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Full-Text Articles in Mechanical Engineering

In-Flow Dynamics Of An Area-Difference-Energy Spring-Particle Red Blood Cell Model On Non-Uniform Grids, Brendan Walsh, Fergal Boyle Jan 2022

In-Flow Dynamics Of An Area-Difference-Energy Spring-Particle Red Blood Cell Model On Non-Uniform Grids, Brendan Walsh, Fergal Boyle

Articles

In this paper the area-difference-energy spring-particle (ADE-SP) red blood cell (RBC) structural model developed by Chen and Boyle is coupled with a lattice Boltzmann flux solver to simulate RBC dynamics. The novel ADE-SP model accounts for bending resistance due to the membrane area difference of RBCs while the lattice Boltzmann flux solver offers reduced computational runtimes through GPU parallelisation and enabling the employment of non-uniform meshes. This coupled model is used to simulate RBC dynamics and predictions are compared with existing experimental measurements. The simulations successfully predict tumbling, tank-treading, swinging and intermittent behaviour of an RBC in shear flow, and …


Experimental Investigation Of The Performance Of A Hybrid Self-Healing System In Porous Asphalt Under Fatigue Loadings, Shi Xu, Liu Xueyan, Amir Tabakovic, Erik Schlangen Jun 2021

Experimental Investigation Of The Performance Of A Hybrid Self-Healing System In Porous Asphalt Under Fatigue Loadings, Shi Xu, Liu Xueyan, Amir Tabakovic, Erik Schlangen

Articles

Self-healing asphalt, which is designed to achieve autonomic damage repair in asphalt pavement, offers a great life-extension prospect and therefore not only reduces pavement maintenance costs but also saves energy and reduces CO2 emissions. The combined asphalt self-healing system, incorporating both encapsulated rejuvenator and induction heating, can heal cracks with melted binder and aged binder rejuvenation, and the synergistic effect of the two technologies shows significant advantages in healing efficiency over the single self-healing method. This study explores the fatigue life extension prospect of the combined healing system in porous asphalt. To this aim, porous asphalt (PA) test specimens with …


Biomechanics Of Head Impacts In An Unhelmeted Sport, Stephen Tiernan Jan 2021

Biomechanics Of Head Impacts In An Unhelmeted Sport, Stephen Tiernan

Doctoral

Concussion in sport is very common and often the injury is undetectable using CT and MRI scans. In addition, approximately 50% of concussions areunreported.The project initially investigated the suitability of a skin patch sensor and a head-band sensorfor the measurement of head impacts in unhelmeted sports. It was found that both were unsuitable due to large angular accelerationerrors. Thestudy then collaborated withCAMLab at Stanford University and 25 Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) athletes were fitted CAMLab’s validated instrumented mouthguard. 451 video confirmed impacts were recorded at 19 sparring and 11 competitive MMA events. Five concussions were diagnosed during the competitive events. …


The Influence Of Asphalt Ageing On Induction Healing Effect On Porous Asphalt Concrete, Shi Xu, Xueyan Liu, Amir Tabakovic, Erik Schlangen Feb 2019

The Influence Of Asphalt Ageing On Induction Healing Effect On Porous Asphalt Concrete, Shi Xu, Xueyan Liu, Amir Tabakovic, Erik Schlangen

Articles

Induction healing is a proven technology which is able to improve the self‐healing capacity of asphalt concrete. Healing is achieved via electromagnetic current produced by passing induction machine, where steel asphalt constituents heat up which in turn soften the bitumen in the asphalt layer, allowing it to flow and close cracks, repairing the damage. This paper reports on the study which investigated the influence of ageing on the healing capacity of Porous Asphalt (PA) concrete. Porous Asphalt concrete mix was prepared first, then subjected to an accelerated (laboratory) ageing process using a ventilated oven. In order to further evaluate the …


Multiphase Cfd Modelling And Piv Validation Of A Uasb Reactor, Camila D' Bastiani, Jéferson Luis Alba, Gabriel Tomazzoni Mazzarotto, Severino Rodrigues De Farias Neto, Lademir Luiz Beal, Anthony Reynolds, David Kennedy Jan 2019

Multiphase Cfd Modelling And Piv Validation Of A Uasb Reactor, Camila D' Bastiani, Jéferson Luis Alba, Gabriel Tomazzoni Mazzarotto, Severino Rodrigues De Farias Neto, Lademir Luiz Beal, Anthony Reynolds, David Kennedy

Conference Papers

Upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors stand out as a feasible option for treating wastewaters while generating a valuable amount of biogas. It is known that the efficiency of UASB reactors is closely linked to its hydrodynamics. Therefore, understanding the role of each phase (solids, liquid and gas) in the mixing conditions inside the reactor and having validated numerical models for predicting the flow behavior has become fundamental for the design and optimization of UASB reactors. In this context this work aims to develop and validate a three phase Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model of an UASB reactor. Eulerian-Eulerian laminar …


A Collagen‐Glycosaminoglycan‐Fibrin Scaffold For Heart Valve Tissue Engineering Applications, Claire Brougham, Stefan Jockenhoevel, Thomas Flanagan, Fergal O'Brien Sep 2014

A Collagen‐Glycosaminoglycan‐Fibrin Scaffold For Heart Valve Tissue Engineering Applications, Claire Brougham, Stefan Jockenhoevel, Thomas Flanagan, Fergal O'Brien

Conference Papers

The field of heart valve biology and tissue engineering a heart valve continue to expand. The presentatio ns at this meeting reflect the advances made in both areas due to the multi-disciplinary approach taken by many laboratories.


Sequential Structural And Fluid Dynamics Analysis Of Balloon-Expandable Coronary Stents., David Martin Oct 2013

Sequential Structural And Fluid Dynamics Analysis Of Balloon-Expandable Coronary Stents., David Martin

Doctoral

As in-stent restenosis following coronary stent deployment has been strongly linked with stent-induced arterial injury and altered vessel hemodynamics, the sequential numerical analysis of the mechanical and hemodynamic impact of stent deployment within a coronary artery is likely to provide an excellent indication of coronary stent performance. Despite this observation, very few numerical studies have considered both the mechanical and hemodynamic impact of stent deployment. In light of this observation, the aim of this research is to develop a robust numerical methodology for investigating the performance of balloon-expandable coronary stents in terms of their mechanical and hemodynamic impact within a …


Development Of A Robotic Platform For Upper Limb Rehabilitation, Stephen Curran, Nigel Kent, David Kennedy, James Conlon Jan 2012

Development Of A Robotic Platform For Upper Limb Rehabilitation, Stephen Curran, Nigel Kent, David Kennedy, James Conlon

Conference Papers

The aim of this project is to develop a rehabilitation robot intended for use in a non-specialised or domestic setting. Robots have been shown to have a positive effect on limb rehabilitation and developing rehabilitation robots for use outside of specialist rehabilitation centres could be beneficial in terms of access to, intensity and cost of treatment. The device is intended for the rehabilitation of the shoulder/elbow region of the upper limbs. The design requirements for such a device mean that it must be low cost, portable, robust and have a detailed focus on safety. Other areas of interest pertaining to …


Characterising 3d Soft Tissue Features On Joint Surfaces, Colm O'Kane Jan 2011

Characterising 3d Soft Tissue Features On Joint Surfaces, Colm O'Kane

Conference Papers

A crucial aspect of orthopaedic implant design is the prediction of surgical outcomes when the shape of a bone is necessarily altered by the addition of the implant. Matching native kinematics as closely as possible is generally considered a core aim of joint replacement surgery. The overall hypothesis behind this research is that soft tissue geometry, including cartilage thickness distribution and ligament attachment sites, influences kinematics in the knee joint. In order to enable investigation of possible links between geometry and kinematics, the ability to characterise the shape variation of the soft tissue relative to the underlying bony geometry must …


Intelligibility Of Electrolarynx Speech Using A Novel Actuator, Brian Madden, Mark Nolan, Ted Burke, James Condron, Eugene Coyle Jun 2010

Intelligibility Of Electrolarynx Speech Using A Novel Actuator, Brian Madden, Mark Nolan, Ted Burke, James Condron, Eugene Coyle

Conference Papers

During voiced speech, the larynx provides quasi-periodic acoustic excitation of the vocal tract. Following a laryngectomy, some people speak using an electrolarynx which replaces the excitatory function of the absent larynx. Drawbacks of conventional electrolarynx designs include the buzzing monotonic sound emitted, the need for a free hand to operate the device, and difficulty experienced by many laryngectomees in adapting to its use. Despite these shortcomings, it remains the preferred method of speech rehabilitation for a substantial minority of laryngectomees. In most electrolarynxes, mechanical vibrations are produced by a linear electromechanical actuator, the armature of which percusses against a metal …


An Analysis Of The Performance Of Foams Used In Hurling Helmets, Keith Norris, Stephen Tiernan May 2008

An Analysis Of The Performance Of Foams Used In Hurling Helmets, Keith Norris, Stephen Tiernan

Conference Papers

Abstract Head injuries can occur in most sporting activities. The seriousness of these injuries can vary greatly depending on the sport. Many sports such as American football, cricket, baseball and hurling try to reduce this risk by designing helmets that are suitable to be worn by the players. The National Standard Authority of Ireland (NSAI) has recently made great strides in this area with the introduction of the first comprehensive standard adopted for the sport I.S. 355:2006, which sets out new testing procedures that all new helmets must meet. The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) has also stated its intention to …