Intelligent Optimization Design of a Phononic Crystal Air-Coupled Ultrasound Transducer.

To further improve the operational performance of a phononic crystal air-coupled ultrasonic transducer while reducing the number of simulations, an intelligent optimization design strategy is proposed by combining finite element simulation analysis and artificial intelligence (AI) methods. In the proposed strategy, the structural design parameters of 1-3 piezoelectric composites and acoustic impedance gradient matching layer are sampled using the optimal Latin hypercube sampling (OLHS) method. Moreover, the COMSOL software is utilized to calculate the performance parameters of the transducer. Based on the simulation data, a radial basis function neural network (RBFNN) model is trained to establish the relationship between the design parameters and the performance parameters. The accuracy of the approximation model is verified through linear regression plots and statistical methods. Finally, the NSGA-II algorithm is used to determine the design parameters of the transducer. After optimization, the band gap widths of the piezoelectric composites and acoustic impedance gradient matching layer are increased by 16 kHz and 13.5 kHz, respectively. Additionally, the -6 dB bandwidth of the transducer is expanded by 11.5%. The simulation results and experimental results are consistent with the design objectives, which confirms the effectiveness of the design strategy. This work provides a feasible strategy for the design of high-performance air-coupled ultrasonic transducers, which is of great significance for the development of non-destructive testing technology.

A Flexible Optoelectronic Device for Continuous Cerebral Blood Flow Monitoring.

Human cerebral oxygenation and hemodynamics can be estimated by cerebral oxygenation parameters. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) can be used to measure the hemoglobin concentration index of brain tissue noninvasively and in real time. However, limited by cumbersome equipment, high price and uncomfortable wear, conventional fNIRS monitoring systems still cannot achieve continuous and long-term monitoring. In this work, a flexible and wearable long-term monitoring system is developed featured with cost efficiency, simple preparation and light weight (only 1.6 g), which consists of a pair of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and a photodetector (PD). Triangular serpentine interconnectors are introduced to connect the functional elements, enabling the device to be stretched in multiple directions. The device can continuously work for 7 h and be subjected to 2000 cycles of bending loading, with less than 3% change in voltage value, 1.89% and 1.9% change in LED luminous power and 0.9% change in voltage value. Furthermore, the hand-gripping and breath-holding experiments show that the system can accurately measure the changes in hemoglobin concentration in accordance with the commercial device. The flexible fNIRS system presented here not only provides a simple preparation process but also offers new ideas for daily cerebral state monitoring and prolonged clinical monitoring.

Design and optimization of two-degree-of-freedom parallel four pure-slide- and four parallel quadrilateral-pair precision positioning platform.

Aiming at the complex structure, small output displacement, and low positioning accuracy of the two-degree-of-freedom (2-DOF) precision positioning platform, theoretical analyses and experimental tests are carried out so that the platform has the characteristics of compact structure, large output stroke, and high positioning accuracy. First, to optimize the structural parameters of the positioning platform, a modeling method to improve the modeling accuracy of the compliant mechanism of the positioning platform is proposed. A static model of the positioning platform based on Euler-Bernoulli beam theory and the sixth-order compliance matrix method is established, and the accuracy of the model is verified by simulation. In addition, the single-objective genetic optimization algorithm is used to optimize the structural size parameters of the positioning platform, and the optimal solution set of the structural size parameters of the positioning platform is obtained by taking the displacement amplification rate of the positioning platform as the optimization target. Finally, according to theoretical and simulation analysis and optimization results, an experimental prototype was fabricated, and a series of experimental tests were carried out on the working stroke, displacement magnification, and output stiffness. The experimental results show that the displacement magnification of the positioning platform reaches 3.39, the positioning stroke is 89.2 × 85.9 µm2, and the displacement resolutions of the x-axis and y-axis are 35 and 31 nm, respectively. The positioning platform designed in this paper meets the requirements of large output stroke and high positioning accuracy.

The Effect of the Doping Amount on Electroelastic Coupled-Wave Scattering and Dynamic Stress Concentration around Defects in BNT Doped FN Materials.

Sodium bismuth titanate (Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3, BNT) has attracted much attention because of its excellent dielectric, piezoelectric and electromechanical properties. The microstructure of sodium bismuth titanate-doped ferrum niobium material (Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3 doped (Fe0.5Nb0.5)4+, BNT-xFN) shows a triangle as its typical defect shape. Since piezoelectric devices usually operate under dynamic loads, they fail easily owing to dynamic stress concentration or dynamic fracture. Elastic waves can simulate many types of dynamic loads, and the dynamic stress concentration caused by an anti-plane shear wave is the basis for the calculation of the stress field strength factor of type Ⅲ-dynamic fractures. In this study, the electroelastic coupled-wave diffraction and dynamic stress concentration of BNT-xFN materials with triangular defects under the incidence of anti-plane shear waves were studied. Maxwell equations are decoupled by auxiliary functions, and the analytical solutions of the elastic wave field and electric field are obtained. Based on the conformal mapping method, the triangle defect was mapped to the unit circle defect, and the dynamic stress concentration coefficient around the triangle defect was obtained by calculating the undetermined mode coefficients in the expression through boundary conditions. The numerical calculation shows that the size of the triangular hole, the frequency of the applied mechanical load, the incidence angle of mechanical load and the amount of FN doping have a great influence on the stress concentration of BNT-xFN materials.

Design and research on tuning fork piezoelectric actuator based on stick-slip effect.

Aiming at the problems of low output speed, large size, and difficult miniaturization of stacked and sandwich piezoelectric actuators, a patch-type tuning fork piezoelectric actuator model based on the stick-slip effect was designed, in which the dynamic theoretical analysis, the simulation optimization to determine the stator structure parameters, and the experimental research were carried out to obtain the stator structure parameters. The externally applied conditions (the influence model of excitation voltage, excitation frequency, and pre-pressure) on the performance output of piezoelectric actuators will promote the miniaturization and industrialization of tuning fork piezoelectric actuators in the next step. The simulation results show that the integrated output performance of the piezoelectric actuator is best when the angle of the tuning fork is 15°. After optimizing the stator chamfer to 2.5 and 4.5 mm, the tangential amplitude difference of the 15° tuning fork angle actuator is the smallest. The experimental results show that the output speed of the actuator is positively linearly related to the excitation voltage, the maximum output thrust is 8 N when the excitation voltage is 100 V, the excitation frequency is 20.1 kHz, the pre-pressure is 7.5 N, the phase difference of the excitation signal is π/2, and the output speed of the actuator can reach 116 mm/s.

Scattering of Magnetoacoustic Waves and Dynamic Stress Concentration around Double Openings in Piezomagnetic Composites.

Based on the magnetoacoustic coupled dynamics theory, the wave function expansion method is used to solve the problem of acoustic wave scattering and dynamic stress concentration around the two openings in e-type piezomagnetic composites. To deal with the multiple scattering between openings, the local coordinate method is introduced. The general analytical solution to the problem and the expression of the dynamic stress concentration are derived. As an example, the numerical results of the dynamic stress distribution around two openings with equal diameters are given. The effects of the parameters, such as the incident wave number and the spacing between the openings, on the dynamic stress concentration factor are analyzed.

Body Size Plasticity of Weevil Larvae (Curculio davidi) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and Its Stoichiometric Relationship With Different Hosts.

Parasites obtain energy and nutrients from the host, and their body size is also usually limited by host size. However, the regulatory mechanisms that control the plasticity of parasite body sizes and the stoichiometric relationships with their hosts remain unclear. Here we investigated the concentrations of 14 elements (C, H, O, N, P, S, K, Na, Ca, Mg, Al, Fe, Mn, and Zn) in the acorns of three oak species (Quercus spp.), in their endoparasitic weevil (Curculio davidi Fairmaire) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) larvae and in the larval feces, and the weight of weevil larvae within different hosts in a warm-temperate zone of China. Our results showed that the three acorn species exhibited significant differences in C, H, O, P, K, Mg, and Mn concentrations. However, in the weevil larvae, only P, Mn, and C:P ratio revealed significant differences. Weevil larvae preferentially absorbed and retained N, Zn, Na, and P, whereas Mn, K, Ca, and O were passively absorbed and transported. The weevil larvae weight was associated with acorn stoichiometry, and positively correlated with acorn size. Weevil larvae P decreased, but Mn and C:P increased with their weight, implying highly variable in somatic stoichiometry are coupled with the plasticity of body size. Interestingly, weevil larvae weight was negatively correlated with acorn infection rate, indicating small-size parasitic insects might have higher fitness level in parasite-host systems than larger-size ones. Our results suggest that variation in P, Mn, and C:P in parasites may play critical roles in shaping their body size and in improving their fitness.

Elemental stoichiometry and compositions of weevil larvae and two acorn hosts under natural phosphorus variation.

To understand how different trophic organisms in a parasite food chain adapt to the differences in soil nutrient conditions, we investigated stoichiometric variation and homeostasis of multiple elements in two acorn trees, Quercus variabilis and Quercus acutissima, and their parasite weevil larvae (Curculio davidi Fairmaire) at phosphorus (P)-deficient and P-rich sites in subtropical China where P-rich ores are scattered among dominant P-deficient soils. Results showed that elemental stoichiometry and compositions of both acorns and weevil larvae differed significantly between P-deficient and P-rich sites (p < 0.05), with the largest contribution of acorn and weevil larva P in distinguishing the stoichiometric compositions between the two site types. The two acorn species were statistically separated by their acorn elemental stoichiometry and compositions (p < 0.05), but no difference was observed on weevil larvae between the two acorn species. P was one of the few elements that were non strict homeostasis in both acorns and weevil larvae. These findings highlight the importance of both environmental influence in elemental stoichiometry and composition and physiological regulations of nutritional needs in organisms and provide possible stoichiometric responses of both plants and animals to P loading, a worldwide issue from excess release of P into the environment.