Modeling and Optimal Design of Membrane Based Fast-Tool-Servo for Freeform Manufacturing of Micro Optical Lens Array

The Fast-Tool-Servo (FTS) is widely used for micro-structure manufacturing especially for micro optical lens. The working principle of FTS presented by Qiang Liu et.al is that, a voice coil motor and a piezoelectric（PZT） actuator are used as the driving elements, and two flexure hinges are developed as the guide mechanisms. However, vertical displacement jump happens when the flexure hinges are driven by a voice coil motor or a piezoelectric actuator. In this paper, a new amplified structure is presented, allowing the horizontal motion while reducing the vertical displacement jump. The working principle is that, the piezoelectric actuator is applied to a beam which has two flexure hinges, one is linked to the frame, and the other is linked to a tool holder which is situated through two parallel membranes. When the piezoelectric actuator deforms, the beam will rotate around the frame, while the displacement is amplified at the other end, causing the tool holder’s motion and the membranes are forced to bend, while the vertical motion is restrained by the membranes. As a result, the presented membrane based flexure structure is able to amplify the motion of the piezoelectric actuator. In addition, the vibration frequency of the membrane is easy to be adjusted by the preloaded force. It is important to know when the FTS is working at different frequency. The performance of the presented structure is analyzed by structural dynamics coupled with piezoelectric, and the parameters of the structure are optimized to remain linear relation between the tool holder and the piezoelectric actuator, while the vertical displacement jump is much smaller than the structure presented in reference.

The Effect of Imperfect Inner Interface on the Stress Fields of Three-Phase Composite Materials

In this paper, the effect of imperfect inner interface on the stress fields in the coated inclusion composite is investigated, the spring-layer of vanishing thickness model is introduced to simulate the imperfect interface, assuming that across the interface between the inclusion and the coating the interfacial traction is continuous while displacement discontinuities are permitted through interfacial traction-displacement jump relations. Numerical examples corresponding to the composites containing single coated spherical and fibrous inclusion, respectively, under shear loading at infinity, are calculated, which indicate that the imperfect inner interfaces have significant effect on stress fields of the composites.

Indentation strain burst phenomenon induced by grain boundaries in niobium

Using depth-sensing indentation, a pop-in phenomenon induced by grain boundaries, namely, a sudden indenter displacement jump when indented near a grain boundary segment, was observed in polycrystalline niobium. This grain-boundary type of pop-in occurs at a larger force than the initial elasto-plastic pop-in, which is observed with and without a grain boundary nearby. The experimental results show that this pop-in effect has a close relationship with the misorientation across the grain boundary. The occurrence of this pop-in phenomenon is rationalized in terms of slip transmission across the grain boundary.