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Carbon fiber-reinforced composites are widely used in the aerospace industry due to their exceptional mechanical properties. However, the dome region of composite pressure vessels is prone to stress concentrations under internal pressure, often resulting in premature failure and reduced burst strength. This study developed a finite element model of a reinforced dome structure, which showed excellent agreement with hydrostatic test results, with less than 5.9% deviation in strain measurements. To optimize key reinforcement parameters, a high-accuracy surrogate model based on a backpropagation neural network was integrated with a multi-objective genetic algorithm. The results indicate that compared to the unreinforced dome, the optimized structure reduced the maximum fiber-aligned stress in the dome region by 6.8%; moreover, it achieved a 9.3% reduction in overall mass compared to the unoptimized reinforced configuration. These findings contribute to the structural optimization of composite pressure vessel domes.

Shape sensing as a crucial component of structural health monitoring plays a vital role in real-time actuation and control of smart structures, and monitoring of structural integrity. As a model-based method, the inverse finite element method (iFEM) has been proved to be a valuable shape sensing tool that is suitable for complex structures. In this paper, we propose a novel approach for the shape sensing of thin shell structures with iFEM. Considering the structural form and stress characteristics of thin-walled structure, the error function consists of membrane and bending section strains only which is consistent with the Kirchhoff–Love shell theory. For numerical implementation, a new four-node quadrilateral inverse-shell element, iDKQ4, is developed by utilizing the kinematics of the classical shell theory. This new element includes hierarchical drilling rotation degrees-of-freedom (DOF) which enhance applicability to complex structures. Firstly, the reconstruction performance is examined numerically using a cantilever plate model. Following the validation cases, the applicability of the iDKQ4 element to more complex structures is demonstrated by the analysis of a thin wallpanel. Finally, the deformation of a typical aerospace thin-wall structure (the composite tank) is reconstructed with sparse strain data with the help of iDKQ4 element.

This work seeks to define original ways of creating architectonic forms using kinesiology studies. A series of methodologies are devised to record subjects in motion, with analogue and digital modelling techniques rigorously used independently and in combination to transpose these into sculptural figures with differing levels of formal fidelity and dimensional precision. Surface structures, and in particular thin shells, are found to have great potential for moving from abstract figures to structural forms. Such structures are traditionally problematic in terms of ‘constructional energy’, which has limited their usefulness and application. In response, the ‘hanging cloth reversed’ modelling technique devised by Heinz Isler is investigated to capitalise on the ambiguity between large-scale models and small structures. A construction method is devised that accords with the principles of structural art which, significantly, suggests that (small-span) shell structures could be liberated from the strictures of formwork to create economic, efficient and elegant minimal structures.

Green indium phosphide (InP)-based quantum dot light-emitting diodes (QD-LEDs) still suffer from low efficiency and short operational lifetime, posing a critical challenge to fully cadmium-free QD-LED displays and lighting 1 – 3 . Unfortunately, the factors that underlie these limitations remain unclear and, therefore, no clear device-engineering guidelines are available. Here, by using electrically excited transient absorption spectroscopy, we find that the low efficiency of state-of-the-art green cadmium-free QD-LEDs (which ubiquitously adopt the InP–ZnSeS–ZnS core–shell–shell structure) originates from the ZnSeS interlayer because it imposes a high injection barrier that limits the electron concentration and trap saturation. We demonstrate, both experimentally and theoretically, that replacing the currently widely used ZnSeS interlayer with a thickened ZnSe interlayer enables improved electron injection and depressed leakage simultaneously, allowing to achieve a peak external quantum efficiency of 26.68% and T 95 lifetime (time for the luminance to drop to 95% of the initial value) of 1,241 h at an initial brightness of 1,000 cd m –2 in green InP-based QD-LEDs emitting at 543 nm—exceeding the previous best values by a factor of 1.6 and 165, respectively 3 , 4 . Replacing ZnSeS with a thickened ZnSe layer in green InP-based QD-LEDs improves the efficiency and lifetime, boosting electron injection and reducing leakage, enabling 26.68% external quantum efficiency and 1,241 h T 95 lifetime.

A conical shell is one of the typical structural forms of underwater navigation. This paper explores the free vibration properties of finite-length cones, analyses the modular frequency and modular vibration type properties in vacuum and underwater cones, and conducts a comparative analysis. The numerical calculations show: The use of hydrogen in conjunction with the hydrophobic structure of the cone will lead to a significant decrease in the modular frequency of the shell, with a maximum decrease of 40% for the first 10 modules of this model; Modal vibration patterns are similar in air and underwater, but the order of the modal vibrations may vary, indicating that the frequency reduction of different modal frequencies caused by the water medium is different. The conclusions of this article can be used as a reference for the design, optimization, and application of conical shells in engineering.

To industrialize printed full-color displays based on quantum-dot light-emitting diodes, one must explore the degradation mechanism and improve the operational stability of blue electroluminescence. Here, we report that although state-of-the-art blue quantum dots, with monotonically-graded core/shell/shell structures, feature near-unity photoluminescence quantum efficiency and efficient charge injection, the significant surface-bulk coupling at the quantum-dot level, revealed by the abnormal dipolar excited state, magnifies the impact of surface localized charges and limits operational lifetimes. Inspired by this, we propose blue quantum dots with a large core and an intermediate shell featuring nonmonotonically-graded energy levels. This strategy significantly reduces surface-bulk coupling and tunes emission wavelength without compromising charge injection. Using these quantum dots, we fabricate bottom-emitting devices with emission colors varying from near-Rec.2020-standard blue to sky blue. At an initial luminance of 1000 cd m −2 , these devices exhibit T 95 operational lifetimes ranging from 75 to 227 h, significantly surpassing the existing records. The surface localized charges in colloidal quantum dots induce a degradation that limits the electroluminescence performance. Here, Chen et al. propose quantum dots with monmonotonically-graded core/shell/shell structures to boost the device’s performance by reducing the surface-bulk coupling.

Thin-walled shell structures are widely used in aeronautical and aerospace engineering. This paper develops an effective B-spline parameterization method for stiffener layout optimization of shell structures. Height variables are defined by B-spline control parameters to characterize the stiffener layout reinforcing the shell structure. A continuous height field is subsequently generated via B-spline and basis functions. In view of possible curvatures of shell structures, the height field is projected from parametric space onto the shell structure by means of the parametric mapping. In this work, the finite element method is adopted with the solid-shell coupling method used for structural analysis. Pseudo-densities associated with solid elements are determined based on the B-spline parameterization and Heaviside function. Several numerical examples are dealt with to demonstrate the proposed method. Compared with the standard density-based method, the proposed method produces checkerboard-free design results with a clear layout and naturally avoids overhang stiffeners.

Photon upconversion in lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles offers a wide variety of applications including deep-tissue biophotonics. However, the upconversion luminescence and efficiency, especially involving multiple photons, is still limited by the concentration quenching effect. Here, we demonstrate a multilayered core-shell-shell structure for lanthanide doped NaYF 4 , where Er 3+ activators and Yb 3+ sensitizers are spatially separated, which can enhance the multiphoton emission from Er 3+ by 100-fold compared with the multiphoton emission from canonical core-shell nanocrystals. This difference is due to the excitation energy transfer at the interface between activator core and sensitizer shell being unexpectedly efficient, as revealed by the structural and temperature dependence of the multiphoton upconversion luminescence. Therefore, the concentration quenching is suppressed via alleviation of cross-relaxation between the activator and the sensitizer, resulting in a high quantum yield of up to 6.34% for this layered structure. These findings will enable versatile design of multiphoton upconverting nanoparticles overcoming the conventional limitation. Photon upconversion in nanoparticles is often limited by concentration quenching. The authors present a multi-layered particle approach that enables increased upconversion efficiency by reducing cross-relaxation, through spatial separation of activator and sensitizer.

An important performance index of explosive is the driving ability of fragment. A new fragment driving test device is proposed in this paper. Taking spherical tungsten fragment as the driving object, the influence of thin shell and thick shell structure on the driving ability of the test device was analyzed combined with TNT and WY-1 explosives. The test results show that the designed fragment driving test device can effectively distinguish the driving ability of different explosives to fragments. And the simulation results are in good agreement with the experimental results. The deviation of fragment driving velocity obtained by the test device is 5 % ~ 8 % compared with that calculated by Gurney model.

With the development of nanotechnology, nano-functional units of different dimensions, morphologies, and sizes exhibit the potential for efficient microwave absorption (MA) performance. However, the multi-unit coupling enhancement mechanism triggered by the alignment and orientation of nano-functional units has been neglected, hindering the further development of microwave absorbing materials (MAMs). In this paper, two typical ZIF-derived nanomaterials are self-assembled into two-dimensional ordered polyhedral superstructures by the simple ice template method. The nano-functional units exhibit distinctive dielectric-sensitive behaviors after self-assembling into two-dimensional ordered arrays. The modified 2D ordered polyhedral superstructures not only inherit the atomic-level doping and well-designed shell structure, but also further amplify the loss properties to realize the multi-scale modulated MA response. Satisfactory MA performance in C, X and Ku bands is finally achieved. In particular, the ultra-broadband microwave absorption bandwidth (EAB) of 6.41 GHz is realized at 1.82 mm thickness. Our work demonstrates the two-dimensional ordered array-induced multiscale polarization behavior, providing a direction to fully utilize the potential of wave-absorbing functional units. This work delves into the effects of orientation of ordered nano-units in 2D arrays on electromagnetic shielding. Polyhedral superstructures allow for good performance in the C, X, and Ku bands, with a bandwidth of 6.41 GHz at 1.82 mm thickness.