This study aimed to investigate the influence of process parameters on crack formation in laser alloying or cladding of grey cast iron. For this purpose, the effects of laser power and feeding rate of Ni-based alloying powders were examined. The microstructure and hardness of the coating and the interface of the coating with cast iron (bonding zone) were studied. The results showed that the dilution ratio is crucial in crack formation, explaining the challenges in achieving a defect-free laser alloying coating on cast iron. The higher dilution ratio of laser alloying resulted in higher dissolved carbon and bigger (Nb, Ti)C carbides formation than in laser cladding coatings. In this study, cracks appeared in the coating due to the combination of the high amount of carbide in the layer and a sharp hardness gradient at the interface with the cast iron substrate. An empirical relation was proposed for dilution ratio as a function of specific energy density, which combined the most critical process parameters on crack formation.
Thermal resistance and temperature distribution for high-power AlGaInN LED chip-on-board arrays were measured by different methods and tools. The p-n junction temperature was determined through measuring a temperature-dependent forward voltage drop on the p-n junction, at a low measuring current after applying a high heating current. Furthermore, the infrared thermal imaging technique was employed to obtain the temperature map for the test object. A steady-state 3D computational model of the experimental setup was created including temperature-dependent power dissipation in the LED chips. Simulations of the heat transfer in the LED array were performed to further investigate temperature gradients observed in the measurements. Simulations revealed possible thermal deformation of the assembly as the reason for the hot spot formation. The bending of the assembly was confirmed by surface curvature measurements.
Inom forskningsområdet Ytteknik används modellering och simulering bland annat för att analysera ytbeläggningsprocesser på komplexa geometrier. Detta är ett multidisciplinärt område som täcker bl.a. elektrokemi, jontransport och Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) för beräkningar av strömningsfenomen. Numeriska modelleringsverktyg används i utformandet av processen för att optimera processparametrar både med avseende på ytbeläggningens struktur och förbättrad fördelning av ytbeläggningen. Genom M-ERA projektet som finansierats av VINNOVA har en modell tagits fram för att beskriva ytbeläggning av silver av ett gjutet radiofilter i en silvercyanidlösning. Med målet att ha en minsta ytbeläggningstjocklek på 1 μm har både den elektriska strömmen och ytbeläggningstiden varierats för att uppnå en jämn ytbeläggning och minska förbrukningen av silver. Med hjälp av mätningar på komponenter har man även kunnat validera modellerna.
Understanding and evaluating the performance of different powder and substrate materials combined in the laser cladding/alloying layer is prioritised by process and material engineers to obtain high-quality durable surfaces. The surface quality is usually determined by the combination of various process parameters, such as laser power, powder feeding rate, and scanning speed, that result in different dilution ratios. Furthermore, process parameter calibration highly depends on the surface geometry and alignment of the deposited tracks. The application of simulation tools for the manufacturing process design tends to reduce experimental efforts. However, laser surface cladding and alloying represents a complex manufacturing process, where powder deposited on the surface of a material solidifies and forms an alloy with the substrate. Full-scale process simulation is often not feasible for parametric studies aiming at tuning the process parameters.
The present work introduces an experimentally validated simulation methodology, including a simplified three-dimensional finite-element heat transfer model of the laser surface cladding/alloying process, Figure 1. Cladding/alloying of a nickel-based superalloy powder on the grey cast iron substrate has been studied. With the help of laser cladding experiments and measurements on cross-section images, it has been shown that the model is capable to predict the actual laser power to obtain the desired penetration depth into the substrate, heat-affected zone size and dilution ratio. It is shown by introducing a laser power scaling factor that the model input and comparison data can be obtained from a single cladding/alloying experiment.
Experimental evaluation of several active anti-condensation methods for application in non-hermetic electronics enclosures was performed in harsh climatic conditions, including RH = 70% and T = 43 °C. The studied methods included blowing the air along the exposed surface, combination of blowing and air heating as well as local heating of the exposed surface in natural convection conditions. The purpose was to prevent/remove the dew on/from the exposed surface of a micro-condensation sensor. The difference between the methods was quantified in terms of time for dew removal. The power consumption aspects were discussed. A CFD based optimization methodology was developed to determine the heating profiles for the local anti-condensation PCB heater in a non-hermetic cabinet exposed to the quickly changing climatic conditions. The potential for 60% energy savings was revealed by simulation.
The paper investigates the effect of variations both in temperature cycling profile and in SAC305 solder Young's modulus in the PBGA256 package on the thermo-mechanical reliability. FE simulations quantify the effect of cycle reduction and counting techniques by introducing different temperature profiles having identical dwell- and period time characteristics. A difference of 30% in predicted accumulated creep strain energy density per cycle has been determined for the studied profiles. Under the provided modelling assumptions and simplifications, the maximum variation of the thermal fatigue life of SAC305 solder joints is within 30% as the result of experimentally determined Young's modulus variation in as-delivered packages.
The induced current in a wire placed inside a conducting box due to field penetration through apertures has been studied using FDTD simulations. Two box configurations have been investigated in order to evaluate the difference in coupling with one large aperture and the combination of a large and a narrow aperture. The coupling to a wire placed above a ground plane has also been studied to compare it with the test cases involving the box.
Thermal conductivity is an important property for many iron cast components, and the lack of widely accepted thermal conductivity model for cast iron, especially grey cast iron, motivates the efforts in this research area. The present study contributes to understanding the effects alloy microstructure has on thermal conductivity. A thermal conductivity model for a pearlitic cast iron has been proposed, based on the as-cast alloy composition and microstructural parameters obtained at different solidification rates. According to the model, available parallel heat transfer paths formed by connected graphite flakes across eutectic cells are determined by the space between dendrite arms. The uncertainties both for model inputs and for validation measurements have been estimated. Sensitivity analysis has been conducted to result in better understanding of the model behaviour. The agreement between modelled and measured thermal conductivities has been achieved within 5% on the average for the investigated samples.
Thermal conductivity is an important property for cast components produced from different types of cast iron. Development of a general widely-accepted thermal conductivity model for compacted and lamellar graphite irons poses a research challenge. The present study extends the modeling approach introduced earlier for pearlitic lamellar graphite iron toward compacted graphite iron and ferritic lamellar graphite iron. The proposed thermal conductivity model of the bulk material is based on the alloy microstructure and Si segregation between eutectic cells and non-cell regions, at the main assumption that the heat paths in the eutectic cells are formed by connected graphite phases surrounded by ferrite phases. The overall thermal resistance of these heat paths is determined by the hydraulic diameter of the interdendritic region. The uncertainties both for the modeled and for experimentally derived thermal conductivities have been estimated. The importance of considering the Si segregation in the model has been discussed. For the investigated samples, the agreement between modeled and measured thermal conductivities has been achieved within 4% on the average, at the same value of the single fitting parameter found for pearlitic, pearlitic–ferritic lamellar, and compacted graphite iron alloys. The results contribute to the understanding of the material microstructure effects on the cast iron thermal conductivity.
A CFD-aided reflow oven profile prediction algorithm has been developed and applied to modelling of preheating of a PCB with non-uniform distribution of component thermal mass in a forced air convection solder reflow oven. The iterative algorithm combines an analytic approach with CFD modelling. It requires an experimentally validated CFD model of the solder reflow oven and a CFD model of the PCB as main inputs. Results of computational experiments have been presented to reveal good agreement between predicted PCB profiles and corresponding CFD calculations. Application guidelines contained in the description of the algorithm will assist potential users both during the virtual prototyping phase of a PCB including designing for assembly and in the phase of reflow oven profiling.
Humidity management of commercial-of-the-shelf electronic components in non-controlled climatic environments can be realized e.g. by introducing a local printed circuit board heater. By choosing appropriate size and location of the heater plate in the vicinity of the critical electronic packages, and utilizing logic control function, it is possible to improve the quality of local humidity management and reduce power consumption of the heater, which is important especially in case of battery driven portable or vehicle mounted devices. A computational fluid dynamics assisted methodology has been developed to determine the best feasible design of the heater, followed by experimental verification of the constructed logic controlled heater. The experiment has been performed in a harsh climatic environment including temperature variation from +33°C to +40°C, and relative humidity variation from 54% to 80%. Analysis of the experimental %RH and temperature curves as well as power profile of the heater has confirmed the feasibility of the chosen approach to maintain greater than 9°C difference between the electronics package surface temperature and the local dew point temperature, by applying discrete power pulses with the amplitude less than 6 W.
The finite element three-dimensional transient model of the annealing process, including conductive and convective heat transfer in an aluminum (Al) coil was developed, implemented, and validated. It combines winding force dependent effective radial thermal conductivity model and the novel convective heat transfer modeling methodology. Experimental validation of the finite element model was performed for two industrial coils having different dimensions, strip thickness and crowning depth. The general agreement between the predicted and measured temperatures for most of the probes was better than 10% at the target material temperature. A series of measurements were configured and performed to supply both the input and validation data for the simulations. The effect of the additional wetted area on the convective heat transfer at the coil base was quantified. The guidelines on the virtual prototyping of the Al coil annealing process were provided, which can be of interest for the process designers.
A methodology for evaluation of transient performance of, and comparison between plate heat exchanger and plate-fin-and-tube heat exchanger was developed and realized, including experiment and 3-D simulation. Heat transfer from water to a gas medium was addressed. The heated gas volume was the same for both heat exchanger designs. This was achieved by placing the plate-fin-and-tube heat exchanger into enclosure. The volume average temperature of the gas as function of time was computed. Estimated material cost for the studied designs was at least seven times lower than for the stainless steel plate heat exchanger. The performance of the selected plate-fin-and-tube heat exchanger design was found comparable to the plate heat exchanger, when both fin and tube materials were set to Al, and the enclosure was a light-weight thermal insulator. Transient behavior of the studied heat exchangers should be of interest for micro-grid applications, but also for thermal management in electronic cabinets and data centers.
The effect of fillets formed between the base and plate fins of rheocast aluminium heatsinks on the thermal resistance of the heatsinks has been quantified by simulation. Simulation methodology, including sequential optimization has been developed in order to determine hotspot distributions where the fillets have the maximum effect. Combination of different fillet dimensions with various base thickness levels and aluminium alloys having inhomogeneous thermal conductivity have been investigated. For the studied cases, the effect of fillets on heatsink thermal resistance differs from negligible to 6%. The results would guide thermal designers on contribution of fillets to the heat transfer in multi-fin heatsinks for natural convection.
A CFD modelling methodology including experimental validation has been developed and applied for investigation of anti-moisture measures in a non- hermetic electronics enclosure containing a number of printed circuit boards, and placed in a severe storage environment. In the climatic test the temperature and the relative humidity have been varried from +33degC to +71degC and from 14% to 80%, respectively. Enclosure heater solutions have been parametrically studied by simulation. A heating strategy involving various power levels has been determined, which is just sufficient to maintain the internal relative humidity below 60%, thereby reducing the risk for dew formation on the electronics assembly.
Different block and tube mounting alternatives for SiC-based gas sensors were studied by means of temperature measurements and simulation of heat transfer and gas flow for steady state conditions. The most preferable tube mounting design was determined. Simulation-based guidelines were developed for designing tube-mounted gas sensors in the exhaust pipes of diesel and petrol engines, taking into account thermal constraints and flow conditions.
Simulation-based guidelines were developed for designing tube-mounted gas sensors in the exhaust pipes of diesel and petrol engines, taking into account thermal constraints and gas flow conditions. Different block and tube mounting alternatives for SiC-based gas sensors were studied by means of temperature measurements and simulation of steady state heat transfer and gas flow. Design variables included the number of fins in the heat sink mounted on the inlet tube, the inlet construction, the mounting tube orientation, and the micro-heater substrate placement inside the mounting tube. The most preferable tube mounting design was determined with respect to the thermal performance of the sensor structure and with respect to the gas flow parameters, which are important for the sensor's selectivity, sensitivity and response time.
The paper reveals benefits of multi-disciplinary computer simulation and parametric studies in the design of silver plating process for improved coating distribution. A finite element model of direct current silver plating is experimentally validated for an Assaf panel without agitation. The model combines tertiary current distribution with Butler–Volmer electrode kinetics and computational fluid dynamics at a very low flow-rate. The effect of charge transfer coefficients on the throwing power of the process is quantified for the studied geometry, and variation of cathodic current density and exchange current density is investigated. A simpler model based on secondary current distribution is employed to quantify the effect of electrolyte conductivity on the throwing power of the process. A model combining tertiary current distribution and computational fluid dynamics has been developed and experimentally validated for simulation of complex telecom component electroplating in agitated electrolyte. The effect of current density on the process throwing power is quantified. Recommendations regarding modeling methodology and the effect of electrochemical and process parameters on the thickness distribution have been developed.
A mathematical model of an AC/DC/AC power converter with an energy storage device has been developed on the basis of a bridge-element concept, that can be employed in the design phase for power quality and conducted emission analysis ofmicro grids. A prototype of a 5 kW AC/DC/AC power converter is built and a mockup of electric energy trading system is realized. Measurements conducted for three operating modes emulating electric energy transfer and power consumption intrading conditions have revealed a low voltage total harmonic distortion, not exceeding 1.3% for the tested cases.
A mathematical model of a multi-phase power conversion system composed of modified bridge-elements (B-system) capable for parallel computation has been developed. Experimental validation on the example of a power system including a synchronous generator and an AC-DC rectifier has been performed. A mathematical algorithm for B-system assembly and steps to obtain mathematical model of the B-system have been developed. Integration of mathematical models of conversion system into the complete model of a multi-phase power system has been explained and evaluation of computational efficiency of parallel computation techniques for the developed model of an AC-DC-AC converter has been performed. The presented modelling method can be employed in the design phase of smart grids, for power quality and conducted emission analysis.