, and re‐dispersed into the deposited Li during Li plating processes. The alloying element‐rich surface can reduce the Li nucleation barrier and promote the uniform Li plating behavior. Ultrathin Li solid solution foils are fabricated, and the dynamic alloying element concentration mechanism is further verified, and the cycling lifespan of pure Li is doubled. Consequently, a 1.4 Ah laminated pouch cell with ultrathin Li solid solution anode (30 µm) exhibits high energy density of 836 Wh L−1 and stable cycling performance under the harsh conditions with low negative/positive capacity (N/P) ratio of 2 and electrolyte/capacity (E/C) ratio of 2.6 g Ah−1.

Design of an In-Band Control Plane for Automatic Bootstrapping and Fast Failure Recovery in P4 Networks

In this paper, we present the design of an in-band control plane system for P4 networks. The proposed in-band control plane performs automatic switch bootstrapping, network status monitoring, topology discovery and fast failover. The authentication and registration of newly connected switches are managed by the controller without manual intervention. The system can recover from any single link or single node failure in a short period of time. The recovery control paths for each single link and single node failure are prepared in advance. We propose an algorithm that takes recovery time into account for preplanning the recovery paths. In addition to handling any single failure, the proposed control plane is survivable even if there are multiple failures in the network. We implement an emulated network to evaluate the proposed control plane system. The experimental results show that the system successfully provides all the target functions.

Unraveling the failure mechanism of wire arc additive manufactured low carbon steel under tensile and high cycle fatigue loading

Wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) is one of the common additive manufacturing processes for efficiently building large components due to its high deposition rate and higher catchment efficiency with an easy and relatively simpler arrangement. However, WAAM components often observe defects that adversely affect some mechanical properties. The present work employs a two-camera digital image correlation (DIC)-based technique for simultaneous strain measurements on two mutually orthogonal surfaces to capture the strain accumulation due to defects and subsequent failure behavior under uniaxial tensile loading of WAAM deposited ER70S-6 low carbon steel samples. The elastic cyclic loading tests are also performed at different stress amplitudes, and their fracture surfaces are analyzed with scanning electron microscopy. Due to the weak interlayer consolidation, multiple delaminations and strain accumulation sites are observed. Propagation of delamination contributed towards the failure, and dimples as well as intergranular fractures are observed on failure surfaces. Premature failure with a reduced number of cycles to failure is observed during high cycle fatigue tests due to catastrophic fast failure in the neighborhood of the internal defects. While the fatigue crack initiation and propagation are distinctly observed on fracture surfaces, transition regions from fatigue fracture and fast fracture are mostly obscure.

Characterisation of stress corrosion durability and time-dependent performance of cable bolts in underground mine environments

Premature failures of cable bolt caused by stress corrosion cracking (SCC) has been more and more often observed with the increasing depth of underground mines. Investigating and predicting this failure are critical in maintaining and accessing the integrity of the reinforcement system. In this study, with application of the designed SCC-AE testing system, the SCC failure processes of cold-drawn cable bolts used in underground reinforcement system was investigated using the acoustic emission (AE) techniques in simulated underground conditions. Damage evolution of the specimens was monitored with AE in real-time. The scanning electron microscopy was adopted to examine the fractographic features of the failed specimen. Through the integrated analysis of specimens’ elongation, the evolution of acoustic activities and fractographic features, three different stages during SCC failure processes were determined including cracks initiation due to the local corrosion, cracks propagation characterised as tear ridges appearance and fast fracture failure evidenced by the shear lips. The parameters of elongations, AE signals in each failure stage were investigated and the SCC propagation rates were determined. As a result, this study confirms the AE technique in combination with the designed testing system can give important insights into the SCC failure as well as the possibilities of real-time SCC monitoring in underground reinforcement systems.

Fast One-Sided RDMA-Based State Machine Replication for Disaggregated Memory

Disaggregated memory architecture has risen in popularity for large datacenters with the advantage of improved resource utilization, failure isolation, and elasticity. Replicated state machines (RSMs) have been extensively used for reliability and consistency. In traditional RSM protocols, each replica stores replicated data and has the computing power to participate in some part of the protocols. However, traditional RSM protocols fail to work in the disaggregated memory architecture due to asymmetric resources on CPU nodes and memory nodes. This article proposes ECHO, a fast one-sided RDMA-based RSM protocol with lightweight log replication and remote applying, efficient linearizability guarantee, and fast coordinator failure recovery. ECHO enables all operations in the protocol to be efficiently executed using only one-sided RDMA, without the participation of any computing resource in the memory pool. To provide lightweight log replication and remote applying, ECHO couples the replicated log and the state machine to avoid dual-copy and performs remote applying by updating pointers. To enable efficient remote log state management, ECHO leverages a hitchhiked log state updating scheme to eliminate extra network round trips. To provide efficient linearizability guarantee, ECHO performs immediate remote applying after log replication and leverages the local locks at the coordinator to ensure linear consistency. Moreover, ECHO adopts a commit-aware log cache to make data visible immediately after being committed. To achieve fast failure recovery, ECHO leverages a commit point identification scheme to reduce the overhead of log consistency recovery. Experimental results demonstrate that ECHO outperforms the state-of-the-art RSM protocol (namely Sift) in multiple scenarios. For example, ECHO achieves 27%–52% higher throughput on typical write-intensive workloads. Moreover, ECHO reduces the consistency recovery time by three orders of magnitude for coordinator failure.

A Comprehensive Survey of In-Band Control in SDN: Challenges and Opportunities

Software-Defined Networking (SDN) is a thriving networking architecture that has gained popularity in recent years, particularly as an enabling technology to foster paradigms like edge computing. SDN separates the control and data planes, which are later on synchronised via a control protocol such as OpenFlow. In-band control is a type of SDN control plane deployment in which the control and data planes share the same physical network. It poses several challenges, such as security vulnerabilities, network congestion, or data loss. Nevertheless, despite these challenges, in-band control also presents significant opportunities, including improved network flexibility and programmability, reduced costs, and increased reliability. Benefiting from the previous advantages, diverse in-band control designs exist in the literature, with the objective of improving the operation of SDN networks. This paper surveys the different approaches that have been proposed so far towards the advance in in-band SDN control, based on four main categories: automatic routing, fast failure recovery, network bootstrapping, and distributed control. Across these categories, detailed summary tables and comparisons are presented, followed by a discussion on current trends a challenges in the field. Our conclusion is that the use of in-band control in SDN networks is expected to drive innovation and growth in the networking industry, but efforts for holistic and full-fledged proposals are still needed.

Reliably Route IoT Packets in Software Defined mmWave Mesh Networks

Although millimeter wave (mmWave) mesh networks provide large bandwidth to deliver IoT packets, link failure caused by non-light-of-sight (NLoS) condition degrades network reliability. With the assistance of software defined networking (SDN), we propose a Fast link failure Recovery Routing (FastReRoute) framework to instantly re-route packets from the failed links to another ones minimizing packet loss. Upon a link fails, FastReRoute first re-routes packets via the pre-configured local backup path. FastReRoute conditionally re-routes packets again according to the management using the SDN controller. We integrate FastReRoute into Mininet for performance evaluation. This demonstrates FastReRoute effectively sustains the network reliability.

Integrating push-over analysis and FEMA guidelines for building vulnerability assessment

An earthquake has impacted the existing buildings around the area where the earthquake occurred. To maintain the safety of building occupants, it is necessary to evaluate the building's vulnerability. The most frequently used assessment methods are the Rapid Visual Screening (RVS) from FEMA and the push-over. FEMA can assess the exposure of a building quickly through visual observation but cannot provide a structural response. The push-over can explain the structural response seismic capacity and performance, collapse identification, and building strengthening strategies. However, the push-over has weaknesses; the analysis depends on modelling and structural analysis. This study aims to integrate push-over with FEMA to obtain the most appropriate assessment of buildings in earthquake vulnerability. Both assessment models have been applied to mid-rise buildings of flats after the earthquake. The building received a final score of 2.3 in the FEMA screening evaluation, indicating that it is secure. The push-over analysis shows the damage to the structure is Immediate Occupancy, which means only slight damage occurs. Overall, both methods give the same results and can be integrated to develop RVS and push-over assessments mutually when new modes of building failure are identified and as tools to assess fast, precise and accurate structural failure.

An approach for fast cascading failure simulation in dynamic models of power systems

The ground truth for cascading failure in power system can only be obtained through a detailed dynamic model involving nonlinear differential and algebraic equations whose solution process is computationally expensive. This has prohibited adoption of such models for cascading failure simulation. To solve this, we propose a fast cascading failure simulation approach based on implicit Backward Euler method (BEM) with stiff decay property. Unfortunately, BEM suffers from hyperstability issue in case of oscillatory instability and converges to the unstable equilibrium. We propose a predictor–corrector approach to fully address the hyperstability issue in BEM. The predictor identifies oscillatory instability based on eigendecomposition of the system matrix at the post-disturbance unstable equilibrium obtained as a byproduct of BEM. The corrector uses right eigenvectors to identify the group of machines participating in the unstable mode. This helps in applying appropriate protection schemes as in ground truth. We use Trapezoidal method (TM)-based simulation as the benchmark to validate the results of the proposed approach on the IEEE 118-bus network, 2383-bus Polish grid, and IEEE 68-bus system. The proposed approach is able to track the cascade path and replicate the end results of TM-based simulation with very high accuracy while reducing the average simulation time by ≈10−35 fold. The proposed approach was also compared with the partitioned method, which led to similar conclusions.