Engineering Commons^™

Design Of A 3d Printed Bioreactor For Bone Cancer Research, Brooklyn K. Vanderwolde, Katelyn Hillson

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

Bone cancer is an aggressive disease and has peak occurrence during physiological stimulation of growth and aging. Astronauts who undergo long-term space missions also acquire an increased risk of bone tissue degeneration and cancer. Few in-vitro models currently exist capable of reproducing the complex microenvironment of bone tissue to support multicellular activity in a three-dimensional structure. This limits the ability to understand disease progression and develop suitable treatment strategies. Therefore, developing a bone tissue model and an associated bioreactor is critical to understand the risks associated with cancer progression and improve treatment and preventions related to those risks. The goal …

Materials Design With Polylactic Acid-Polyethylene Glycol Blends Using 3d Printing And For Medical Applications., Jeremiah R. Bauer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is an examination of two material systems derived from polylactic acid (PLA) and polyethylene glycol (PEG). PLA is a polymer commonly sourced from renewable sources such as starches and sugars. It is a relatively strong, biodegradable polymer, making it ideal for use in the body. Even though it has a relative high strength, PLA is also brittle leading to the use of plasticizers to increase flexibility. One such plasticizer is PEG, which is a material that can exist at room temperature as either a thin liquid, or a hard waxy solid depending on the molecular weight. The first …

An Experimental Study On Passive Dynamic Walking, Philip Andrew Hatzitheodorou

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this study, a previously designed passive dynamic walker (PDW) is built out of aluminum and plastic. The aim of the study was to produce an asymmetrical PDW and to compare the results to a computer simulation to validate the mathematical model. It also aimed at identifying the limitations of using additive manufacturing to create components for a PDW as well as gain insights on asymmetric systems.

Beginning with a five mass kneed model, parameters were varied to produce up to a nine mass kneed model solution. The nine mass model allows more variability in added mass locations and separates …