Laboratoire Bourguignon des Matériaux et Procédés

Boosted by the Middlebury challenge, the precision of dense multi-view stereovision methods has increased drastically in the past few years. Yet, most methods, although they perform well on this benchmark, are still inapplicable to large-scale data sets taken under uncontrolled conditions. In this paper, we propose a multi-view stereo pipeline able to deal at the same time with very large scenes while still producing highly detailed reconstructions within very reasonable time. The keys to these benefits are twofold: (i) a minimum s-t cut based global optimization that transforms a dense point cloud into a visibility consistent mesh, followed by (ii) a mesh-based variational refinement that captures small details, smartly handling photo-consistency, regularization and adaptive resolution. Our method has been tested on numerous large-scale outdoor scenes. The accuracy of our reconstructions is also measured on the recent dense multi-view benchmark proposed by Strecha et al., showing our results to compare more than favorably with the current state-of-the-art.

Johnson-Cook constitutive model is still the most used model in metal cutting simulation, although several drawbacks reported in the literature. A high number of Johnson-Cook model parameters can be found in the literature for the same work material. One question that may arise is “What is the most suitable set of Johnson-Cook model parameters for a given material?”. The present paper puts in evidence some issues related with the selection of these parameters from the literature. In this contribution, two sets of Johnson-Cook model parameters for Ti-6A-4 V are evaluated, using three types of metal cutting models. These models are based on three different formulations: Lagrangian, Arbitrary Eulerian-Lagrangian (ALE) and Couple Lagrangian-Eulerian (CEL). This evaluation is based on the comparison between measured and predicted chip geometry, chip compression ratio, forces, plastic deformation and temperature distributions.

The present investigation focuses on the evaluation of tool wear and surface integrity in the context of CFRP cutting. Series of drilling experiments were performed on CFRP plates using cemented carbide solid drills with the aim to investigate correlations between tool damage, cutting forces, temperature and hole surface quality. In particular, a new methodology has been developed to measure the drilling temperature and to assess the quality of the hole surfaces where occurred uncut fibers. As the surface roughness criterion is not relevant for such work materials, a discussion on the definition of the surface topography is proposed for CFRP work material.

This study assessed sperm quality declining on relation to paternal age and its impact on in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes in order to estimate the APA (Advanced Paternal Age) cutoff. For this, 83 couples undergoing IVF treatment for male factor infertility were enrolled. The women age was ≤39 years, whereas the men were divided in two groups: APA (n = 41; age ≥ 40 years) and young (Y) (n = 42; age < 40 years). Conventional semen parameters (volume, concentration, motility, vitality, and morphology) were analyzed in the collected sperm samples. Furthermore, sperm genome decays (SGD) was assessed by TUNEL assay (DNA fragmentation), aniline blue staining (chromatin decondensation), and fluorescent in situ hybridization (aneuploidy). No significant difference was found concerning the conventional semen parameters between APA and Y groups. Conversely, SGD analysis showed increased DNA fragmentation; chromatin decondensation and sperm aneuploidy rates in the APA group (respectively, 41%, 43%, and 14% vs. 25%, 23%, and 4% in Y group). IVF outcomes also were affected by paternal age as indicated by the rates of cancelled embryo transfers, clinical pregnancy and miscarriage in the two groups APA and Y (29%, 17%, and 60% vs. 10%, 32%, and 42%). Finally, statistical analysis of the results suggests that the age of 40 should be considered as the APA cutoff during ART attempts.

A 100Cr6 (AISI E52100) steel in the hardness range of 180 to 750 HV10 was machined. Quick stop tests were carried out at various hardness values to observe the different chip formation mechanisms. A limit was found between the shearing and cracking chip formation. Experiments on the selected steel at 750 HV10 were carried out at various cutting speeds and feed rates. The “saw tooth chips” obtained were examined geometrically and metallurgically on longitudinal midsections. A relationship has been established between the chip geometry and the cutting conditions. A theoretical study of the chip shape was made, in particular its thickness. The friction stick slip velocities, and the segment apparition frequency were calculated. Each stage of the chip formation could be observed on each micrograph of Q.S.T, especially the crack initiation. A discussion on the apparition of the thin white layers is also proposed. [S1087-1357(00)01502-1]

The thermal conductivity of straw bales is an intensively discussed topic in the international straw bale community. Straw bales are, by nature, highly heterogeneous and porous. They can have a relatively large range of density and the baling process can influence the way the fibres are organised within the bale. In addition, straw bales have a larger thickness than most of the insulating materials that can be found in the building industry. Measurement apparatus is usually not designed for such thicknesses, and most of the thermal conductivity values that can be found in the literature are defined based on samples in which the straw bales are resized. During this operation, the orientation of the fibres and the density may not be preserved. This paper starts with a literature review of straw bale thermal conductivity measurements and presents a measuring campaign performed with a specific Guarded Hot Plate, designed to measure samples up to 50 cm thick. The influence of the density is discussed thoroughly. Representative values are proposed for a large range of straw bales to support straw-bale development in the building industry.

Abstract The data available in the literature concerning wood cutting forces permits to build models or to simulate the main wood machining processes (milling, sawing, peeling, etc.). This approach contributes to a better understanding of formation of wood surfaces and chips and the data may be helpful to optimise cutting geometry, reduce tool wear, improve tool material, and to size tool-machines. The models may also be useful for industrial application in two ways: (1) providing data to optimise the settings for a given operation (batch approach), and (2) building predictive models that could be the basis of an online control system for the machining processes (interactive approach). A prerequisite for this is that numerous machining tests on different wood materials are performed based on experiences with different kind of tools and experimental devices. With a focus on potential industrial applications, the emphasis of this review was on the wood peeling process, which is a very demanding special case of wood cutting. Although not so many industrial machines are equipped with expensive force sensors, there is a lot of high quality information available about cutting forces which may be useful to improve the scientific or technological knowledge in wood machining. Alternative parameters, such as vibration or sound measurements, appear to be promising substitutes in the praxis, particularly to feed online control systems of any wood cutting process.

Implantation failure is a major limiting factor in assisted reproduction improvement. Dysfunction of embryo-maternal immuno-tolerance pathways may be responsible for repeated implantation failures. This fact is supported by immunotropic theory stipulating that maternal immune cells, essentially uterine CD56+ natural killer cells, are determinants of implantation success. In order to test this hypothesis, we applied endometrium immuno-modulation prior to fresh embryo transfer for patients with repeated implantation failures. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated from repeated implantation failure patients undergoing assisted reproductive technology cycles. On the day of ovulation induction, cells were isolated and then cultured for 3 days and transferred into the endometrium cavity prior to fresh embryo transfer. This immunotherapy was performed on 27 patients with repeated implantation failures and compared with another 27 patients who served as controls. Implantation and clinical pregnancy were increased significantly in the peripheral blood mononuclear cell test versus control (21.54, 44.44 vs. 8.62, 14.81%). This finding suggests a clear role for endometrium immuno-modulation and the inflammation process in implantation success. Our study showed the feasibility of intrauterine administration of autologous peripheral blood mononuclear cells as an effective therapy to improve clinical outcomes for patients with repeated implantation failures and who are undergoing in vitro fertilization cycles.

Nanostructured columnar titanium nitride (TiN) thin films were produced by oblique angle deposition using reactive magnetron sputtering. The influence of the angular distribution of the incoming particle flux on the resulting film morphology (column tilt angle, porosity, surface roughness) was studied by varying the inclination angle α of the substrate at two different working pressures, 0.3 and 0.5 Pa. The microstructural features and columns tilt angles βexp determined experimentally were compared to those simulated from two kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) models. With increasing pressure, the TiN columns were found to be less defined but no significant changes in βexp were revealed. Both KMC models satisfactorily reproduced the experimental findings, the agreement being closer at 0.5 Pa. The evolution of β angle is also discussed with respect to the resulting incidence angle θres of the incoming flux, this latter quantity accounting for the local incidence angle of individual particles, which may greatly differ from the geometrical angle α, especially at high working pressure due to the incoming particle – gas collisions. Crossover phenomena between the 0.3 and 0.5 Pa series were revealed from the evolution of the film resistivity, as well as simulated layer density and surface roughness versus α angle.

Efforts on numerical modeling and simulation of metal cutting operations continue to increase due to the growing need for predicting the machining performance. A significant number of numerical methods, especially the Finite Element (FE) and the Mesh-free methods, are being developed and used to simulate the machining operations. However, the effectiveness of the numerical models to predict the machining performance depends on how accurately these models can represent the actual metal cutting process in terms of the input conditions and the quality and accuracy of the input data used in such models. This article presents results from a recently conducted comprehensive benchmark study, which involved the evaluation of various numerical predictive models for metal cutting. This study had a major objective to evaluate the effectiveness of the current numerical predictive models for machining performance. Five representative work materials were carefully selected for this study from a range of most commonly used work materials, along with a wide range of cutting conditions usually found in the published literature. The differences between the predicted results obtained from the various numerical models using different FE and Mesh-free codes are evaluated and compared with those obtained experimentally.

The objective of this study is to simulate tool wear in drilling of nickel-based alloys, in particular Inconel 718. When machining these kind of&#13;\nmaterials, the impact of the thermal and mechanical phenomena generated by tool wear on the surface integrity is of prime concern. For this&#13;\nreason, it important to study the influence of tool wear on tool life, on final part quality and on cutting force and power consumption. Tool wear&#13;\nis caused by several phenomena (adhesion, abrasion, erosion, diffusion, corrosion, fracture etc.) depending on selected cutting parameters (cutting&#13;\nvelocity, feed rate, etc.). In some cases these wear mechanisms can be described by analytical models which are function of physical quantities&#13;\ninvolved in process (temperature, pressure and sliding velocity along the cutting surface).Usually, commercial FEM software allows to implement&#13;\nthese tool wear models but without tool geometry update. To overcoming this limitation, a suitable subroutine considering tool geometry update&#13;\nwas developed and implemented in SFTC DEFORM-3D FEA software to simulate tool wear in drilling of Inconel 718. A good agreement was&#13;\nobtained between the predicted and measured tool wear data.

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The corrosion resistance of magnesium alloys depends mainly on its surface integrity. Previous experimental studies have shown that machining can induces small (nano-scale) grain size, compressive residual stresses and basal plane crystallographic texture, which significantly improve the corrosion resistance of magnesium alloy. These studies have focused on the positive effects of cryogenic cooling and tool edge radius preparation. In this paper, the influence of a wide range of cutting process parameters (including cut-ting speed, feed, tool rake angle, tool edge radius and cooling conditions) acting on the cutting mechanics and surface integrity produced during machining of AZ31B-O magnesium alloy have been studied experimentally and numerically.

This work aims to show the characterisation of Cr–V–N coatings, with the varied amounts of Cr and V. CrN, VN and Cr–V–N coatings were deposited onto silicon and XC100 steel substrates by reactive radio frequency magnetron sputtering and characterised with X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, nanoindentation, pin on disc tribological tests and scratch tests. The residual stress was calculated using the Stoney formula. Compared to the CrN system, the Cr–V–N films presented a rough surface based on pyramidal morphology. A hardness of 19·53 GPa and a friction coefficient of 0·55 were obtained for CrN; in contrast, Cr–V–N coatings presented a weak hardness of 6·23 GPa. In the case of wear against a 100Cr6 ball, the Cr–V–N films were completely removed from the substrate, even though the Cr–V–N coating presented a low friction coefficient (0·39). However, the VN film showed good tribological performance.

Zirconium nitride (ZrN) thin films were deposited by reactive RF magnetron sputtering on Ti-6Al-4V and Si (100) substrates for potential use in biomedical applications. The tribological behaviour was evaluated against bovine bone in dry condition using a pin-on-disc apparatus. Abrasion is the primary wear mechanism observed in ZrN/bone contact. The corrosion properties were determined through two electrochemical techniques: potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The coatings with reduced oxygen content provided: (i) good resistance against corrosion when exposed to physiological solution and (ii) better anti-bioadhesion against Staphylococcus aureus bacteria.

Abstract Laminated veneer lumber (LVL) is a well-known high-performance engineered wood product suitable for structural applications. However, the peeling process can induce lathe checks of the veneer with various depth and spatial frequencies. In this study, a finite element model (FEM) is proposed to describe and to analyze the influence of veneer lathe checks on the elastic properties of LVL. Firstly, the typical lathe check depths and frequencies were determined by means of different compression rates of the pressure bar when peeling. These experimental results served as input to the model to compare the influence of check depth and frequency on the elastic behavior of an LVL beam in four-point bending. The checks were modeled as free spaces in the cross-section that can be partially filled with glue. The results show that the longitudinal modulus of elasticity is marginally affected by checking, while the shear rigidity of the LVL beam is significantly reduced in edgewise bending if checks are not glued. Gluing checks, even under consideration of a low Young’s modulus of glue, highly reduces the effect of checking on the elastic mechanical properties of LVL.

The quality of peeled veneers is generally quoted considering 3 main criteria: surface roughness, thickness variations and lathe checking. This last criterion impacts on mechanical properties of byproducts. It is well known that lathe checking occurrence can be reduced applying a good hygrothermal treatment of the round-wood before peeling coupled with optimised setting of pressure bar on the peeling lathe. It is also well known that thicker the veneer is and more difficult it is to reduce lathe checking and the other veneer defects.The tendency being to manufacture more eco-friendly engineering wood products using less glue, it is of interest to design such products with thicker layers and so less glue lines. But using ticker veneers should lead to a deterioration of final products mechanical properties.To quantify this effect, we have made 20-21mm thick LVL (Laminated Veneer Lumber) boards of beech (Fagus sylvatica) with various compositions (veneers 1, 3 or 5 mm thick). In order to obtained veneers enclosing different grades, several bolts of a same tree have been peeled following 4 different modalities changing wood conditioning temperature (20 / 70°C) and pressure bar settings (bar acting or not).The quality of all the veneers has been quantified before gluing. In total, 12 sets of boards have been produced for non destructive and destructive mechanical tests.The main results of these exploratory experiments are:- a quite low weakening of LVL mechanical properties when increasing veneer thickness.- the non destructive prediction of MOE by vibration seems not so good on LVL with thick veneers, especially in the case of edgewise loading, probably because of the presence of important lathe checks.- in some configuration, and especially when using thick veneers, it could be benefit to load LVL flatwise rather than edgewise.- for the measurement of shear strength on LVL, the 5-point bending test increases its efficiency when increasing veneer thickness.To properly order in a hierarchy the different veneer criteria impacting on LVL mechanical properties, new tests should be repeated on different LVL boards homogeneous for given criteria of veneer quality.

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In the case of hard machining of steels, negative rake tools generate compressive deformation and high temperature under the cutting edge, leading to phase transformation or “white layers”. The resulting surface integrity can be predicted by numerical simulations which may be validated by comparing simulated and measured strain fields. Recent high speed imaging devices have facilitated strain field measurement by Digital Image Correlation (DIC), even at high strain rates. However, the analyse is generally restricted to the primary shear zone and not to the workpiece under the machined surface. For this study, a double-frame camera and a pulsed Nd:YAG laser, generally used in the field of fluid mechanics, have been employed to record images during an orthogonal cutting operation of a hardened steel. The effect of the rake angle and the edge preparation of c-BN tools on the subsurface displacement field, which has been experimentally investigated by using DIC, are presented in this paper together with an analysis on the origins of the strains. The results of these measurements will be used to validate cutting numerical simulations or to improve hybrid modelling of surface integrity.

The development of in vitro fertilization (IVF) techniques for infertility management has led to the investigation of the proteome of follicular fluid and oocyte. In addition, different markers contributing to oocyte maturation and embryo development potential have been reported in the literature. Different techniques were utilized to analyze whole proteome or single protein markers in follicular fluid and oocytes, particularly in animal models. Data from several studies have generated large amounts of information, however, an ideal profile to predict the best oocytes and embryos suitable for implantation are still to be uncovered. The identification of such profiles and markers from follicular fluid, oocytes and endometrium should help scientists and clinicians develop better strategies to improving clinical outcome of IVF cycles.