V. S. Nirmalanandhan¹, J. T. Shearn¹, N. Juncosa-Melvin¹, M. Rao¹, A. Jain¹, C. Gooch¹, D. L. Butler¹

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.3, No.4, pp. 131-134, 2006, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2006.003.131

Abstract This article has no abstract. More >

Kyle Kurpinski^1,2,3, Jennifer Park^1,2,3, Rahul G. Thakar^1,2,3, Song Li^1,2

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.3, No.1, pp. 21-34, 2006, DOI:10.3970/mcb.2006.003.021

Abstract Vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) populate in the media of the blood vessel, and play an important role in the control of vasoactivity and the remodeling of the vessel wall. Blood vessels are constantly subjected to hemodynamic stresses, and the pulsatile nature of the blood flow results in a cyclic mechanical strain in the vessel walls. Accumulating evidence in the past two decades indicates that mechanical strain regulates vascular SMC phenotype, function and matrix remodeling. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) is a potential cell source for vascular regeneration therapy, and may be used to More >

E. Takai¹, R. Landesberg², R.W. Katz², C.T. Hung³, X.E Guo^1,4

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.3, No.1, pp. 1-12, 2006, DOI:10.3970/mcb.2006.003.001

Abstract Osteoblast interactions with extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins are known to influence many cell functions, which may ultimately affect osseointegration of implants with the host bone tissue. Some adhesion-mediated events include activation of focal adhesion kinase, and subsequent changes in the cytoskeleton and cell morphology, which may lead to changes in adhesion strength and cell responsiveness to mechanical stimuli. In this study we examined focal adhesion kinase activation (FAK), F-actin cytoskeleton reorganization, adhesion strength, and osteoblast responsiveness to fluid shear when adhered to type I collagen (ColI), glass, poly-L-lysine (PLL), fibronectin (FN), vitronectin (VN), and serum… More >

H. K. Ching^1,2, J. K. Chen²

CMES-Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences, Vol.13, No.3, pp. 199-218, 2006, DOI:10.3970/cmes.2006.013.199

Abstract The Meshless Local Petrov-Galerkin (MLPG) method is a novel numerical approach similar to finite element methods, but it allows the construction of the shape function and domain discretization without defining elements. In this study, the MLPG analysis for transient thermomechanical response of a functionally graded composite heated by Gaussian laser beams is presented. The composite is modeled as a 2-D strip which consists of metal and ceramic phases with the volume fraction varying over the thickness. Two sets of the micromechanical models are employed for evaluating the effective material properties, respectively. Numerical results are presented More >

S. Smaoui¹, A. Ben Hamida¹, I. Djeran-Maigre², H. Dumontet¹

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.4, No.3, pp. 153-162, 2006, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2006.004.153

Abstract An iterative homogenization approach is proposed in order to predict the nonlinear hydro-mechanical behaviour of porous media. This process is coupled to classical and modified secant extended methods and linear homogenization predictive schemes. At convergence of the iterative process, same equivalent behaviour is obtained for any secant method, any simplified homogenization used for the linear comparison material and for any initial porosity of the media. An application to the study of the nonlinear behaviour of clayey sediments is presented. The model parameters quantification is based on oedometric experimental results for different clays. More >

Chih-Ping Wu¹, Yun-Siang Syu

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.4, No.2, pp. 87-108, 2006, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2006.004.087

Abstract Based on the three-dimensional (3D) piezoelectricity, we presented asymptotic solutions for multilayered piezoelectric hollow cylinders using the method of perturbation. The material properties in the general formulation are firstly regarded to be heterogeneous through the thickness, and then specified as the layerwise step functions in the cases of multilayered cylinders. The transverse normal load and normal electric displacement are respectively applied on the lateral surfaces of the cylinders. The boundary conditions of cylinders are considered to be simply supported at the two edges. In the formulation the twenty-two basic equations of piezoelectricity are reduced to More >

L. Gornet¹, S. Marguet², G. Marckmann³

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.4, No.2, pp. 63-74, 2006, DOI:10.3970/cmc.2006.004.063

Abstract The purpose of the present study is to determine the components of the effective elasticity tensor and the failure properties of Nomex^® honeycomb cores. In order to carry out this study, the NidaCore software, a program dedicated to Nomex®Cores predictions, has been developed using the Finite Element tool Cast3M-CEA. This software is based on periodic homogenization techniques and on the modelling of structural instability phenomena. The homogenization of the periodic microstructure is realized thanks to a strain energy approach. It assumes the mechanical equivalence between the microstructures of a RVE and a similar homogeneous macroscopic volume.… More >

C. Braccesi¹, F. Cianetti¹, G. Lori¹, D. Pioli¹

Structural Durability & Health Monitoring, Vol.1, No.4, pp. 277-290, 2005, DOI:10.3970/sdhm.2005.001.277

Abstract This paper describes an original frequency method for fatigue life estimation of mechanical components subjected to random inputs. Currently mechanical components life design under random loads is an important task of the research, due to the increasing importance of virtual simulation in opposition to the experimental tests. The frequency domain approach, in this context, seems to be able to supply reliable estimations with small computational effort. The proposed method belongs to the class of corrective coefficient to narrow-band formula methods and it has been thought for bimodal PSDs. The definition of the generalized bimodal processes and More >

Wei Zhang^1,2, Carly Herrera¹, Satya N. Atluri¹, Ghassan S. Kassab^2,3

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.2, No.1, pp. 41-52, 2005, DOI:10.3970/mcb.2005.002.041

Abstract It is well known that blood vessels shorten axially when excised. This is due to the perivascular tethering constraint by side branches and the existence of pre-stretch of blood vessels at the \textit {in situ} state. Furthermore, vessels are radially constrained to various extents by the surrounding tissues at physiological loading. Our hypothesis is that the axial pre-stretch and radial constraint by the surrounding tissue homogenizes the stress and strain distributions in the vessel wall. A finite element analysis of porcine coronary artery and rabbit thoracic aorta based on measured material properties, geometry, residual strain More >

Christopher A. Lemmon^1,2, Nathan J. Sniadecki³, Sami Alom Ruiz^1,3, John L. Tan, Lewis H. Romer^2,4,5, Christopher S. Chen^3,4

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.2, No.1, pp. 1-16, 2005, DOI:10.3970/mcb.2005.002.001

Abstract The interplay of mechanical forces between the extracellular environment and the cytoskeleton drives development, repair, and senescence in many tissues. Quantitative definition of these forces is a vital step in understanding cellular mechanosensing. Microfabricated post array detectors (mPADs) provide direct measurements of cell-generated forces during cell adhesion to extracellular matrix. A new approach to mPAD post labeling, volumetric imaging, and an analysis of post bending mechanics determined that cells apply shear forces and not point moments at the matrix interface. In addition, these forces could be accurately resolved from post deflections by using images of More >