A Numerical Study of the Influence of Different Factors on Mechanical Characterization of Tumors via a 2D Tactile Sensor

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):  
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.


2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (11) ◽  
pp. 1950083 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hossien Montaseri ◽  
Hossein Asiaei ◽  
Abdolhossein Baghlani ◽  
Pourya Omidvar

This paper deals with numerical study of flow field in a channel bend in presence of a lateral intake using three-dimensional numerical model SSIIM2. The effects of bend on the structure of the flow around the intake are investigated and compared with the experimental data. The tests are carried out in a U-shaped channel bend with a lateral intake. The intake is located at the outer bank of an 180∘ bend at position 115∘ with 45∘ diversion angle and the experimental data can be used to calibrate and validate numerical models. The results show that both the center-region and outer-bank cross-stream circulations are observed in the experiments while only the former is captured by the numerical model due to the limitations of the turbulence model. In the curved channel after the intake, both experimental and numerical results show another type of bi-cellular circulations in which clockwise center-region circulations and counterclockwise circulations near the inner bank and the free surface (inner-bank circulations) are captured. The study shows that the numerical model very satisfactorily predicts streamlines, velocity field and flow pattern in the channel and in vicinity of the intake. Investigation of flow pattern around lateral intake in channel bends shows that contrary to the case of flow diversion in straight channels, the width of the dividing stream surface near water surface level is greater than that of near bed level. Finally, the effects of position and diversion angle of the lateral intake, discharge ratio and upstream Froude number on the flow pattern are investigated.


2021 ◽  
Vol 321 ◽  
pp. 03008
Author(s):  
Eusébio Conceição ◽  
João Gomes ◽  
M. Manuela Lúcio ◽  
M. Inês Conceição ◽  
André Ramos ◽  
...  

This work evaluates the passengers thermal comfort level inside a vehicles compartment. The numerical study, made in winter conditions, consider a bus indoor environment equipped with internal curtains, internal seats, lateral panels, ceiling, floor and occupied by 52 passengers. The numerical model considers the passengers and vehicle grid generation, passengers body and clothing thermal response and passengers thermal comfort level. The grid generation is used to evaluate the view factors and Mean Radiant Temperature that the passengers are subjected. In this calculus the passengers and the vehicles surfaces shading devices are considered. The thermal response numerical models consider the energy and mass balance integral equations. The thermal comfort evaluation considers the heat produced inside the body and the heat exchange between the body and the environment. The human body numerical model considers also the thermoregulatory system to control the temperature. The numerical model is used to evaluate the thermal comfort level that seated passengers are subjected in a bus equipped with asymmetrical warm curtains. Three Cases studies were developed: the first one considers the temperature curtains equal to the indoor bus surfaces, while the other two consider higher temperatures values. All Cases are thermally comfortable according to the standards.


Author(s):  
Jingru Zhang ◽  
Yogesh Jaluria ◽  
Tiantian Zhang ◽  
Li Jia

Multiple microchannel heat sinks for potential use for electronic chip cooling are studied experimentally and numerically to characterize their thermal performance. The numerical simulation is driven by experimental data, which are obtained concurrently, to obtain realistic, accurate and validated numerical models. The ultimate goal is to design and optimize thermal systems. The experimental setup was established and liquid flow in the multiple microchannels was studied under different flow rates and heat influx. The temperature variation versus time was recorded by thermocouples, from which the time needed to reach steady state was determined. Temperature variations under steady state conditions were compared with three-dimensional steady state numerical simulation for the same boundary and initial conditions. The experimental data served as input parameters for the validation of the numerical model. In case of discrepancy, the numerical model was improved. A fairly good agreement between the experimental and simulation results was obtained. The numerical model also served to provide input that could be employed to improve and modify the experimental arrangement.


2011 ◽  
Vol 70 ◽  
pp. 387-392
Author(s):  
Adel A. Abdel-Wahab ◽  
Vadim V. Silberschmidt

Bone is the principal structural component of a skeleton: it assists the load-bearing framework of a living body. Structural integrity of this component is important; understanding of its mechanical behaviour up to failure is necessary for prevention and diagnostic of trauma. Bone fractures occur in both low-energy trauma, such as falls and sports injury, and high-energy trauma, such as car crash and cycling accidents. By developing adequate numerical models to predict and describe the deformation and fracture behaviour up to fracture of a cortical bone tissue, a detailed study of reasons for, and ways to prevent or treatment methods of, bone fracture could be implemented. This study deals with both experimental analysis and numerical simulations of this tissue and its response to impact dynamic loading. Two areas are covered: Izod tests for quantifying a bone’s behaviour under impact loading, and a 3D finite-element model simulating these tests. In the first part, properties of cortical bone tissue were investigated under impact loading condition. In the second part, a 3D numerical model for the Izod test was developed using the Abaqus/Explicit finite-element software. Bone has time-dependent properties – viscoelastic – that were assigned to the specimen to simulate the short term event, impact. The developed numerical model was capable of capturing the behaviour of the hammer-specimen interaction correctly. A good agreement between the experimental and numerical data was found.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 14
Author(s):  
Gianluca Zitti ◽  
Nico Novelli ◽  
Maurizio Brocchini

Over the last decades, the aquaculture sector increased significantly and constantly, moving fish-farm plants further from the coast, and exposing them to increasingly high forces due to currents and waves. The performances of cages in currents and waves have been widely studied in literature, by means of laboratory experiments and numerical models, but virtually all the research is focused on the global performances of the system, i.e., on the maximum displacement, the volume reduction or the mooring tension. In this work we propose a numerical model, derived from the net-truss model of Kristiansen and Faltinsen (2012), to study the dynamics of fish farm cages in current and waves. In this model the net is modeled with straight trusses connecting nodes, where the mass of the net is concentrated at the nodes. The deformation of the net is evaluated solving the equation of motion of the nodes, subjected to gravity, buoyancy, lift, and drag forces. With respect to the original model, the elasticity of the net is included. In this work the real size of the net is used for the computation mesh grid, this allowing the numerical model to reproduce the exact dynamics of the cage. The numerical model is used to simulate a cage with fixed rings, based on the concept of mooring the cage to the foundation of no longer functioning offshore structures. The deformations of the system subjected to currents and waves are studied.


Aerospace ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. 178
Author(s):  
Valerio Acanfora ◽  
Roberto Petillo ◽  
Salvatore Incognito ◽  
Gerardo Mario Mirra ◽  
Aniello Riccio

This work provides a feasibility and effectiveness analysis, through numerical investigation, of metal replacement of primary components with composite material for an executive aircraft wing. In particular, benefits and disadvantages of replacing metal, usually adopted to manufacture this structural component, with composite material are explored. To accomplish this task, a detailed FEM numerical model of the composite aircraft wing was deployed by taking into account process constraints related to Liquid Resin Infusion, which was selected as the preferred manufacturing technique to fabricate the wing. We obtained a geometric and material layup definition for the CFRP components of the wing, which demonstrated that the replacement of the metal elements with composite materials did not affect the structural performance and can guarantee a substantial advantage for the structure in terms of weight reduction when compared to the equivalent metallic configuration, even for existing executive wing configurations.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 70
Author(s):  
Marco Ferroni ◽  
Beatrice Belgio ◽  
Giuseppe M. Peretti ◽  
Alessia Di Giancamillo ◽  
Federica Boschetti

The menisci of the knee are complex fibro-cartilaginous tissues that play important roles in load bearing, shock absorption, joint lubrication, and stabilization. The objective of this study was to evaluate the interaction between the different meniscal tissue components (i.e., the solid matrix constituents and the fluid phase) and the mechanical response according to the developmental stage of the tissue. Menisci derived from partially and fully developed pigs were analyzed. We carried out biochemical analyses to quantify glycosaminoglycan (GAG) and DNA content according to the developmental stage. These values were related to tissue mechanical properties that were measured in vitro by performing compression and tension tests on meniscal specimens. Both compression and tension protocols consisted of multi-ramp stress–relaxation tests comprised of increasing strains followed by stress–relaxation to equilibrium. To better understand the mechanical response to different directions of mechanical stimulus and to relate it to the tissue structural composition and development, we performed numerical simulations that implemented different constitutive models (poro-elasticity, viscoelasticity, transversal isotropy, or combinations of the above) using the commercial software COMSOL Multiphysics. The numerical models also allowed us to determine several mechanical parameters that cannot be directly measured by experimental tests. The results of our investigation showed that the meniscus is a non-linear, anisotropic, non-homogeneous material: mechanical parameters increase with strain, depend on the direction of load, and vary among regions (anterior, central, and posterior). Preliminary numerical results showed the predominant role of the different tissue components depending on the mechanical stimulus. The outcomes of biochemical analyses related to mechanical properties confirmed the findings of the numerical models, suggesting a specific response of meniscal cells to the regional mechanical stimuli in the knee joint. During maturation, the increase in compressive moduli could be explained by cell differentiation from fibroblasts to metabolically active chondrocytes, as indicated by the found increase in GAG/DNA ratio. The changes of tensile mechanical response during development could be related to collagen II accumulation during growth. This study provides new information on the changes of tissue structural components during maturation and the relationship between tissue composition and mechanical response.


Nanomaterials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 125
Author(s):  
Eduardo Freitas ◽  
Pedro Pontes ◽  
Ricardo Cautela ◽  
Vaibhav Bahadur ◽  
João Miranda ◽  
...  

This study addresses the combination of customized surface modification with the use of nanofluids, to infer on its potential to enhance pool-boiling heat transfer. Hydrophilic surfaces patterned with superhydrophobic regions were developed and used as surface interfaces with different nanofluids (water with gold, silver, aluminum and alumina nanoparticles), in order to evaluate the effect of the nature and concentration of the nanoparticles in bubble dynamics and consequently in heat transfer processes. The main qualitative and quantitative analysis was based on extensive post-processing of synchronized high-speed and thermographic images. To study the nucleation of a single bubble in pool boiling condition, a numerical model was also implemented. The results show an evident benefit of using biphilic patterns with well-established distances between the superhydrophobic regions. This can be observed in the resulting plot of the dissipated heat flux for a biphilic pattern with seven superhydrophobic spots, δ = 1/d and an imposed heat flux of 2132 w/m2. In this case, the dissipated heat flux is almost constant (except in the instant t* ≈ 0.9 when it reaches a peak of 2400 W/m2), whilst when using only a single superhydrophobic spot, where the heat flux dissipation reaches the maximum shortly after the detachment of the bubble, dropping continuously until a new necking phase starts. The biphilic patterns also allow a controlled bubble coalescence, which promotes fluid convection at the hydrophilic spacing between the superhydrophobic regions, which clearly contributes to cool down the surface. This effect is noticeable in the case of employing the Ag 1 wt% nanofluid, with an imposed heat flux of 2132 W/m2, where the coalescence of the drops promotes a surface cooling, identified by a temperature drop of 0.7 °C in the hydrophilic areas. Those areas have an average temperature of 101.8 °C, whilst the average temperature of the superhydrophobic spots at coalescence time is of 102.9 °C. For low concentrations as the ones used in this work, the effect of the nanofluids was observed to play a minor role. This can be observed on the slight discrepancy of the heat dissipation decay that occurred in the necking stage of the bubbles for nanofluids with the same kind of nanoparticles and different concentration. For the Au 0.1 wt% nanofluid, a heat dissipation decay of 350 W/m2 was reported, whilst for the Au 0.5 wt% nanofluid, the same decay was only of 280 W/m2. The results of the numerical model concerning velocity fields indicated a sudden acceleration at the bubble detachment, as can be qualitatively analyzed in the thermographic images obtained in this work. Additionally, the temperature fields of the analyzed region present the same tendency as the experimental results.


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