Mechanics of Materials Commons^™

Finite Element-Based Machine Learning Model For Predicting The Mechanical Properties Of Composite Hydrogels, Yasin Shokrollahi, Pengfei Dong, Peshala T. Gamage, Nashaita Patrawalla, Vipuil Kishore, Hozhabr Mozafari, Linxia Gu

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

In this study, a finite element (FE)-based machine learning model was developed to predict the mechanical properties of bioglass (BG)-collagen (COL) composite hydrogels. Based on the experimental observation of BG-COL composite hydrogels with scanning electron microscope, 2000 microstructural images with randomly distributed BG particles were created. The BG particles have diameters ranging from 0.5 μm to 1.5 μm and a volume fraction from 17% to 59%. FE simulations of tensile testing were performed for calculating the Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio of 2000 microstructures. The microstructural images and the calculated Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio by FE simulation were used …

Large Refrigerant Capacity In Superparamagnetic Iron Nanoparticles Embedded In A Thin Film Matrix, Kaushik Sarkar, Surabhi Shaji, Jeffrey E. Shield, Christian H. Binek, Dhananjay Kumar

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

A magnetocaloric effect (MCE) with sizable isothermal entropy change (ΔS) maintained over a broad range of temperatures above the blocking temperature is reported for a rare earth-free superparamagnetic nanoparticle system comprising of Fe–TiN heterostructure. Superparamagnetic iron (Fe) particles were embedded in a titanium nitride (TiN) thin film matrix in a TiN/Fe/TiN multilayered pattern using a pulsed laser deposition method. High angle annular dark-field images in conjunction with dispersive energy analysis, recorded using scanning transmission electron microscopy, show a clear presence of alternating layers of Fe and TiN with a distinct atomic number contrast between Fe particles and TiN. Quantitative information …

A Nanofiber-Embedded Microfluidic Platform For Studying Neurobiology, Donghee Lee, Navatha Shree Sharma, S. M. Shatil Shahriar, Kai Yang, Zheng Yan, Jingwei Xie

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Due to their biomimetic properties, electrospun nanofibers have been widely used in neurobiology studies. However, mechanistic understanding of cell-nanofiber interactions is challenging based on the current in vitro culture systems due to the lack of control of spatiotemporal patterning of cells and difficulty in monitoring single cell behavior. To overcome these issues, we apply microfluidic technology in combination with electrospun nanofibers for in vitro studies of interactions between neurons and nanofiber materials. We demonstrate a unique nanofiber embedded microfluidic device which contains patterned aligned or random electrospun nanofibers as a new culture system. With this device, we test how different …

Preface For Millard Beatty, E. Baesu, Roger Fosdick

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Professor Beatty has contributed a wide variety of research papers and book articles on topics in finite elasticity, continuum mechanics and classical mechanics, including some fundamental experimental work. His works are clear and informative and expose a didactic quality. In the following, we briefly touch upon some of the highlights of his research involvement throughout the years.

Machine Learning-Based Peripheral Artery Disease Identification Using Laboratory-Based Gait Data, Ali Al-Ramini, Mahdi Hassan, Farahnaz Fallahtafti, Mohammad Ali Takallou, Hafizur Rahman, Basheer Qolomany, Iraklis I. Pipinos, Fadi M. Alsaleem, Sara A. Myers

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) manifests from atherosclerosis, which limits blood flow to the legs and causes changes in muscle structure and function, and in gait performance. PAD is underdiagnosed, which delays treatment and worsens clinical outcomes. To overcome this challenge, the purpose of this study is to develop machine learning (ML) models that distinguish individuals with and without PAD. This is the first step to using ML to identify those with PAD risk early. We built ML models based on previously acquired overground walking biomechanics data from patients with PAD and healthy controls. Gait signatures were characterized using ankle, knee, …

Machine Learning-Based Peripheral Artery Disease Identification Using Laboratory-Based Gait Data, Ali Al-Ramini, Mahdi Hassan, Farahnaz Fallahtafti, Mohammad Ali Takallou, Basheer Qolomany, Iraklis I. Pipinos, Fadi Alsaleem, Sara A. Myers

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) manifests from atherosclerosis, which limits blood flow to the legs and causes changes in muscle structure and function, and in gait performance. PAD is underdiagnosed, which delays treatment and worsens clinical outcomes. To overcome this challenge, the purpose of this study is to develop machine learning (ML) models that distinguish individuals with and without PAD. This is the first step to using ML to identify those with PAD risk early. We built ML models based on previously acquired overground walking biomechanics data from patients with PAD and healthy controls. Gait signatures were characterized using ankle, knee, …

Design Of An Innovative Hybrid Sandwich Protective Device For Offshore Structures, Hozhabr Mozafari, Fabio Distefano, Gabriella Epasto, Linxia Gu, Emanoil Linul, Vincenzo Crupi

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Lightweight foam sandwich structures have excellent energy absorption capacity, combined with good mechanical properties and low density. The main goal of this study is to test the application of an innovative hybrid sandwich protective device in an offshore wind turbine (OWT). The results are useful for offshore structure applications. Different lightweight materials (aluminum foam, agglomerated cork, and polyurethane foam) were investigated using experimental tests and numerical simulations. Closed-cell aluminum foam showed the best performance in terms of the energy absorption capacity during an impact. As such, a Metallic Foam Shell (MFS) device was proposed for the fender of offshore wind …

Spatially Guided Construction Of Multilayered Epidermal Models Recapturing Structural Hierarchy And Cell–Cell Junctions, Haiwei Zhai, Xiaowei Jin, Grayson Minnick, Jordan Rosenbohm, Mohammed Abdul Haleem Hafiz, Ruiguo Yang, Fanben Meng

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

A current challenge in 3D bioprinting of skin equivalents is to recreate the distinct basal and suprabasal layers and promote their direct interactions. Such a structural arrangement is essential to establish 3D stratified epidermis disease models, such as for the autoimmune skin disease pemphigus vulgaris (PV), which targets the cell– cell junctions at the interface of the basal and suprabasal layers. Inspired by epithelial regeneration in wound healing, a method that combines 3D bioprinting and spatially guided self-reorganization of keratinocytes is developed to recapture the fine structural hierarchy that lies in the deep layers of the epidermis.Herein, keratinocyteladen fibrin hydrogels …

Biofilms: Formation, Research Models, Potential Targets, And Methods For Prevention And Treatment, Yajuan Su, Jaime T. Yrastorza, Mitchell Matis, Jenna Cusick, Siwei Zhao, Guangshun Wang, Jingwei Xie

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Due to the continuous rise in biofilm-related infections, biofilms seriously threaten human health. The formation of biofilms makes conventional antibiotics ineffective and dampens immune clearance. Therefore, it is important to understand the mechanisms of biofilm formation and develop novel strategies to treat biofilms more effectively. This review article begins with an introduction to biofilm formation in various clinical scenarios and their corresponding therapy. Established biofilm models used in research are then summarized. The potential targets which may assist in the development of new strategies for combating biofilms are further discussed. The novel technologies developed recently for the prevention and treatment …

Comparative Study Of Tapered Versus Conventional Cylindrical Balloon For Stent Implantation In Stenotic Tapered Artery, Xiang Shen, Jiabao Jiang, Hongfei Zhu, Kaikai Lu, Pengfei Dong, Linxia Gu

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

The natural tapering of coronary arteries often creates a dilemma for optimal balloon sizing during stenting. The influence of different balloon types, namely, a tapered balloon and a conventional cylindrical balloon, on the mechanical performance of the stent as well as arterial mechanics was investigated via the finite element method. Stent free-expansion and stent deployment in a stenotic tapered artery were investigated numerically. The biomechanical behavior of the two balloon types was compared in terms of stent foreshortening, stent deformation, stent stress distribution, and arterial wall stress distribution. Results indicate that balloon types affect the transient behavior of the stent …

Three-Dimensional Printed Abdominal Imaging Windows For In Vivo Imaging Of Deep-Lying Tissues, Mitchell Kuss, Ayrianne J. Crawford, Olawale A. Alimi, Michael A. Hollingsworth, Bin Duan

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

The ability to microscopically image diseased or damaged tissue throughout a longitudinal study in living mice would provide more insight into disease progression than having just a couple of time points to study. In vivo disease development and monitoring provides more insight than in vitro studies as well. In this study, we developed permanent 3D-printed, surgically implantable abdominal imaging windows (AIWs) to allow for longitudinal imaging of deep-lying tissues or organs in the abdominal cavity of living mice. They are designed to prevent organ movement while allowing the animal to behave normally throughout longitudinal studies. The AIW also acts as …

Synthesis And Consolidation Of Metal Oxide Nanocrystals Via Nonthermal Plasma, Austin Cendejas

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Nonthermal plasmas offer a unique nonequilibrium environment that has been leveraged in a wide variety of applications in the fields of material processing, lighting, and waste management to name a few. In all of these cases, the plasma serves as a source of high energy electrons, ions, reactive gas species, and radicals that interact in several ways with surfaces brought into contact with the plasma. Specifically, nonthermal plasmas have been shown to be very successful in achieving continuous, high-throughput, monodisperse nanocrystals of a wide variety of materials. The crystallinity of nanoparticles synthesized in nonthermal plasmas can be attributed to the …

Modeling The Effects Of Mechanical Loading On Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Pathogenesis In Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Derived Micro Heart Muscle, Jingxuan Guo

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Sudden cardiac death in the young is devastating. Advances in genetics have associated mutations in the contractile sarcomere apparatus of cardiomyocytes with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the most frequent cause of sudden cardiac death in the young. Currently, it is challenging to predict genotype-phenotype relationships in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy due to its incomplete disease penetrance. For example, different patients from the same family with identical genomic variants develop different symptoms. Non-genetic, environmental factors such as blood pressure are critical in heart function and disease. Therefore, understanding how mechanical factors contribute to phenotypes in diseases like hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is critical for developing effective therapeutics. …

Plasmonic Nanomaterials-Based Point-Of-Care Biosensors, Rohit Gupta

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Point-of-care (POC) biosensors, although rapid and easy-to-use, are orders magnitude less sensitive than laboratory-based tests. Further they are plagued by poor stability of recognition element thus limiting its widespread applicability in resource-limited settings. Therefore, there is a critical need for realizing stable POC biosensors with sensitivity comparable to gold-standard laboratory-based tests. This challenge constitutes the fundamental basis of this dissertation work– to expand access to quality and accurate biodiagnostic tools. At the heart of these solutions lies plasmonic nanoparticles which exhibit unique optical properties which are attractive for label-free and labelled biosensors.Firstly, we improve the stability and applicability of label-free …

Design Of Multi-Principal Element Materials Using A Combination Of First-Principles Calculations And Machine Learning, Zhaohan Zhang

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Multiple-principal element materials, including alloys (MPEAs), oxides and other compounds combine several elements on a sub-lattice, which increases the configurational entropy and contributes to their thermodynamic stability. The vast combinatorial design space of multi-principal element materials gives rise to diverse microstructures and unprecedent combination of properties. It also poses a challenge—how to rapidly screen MPEAs with stability and properties for targeted applications. Furthermore, fundamental composition-structure-property relationships in MPEAs are currently missing. In this dissertation, I have used MPEAs as a representative system and investigated the role of chemical composition on their phase-stability and mechanical properties. With a combination of first-principles …

The Generation And Transport Of Charged Aerosols: Fundamental Study And Applications In Medicine And Energy Conversion, Hao Zhou

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Charged aerosols have significant implications in the field of functional material synthesis, pharmaceutical coating, and drug delivery. Electrospray systems are an effective methodology for generating highly charged monodispersed droplets in the size range from nanometer to micrometer. The prediction of surface charge, size and morphology of nanoparticles resulting from charged droplets are highly required for the precise control of nanoparticle properties and their effective utilization. However, the evolution of charged droplet is not well understood due to the existence of coulombic fission and ion evaporation processes. Thus, the goal of this dissertation is to elucidate how the precursor properties and …

Soft Electronics And Sensors For Wearable Healthcare Applications, Li-Wei Lo

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Wearable electronics are becoming increasingly essential to personalized medicine by collecting and analyzing massive amounts of biological signals from internal organs, muscles, and blood vessels. Conventional rigid electronics may lead to motion artifacts and errors in collected data due to the mismatches in mechanical properties between human skin. Instead, soft wearable electronics provide a better platform and interface that can form intimate contact and conformably adapt to human skin. In this respect, this thesis focuses on new materials formulation, fabrication, characterization of low-cost, high sensitivity and reliable sensors for wearable health monitoring applications.

More specifically, we have studied the silver …

Testing Oxygenated Microbubbles Via Intraperitoneal And Intrathoracic Routes On A Large Pig Model Of Lps-Induced Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Riaz Ur Rehman Mohammed, Nathaniel T. Zollinger, Andrea R. Mccain, Roser Romaguera-Matas, Seth P. Harris, Keely L. Buesing, Mark A. Borden, Benjamin S. Terry

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

With a mortality rate of 46% before the onset of COVID-19, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) affected 200,000 people in the US, causing 75,000 deaths. Mortality rates in COVID-19 ARDS patients are currently at 39%. Extrapulmonary support for ARDS aims to supplement mechanical ventilation by providing life-sustaining oxygen to the patient. A new rapid-onset, human-sized pig ARDS model in a porcine intensive care unit (ICU) was developed. The pigs were nebulized intratracheally with a high dose (4 mg/kg) of the endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS) over a 2 h duration to induce rapid-onset moderate-to- severe ARDS. They were then catheterized to monitor …

Vibrating Flexoelectric Micro-Beams As Angular Rate Sensors, Yilin Qu, Feng Jin, Jiashi S. Yang

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

We studied flexoelectrically excited/detected bending vibrations in perpendicular directions of a micro-beam spinning about its axis. A set of one-dimensional equations was derived and used in a theoretical analysis. It is shown that the Coriolis effect associated with the spin produces an electrical output proportional to the angular rate of the spin when it is small. Thus, the beam can be used as a gyroscope for angular rate sensing. Compared to conventional piezoelectric beam gyroscopes, the flexoelectric beam proposed and analyzed has a simpler structure.

Vibrating Flexoelectric Micro-Beams As Angular Rate Sensors, Yilin Qu, Feng Jin, Jiashi S. Yang

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

We studied flexoelectrically excited/detected bending vibrations in perpendicular directions of a micro-beam spinning about its axis. A set of one-dimensional equations was derived and used in a theoretical analysis. It is shown that the Coriolis effect associated with the spin produces an electrical output proportional to the angular rate of the spin when it is small. Thus, the beam can be used as a gyroscope for angular rate sensing. Compared to conventional piezoelectric beam gyroscopes, the flexoelectric beam proposed and analyzed has a simpler structure.