Cu/Al composites have the advantage of both copper and aluminum, i.e., the high electrical conductivity, high thermal conductivity, and low contact resistance of copper; the lightweight and corrosion resistant of aluminum. Roll welding is one common method to produce Cu/Al composite plates. The effects of rolling reduction ratio and annealing temperature on combined strength are analyzed by experiments. The results demonstrate that the combined strength increases with the increase of rolling reduction ratio, and at around 300°C the combined strength achieves the maximum value. The reason is then analyzed respectively. The results are helpful for understanding the Cu/Al combing mechanism, and are useful for improving the producing process of Cu/Al composite plates.

As a kind of functional material, gelatin gel is widely used in controlled drug release, biological tissue engineering, photographic and food industries. Plenty of studies on the gelatin gel have been carried out by researchers, which include gelation mechanisms, gelation kinetics, analysis on the crosslinked structure and macroscopic performance during the gelation process. Numerical simulation is a new method used in the study of gelatin sol-gel transition process, which can make up for the deficiency of the experimental research. E.g., the dynamic gelation process makes it difficult to measure the structural and performance parameters in time and space scales in experiments. However, these problems have been solved by numerical simulation method in our previous work. The experimental, theoretical and numerical simulation research on sol-gel transition of gelatin is reviewed, and the progress and difficulties in this field are discussed.

Gelatinization is the main transformation of the starch dough undergoing cooking. This process is very important both for the texture and the nutritional properties of the final product. Starch gelatinization process has been studied by many workers, which includes the mechanism, kinetics, and influencing factors. The kinetic models have been used by works to predict the cooking process of starch. Finite element method (FEM) is commonly used in the simulation of starch gelatinization process. The simulation results can predict the cooking process of starch, and are helpful for optimizing the cooking conditions of starch dough. The theoretical and numerical simulation research on gelatinization of starch is reviewed, and the progress and difficulties in this field are discussed.

Ultrafine-grained materials have excellent mechanical properties, which include the high strength and toughness. Equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) is one kind of severe plastic deformation method to make ultrafine-grained metals. The ECAP processes are simulated by finite element method (FEM) in this work. The effects of inner corner angle on strain distribution during the deformation process are numerically analyzed. The evolutions of effective strain on three points of different deformation are compared. The results show that the deformation becomes severe on each point when the inner corner angle is less than 90o, which is different from the situation when the inner corner angle is equal to or greater than 90o. The results are useful for improving the ECAP process to make the structure of metals homogenous.

Thermal compression tests of AZ61 magnesium alloy were performed at deformation temperature 25-400°C with strain rates ranged from 0.02 to 20 s-1, and the microstructure was studied. The conventional dynamic recrystallization (DRX) and shear zones were observed on grain boundaries at temperatures above 200°C. The shear zone and the temperature rise are considered to be responsible for the fracture of specimens. For the large internal stress concentration in the shear zones and the deformation incompatibility between matrix and shear zones, the fracture grew along with the shear zones and the failure occurred in the large deformation field of the matrix at the high strain rate 20 s-1 even at 400°C.