Effect of Tumor Variables and Sensor Design on the Measured Stiffness Distribution of Tumor-Embedded Tissues: A Numerical Study

Author(s):  
Yichao Yang ◽  
Zhili Hao

This paper reports on a numerical study on how the measured stiffness distribution of a tumor-embedded tissue via a two-dimensional (2D) tactile sensor varies with the tumor variables (i.e., elasticity, size and depth) and the sensor design parameters. The sensor entails a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microstructure embedded with a 3×3 sensing-plate/transducer array sitting on a Pyrex substrate. Pressing the sensor against a tissue region with a pre-defined indentation depth pattern, the tissue stiffness distribution is extracted from the measured slopes of the deflections of the 3×3 sensing-plate array versus the indentation depth. A finite element model (FEM) of the tissue-sensor interaction, which includes the Pyrex substrate, the microstructure, and a tumor-embedded tissue, is created using COMSOL Multiphysics. The tumor variables and the sensor design parameters are varied in the model to examine how the measured tissue stiffness distribution is affected by them. Based on the numerical results, the relation of the measured tissue stiffness distribution to the tumor variables and sensor design parameters is obtained, shedding insight on establishing a threshold on the stiffness contrast for tumor identification.

Author(s):  
Nathan Abshier ◽  
Cristina Genoese-Zerbi ◽  
James Jobe ◽  
Kylee Kohl ◽  
Charles Tison ◽  
...  

This paper presents a numerical study of the influence of different factors on tumor detection via a 2D tactile sensor. The 2D tactile sensor entails a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microstructure embedded with a 3 × 3 sensing-plate/transducer array. By pressing the sensor against a tissue region with a predefined indentation depth pattern, the tissue stiffness distribution is extracted from the measured slopes of the deflections of the sensing-plate array versus the indentation depth. In this work, we numerically investigate the influence of curved tissue surface, curved substrate and tissue viscoelasticity on the measured sensor deflection distribution, which is representative of the tissue stiffness distribution. A set of numerical models are created in COMSOL Multiphysics to investigate the influence of the above-mentioned factors separately. A purely elastic numerical model with a flat substrate and a flat tissue surface is created as the reference model. Two other numerical models are created with one having a curved surface and the other having a curved substrate. The same tumor is embedded in these three models. Given the same 2D sensor, how the measured sensor deflection distribution is affected by different curved surfaces and curved substrates is compared with the results from the reference model. The three tumor parameters (elasticity, size and depth) are also varied for their influence on the measured results. A separate viscoelastic numerical model is created to study how the time-dependent behavior of a tumor varies with its viscoelasticity. This model provides the guidance on tailoring the testing parameters in a pre-defined indentation protocol for quantitatively maximizing the difference in viscoelasticity among different tumors.


Author(s):  
Cong Dang ◽  
Liet Dang ◽  
Hadi Khabbaz ◽  
Daichao Sheng

In this investigation, a ground modification technique utilising fibre-reinforced-load-transfer-platform (FRLTP) and column-supported (CS) embankment constructed on multilayered soft soils is proposed and investigated. After validating the proposed model with published data in the literature, numerical analysis was firstly conducted on the two-dimensional finite element model of a CS embankment without or with FRLTP to examine the influence of the FRLTP inclusion into the CS embankment system. Secondly, an extensive parametric study was performed to further investigate the effects of the FRLTP essential parameters including platform thickness, shear strength and tensile strength properties, and deformation modulus on the embankment performance during the construction and post-construction stages. Additionally, the influence of the embankment design parameters such as column spacing, column length and diameter was also examined. The numerical results reveal that the FRLTP inclusion can be effective in enhancing the CS embankment behaviour. It is also found that when increasing the platform thickness, the shear strength properties of FRLTP plays a significant role in improving the overall performance of a column-embankment with FRLTP.


2012 ◽  
Vol 188 ◽  
pp. 137-143
Author(s):  
Xin Li ◽  
Li Liang

Precast concrete screw pile is a new kind of pile foundation. Because the pile bears very large torsion in construction, the torsional properties of pile body including cracking torsion, ultimate torsion and torsional deformation were studied in this paper in order to improve the anti-torsional ability of precast concrete screw pile. Experimental method and numerical method are used to research the torsional behavior of precast concrete pile body. Experimental and numerical results of cracking torsion, ultimate torsion and relationship between torsion and angle of twist per unit length of different specimens are obtained. In addition, five factors of strength level of concrete, degree of prestress, distance of spiral hoop, concrete cover and diameter of spiral hoop influencing on torsional behavior of precast concrete pile body are researched by orthogonal numerical test. The rational finite element model and solution method are concluded for calculating the torsional behavior of concrete pile. Moreover, the rational pile type and design parameters of precast concrete screw pile are obtained.


Micromachines ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Houguang Liu ◽  
Hehe Wang ◽  
Zhushi Rao ◽  
Jianhua Yang ◽  
Shanguo Yang

Round window (RW) stimulation is a new application of middle ear implants for treating hearing loss, especially for those with middle ear disease. However, most reports on it are based on the use of the floating mass transducer (FMT), which was not originally designed for round window stimulation. The mismatch of the FMT’s diameter and the round window membrane’s diameter and the uncontrollable preload of the transducer, leads to a high variability in its clinical outcomes. Accordingly, a new piezoelectric transducer for the round-window-stimulating-type middle ear implant is proposed in this paper. The transducer consists of a piezoelectric stack, a flextensional amplifier, a coupling rod, a salver, a plate, a titanium housing and a supporting spring. Based on a constructed coupling finite element model of the human ear and the transducer, the influences of the transducer design parameters on its performance were analyzed. The optimal structure of the supporting spring, which determines the transducer’s resonance frequency, was ascertained. The results demonstrate that our designed transducer generates better output than the FMT, especially at low frequency. Besides this, the power consumption of the transducer was significantly decreased compared with a recently reported RW-stimulating piezoelectric transducer.


Author(s):  
Xiaowei Cheng ◽  
Haoyou Zhang

AbstractUnder strong earthquakes, reinforced concrete (RC) walls in high-rise buildings, particularly in wall piers that form part of a coupled or core wall system, may experience coupled axial tension–flexure loading. In this study, a detailed finite element model was developed in VecTor2 to provide an effective tool for the further investigation of the seismic behaviour of RC walls subjected to axial tension and cyclic lateral loading. The model was verified using experimental data from recent RC wall tests under axial tension and cyclic lateral loading, and results showed that the model can accurately capture the overall response of RC walls. Additional analyses were conducted using the developed model to investigate the effect of key design parameters on the peak strength, ultimate deformation capacity and plastic hinge length of RC walls under axial tension and cyclic lateral loading. On the basis of the analysis results, useful information were provided when designing or assessing the seismic behaviour of RC slender walls under coupled axial tension–flexure loading.


Vibration ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 422-445
Author(s):  
Md Riasat Azim ◽  
Mustafa Gül

Railway bridges are an integral part of any railway communication network. As more and more railway bridges are showing signs of deterioration due to various natural and artificial causes, it is becoming increasingly imperative to develop effective health monitoring strategies specifically tailored to railway bridges. This paper presents a new damage detection framework for element level damage identification, for railway truss bridges, that combines the analysis of acceleration and strain responses. For this research, operational acceleration and strain time-history responses are obtained in response to the passage of trains. The acceleration response is analyzed through a sensor-clustering-based time-series analysis method and damage features are investigated in terms of structural nodes from the truss bridge. The strain data is analyzed through principal component analysis and provides information on damage from instrumented truss elements. A new damage index is developed by formulating a strategy to combine the damage features obtained individually from both acceleration and strain analysis. The proposed method is validated through a numerical study by utilizing a finite element model of a railway truss bridge. It is shown that while both methods individually can provide information on damage location, and severity, the new framework helps to provide substantially improved damage localization and can overcome the limitations of individual analysis.


2017 ◽  
Vol 09 (01) ◽  
pp. 1750014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xingguo Li ◽  
Bingbing An ◽  
Dongsheng Zhang

Interfacial behavior in the microstructure and the plastic deformation in the protein matrix influence the overall mechanical properties of biological hard tissues. A cohesive finite element model has been developed to investigate the inelastic mechanical properties of bone-like biocomposites consisting of hard mineral crystals embedded in soft biopolymer matrix. In this study, the complex interaction between plastic dissipation in the matrix and bonding properties of the interface between minerals and matrix is revealed, and the effect of such interaction on the toughening of bone-like biocomposites is identified. For the case of strong and intermediate interfaces, the toughness of biocomposites is controlled by the post yield behavior of biopolymer; the matrix with low strain hardening can undergo significant plastic deformation, thereby promoting enhanced fracture toughness of biocomposites. For the case of weak interfaces, the toughness of biocomposites is governed by the bonding property of the interface, and the post-yield behavior of biopolymer shows negligible effect on the toughness. The findings of this study help to direct the path for designing bioinspired materials with superior mechanical properties.


1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. A. Lipsey ◽  
Y. W. Kwon

Abstract Damage reduces the flexural stiffness of a structure, thereby altering its dynamic response, specifically the natural frequency, damping values, and the mode shapes associated with each natural frequency. Considerable effort has been put into obtaining a correlation between the changes in these parameters and the location and amount of the damage in beam structures. Most numerical research employed elements with reduced beam dimensions or material properties such as modulus of elasticity to simulate damage in the beam. This approach to damage simulation neglects the non-linear effect that a crack has on the different modes of vibration and their corresponding natural frequencies. In this paper, finite element modeling techniques are utilized to directly represent an embedded crack. The results of the dynamic analysis are then compared to the results of the dynamic analysis of the reduced modulus finite element model. Different modal parameters including both mode shape displacement and mode shape curvature are investigated to determine the most sensitive indicator of damage and its location.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ren Yongsheng ◽  
Zhang Xingqi ◽  
Liu Yanghang ◽  
Chen Xiulong

The dynamical analysis of a rotating thin-walled composite shaft with internal damping is carried out analytically. The equations of motion are derived using the thin-walled composite beam theory and the principle of virtual work. The internal damping of shafts is introduced by adopting the multiscale damping analysis method. Galerkin’s method is used to discretize and solve the governing equations. Numerical study shows the effect of design parameters on the natural frequencies, critical rotating speeds, and instability thresholds of shafts.


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