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This study aims to develop an interface management risk interaction modeling and analysis methodology applicable to complex systems in high-speed rail construction projects, reveal the interaction mechanism of interface management risk and provide theoretical support for project managers to develop appropriate interface management risk response strategies.

This paper introduces the association rule mining technique to improve the complex network modeling method. Taking China as an example, based on the stakeholder perspective, the risk factors and significant accident types of interface management of high-speed rail construction projects are systematically identified, and a database is established. Then, the Apriori algorithm is used to mine and analyze the strong association rules among the factors in the database, construct the complex network, and analyze its topological characteristics to reveal the interaction mechanism of the interface management risk of high-speed rail construction projects.

The results show that the network is both scale-free and small-world, implying that construction accidents are not random events but rather the result of strong interactions between numerous interface management risks. Contractors, technical interfaces, mechanical equipment, and environmental factors are the primary direct causal factors of accidents, while owners and designers are essential indirect causal factors. The global importance of stakeholders such as owners, designers, and supervisors rises significantly after considering the indirect correlations between factors. This theoretically explains the need to consider the interactions between interface management risks.

The interaction mechanism between interface management risks is unclear, which is an essential factor influencing the decision of risk response measures. This study proposes a new methodology for analyzing interface management risk response strategies that incorporate quantitative analysis methods and considers the interaction of interface management risks.

Polyurethane concrete (PUC), as a new type of steel bridge deck paving material, the bond-slip pattern at the interface with the steel plate is not yet clear. In this study, the mechanical properties of the PUC and steel plate interface under the coupled action of temperature, normal force and tangential force were explored through shear tests and numerical simulations. An analytical model for bond-slip at the PUC/steel plate interface and a predictive model for the shear strength of the PUC/steel plate interface were developed.

The new shear test device designed in this paper overcomes the defect that the traditional oblique shear test cannot test the interface shear performance under the condition of fixed normal force. The universal testing machine (UTM) test machine was used to adjust the test temperature conditions. Combined with the results of the bond-slip test, the finite element simulation of the interface is completed by using the COHENSIVE unit to analyze the local stress distribution characteristics of the interface. The use of variance-based uncertainty analysis guaranteed the validity of the simulation.

The shear strength (τ_f) at the PUC-plate interface was negatively correlated with temperature while it was positively correlated with normal stress. The effect of temperature on the shear properties was more significant than that of normal stress. The slip corresponding to the maximum shear (D₁) positively correlates with both temperature and normal stress. The interfacial shear ductility improves with increasing temperature.

Based on the PUC bond-slip measured curves, the relationship between bond stress and slip at different stages was analyzed, and the bond-slip analytical model at different stages was established; the model was defined by key parameters such as elastic ultimate shear stress τ₀, peak stress τ_f and interface fracture energy G_f.

In recent years, using aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy, the authors have achieved precisely detecting the structural evolution of passive film as well as its interface zone at atomic scale. The purpose of this paper aims to make a brief review to show the authors’ new understanding and perspective on the issue of critical factors determining stability of passive film of Fe-Cr alloy.

The introduction of single crystal enabled the authors to obtain a distinct metal/passive film interface and better characterize the structure of the interface region. The authors use aberration-corrected TEM to conduct cross-sectional observation and directly capture the details across the entire film at a high spatial and energy resolution.

Apart from the passive film itself, the interface zone, including metal/film (Me/F) interface and the adjacent metal side, is also the site which is attacked. Accordingly, the nature of the interface zone, such as microstructure, composition and atomic configuration, is one of the critical factors determining the stability of passive film.

Deciphering the critical factors determining the stability of passive film is of great significance and has been a fundamental issue in corrosion science. Great attention has been paid to the nature of the passive film itself. In contrast, the possible role of the interface between the passive film and the metal is rarely taken into account. Based on the advanced analytical tool with high spatial resolution, the authors have specified the significant role of interface structures on the macro-scale stability of passive film.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the deposition of SS–Al transitional wall using the wire arc directed energy deposition (WA-DED) process with a Cu interlayer. This study also aims to analyse the metallographic properties of the SS–Cu and Al–Cu interfaces and their mechanical properties.

The study used transitional deposition of SS–Al material over each other by incorporating Cu as interlayer between the two. The scanning electron microscope analysis, energy dispersive X-ray analysis, X-ray diffractometer analysis, tensile testing and micro-hardness measurement were performed to investigate the interface characteristics and mechanical properties of the SS–Al transitional wall.

The study discovered that the WA-DED process with a Cu interlayer worked well for the deposition of SS–Al transitional walls. The formation of solid solutions of Fe–Cu and Fe–Si was observed at the SS–Cu interface rather than intermetallic compounds (IMCs), according to the metallographic analysis. On the other hand, three different IMCs were formed at the Al–Cu interface, namely, Al–Cu, Al₂Cu and Al₄Cu₉. The study also observed the formation of a lamellar structure of Al and Al₂Cu at the hypereutectic phase. The mechanical testing revealed that the Al–Cu interface failed without significant deformation, i.e. < 4.73%, indicating the brittleness of the interface.

The study identified the formation of HCP–Fe at the SS–Cu interface, which has not been previously reported in additive manufacturing literature. Furthermore, the study observed the formation of a lamellar structure of Al and Al2Cu phase at the hypereutectic phase, which has not been previously reported in SS–Al transitional wall deposition.

This paper aims to fulfil a need to identify assembly interfaces from existing products based on their Assembly Process Planning (APP). It proposes a tool to identify assembly interfaces responsible for reused components integration. It is integrated into a design for mixed model final assembly line approach by focusing on the identification of assembly interfaces as a generic tool. It aims to answer the problem of interfaces’ identification from the APP.

A tool is developed to identify assembly interfaces responsible for reused component integration. It is based on the use of a rule-based algorithm that analyses an APP and then submits the results to prohibition lists to check their relevance. The tool is then tested using a case study. Finally, the resulting list is subjected to a visual validation step to validate whether the identified interface is a real interface.

The results of this study are a tool named ICARRE which identify assembly interfaces using three steps. The tool has been validated by a case study from the helicopter industry.

As some interfaces are not contained in the same assembly operations and therefore, may not have been identified by the rule-based algorithm. More research should be done by testing and improving the algorithm with other case studies.

The paper includes implications for new product development teams to address the difficulties of integrating reused components into different products.

This paper presents a tool for identifying interfaces when sources of knowledge do not allow the use of current methods.

Due to its inexpensive production costs, low stress concentration and maintenance-friendliness, the adhesive bonded pipe joint is frequently utilized for pipe connection. However, further theoretical analysis is needed to understand the debonding failure mechanism of such bonded pipe joints under axial tension.

In this study, based on the bi-linear cohesive zone model, the integrated closed-form solutions were derived by considering the axial stiffness ratio and failure stage to determine the relative interfacial slip, interfacial shear stress and relationship of tension–displacement in the bonded pipe joint.

Additionally, solutions for the critical bonded length and the ultimate load capacity were put forth. Besides, the numerical study was conducted to verify the theoretical solutions regarding the load–displacement relationship. The interfacial shear stress distribution at different failure stages was presented to understand the interfacial shear stress transmission and debonding process. The effect of bonded length on the ultimate load and ductility of pipe joints was also discussed.

The findings in this study can give a reference for the design of bonded pipe joints in their actual engineering applications.

Currently on additive manufacturing, extensive research is directed toward mitigating the main challenges associated with multi-material in fused filament fabrication which has a weak bonding strength between dissimilar materials. Low interfacial bonding strength leads to defects, anisotropy and temperature gradient in materials which negatively impact the mechanical performance of the multi-material prints. The purpose of this study was to assess the performance of different interface geometry designs in terms of the mechanical properties of the specimens.

Tensile test specimens were printed using: mono-material without a boundary interface, mono-material with the interface geometries (Face-to-face; U-shape; T-shape; Dovetail; Encapsulation; Mechanical interlocking; and Overlap) and multi-material with the interface geometries. The materials chosen with high and low compatibility were Tough polylactic acid (PLA) and TPU.

The main results of this study indicate that the interface geometries with the mechanical constriction between materials provide better structural integrity to the specimens. Moreover, in the case of the mono-material parts, the most effective interface design was the mechanical interlocking for both Tough PLA and TPU. On the other hand, in the case of multi-material specimens, the encapsulation showed the highest ultimate tensile strength, whereas the overlap and T-shape presented more robust bonding.

This study examines the mechanical performance, particularly tensile strength, strain at break, Young’s modulus and yield strength of different interface designs which were not studied in the previous studies.

The purpose of this paper is to characterize the interfaces between manufacturing companies and the Internet of Things (IoT) suppliers involved in their digital servitization.

This paper builds on an explorative case study of a manufacturing firm and its IoT suppliers. This paper relies on the Industrial Network Approach to study interfaces between buying firms and their suppliers.

This paper identifies three distinct types of supplier interfaces: connected, digital and digital-physical. They all contain technical resource interfaces with additional organizational and/or technical complexities that need to be managed. Connectivity, an Agile approach to software development and strong technical dependence emerged as key factors that impact the interactions between manufacturing firms and IoT suppliers and how their resources are combined.

This paper offers managerial implications regarding the importance of internal organization (such as appropriate cross-functional teams) to manage the dynamics of collaborations required by digital technologies, maintain interactions with IoT suppliers and identify and manage interdependences between IoT suppliers. Building close relationships with suppliers of crucial infrastructure (e.g. IoT cloud platform and data security systems) can also be beneficial for manufacturing firms to reduce risks. Finally, attention should be given to IoT technology strategy, which impacts both digital and digital-physical supplier interfaces.

In digital servitization, manufacturing firms are heavily reliant on external resources for IoT technology. Despite this, few studies have investigated the characteristics of their interfaces with IoT suppliers, how these can be managed and how resources are combined.

Drawing upon the consistency literature, the theory of visual rhetoric and social judgment of warmth and competence, this study examines the determinants and impacts of perceived interface design consistency in the context of charity websites.

To identify design factors of perceived interface design consistency, this study separates charity website interface design into two aspects: main appeal design (i.e. appeal quality) and peripheral design (i.e. image type). The authors designed a two (appeal quality: low vs high) × three (image type: control vs adults vs children) controlled lab experiment to investigate the effects of various interface choices. A total of 217 subjects participated in the experiment. The authors used structural equation model (SEM) analysis and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to test the research hypotheses.

This study found that appeal quality and human images increase perceived interface design consistency. The authors also found that the relationship between appeal quality and perceived interface design consistency is moderated by image type. Finally, the authors showed that perceived interface design consistency increases perceived warmth and competence of charity websites, which in turn affect intention to use the website for donations.

The authors’ findings provide novel insights for theory on consistency and interface design and practical implications for charity website designers by identifying determinants and consequences of perceived interface design consistency.

Solder bumps for chip interconnections are downsizing from current approximately 100 µm to the expected 1 µm in future. As a result, the Cu-Ni cross-interaction in Cu/Solder/Ni solder joints will be more complicated and then strongly influence the growth of the intermetallic compounds (IMCs). Thus, it is critical to understand the fundamental aspects of interfacial reaction in micro solder joints. This paper aims to reveal the effect mechanism of reflow temperature and solder size on the interfacial reaction in Cu/Solder/Ni solder joints.

The Cu-Ni cross-interaction in the Cu/Sn/Ni micro solder joints with 50 and 100 µm solder sizes at 250°C and 300°C were observed, respectively. The line-type interconnects were soaked in silicone oil, and the temperature of the line-type interconnects was 250 ± 3°C and 300 ± 3°C, which were monitored by a fine K-type thermocouple, and followed by an isothermal aging process at various times. After aging, the specimens were removed from the silicone oil and cooled in the air to room temperature.

The major interfacial reaction product on both interfaces was (Cu,Ni)₆Sn₅, and the asymmetric growth of (Cu,Ni)₆Sn₅, evidenced by the thickness of (Cu,Ni)₆Sn₅ IMCs at the Sn/Ni interface was always larger than that at the Sn/Cu interface, resulted from the directional migration of Cu atoms toward the Sn/Ni interface under Cu concentration gradient. The morphology of (Cu,Ni)₆Sn₅ IMC at Sn/Cu interface was columnlike at 250°C, and which changed from columnlike to scallop with large aspect ratio at 300°C, while that at Sn/Ni interface gradually evolved from needlelike to the mixture of needlelike and layered at 250°C, and which evolved from needlelike to scallop with large aspect ratio at 300°C. The evolution of morphology of (Cu,Ni)₆Sn₅ is attributed to the content of Ni. Furthermore, the results indicate that the Cu-Ni cross-interaction was stronger with small solder size and relatively low temperature in the Cu/Sn/Ni micro solder joints.

The asymmetric growth of (Cu,Ni)₆Sn₅ in the Cu/Sn/Ni micro solder joints, evidenced by the thickness of (Cu,Ni)₆Sn₅ IMCs at the Sn/Ni interface, was always larger than that at the Sn/Cu interface. The morphology evolution of (Cu,Ni)₆Sn₅ IMC at both interfaces was attributed to the content of Ni. The Cu-Ni cross-interaction was stronger with small solder size and relatively low temperature in the Cu/Sn/Ni micro solder joints.