Stab resistance of flexible composite reinforced with warp-knitted fabric like scale structure at quasi-static loading

The stab-resistant fabric like scale structure has a promising application prospect for areas of stab prevention owing to its great flexibility and excellent stab-resistance performance. In this paper, a kind of novel stab-resistant fabric has been designed by coating with epoxy resin (ER) and silicon carbide (SiC) particles, which was based on the warp-knitted fabric like scale structure (WKFS). The uniformity of dispersion has been investigated with different diameter and mass fraction of SiC, and polymerization degree of polyglycols (PEG); the flexibility and quasi-static properties of different kinds of WKFS treated with different coating solution has been studied, and the coating solution was prepared by mixing SiC particles and ER at different ratios. The results showed that the dispersion uniformity of the dispersion was the best when the diameter of SiC is 1 μm, the content is 50%, and the polymerization degree of PEG is 600. The longitudinal flexibility of the stab-resistant fabric is greater than that of transverse due to the gap between the longitudinal scales, and the addition of SiC particles can increase the transverse and longitudinal flexibility of stab-resistant fabric, and the flexible properties were the greatest when SiC:ER = 50:30. In addition, the WKFS treated with SiC of 16.7% has fatigue resistance; the damage mechanism of the fabric treated with pure ER is thankful to the brittleness of the resin; the added SiC particles hinder the further crack propagation of the resin, and the failure mode is mainly in stretch.

3D Printed Biomimetic PCL Scaffold as Framework Interspersed With Collagen for Long Segment Tracheal Replacement

The rapid development of tissue engineering technology has provided new methods for tracheal replacement. However, none of the previously developed biomimetic tracheas exhibit both the anatomy (separated-ring structure) and mechanical behavior (radial rigidity and longitudinal flexibility) mimicking those of native trachea, which greatly restricts their clinical application. Herein, we proposed a biomimetic scaffold with a separated-ring structure: a polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffold with a ring-hollow alternating structure was three-dimensionally printed as a framework, and collagen sponge was embedded in the hollows amid the PCL rings by pouring followed by lyophilization. The biomimetic scaffold exhibited bionic radial rigidity based on compressive tests and longitudinal flexibility based on three-point bending tests. Furthermore, the biomimetic scaffold was recolonized by chondrocytes and developed tracheal cartilage in vitro. In vivo experiments showed substantial deposition of tracheal cartilage and formation of a biomimetic trachea mimicking the native trachea both structurally and mechanically. Finally, a long-segment tracheal replacement experiment in a rabbit model showed that the engineered biomimetic trachea elicited a satisfactory repair outcome. These results highlight the advantage of a biomimetic trachea with a separated-ring structure that mimics the native trachea both structurally and mechanically and demonstrates its promise in repairing long-segment tracheal defects.

Mechanical characterizations of braided composite stents made of helical polyethylene terephthalate strips and NiTi wires

The novel braided composite stent (BCS), woven with both nitinol wires and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) strips, were characterized and compared with the braided nitinol stent in the same weaving pattern. Finite element models simulating the stent compression and bending were developed to quantify its radial strength and longitudinal flexibility. The interaction between the nitinol wires and the PET strips were also delineated. Results showed that the PET strips enforced more constrains on the BCS and thus enhance its radial strength especially at a larger compression load. The longitudinal flexibility of the BCS was less sensitive to the presence of the PET strips. This work suggested that the novel design of the BCS could acquire the advantage of a covered stent without compromising its mechanical performance. The fundamental understanding of the braided composite stent will facilitate a better device design.

MECHANICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF BRAIDED SELF-EXPANDING STENTS: IMPACT OF DESIGN PARAMETERS

In this paper, the mechanical performance of braided nitinol stents was systematically studied to provide guidelines for optimum stent designs. The influences of braiding patterns, braiding angles, wire diameters, and strand numbers on the mechanical behavior of the stent in terms of crimping strain, radial strength, longitudinal flexibility, and stability were characterized utilizing finite element method. Our results have shown that the two key design factors of braided stents are the braiding angle and wire diameter. A smaller braiding angle can increase radial stiffness and have better longitudinal flexibility and can maintain the stent stability. The wire diameter has less influence on the radial stiffness than the braiding angle, but the longitudinal flexibility is most sensitive to the wire diameter. The strand number is directly proportional to the radial stiffness and inversely proportional to the longitudinal flexibility. Compared to the classical crossing pattern, we have also proposed two patterns. These patterns have a minimal impact on the crimping and radial stiffness of stents, but the stent made from them are more flexible. Among three crossing patterns, it is interesting to see that the classical pattern is the most stable crossing pattern for stand numbers larger than 36, but it became the most unstable pattern at the strand number of 24. This work has shed light on the optimum design of braided stents.

Disc starts: the pectoral disc of stingrays promotes omnidirectional fast starts across the substrate

We explored how the flattened and rounded pectoral disc of the ocellate river stingray (Potamotrygon motoro (Müller and Henle, 1841)) enables them to use the benthic plane during fast-start escape. Escape responses were elicited via prodding different locations around the pectoral disc and were recorded using video. Modulation of pectoral-fin movements that power swimming enabled omnidirectional escape across the substrate, with similar performance in all directions of escape. Hence, translation of the body did not necessarily have to follow the orientation of the head, overcoming the constraint of a rigid body axis. An increase in prod speed was associated with an increase in initial translational speed and acceleration away from the prod. As prod location shifted towards the snout, yaw rotation increased, eventually reorienting the fish into a forward swimming position away from the prod. Furthermore, P. motoro yawed with essentially zero turning radius, allowing reorientation of the head with simultaneous rapid translation away from the prod, and yaw rate during escape was substantially greater than reported during routine swimming for stingrays. We conclude that stingrays employ a distinctive approach to escape along the substrate, which we have termed disc starts, that results in effective manoeuvrability across the benthic environment despite limited longitudinal flexibility of the body and that challenges the concept of manoeuvrability typically used for fishes.

A New Approach to the Rigid Finite Element Method in Modeling Spatial Slender Systems

The static and dynamic analysis of slender systems, which in this paper comprise lines and flexible links of manipulators, requires large deformations to be taken into consideration. This paper presents a modification of the rigid finite element method which enables modeling of such systems to include bending, torsional and longitudinal flexibility. In the formulation used, the elements into which the link is divided have seven DOFs. These describe the position of a chosen point, the extension of the element, and its orientation by means of the Euler angles Z[Formula: see text]Y[Formula: see text]X[Formula: see text]. Elements are connected by means of geometrical constraint equations. A compact algorithm for formulating and integrating the equations of motion is given. Models and programs are verified by comparing the results to those obtained by analytical solution and those from the finite element method. Finally, they are used to solve a benchmark problem encountered in nonlinear dynamic analysis of multibody systems.

Selection of helical braided flow diverter stents based on hemodynamic performance and mechanical properties

BackgroundAlthough flow diversion is a promising procedure for the treatment of aneurysms, complications have been reported and it remains poorly understood. The occurrence of adverse outcomes is known to depend on both the mechanical properties and flow reduction effects of the flow diverter stent.ObjectiveTo clarify the possibility of designing a flow diverter stent considering both hemodynamic performance and mechanical properties.Materials and methodsComputational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were conducted based on an ideal aneurysm model with flow diverters. Structural analyses of two flow diverter models exhibiting similar flow reduction effects were performed, and the radial stiffness and longitudinal flexibility were compared.ResultsIn CFD simulations, two stents–Pore2-d35 (26.77° weave angle when fully expanded, 35 μm wire thickness) and Pore3-d50 (36.65°, 50 μm respectively)–demonstrated similar flow reduction rates (68.5% spatial-averaged velocity reduction rate, 85.0% area-averaged wall shear stress reduction rate for Pore2-d35, and 68.6%, 85.4%, respectively, for Pore3-d50). However, Pore3-d50 exhibited greater radial stiffness than Pore2-d35 (40.0 vs 21.0 mN/m at a 3.5 mm outer diameter) and less longitudinal flexibility (0.903 vs 0.104 N·mm bending moments at 90°). These measurements indicate that changing the wire thickness and weave angle allows adjustment of the mechanical properties while maintaining the same degree of flow reduction effects.ConclusionsThe combination of CFD and structural analysis can provide promising solutions for an optimized stent. Stents exhibiting different mechanical properties but the same flow reduction effects could be designed by varying both the weave angle and wire thickness.

Experimental Studies of the Longitudinal Flexibility of Balloon-Expandable Coronary Stents

Stents are medical devices used in cardiovascular intervention for unblocking the diseased arteries and restoring blood flow. A setup for the measurement of the longitudinal flexibility of a coronary stent was developed based on machine vision technology. A crimped stent made by medical stainless steel thin-walled tube was tested with the setup. The results show that the bending deformation of stent includes two phases: the elastic deformation phase and the plastic deformation phase. The bending angle changed very little with the increase of bending moment during the elastic deformation. However, the bending angle changed significantly when a small moment was applied during the plastic deformation. In conclusion, the experimental setup can be used to study and compare flexibility of different design kinds of coronary stents and provides a convenient tool for designers to improve bending characteristics of new stents.

Mathematical Modeling for Longitudinal Displacement of a Straight Continuously Welded Railway Track and its Numerical Implementation

A mathematical model of the longitudinal flexibility of a continuously welded railway track and the methodology for the analysis of the longitudinal displacement of rails under the effects of passing trains is developed to investigate the longitudinal behavior of rails. The purpose of this analysis is to explore the changes of longitudinal stress distribution in the rails due to mechanical loading applied by a travelling train. A half track system is used to derive the equations required to obtain the magnitude of deflection and force of rails and these values are scaled to produce the displacement pattern using the method of superposition. The mathematical model is translated into MATLAB and validation of the program is verified through comparisons of displacement patterns generated by a computer software LONGIN. Analysis of a straight track due to train braking was performed over a track length of 1000 m. The longitudinal displacement obtained showed that maximum longitudinal displacement occur in the middle of the track at the distance of 570 m which is in direct agreement with the published result.