Nonlinear elasticity and damping govern ultrafast dynamics in click beetles.

Many small animals use springs and latches to overcome the mechanical power output limitations of their muscles. Click beetles use springs and latches to bend their bodies at the thoracic hinge and then unbend extremely quickly, resulting in a clicking motion. When unconstrained, this quick clicking motion results in a jump. While the jumping motion has been studied in depth, the physical mechanisms enabling fast unbending have not. Here, we first identify and quantify the phases of the clicking motion: latching, loading, and energy release. We detail the motion kinematics and investigate the governing dynamics (forces) of the energy release. We use high-speed synchrotron X-ray imaging to observe and analyze the motion of the hinge's internal structures of four Elater abruptus specimens. We show evidence that soft cuticle in the hinge contributes to the spring mechanism through rapid recoil. Using spectral analysis and nonlinear system identification, we determine the equation of motion and model the beetle as a nonlinear single-degree-of-freedom oscillator. Quadratic damping and snap-through buckling are identified to be the dominant damping and elastic forces, respectively, driving the angular position during the energy release phase. The methods used in this study provide experimental and analytical guidelines for the analysis of extreme motion, starting from motion observation to identifying the forces causing the movement. The tools demonstrated here can be applied to other organisms to enhance our understanding of the energy storage and release strategies small animals use to achieve extreme accelerations repeatedly.

Physiological responses to gravity in an insect.

Gravity is one of the most ubiquitous environmental effects on living systems: Cellular and organismal responses to gravity are of central importance to understanding the physiological function of organisms, especially eukaryotes. Gravity has been demonstrated to have strong effects on the closed cardiovascular systems of terrestrial vertebrates, with rapidly responding neural reflexes ensuring proper blood flow despite changes in posture. Invertebrates possess open circulatory systems, which could provide fewer mechanisms to restrict gravity effects on blood flow, suggesting that these species also experience effects of gravity on blood pressure and distribution. However, whether gravity affects the open circulatory systems of invertebrates is unknown, partly due to technical measurement issues associated with small body size. Here we used X-ray imaging, radio-tracing of hemolymph, and micropressure measurements in the American grasshopper, Schistocerca americana, to assess responses to body orientation. Our results show that during changes in body orientation, gravity causes large changes in blood and air distribution, and that body position affects ventilation rate. Remarkably, we also found that insects show similar heart rate responses to body position as vertebrates, and contrasting with the classic understanding of open circulatory systems, have flexible valving systems between thorax and abdomen that can separate pressures. Gravitational effects on invertebrate cardiovascular and respiratory systems are likely to be widely distributed among invertebrates and to have broad influence on morphological and physiological evolution.

PhaseGAN: a deep-learning phase-retrieval approach for unpaired datasets.

Phase retrieval approaches based on deep learning (DL) provide a framework to obtain phase information from an intensity hologram or diffraction pattern in a robust manner and in real-time. However, current DL architectures applied to the phase problem rely on i) paired datasets, i. e., they are only applicable when a satisfactory solution of the phase problem has been found, and ii) the fact that most of them ignore the physics of the imaging process. Here, we present PhaseGAN, a new DL approach based on Generative Adversarial Networks, which allows the use of unpaired datasets and includes the physics of image formation. The performance of our approach is enhanced by including the image formation physics and a novel Fourier loss function, providing phase reconstructions when conventional phase retrieval algorithms fail, such as ultra-fast experiments. Thus, PhaseGAN offers the opportunity to address the phase problem in real-time when no phase reconstructions but good simulations or data from other experiments are available.

Pressure Drop with Moving Contact Lines and Dynamic Contact Angles in a Hydrophobic Round Minichannel: Visualization via Synchrotron X-ray Imaging and Verification of Experimental Correlations.

In hydrophobic mini- and microchannels, slug flow with moving contact lines is typically generated under various two-phase flow conditions. There is a significant pressure drop in this flow pattern with moving contact lines, which is closely related to the dynamic contact angles. Researchers have investigated dynamic contact angles experimentally for decades, but due to the limitations of visualization techniques, these experiments have typically been conducted in low Weber number regions (We < 10-3). In this study, we clearly visualized the dynamic contact angles of a liquid slug in high Weber number regions (10-3 < We <1) via synchrotron X-ray imaging with high temporal (∼1000 fps) and spatial (∼2 µm/pixel) resolutions. We precisely measured the pressure drop with moving contact lines in a hydrophobic minichannel (inner diameter = 1.018 mm). On the basis of our experimental data, we verified previous correlations for dynamic contact angles and explored the relationship between pressure drop with moving contact lines and dynamic contact angles.

Drop impact on hot plates: contact times, lift-off and the lamella rupture.

When a liquid drop impacts on a heated substrate, it can remain deposited, or violently boil in contact, or lift off with or without ever touching the surface. The latter is known as the Leidenfrost effect. The duration and area of the liquid-substrate contact are highly relevant for the heat transfer, as well as other effects such as corrosion. However, most experimental studies rely on side view imaging to determine contact times, and those are often mixed with the time until the drop lifts off from the substrate. Here, we develop and validate a reliable method of contact time determination using high-speed X-ray imaging and total internal reflection imaging. We exemplarily compare contact and lift-off times on flat silicon and sapphire substrates. We show that drops can rebound even without formation of a complete vapor layer, with a wide range of lift-off times. On sapphire, we find a local minimum of lift-off times that is much shorter than expected from capillary rebound in the comparatively low-temperature regime of transition boiling/thermal atomization. We elucidate the underlying mechanism related to spontaneous rupture of the lamella and receding of the contact area.

Ultrafast X-ray imaging of laser-metal additive manufacturing processes.

The high-speed synchrotron X-ray imaging technique was synchronized with a custom-built laser-melting setup to capture the dynamics of laser powder-bed fusion processes in situ. Various significant phenomena, including vapor-depression and melt-pool dynamics and powder-spatter ejection, were captured with high spatial and temporal resolution. Imaging frame rates of up to 10 MHz were used to capture the rapid changes in these highly dynamic phenomena. At the same time, relatively slow frame rates were employed to capture large-scale changes during the process. This experimental platform will be vital in the further understanding of laser additive manufacturing processes and will be particularly helpful in guiding efforts to reduce or eliminate microstructural defects in additively manufactured parts.

X-ray tomography of extended objects: a comparison of data acquisition approaches.

The penetration power of x rays allows one to image large objects, while their short wavelength allows for high spatial resolution. As a result, with synchrotron sources, one has the potential to obtain tomographic images of centimeter-sized specimens with sub-micrometer pixel sizes. However, limitations on beam and detector size make it difficult to acquire such data of this sort in a single take, necessitating strategies for combining data from multiple regions. One strategy is to acquire a tiled set of local tomograms by rotating the specimen around each of the local tomogram center positions. Another strategy, sinogram oriented acquisition, involves the collection of projections at multiple offset positions from the rotation axis followed by data merging and reconstruction. We have carried out a simulation study to compare these two approaches in terms of radiation dose applied to the specimen, and reconstructed image quality. Local tomography acquisition involves an easier data alignment problem, and immediate viewing of subregions before the entire dataset has been acquired. Sinogram oriented acquisition involves a more difficult data assembly and alignment procedure, and it is more sensitive to accumulative registration error. However, sinogram oriented acquisition is more dose efficient, involves fewer translation motions of the object, and avoids certain artifacts of local tomography.

HiSPoD: a program for high-speed polychromatic X-ray diffraction experiments and data analysis on polycrystalline samples.

A high-speed X-ray diffraction technique was recently developed at the 32-ID-B beamline of the Advanced Photon Source for studying highly dynamic, yet non-repeatable and irreversible, materials processes. In experiments, the microstructure evolution in a single material event is probed by recording a series of diffraction patterns with extremely short exposure time and high frame rate. Owing to the limited flux in a short pulse and the polychromatic nature of the incident X-rays, analysis of the diffraction data is challenging. Here, HiSPoD, a stand-alone Matlab-based software for analyzing the polychromatic X-ray diffraction data from polycrystalline samples, is described. With HiSPoD, researchers are able to perform diffraction peak indexing, extraction of one-dimensional intensity profiles by integrating a two-dimensional diffraction pattern, and, more importantly, quantitative numerical simulations to obtain precise sample structure information.

A dynamic synchrotron X-ray imaging study of effective temperature in a vibrated granular medium.

We present a dynamic synchrotron X-ray imaging study of the effective temperature Teff in a vibrated granular medium. By tracking the directed motion and the fluctuation dynamics of the tracers inside, we obtained Teff of the system using the Einstein relationship. We found that as the system unjams with increasing vibration intensities Γ, the structural relaxation time τ increases substantially which can be fitted by an Arrhenius law using Teff. And the characteristic energy scale of structural relaxation yielded by the Arrhenius fitting is E = 0.20 ± 0.02pd(3), where p is the pressure and d is the background particle diameter, which is consistent with those from hard sphere simulations in which the structural relaxation happens via the opening up of free volume against pressure.

Kelvin-Helmholtz instability as one of the key features for fast and efficient emulsification by hydrodynamic cavitation.

The paper investigates the oil-water emulsification process inside a micro-venturi channel. More specifically, the possible influence of Kelvin-Helmholtz instability on the emulsification process. High-speed visualizations were conducted inside a square venturi constriction with throat dimensions of 450 µm by 450 µm, both under visible light and X-Rays. We show that cavity shedding caused by the instability results in the formation of several cavity vortices. Their rotation causes the deformation of the oil stream into a distinct wave-like shape, combined with fragmentation into larger drops due to cavitation bubble collapse. Later on, the cavity collapse further disperses the larger drops into a finer emulsion. Thus, it turns out that the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability is similarly characteristic for hydrodynamic cavitation emulsification inside a microchannel as is the Rayleigh-Taylor instability for acoustically driven emulsion formation.

Dynamics of oil-water interface at the beginning of the ultrasonic emulsification process.

A lot of effort has been dedicated in recent years towards understanding the basics of cavitation induced emulsification, mainly in the form of single cavitation bubbles. Regarding bulk acoustic emulsification, a lot less research has been done. In our here presented work we utilize advanced high-speed observation techniques in visible light and X-Rays to build upon that knowledge and advance the understanding of bulk emulsion preparation. During research we discovered that emulsion formation has an acute impact on the behavior of the interface and more importantly on its position relative to the horn, hence their interdependence must be carefully studied. We did this by observing bulk emulsification with 2 cameras simultaneously and corroborating these measurements with observation under X-Rays. Since the ultrasonic horns location also influences interface behavior, we shifted its initial position to different locations nearer to and further away from the oil-water interface in both phases. We found that a few millimeters distance between the horn and interface is not enough for fine emulsion formation, but that they must be completely adjacent to each other, with the horn being located inside the oil-water interface. We also observed some previously undiscovered phenomena, such as the splitting of the interface to preserve continuous emulsion formation, climbing of the interface up the horn and circular interface protrusions towards the horn forming vertical emulsion streams. Interestingly, no visible W/O emulsion was ever formed during our experiments, only O/W regardless of initial horn position.

Pore formation driven by particle impact in laser powder-blown directed energy deposition.

Process defects currently limit the use of metal additive manufacturing (AM) components in industries due to shorter fatigue life, potential for catastrophic failure, and lower strength. Conditions under which these defects form, and their mechanisms, are starting to be analyzed to improve reliability and structural integrity of these highly customized parts. We use in situ, high-speed X-ray imaging in conjunction with a high throughput laser, powder-blown directed energy deposition setup to observe powder particle impact behavior within the melt pool. Through fundamental observations of the stochastic, violent powder delivery in powder-blown DED, we uncover a unique pore formation mechanism. We find that a pore can form due to air-cushioning, where vapor from the carrier gas or environment is entrapped between the solid powder particle surface and liquid melt pool surface. A critical time constant is established for the mechanism, and X-ray computed tomography is used to further analyze and categorize the new type of "air-cushioning" pores. It is shown that the air-cushioning mechanism can occur under multiple laser processing conditions, and we show that air-cushioning pores are more likely to be formed when powder particles are larger than 70 µm. By quantifying the effect of powder particle impact, we identify new avenues for development of high-quality laser, powder-blown DED products. Furthermore, we deepen knowledge on defect formation in metal additive manufacturing, which is being increasingly utilized in high performance situations such as aerospace, automotive, and biomedical industries.

Machine learning-aided real-time detection of keyhole pore generation in laser powder bed fusion.

Porosity defects are currently a major factor that hinders the widespread adoption of laser-based metal additive manufacturing technologies. One common porosity occurs when an unstable vapor depression zone (keyhole) forms because of excess laser energy input. With simultaneous high-speed synchrotron x-ray imaging and thermal imaging, coupled with multiphysics simulations, we discovered two types of keyhole oscillation in laser powder bed fusion of Ti-6Al-4V. Amplifying this understanding with machine learning, we developed an approach for detecting the stochastic keyhole porosity generation events with submillisecond temporal resolution and near-perfect prediction rate. The highly accurate data labeling enabled by operando x-ray imaging allowed us to demonstrate a facile and practical way to adopt our approach in commercial systems.

Adaptations for gas exchange enabled the elongation of lepidopteran proboscises.

The extensive biodiversification of butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera) is partly attributed to their unique mouthparts (proboscis [Pr]) that can span in length from less than 1 mm to over 280 mm in Darwin's sphinx moths. Lepidoptera, similar to other insects, are believed to inhale and exhale respiratory gases only through valve-like spiracles on their thorax and abdomen, making gas exchange through the narrow tracheae (Tr) challenging for the elongated Pr. How Lepidoptera overcome distance effects for gas transport to the Pr is an open question that is important to understanding how the Pr elongated over evolutionary time. Here, we show with scanning electron microscopy and X-ray imaging that distance effects on gas exchange are overcome by previously unreported micropores on the Pr surface and by superhydrophobic Tr that prevent water loss and entry. We find that the density of micropores decreases monotonically along the Pr length with the maxima proportional to the Pr length and that micropore diameters produce a Knudsen number at the boundary between the slip and transition flow regimes. By numerical estimation, we further show that the respiratory gas exchange for the Pr predominantly occurs via diffusion through the micropores. These adaptations are key innovations vital to Pr elongation, which likely facilitated lepidopteran biodiversification and the radiation of angiosperms by coevolutionary processes.

How does an air film evolve into a bubble during drop impact?

When a liquid drop impacts a solid surface, air is generally entrapped underneath. Using ultrafast x-ray phase-contrast imaging, we directly visualized the profile of an entrapped air film and its evolution into a bubble during drop impact. We identified a complicated evolution process that consists of three stages: inertial retraction of the air film, contraction of the top air surface into a bubble, and pinch-off of a daughter droplet inside the bubble. Energy transfer during retraction drives the contraction and pinch-off of a daughter droplet. The wettability of the solid surface affects the detachment of the bubble, suggesting a method for bubble elimination in many drop-impact applications.

Boiling Transitions During Droplet Contact on Superheated Nano/Micro-Structured Surfaces.

Manipulating surface topography is one of the most promising strategies for increasing the efficiency of numerous industrial processes involving droplet contact with superheated surfaces. In such scenarios, the droplets may immediately boil upon contact, splash and boil, or could levitate on their own vapor in the Leidenfrost state. In this work, we report the outcomes of water droplets coming in gentle contact with designed nano/microtextured surfaces at a wide range of temperatures as observed using high-speed optical and X-ray imaging. We report a paradoxical increase in the Leidenfrost temperature (TLFP) as the texture spacing is reduced below a critical value (∼10 µm) that represents a minima in TLFP. Although droplets on such textured solids appear to boil upon contact, our studies suggest that their behavior is dominated by hydrodynamic instabilities implying that the increase in TLFP may not necessarily lead to enhanced heat transfer. On such surfaces, the droplets display a new regime characterized by splashing accompanied by a vapor jet penetrating through the droplets before they transition to the Leidenfrost state. We provide a comprehensive map of boiling behavior of droplets over a wide range of texture spacings that may have significant implications toward applications such as electronics cooling, spray cooling, nuclear reactor safety, and containment of fire calamities.

Multiscale interactions of liquid, bubbles and solid phases in ultrasonic fields revealed by multiphysics modelling and ultrafast X-ray imaging.

The volume of fluid (VOF) and continuous surface force (CSF) methods were used to develop a bubble dynamics model for the simulation of bubble oscillation and implosion dynamics under ultrasound. The model was calibrated and validated by the X-ray image data acquired by ultrafast synchrotron X-ray. Coupled bubble interactions with bulk graphite and freely moving particles were also simulated based on the validated model. Simulation and experiments quantified the surface instability developed along the bubble surface under the influence of ultrasound pressure fields. Once the surface instability exceeds a certain amplitude, bubble implosion occurs, creating shock waves and highly deformed, irregular gas-liquid boundaries and smaller bubble fragments. Bubble implosion can produce cyclic impulsive stresses sufficient enough to cause µs fatigue exfoliation of graphite layers. Bubble-particle interaction simulations reveal the underlying mechanisms for efficient particle dispersion or particle wrapping which are all strongly related to the oscillation dynamics of the bubbles and the particle surface properties.

An instrument for in situ characterization of powder spreading dynamics in powder-bed-based additive manufacturing processes.

In powder-bed-based metal additive manufacturing (AM), the visualization and analysis of the powder spreading process are critical for understanding the powder spreading dynamics and mechanisms. Unfortunately, the high spreading speeds, the small size of the powder, and the opacity of the materials present a great challenge for directly observing the powder spreading behavior. Here, we report a compact and flexible powder spreading system for in situ characterization of the dynamics of the powders during the spreading process by high-speed x-ray imaging. The system enables the tracing of individual powder movement within the narrow gap between the recoater and the substrate at variable spreading speeds from 17 to 322 mm/s. The instrument and method reported here provide a powerful tool for studying powder spreading physics in AM processes and for investigating the physics of granular material flow behavior in a confined environment.

Keyhole fluctuation and pore formation mechanisms during laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing.

Keyhole porosity is a key concern in laser powder-bed fusion (LPBF), potentially impacting component fatigue life. However, some keyhole porosity formation mechanisms, e.g., keyhole fluctuation, collapse and bubble growth and shrinkage, remain unclear. Using synchrotron X-ray imaging we reveal keyhole and bubble behaviour, quantifying their formation dynamics. The findings support the hypotheses that: (i) keyhole porosity can initiate not only in unstable, but also in the transition keyhole regimes created by high laser power-velocity conditions, causing fast radial keyhole fluctuations (2.5-10 kHz); (ii) transition regime collapse tends to occur part way up the rear-wall; and (iii) immediately after keyhole collapse, bubbles undergo rapid growth due to pressure equilibration, then shrink due to metal-vapour condensation. Concurrent with condensation, hydrogen diffusion into the bubble slows the shrinkage and stabilises the bubble size. The keyhole fluctuation and bubble evolution mechanisms revealed here may guide the development of control systems for minimising porosity.

High-throughput, in situ imaging of multi-layer powder-blown directed energy deposition with angled nozzle.

Laser metal additive manufacturing has become an increasingly popular technology due to its flexibility in geometry and materials. As one of the commercialized additive processes, powder-blown directed energy deposition (DED) has been used in multiple industries, such as aerospace, automotive, and medical device. However, a lack of fundamental understanding remains for this process, and many opportunities for alloy development and implementation can be identified. A high-throughput, in situ DED system capable of multi-layer builds that can address these issues is presented here. Implications of layer heights and energy density are investigated through an extensive process parameter sweep, showcasing the power of a high-throughput setup while also discussing multi-layer interactions.