Comparison of mechanical and optical properties of a newly marketed universal composite resin with contemporary universal composite resins: An in vitro study

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the surface roughness, microhardness, color change, and translucency of a newly marketed universal nanohybrid composite resin (CR) (G-aenial A'CHORD) comparing with four contemporary universal CRs including two nanofilled (Filtek and Estelite Asteria) and two nanohybrid CRs (Charisma Dimond and Neo Spectra ST HV in vitro). Sixty-five specimens (8.0 mm × 2.0 mm) were fabricated (n = 13, per group). After finishing and polishing, specimens were subjected to surface roughness and microhardness tests. Color and translucency of the specimens were evaluated at baseline and after darkening with coffee solution at day 1 and day 7. A representative specimen from each group was investigated under scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Data was analyzed statistically (p < .05). There were significant differences among the groups in terms of surface roughness, microhardness, color, and translucency. The surface roughness was recorded as: Charisma Diamond > Neo Spectra ST HV, Filtek > Estelite Asteria, G-aenial A'CHORD, whereas Vickers Hardness number was as: Filtek, Charisma Diamond > Neo Spectra ST HV > G-aenial A'CHORD, Estelite Asteria. Color change was as: Charisma Diamond > Neo Spectra ST HV, Filtek, G-aenial A'CHORD > Estelite Asteria and the translucency was as: Neo Spectra ST HV > G-aenial A'CHORD, Filtek > Estelite Asteria, Charisma Diamond. SEM examinations revealed smooth surfaces for G-aenial A'CHORD, Neo Spectra ST HV and Estelite Asteria. Mechanical and optical properties of universal composite resins with different compositions show variations.     

Assessment of surface finish on bulk scattering materials: A comparison between optical laser stylus and mechanical stylus profilometers

The accuracy of autofocusing laser stylus measurement systems based on the compact disk pick-up technique has been discussed in recent years, in particular for surface roughness measurement in the submicron-micron range. In this article we present a thorough comparison between an optical laser stylus measurement system and a Talystep mechanical stylus profilometer. Sixteen surfaces having root mean square roughnesses from 0.002 μm to 3 μm for cut-off lengths <0.8 mm have been used in the study. Both bulk scattering (paper, white ceramic) and surface scattering (metal sheet) types of samples were included. Our study shows that the laser stylus exaggerates the surface profile, in particular on surfaces having laterally small but steep local slopes. For the paper surfaces the laser stylus data were on average off by a factor of two for a cut-off length of 0.68 mm.     

On-machine measurement of a cylindrical surface with sinusoidal micro-structures by an optical slope sensor

This paper describes the measurement of a cylindrical surface with sinusoidal micro-structures over a large area on a diamond turning machine. The sinusoidal micro-structures, which are fabricated on the periphery surface of a cylinder by the fast tool servo-based diamond turning, are superposition of periodic sine-waves along the cylinder axis and the cylinder circumference with amplitudes of 100 nm and wavelengths of 100 μm, respectively. An optical two-dimensional (2D) slope sensor with a multi-spot light beam is developed for measurement of the 2D local slopes of the sinusoidal micro-structured surface. A cylindrical lens is employed in the sensor for removing the influence of the curvature of the cylinder surface. Experiments of fabrication and measurement of the sinusoidal micro-structured surface on an ultra-precision diamond turning machine are carried out.     

Design of an optical probe for testing surface roughness and micro-displacement

This paper presents a practical monitoring tool for measurements of surface roughness and micro-displacement. An optical probe of the methods based on light scattering for measuring surface roughness and optical triangulation for measuring micro-displacement is described. The proposed technique allows evaluation of surface roughness and micro-displacement of specimen by using just one device. The theoretical models of surface roughness and micro-displacement measurements have been established for the probe. The measuring principles applied in the design are described in detail and the validity of the design is demonstrated by experimental evaluations. The experimental results show that, for specimens with surface roughnesses R_a in the range from 0.005μm to 0.1 μm, micro-displacement measurements in the linear range of ± 300μm can be obtained.     

减小SiO2光波导表面粗糙度的ICP干法刻蚀工艺研究

波导表面粗糙度引起的散射损耗是SiO2光波导传输损耗的主要来源,通过降低表面粗糙度可以获得低损耗SiO2光波导。通过优化ICP干法刻蚀工艺的各参数(如温度、压强、气体流量、感应/偏置功率等)获得了低粗糙度的SiO2光波导,并采用SEM和AFM对刻蚀表面粗糙度进行了定量测试。采用优化刻蚀工艺可将表面粗糙度从35.4nm降低到3.6nm,波导传输损耗约为0.1dB/cm。     

Precision surface finish of the mold steel PDS5 using an innovative ball burnishing tool embedded with a load cell

A load-cell-embedded burnishing tool has been newly developed and integrated with a machining center, to improve the surface roughness of the PDS5 plastic injection mold steel. Either the rolling-contact type or the sliding-contact type was possible for the developed ball burnishing tool. The characteristic curves of burnishing force vs. surface roughness for the PDS5 plastic injection mold steel using the developed burnishing tool for both the rolling-contact type and the sliding-contact type, have been investigated and constructed, based on the test results. The optimal plane surface burnishing force for the PDS5 plastic injection mold steel was about 420 N for the rolling-contact type and about 470 N for the sliding-contact type, based on the results of experiments. A force compensation strategy that results in the constant optimal normal force for burnishing an inclined surface or a curved surface, has also been proposed to improve the surface roughness of the test objects in this study. The surface roughness of a fine milled inclined surface of 60 degrees can be improved from R_a 3.0 μm on average to R_a 0.08 μm (R_max 0.79 μm) on average using force compensation, whereas the surface roughness was R_a 0.35 μm (R_max 4.56 μm) on average with no force compensation.     

Precision nano-fabrication and evaluation of a large area sinusoidal grid surface for a surface encoder

This paper describes the fabrication of a large area sinusoidal grid surface, which is used as the measurement reference of a surface encoder for multi-axis position measurement. The profile of the grid surface is a superposition of sinusoidal waves in the X-direction and the Y-direction with spatial wavelengths of 100 μm and amplitudes of 100 nm. Diamond turning with a fast tool servo (FTS) was chosen as the fabrication method. The constructed FTS, which employs a piezoelectric tube actuator (PZT) to actuate the diamond tool and a capacitance probe as the feedback sensor, was confirmed to have a bandwidth of approximately 2.5 kHz and a tool displacement accuracy of several nanometers in the closed-loop mode. Experiments of fabricating the sinusoidal grid surface were performed on a commercially available precision diamond turning machine. An aluminum alloy workpiece was vacuum chucked on the spindle and the FTS was mounted on the X-slide. Efforts were made to position the tool tip to the center of the spindle (center-alignment) since it was verified that the center-alignment is important for the fabrication accuracy of the sinusoidal grid surface. An evaluation technique based on the two-dimensional (2D) discrete Fourier transform (DFT) of interference microscope images was also developed to evaluate the fabricated grid surface effectively. The fabrication result of a grid surface over an area of 150 mm has indicated the effectiveness of the fabrication system.     

Fractal characteristic evaluation and interpolation reconstruction for surface topography of drilled composite hole wall

In this paper, an improved fractal interpolation model is proposed to reconstruct the surface topography of composite hole wall. This model adopts the maximum positive deviations and maximum negative deviations between the measured values and trend values to determine the contraction factors. Hole profiles in 24 directions are measured. Fractal parameters are calculated to evaluate the measured surface profiles. The maximum and minimum fractal dimension of the hole wall are 1.36 and 1.07, whereas the maximum and minimum fractal roughness are 4.05 × 10 ⁻⁵ and 4.36 × 10 ⁻¹⁰ m, respectively. Based on the two-dimensional evaluation results, three-dimensional surface topographies in five typical angles (0°, 45°, 90°, 135°, and 165°) are reconstructed using the improved model. Fractal parameter D _s and statistical parameters Sa, Sq, and Sz are used to evaluate the reconstructed surfaces. Average error of D _s, Sa, Sq, and Sz between the measured surfaces and the reconstructed surfaces are 1.53%, 3.60%, 5.60%, and 9.47%, respectively. Compared with the model in published literature, the proposed model has equal reconstruction effect in relatively smooth surface and is more advanced in relatively rough surface. Comparative results prove that the proposed model for calculating contraction factors is more reasonable.     

Development of an optical inspection platform for surface defect detection in touch panel glass

An optical inspection platform combining parallel image processing with high resolution opto-mechanical module was developed for defect inspection of touch panel glass. Dark field images were acquired using a 12288-pixel line CCD camera with 3.5 µm per pixel resolution and 12 kHz line rate. Key features of the glass surface were analyzed by parallel image processing on combined CPU and GPU platforms. Defect inspection of touch panel glass, which provided 386 megapixel image data per sample, was completed in roughly 5 seconds. High detection rate of surface scratches on the touch panel glass was realized with minimum defects size of about 10 µm after inspection. The implementation of a custom illumination source significantly improved the scattering efficiency on the surface, therefore enhancing the contrast in the acquired images and overall performance of the inspection system.     

Selection of an optimal parametric combination for achieving a better surface finish in dry milling using genetic algorithms

In machining, coolants improve machinability, increase productivity by reducing tool wear and extend tool life. However, due to ecological and human health problems, manufacturing industries are now being forced to implement strategies to reduce the amount of cutting fluids used in their production lines. A trend that has emerged to solve these problems is machining without fluid – a method called dry machining – which has been made possible due to technological innovations. This paper presents an experimental investigation of the influence of tool geometry (radial rake angle and nose radius) and cutting conditions (cutting speed and feed rate) on machining performance in dry milling with four fluted solid TiAlN-coated carbide end mill cutters based on Taguchi’s experimental design method. The mathematical model, in terms of machining parameters, was developed for surface roughness prediction using response surface methodology. The optimization is then carried out with genetic algorithms using the surface roughness model developed and validated in this work. This methodology helps to determine the best possible tool geometry and cutting conditions for dry milling.     

Analysis of shrinkage and warpage in an injection-molded part with a thin shell feature using the response surface methodology

This paper presents a systematic methodology to analyze the shrinkage and warpage in an injection-molded part with a thin shell feature during the injection molding process. The systematic experimental design based on the response surface methodology (RSM) is applied to identify the effects of machining parameters on the performance of shrinkage and warpage. The experiment plan adopts the centered central composite design (CCD). The quadratic model of RSM associated sequential approximation optimization (SAO) method is used to find the optimum value of machining parameters. One real case study in the injection molding process of polycarbonate/acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (PC/ABS) cell phone shell has been performed to verify the proposed optimum procedure. The mold temperature (M _T), packing time (P _t), packing pressure (P _P) and cooling time (C _t) in the packing stage are considered as machining parameters. The results of analysis of variance (ANOVA) and conducting confirmation experiments demonstrate that the quadratic models of the shrinkage and warpage are fairly well fitted with the experimental values. The individual influences of all machining parameters on the shrinkage and warpage have been analyzed and predicted by the obtained mathematical models. For the manufacture of PC/ABS cell phone shell, the values of shrinkage and warpage present the reduction of 37.8 and 53.9%, respectively, using this optimal procedure.     

Effect of surface roughness on the lubrication properties of the piston ring and cylinder of an engine,and calculation of lubrication and power loss analysis of piston-ring pack of a S195 diesel engine

The effect of surface roughness on lubrication of piston ring and cylinder is examined. In particular, the temperature effect is considered, and a model proposed to overcome shortcomings in the previous mathematical model. Further, film thickness was measured by transducer capacitance method in a S195 diesel engine. The results found are consistent with theoretical results. In addition, the authors show quantitatively the value of friction power losses of the ring package of a S195 diesel engine.