This study systematically investigates the hot deformation behavior and microstructural evolution of AA3102 aluminum alloy through isothermal uniaxial compression tests conducted at 400–550 °C and strain rates of 0.01–10 s⁻¹. Previous studies on 3xxx-series Al–Mn alloys have mainly considered temperature and strain-rate effects while neglecting strain-dependent material parameter variations, limiting prediction accuracy under large deformation and obscuring dynamic softening mechanisms. Here, the experimental flow stress data were corrected for interfacial friction and adiabatic temperature rise. A sixth-order strain-compensated Arrhenius constitutive model was then developed to describe the coupled effects of temperature, strain rate, and strain. Full-strain-range power dissipation and flow instability maps were constructed using the dynamic material model, while optical microscopy and DEFORM-3D simulations were employed to clarify microstructural evolution and deformation inhomogeneity. The model achieved a correlation coefficient of 0.9841 and an average absolute relative error of 3.67%, demonstrating high predictive accuracy. No flow instability was detected within the investigated range, indicating excellent hot formability. The favorable compression-processing window was identified as 500–550 °C and 0.1–1 s⁻¹, while the peak power-dissipation efficiency increased from 30.55% at $\epsilon = 0.2$ to 32.90% at $\epsilon = 0.8$. Optical-microstructural observations suggest that increasing temperature and decreasing strain rate are associated with an increasing contribution of dynamic recrystallization relative to dynamic recovery. Finite-element results further reveal pronounced spatial variations in strain, temperature, strain rate, and stress during compression. These findings provide baseline constitutive and thermomechanical information for subsequent AA3102 hot-extrusion optimization.

Silicon is a promising anode for solid-state lithium batteries because of its high theoretical capacity, but large lithiation-induced volume changes and unstable electrode/electrolyte contact remain major challenges. Here, a contact-adaptive solid-state silicon (Si) architecture is developed by coupling an electrostatically assembled silicon/reduced graphene oxide (Si@rGO) nanosheet anode with a poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)–lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI)–ethylene carbonate (EC) electrolyte reinforced with 10 wt% Ta-doped Li_6.5La₃Zr_1.5Ta_0.5O₁₂ (LLZTO), hereafter denoted PEC-T. Trace EC promotes Li-salt solvation and PEO plasticization, while LLZTO suppresses polymer crystallization and reinforces ion transport. PEC-T shows a reduced melting temperature from 66.7 to 51.4 °C, improved tensile strength and elongation, an ionic conductivity of 3.0 × 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹ at 30 °C, a Li⁺ transference number of 0.57, and an oxidative stability limit of ~4.5 V. It also supports stable Li plating/stripping for 600 h at 0.1 mA cm⁻². Meanwhile, the rGO framework mitigates irreversible Si thickness evolution and preserves interfacial integrity. Consequently, Si@rGO/PEC-T/Li batteries deliver strong rate capability and maintain 1.8 Ah g⁻¹ after 250 cycles at 1 C, demonstrating a coupled chemo-mechanical strategy for stable solid-state silicon batteries.

Alkali lignin is an abundant renewable biopolymer that can both reinforce natural rubber (NR) and protect it against thermo-oxidative aging, but its strong polarity drives self-aggregation and poor dispersion in the NR matrix. Wet mixing pre-disperses lignin in the aqueous phase before compounding and is widely used to improve the dispersion of lignin relative to dry mixing; however, the initial latex–lignin mixing stage that ultimately controls the dispersion state has received little systematic attention. Here, a Eulerian–Eulerian two-fluid CFD model was established for the alkali lignin (AL)/natural rubber latex (NRL) wet-mixing system, and four impeller configurations (single- and two-stage straight-blade and 45° pitched-blade impellers) were compared at agitation speeds of 400–800 rpm. The simulations show that dispersion homogeneity is associated with the synergistic matching of macroscopic axial circulation, turbulent-fluctuation distribution, and the openness of the circulation structure. The two-stage 45° pitched-blade impeller achieved the best dispersion at all speeds, whereas the two-stage straight-blade impeller dispersed lignin worse than its single-stage counterpart because flow-region compartmentalization hindered axial particle exchange. Dispersion improved monotonically with speed, increasing rapidly from 400 to 600 rpm and showing an apparent plateau between 600 and 800 rpm. Payne effect, microstructural, vulcanization, mechanical, and thermo-oxidative aging characterizations all reproduced the dispersion ranking predicted by the model. These results clarify the role of the initial mixing stage in AL/NRL wet processing and provide a basis for impeller selection and process–parameter optimization.

This work characterizes oil film evolution and predicts the hydrostatic-to-hydrodynamic dominance transition in low-speed heavy-duty journal bearings under starved lubrication induced by insufficient inlet pressure, accounting for the thermo-viscous coupling effect. A thermo-viscous coupling model (TVCM) based on the Vogel equation is established and compared with the conventional constant viscosity model (CVM). Analyses are conducted with VG460, VG680, and VG1000 lubricants at rotational speeds of 10–50 rpm. Results show that the CVM systematically overestimates temperature rise and effective viscosity by neglecting the negative feedback among temperature rise, viscosity attenuation, and reduced heat generation, with deviations increasing with rotational speed and lubricant viscosity. Under insufficient oil supply, load-carrying capacity rises rapidly then stabilizes, reflecting the hydrostatic-to-hydrodynamic dominance transition. In the hydrodynamic-dominated stage, a dominance shift between hydrodynamic enhancement and thermal softening is identified: the peak load point marks the switching of dominant factors, and the corresponding critical speed decreases with rising lubricant viscosity. This transition is accompanied by a failure mode shift from global oil film breakdown to localized high-temperature adhesive wear and fatigue spalling. These findings provide a theoretical basis for formulating emergency speed limits and safe operation strategies for journal bearings under insufficient oil supply.