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A composite material with a porous inorganic-nonmetallic matrix and a second material, characterized in that said porous inorganic-nonmetallic matrix has a bending strength of >=40 MPa as measured according to ISO 6 872; said second material is an organic material which at least partly fills the pores of said porous matrix; and said composite material has a modulus of elasticity, E, of >=25 GPa as measured according to ISO 10 477.
High loads can appear in the individual joints of the human foot while the driver uses the pedals, in particular, during breaking. Measuring these internal forces is very difficult or almost impossible; therefore, advanced models are necessary to perform musculoskeletal simulations. The objective of this investigation was to see what loads are acting in the individual foot joints from the phalanges to calcaneus and talus during different brake scenarios. The Glasgow-Maastricht AnyBody Foot Model with 26 separate segments, connected by joints, ligaments and muscles was used inside the AnyBody Modeling System to compute individual mid foot joint loads. The amount, the direction of the force and additionally also the load insertion point was varied for several simulations. Figure 1: Seated musculoskeletal body model with applied brake force and forces for the lateral, intermediate and medial cuneiform-navicular joint for two different brake forces. The simulation showed that for the different brake scenarios, different muscles will be activated in the human and therefore different loads are apply in the fore-and mid-foot, respectively. The torso of the subject was assumed to be fixed in the seat. Further studies are ongoing to simulate the seat as an elastic element that allows different H-point locations according to the different loadings in the foot from the brake pedal using a new inverse dynamics analysis method called force-dependent kinematics.
Effects of Deep Rolling on the Fatigue Behavior of Ti-6Al-4V at Ambient and Elevated Temperatures
(2003)
Mechanical surface treatments, such as deep rolling, shot peening and laser shock peening, can significantly improve the fatigue behavior of highly stressed metallic components. Deep rolling is an especially attractive technique since it is possible to generate deep, near-surface compressive residual stresses and work hardening while retaining a relatively smooth surface finish. Indeed, this technique is best known for increasing the fatigue strength and lifetime of steel components such as crankshafts. Although most work on deep rolling has been on steels, recently it has also been applied with reasonable success to titanium alloys. Accordingly, in this investigation, we examine the effect of deep rolling on the high-cycle fatigue behavior of Ti-6Al-4V, with particular emphasis on the thermal and mechanical stability of the residual stress states and near-surface microstructures. Preliminary results on laser shock peened Ti-6Al-4V are also presented for comparison. In addition, we examine whether these surface treatments are effective in retaining fatigue strength at the higher temperatures of 300 to 450C. Based on the cyclic deformation and stress/life behavior, together with the X-ray and microstructural observations, it is found that deep rolling can be quite effective in retarding the initiation and initial propagation of fatigue cracks in Ti-6Al-4V at such higher temperatures, despite the almost complete relaxation of the residual stresses at the surface. This clearly implies that, in addition to residual stresses, near-surface microstructures, which in Ti-6Al-4V consist of ultrafine near-surface nanostructures, play a critical role in the enhancement of fatigue lifetimes by mechanical surface treatments.
Introduction The most well known effect of mechanical surface treatments on metallic materials is the improvement in fatigue properties. It is therefore not surprising that most of the archival literature on mechanical surface treatments, such as shot peening, deep rolling and laser shock peening, deals with the effect of near-surface properties on fatigue behavior. Most of these studies, however, are confined to room temperature fatigue behavior; in comparision, the effect of mechanical surface treatment on fatigue behavior at high temperatures has been rarely investigated [1-5]. The reason for this disparity can be found in the popular belief that fatigue strength improvement by mechanical surface treatments is mainly due to the presence of compressive residual stresses, and since such stresses should anneal out at elevated temperatures, mechanical surface treatments for high temperature applications would appear questionable. However, this view may be over simplistic as there is always a possibility that the residual stresses may be at least partially stable at elevated temperatures [6]; in addition, other factors may be involved, such as the nature of the near-surface microstructure. Accordingly, it is the objective of this study to examine the role of mechanical surface treatments on the high temperature fatigue behavior of several metallic engineering materials. Moreover, it is the aim of this work to clarify what are the critical temperature "thresholds' at which near-surface microstructures and residual stresses become unstable and whether this can explain the observed fatigue behavior.
Mechanical surface treatments such as deep rolling or laser-shock peening can markedly affect the cyclic performance of light-weight alloys, especially if significant thick work hardened surface regions are induced. At room temperature, the cyclic deformation behaviour is strongly influenced by the nature of the induced near-surface microstructures provided that they remain stable during fatigue loading. At elevated temperatures, the stability of near-surface work hardening and local microstructures plays an even more important role since the process-induced residual compressive stresses are likely to anneal out partially or completely. This overview illustrates to what extent deep rolling can effect the cyclic performance of various wrought light alloys being fatigue loaded in stress control at ambient and elevated temperatures.
Zünd- und Brennverhalten von Pflanzenölkraftstoff und Übertragung auf einen Motor der Abgasstufe V
(2020)
Durch den Ersatz von Dieselkraftstoff durch Rapsölkraftstoff (R100) können Treibhausgasemissionen reduziert werden. Für einen störungsfreien Betrieb eines Motors mit Rapsölkraftstoff sind jedoch Modifikationen an Motorkomponenten und Motorsteuergerät notwendig, um eine effiziente Verbrennung im Motor zu erreichen.
Ziel des Vorhabens ist die Erarbeitung von Grundlagen zur Auslegung der Motorsteuerung pflanzenöltauglicher Offroad-Motoren mit moderner Abgasnachbehandlung mit anschließender entsprechender Abstimmung der Motorapplikation am Prüfstand. Grundlegende Untersuchungen der physikalischen Prozessabläufe von R100 bei der Einspritzung werden an einem hydraulischen Druckanstiegsanalysator (HDA) und einer Hochdruck-Hochtemperatur-Kammer (HDHT-Kammer) durchgeführt. Unterschiede im Zünd- und Brennverhalten werden in einer Konstantvolumenbrennkammer untersucht. Abschließend werden die Erkenntnisse am Motorenprüfstand auf einen DEUTZ-Motor übertragen, dessen Einspritzsystem auch bei den grundlegenden Untersuchungen verwendet wurde.
Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass das Einspritzverhalten von R100 eine höhere Sensitivität gegenüber Kraftstofftemperaturvariationen aufweist als Dieselkraftstoff. Bei niedrigen raftstofftemperaturen sind mit R100 ein längerer Öffnungsverzug und eine geringere Einspritzmenge festzustellen. Um diesen Einfluss bei der Einspritzstrategie zu kompensieren, ist die Kenntnis der Kraftstofftemperatur im Injektor notwendig. Eine weitere Herausforderung stellt die Gemischaufbereitung dar, hier führen unter anderem die höhere Viskosität und höhere Siedetemperaturen von R100 zu einem schmäleren Spritzwinkel und verzögerter Verdampfung im Vergleich zum Dieselkraftstoff. Eine Erhöhung des Einspritzdrucks und höhere Temperaturen und Drücke in der Brennkammer verbessern die Gemischaufbereitung.
Bei Bedingungen von mittlerer und hoher Last ist der Zündverzug von R100 kürzer und das Verbrennungsverhalten ähnlich zum Dieselkraftstoff. Eine geringere Wärmefreisetzung von R100 wird durch den geringeren Heizwert verursacht. Unter Bedingungen von niedriger Last und Motorstart ist ein längerer Zündverzug von R100 im Vergleich zum Dieselkraftstoff festzustellen. Eine Steigerung des Einspritzdrucks und höhere Brennkammerdrücke und -temperaturen führen bei beiden Kraftstoffen zu kürzeren Zündverzügen, der Einfluss dieser Parameter ist jedoch für R100 stärker als für Dieselkraftstoff. Voreinspritzungen führen bei beiden Kraftstoffen zu einer Verkürzung des Zündverzugs der Haupteinspritzung und zu einer geringeren Wärmefreisetzungsrate.
Am Motorprüfstand ist bei gleicher Motorapplikation mit R100 eine geringere Leistung als mit Dieselkraftstoff festzustellen. Nach Angleichung der Motorleistung durch Anhebung der Einspritzmenge von R100 sind im Rohabgas Stickstoffoxid (NOX)- und Kohlenstoffmonoxidemissionen auf gleichem Niveau zu Dieselkraftstoff zu beobachten sowie geringere Partikelemissionen. Unter Verwendung eines DoE Vorgehens kann der Partikel-NOX - trade-off von R100 optimiert und Einstellparameter gefunden werden, in denen sowohl niedrigere NOX als auch niedrigere Partikelemissionen im Vergleich zum Dieselkraftstoff resultieren.
Das installierte Abgasnachbehandlungssystem, bestehend aus einem Dieseloxidationskatalysator (DOC), Dieselpartikelfilter (DPF) und selektivem katalytischem Reduktionssystem (SCR), arbeitet für beide Kraftstoffe ähnlich und es scheint keine Anpassung der Dosierungsstrategie der wässrigen Harnstofflösung notwendig zu sein. Eine Regeneration des Partikelfilters mit R100 war nach Optimierung der Einstellparameter der Drosselklappe möglich.
Motorkaltstart und Leerlauf sind herausfordernde Betriebsphasen, die für R100 einer weiteren Optimierung bedürfen. Eine Temperierung von R100 im Injektor auf 50–60 °C sowie eine Kompensation der Einspritzmenge in Abhängigkeit von der Kraftstofftemperatur sind mögliche Verbesserungsmaßnahmen. Zudem kann durch einen früheren Einspritzbeginn von R100 das Verbrennungsverhalten angepasst werden. Die Motorprüfstandsuntersuchungen bestätigen qualitativ die Erkenntnisse die mit dem hydraulischen Druckanstiegsanalysator (HDA), der Hochdruck-Hochtemperatur-Kammer (HDHT-Kammer) und der Konstantvolumenbrennkammer gewonnen wurden.
Weitere Untersuchungen sind notwendig, um die Ergebnisse auf einen baugleichen, in einer mobilen Arbeitsmaschine eingebauten Motor zu transferieren, damit Informationen zur Dauerhaltbarkeit unter realen Bedingungen erhalten werden können. Weiterführende Forschungsarbeiten sind im Bereich der Betriebsphasen des Motorkaltstarts und Leerlaufs mit Rapsölkraftstoff nötig, um einen dauerhaft störungsfreien Betrieb in diesen Betriebsphasen zu erreichen. Die erzielten Erkenntnisse deuten darauf hin, dass hier noch viel Verbesserungspotenzial vorhanden ist.
The use of alternative fuels in high-power non-road mobile machinery (NRMM) combustion engines is a possible way to substitute fossil fuel. By using pure vegetable oil fuels, like rapeseed oil fuel (DIN 51605), the greenhouse gases can be reduced effectively. Due to the differences in physical and chemical properties, a modification of the engine control unit calibration is necessary to adapt the working process on the fuel. Without modifications, the engine power output with rapeseed oil fuel is lower than with diesel fuel because of the smaller energy content. By adapting the engine settings, like the injection fuel mass, the power loss can be compensated but it accompanies with a higher fuel consumption. The engine emissions at part load conditions show, that there are benefits in particle emissions by using rapeseed oil at similar NOx emissions. Therefore, a design of experiment setup was initiated on a selected engine operation point to determine the effects of further parameters, like rail pressure, manifold pressure and injection pattern, on the process and to see the potential of an optimized calibration.
In this paper, first results regarding the realization of laser-based hot-melt bonding of additive manufactured plastics parts to metal sheets for strong and tight multi-material joints are presented. Compared to earlier investigations, in which nearly solely extruded plastic materials were applied, the use of additive manufactured plastics complements the research field with a promising approach. Besides the typical advantages of multi-material joints regarding weight reduction and high strengths, such parts can meet the needs of constructional freedom and the avoiding of tool costs. Materials used for this paper are aluminum (AlMg3), stainless steel (1.4301) and polyamide 12 (PA12). The performed experiments resulting in multi-material joints between metal and polyamide. The realized specimens undergo a tensile shear test and a tightness test, in which the characteristics of the joints are determined.
The use of thermoplastics in lightweight construction is continuing to grow. This implies the need for suitable joining techniques to combine thermoplastics with other materials, such as metals, to gain tailored multi-material parts. In this paper latest results of experimental investigations on laser-based hot-melt bonding and injection molding for laser-structured metal plastic hybrids are presented. As materials stainless steel and short-fiber reinforced polyamide are used. The stainless steel surface is structured with a nanosecond pulse laser before joining to improve the mechanical adhesion between the dissimilar materials. Thereby, different structure depths in the range between 16.6 ± 1.2 µm and 66.5 ± 2.5 µm as well as different hatch distances between 70 and 300 µm are realized. The laser-based joining process is carried out irradiating the metallic surface multiple times. Positioned below the metal in T-joint configuration, the thermoplastic melts as a result of heat transfer and acts as hot-melt cohesive. Besides, hybrid joints are manufactured using injection molding. For experiments, the mold temperature as well as the melt temperature are varied. Regardless of the joining process, the hybrid joints are mechanically characterized by tensile tests. The results demonstrate that for both joining processes strong laser-structured metal plastic hybrids can be realized.
Die vorliegende Arbeit befasst sich mit Untersuchungen zur thermischen Ermüdung der Magnesiumbasislegierung AZ31 im Temperaturbereich zwischen +50°C und +290°C. Die Experimente erfolgten unter konstanter Totaldeformation (out-of-phase-Beanspruchung) und es wurde der Verlauf der Spannungsamplitude sowie der plastischen Dehnungsamplitude über die Zahl der Temperaturzyklen ermittelt. Insbesondere wurde der Einfluss einer mechanischen Oberflächenbehandlung (Festwalzen) sowie von Haltezeiten auf den Verlauf der Schädigung untersucht. In beiden Fällen konnte kein signifikanter Unterschied zu unbehandelten Proben bzw. Beanspruchungen ohne Haltezeit festgestellt werden, welches auf die Wechselwirkungen zwischen Verformungs- und Rekristallisationsprozessen bei der thermischen Ermüdung zurückzuführen ist.
In this work, an integrated vehicle control system (IC) is tested in run-off-road scenarios. The integrated approach was employed in order to coordinate vehicle control systems, i.e. the Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS), Four-wheel Steering (4WS) and the Electronic Stability Program (ESP). To perform a run-off-road maneuver, a fuzzy virtual test driver was designed. By receiving the lateral position of an obstacle and the vehicle’s relative yaw angle, the virtual test driver is capable of following a reference trajectory. Furthermore, to test the performance of the standalone controllers, i.e. ABS, ESP and 4WS, individual maneuvers are performed using a multibody vehicle model. The vehicle without any coordination between the control systems is used as reference. For the simulation results, it is concluded that the IC improves the vehicle stability and maneuverability in comparison with the non-integrated approach.
The Twistbeam axle suspension is a cheap and robust layout for rear axles at front wheel driven midsize cars. Appropriate models have to take the elastic deformation of the torsion beam into account. A Finite Element approach requires detailed informations of the material properties and the shape which are usually only available in the final production stage. This paper presents a lumped mass model which can easily be integrated into a multibody vehicle model and can be used in the early stage of development. An approximation by the design kinematics further reduces the complexity of the model and considers only the kinematic properties of the Twistbeam suspension. Simulations using a nonlinear and three-dimensional vehicle model with different maneuvers, such as steady-state cornering, step steer input, and driving straight ahead on random road, demonstrate the performance and, in particular, the difference of the presented Twistbeam suspension models.
Nowadays, new technologies are pushing the road vehicle limits further. Promising applications, e.g., self-driving cars, require a suitable control system that can maintain the vehicle’s stability in critical scenarios. In most of current cars, the control systems actuates independently, meaning there is not a coordination or data sharing between them. This approach can produce a conflict between these standalone controllers and thus, no improvements on the vehicle’s stability are achieved or even a worse scenario can be generated. In order to overcome these problems, an integrated approach is developed in this work. This integration, defined in this work as Integrated Control (IC), is done by an intelligence coordination of all standalone controllers inside the vehicle, i.e., Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Stability Program (ESP) and Four-Wheel Steering System (4WS). The ABS model was built using Fuzzy logic, for which only three rules were necessary to get a good performance. To design the ESP and the 4WS, the simple handling vehicle model was used as a reference behavior. The IC was designed using the hierarchical approach with two layers, i.e., the upper and lower layer. The upper one, observes the side slip angle and depends of its value the upper layer triggers the ESP or the 4WS. Finally, in order to prove the improvements of the IC system over the non-integrated approach, a full-size vehicle model was used to perform simulation in run-off-road and μ-split scenarios.
The numerical simulation of penetration into sand is one of the most challenging problems in computational geomechanics. The paper presents an arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) finite element method for plane and axisymmetric quasi-static penetration into sand which overcomes the problems associated with the classical approaches. An operator-split is applied which breaks up solution of the governing equations over a time step into a Lagrangian step, a mesh motion step, and a transport step. A unique feature of the ALE method is an advanced hypoplastic rate constitutive equation to realistically predict stress and density changes within the material even at large deformations. In addition, an efficient optimization-based algorithm has been implemented to smooth out the non-convexly distorted mesh regions that occur below a penetrator. Applications to shallow penetration and pile penetration are given which make use of the developments.
Football players have a high risk of leg muscle injuries, especially when exposed to mental stress. Injuries to muscles of the thigh are common in amateur and professional football, representing almost a third of all injuries. These injuries occur primarily in non-contact situations and from overuse. They can lead to a range of costs, including financial costs associated with treatment as well as those associated with long-term recovery, and absence from training and/or competition. Further, there is a high risk of injury recurrence and subsequent injury.
Für Fußballer:innen stellen muskuläre Verletzungen der unteren Extremitäten ein großes Problem dar. Ein Beispiel hierfür liefert die Nationalmannschaftsstürmerin Alexandra Popp, die aufgrund muskulärer Probleme das EM-Finale 2022 in Wembley kurzfristig verpasste. Oftmals stehen gerade hohe Anspannungssituationen in zeitlichem Zusammenhang mit Verletzungen, der Einfluss der psychischen Beanspruchung auf die biomechanischen Belastungen wird jedoch meist nur wenig beachtet.
Soccer is one of the most popular sports all around the world. It is an injurious type of sport with a focus on lower extremities and high psychological pressure during matches. The stressor is linked with injuries and an increased musculoskeletal loading. This study investigates the influence of cognitive stress on the load profile of the knee joint. Twelve professional youth soccer players performed highly dynamic runs with and without additional cognitive stress. The runs were analysed with a musculoskeletal simulation software. The data analysis shows no difference in knee joint reaction loading under additional mental stress compared to the baseline. Yet running times are significantly lower in the baseline. While there is no increase in the joint loads, the running times indicate an altered movement behaviour when the subjects are exposed to additional mental demand.
Mental stress reduces performance and changes musculoskeletal loading in football-related movements
(2020)
Purpose:
Football players have a high risk of leg muscle injuries, especially when exposed to mental stress. Hence, this study investigated the musculoskeletal response of elite youth football players during highly dynamic movements under stress. The hypothesis is that mental stress reduces performance and changes the muscular forces exerted.
Materials & methods:
Twelve elite youth football players were subjected to mental stress while performing sports-specific change-of-direction movements. A modified version of the d2 attention test was used as stressor. The kinetics are computed using inverse dynamics. Running times and exerted forces of injury-prone muscles were analysed.
Results:
The stressor runs were rated more mentally demanding by the players (p = 0.006, rs = 0.37) with unchanged physical demand (p = 0.777, rs = 0.45). This resulted in 10% longer running times under stress (p < 0.001, d = −1.62). The musculoskeletal analysis revealed higher peak muscle forces under mental stress for some players but not for others.
Discussion:
The study shows that motion capture combined with musculoskeletal computation is suitable to analyse the effects of stress on athletes in highly dynamic movements. For the first time in football medicine, our data quantifies an association between mental stress with reduced football players’ performance and changes in muscle force.
Evaluation of muscle recruitment and muscle models in musculoskeletal simulation of dynamic motion
(2021)
Musculoskeletal simulation plays an increasingly important role in sports biomechanics. In the last years, the field of application widened from orthopaedics and ergonomics to sports [1]. A muscle recruitment algorithm with a quadratic objective function is usually used to calculate muscle activity in dynamic movements. The agreement of calculated and measured thigh muscle activity has already been investigated [2]. They found a strong agreement for sprinting and running, while the correlation decreased for side-cutting manoeuvres. Nevertheless, the influence of different muscle recruitment criteria on muscle activity in dynamic musculoskeletal simulations is currently unknown. Hence, this study aimed to analyse the effect of different muscle recruitment criteria and muscle models on the correlation of numerical and measured muscle activity in highly dynamic movements.
Football players have a high risk of leg muscle injuries, especially when exposed to mental stress. Injuries to muscles of the thigh are common in amateur and professional football, representing almost a third of all injuries. These injuries occur primarily in non-contact situations and from overuse. They can lead to a range of costs, including financial costs associated with treatment as well as those associated with long-term recovery, and absence from training and/or competition. Further, there is a high risk of injury recurrence and subsequent injury.
Exoskeletons were invented over 100 years ago but have only become popular in the last two decades, especially in the working industry as they can decrease work-related loads significantly. The most often used exoskeletons are for the lower back and shoulder since these are commonly affected body regions. All devices have in common that their purpose is to reduce internal loads of vulnerable body regions. Nevertheless, there is still little understanding on how biomechanical loading in the human body changes when exoskeletons are used. Therefore, further analyses are needed. A promising candidate for these are musculoskeletal models, which are based on an inverse dynamics approach and can calculate external parameters such as ground reaction forces or other interaction forces as well as internal parameters such as joint reaction forces or muscle activities. The various examples in the literature show that these models are increasingly used for assessing the biomechanical effects of exoskeletons on the human body. Furthermore, musculoskeletal models can calculate biomechanical loadings of humans with and without exoskeletons for all kinds of applications and allow an evaluation of their purpose.
Practical Relevance: This article highlights the possibilities of musculoskeletal models for assessing the design and efficiency of occupational exoskeletons. Several practical use cases are described along with distinct descriptions of common implications of musculoskeletal and exoskeleton modeling.
BACKGROUND:
Validation and verification of multibody musculoskeletal models sEMG is a difficult process because of the reliability of sEMG data and the complex relationship of muscle force and sEMG.
OBJECTIVE:
This work aims at comparing experimentally recorded and simulated muscle activities considering a numerical model for crosstalk. METHODS:
For providing an experimentally derived reference data set, subjects were performing elevations of the arm, where the activities of the contemplated muscle groups were measured by sEMG sensors. Computed muscle activities were further processed and transformed into an artificial electromyographical signal, which includes a numerical crosstalk model. In order to determine whether the crosstalk model provides a better agreement with the measured muscle activities, the Pearson correlation coefficient has been computed as a qualitative way of assessing the curve progression of the data sets.
RESULTS:
The results show an improvement in the correlation coefficient between the experimental data and the simulated muscle activities when taking crosstalk into account.
CONCLUSIONS:
Although the correlation coefficient increased when the crosstalk model was utilized, it is questionable if the discretization of both, the crosstalk and the musculoskeletal model, is accurate enough.
Based on electromyographic data and force measurements within the shoulder joint, there is an indication that muscle and resulting joint reaction forces keep increasing over an abduction angle of 90°. In inverse dynamics models, no single parameter could be attributed to simulate this force behaviour accordingly. The aim of this work is to implement kinematic, kinetic and muscle model modifications to an existing model of the shoulder (AnyBody™) and assess their single and combined effects during abduction up to 140° humeral elevation. The kinematics and the EMG activity of 10 test subjects were measured during humeral abduction. Six modifications were implemented in the model: alternative wrapping of the virtual deltoid muscle elements, utilization of a three element Hill model, strength scaling, motion capture driven clavicle elevation/protraction, translation of the GH joint in dependency of the acting forces and an alteration of the scapula/clavicle rhythm. From the six modifications, 16 different combinations were considered. Parameter combinations with the Hill model changed the resultant GH joint reaction force and led to an increase in force during abduction of the humerus above 90°. Under the premise of muscle activities and forces within the GH joint rising after 90° of humeral abduction, we propose that the Hill type muscle model is a crucial parameter for accurately modelling the shoulder. Furthermore, the outcome of this study indicates that the Hill model induces the co-contraction of the muscles of the shoulder without the need of an additional stability criterion for an inverse dynamics approach.
Musculoskeletal modelling of the shoulder – effects on muscle recruitment and joint reaction force
(2019)
The gold standard for the analysis of human kinematics and kinetics is a camera-based motion capture system in combination with force measurement platforms. Alternatively, inertial measurement units can be utilized to obtain human kinematics, while ground reaction forces are computed from full body dynamics. This setup represents a system independent from the spatial confinement of a gait laboratory. The aim of this study is the comparison of the two methods by the investigation of lower limb kinematics and the resulting joint reaction forces within the ankle-, knee- and hip joints. For this purpose, human motion during gait was captured simultaneously by both measurement techniques. 13 trials from 8 different test subjects were evaluated in total. IMU data was processed with a quaternion based Kalman Filter. The data sets were implemented into a musculoskeletal simulation program in order to drive a virtual human body model. Each sensor was aligned to the gravitational and magnetic field vectors of the earth. The angles of flexions, extensions and rotations were analyzed to determine kinematic differences. Joint reaction forces defined kinetic dissimilarities. The overall kinematic differences of both models yielded root mean square errors of 7.62°, 6.02°, 4.95°, 2.79°, 2.38° and 3.56° for ankle flexion, subtalar eversion, knee flexion, hip external rotation, hip abduction and hip flexion, respectively. The proximo-distal differences in force peaks between the models yielded overall for the ankle, 57.33 %Bodyweight(BW) ± 46.86 %BW (16.66 %(Maximum peak to peak) ± 13.62 %) for the knee 37.09 %BW ± 29.33 %BW (17.65 % ± 15.44 %) and 32.03 %BW ± 24.33 %BW (15.6 % ± 12.54 %) for the hip. The overall outcome of this work investigated an approach independent of the common setup of the gait laboratory, thus enabling a cheaper and more flexible technology as an alternative. However, kinematic and thus kinetic differences remain rather large. Future work aims to improve the contact criterion for the calculation of the ground reaction forces and the implementation of a full-body calibration algorithm for the IMU system in order to counteract magnetic field disturbances.
Musculoskeletal models of the shoulder complex are valuable research aids to investigate tears of the supraspinatus and the resulting mechanical impact during abduction of the humerus. One of the major contributors to this motion is the deltoid muscle group and for this, an accurate modeling of the lines of action is indispensable. The aim of this work was to utilize a torus obstacle wrapping approach for the deltoids of an existing shoulder model and assess the feasibility of the approach during humeral abduction. The shoulder model from the AnyBody™ modeling system was used as a platform. The size of the tori is based on a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) approach and several kinematic couplings are implemented to determine the trajectories of the tori during abduction. To assess the model behavior, the moment arms of the virtual muscle elements and the resultant glenohumeral joint reaction force (GHJF) were compared with reference data from the literature during abduction of the humerus in the range 20°–120°. The root mean square error for the anterior, lateral and posterior part between the simulated muscle elements and reference data from the literature was 3.9, 1.7 and 5.8 mm, respectively. The largest deviation occurred on the outer elements of the muscle groups, with 12.6, 10.4 and 20.5 mm, respectively. During abduction, there is no overlapping of the muscle elements and these are in continuous contact with the torus obstacles, thus enabling a continuous force transmission. This results in a rising trend of the resultant GHJF.
The torus obstacle approach as a wrapping method for the deltoid muscles provides a guided muscle pathing by simultaneously approximating the curvature of the deltoid muscle. The results from the comparison of the simulated moment arms and the resultant GHJF are in accordance with those in the literature in the range 20°–120° of abduction.
Although this study shows the strength of the torus obstacle as a wrapping approach, the method of fitting the tori according to MRI data was not suitable. A cadaver study is recommended to better validate and mathematically describe the torus approach.
Degradation and release of tannic acid from an injectable tissue regeneration bead matrix in vivo
(2021)
The development of multifunctional biomaterials as both tissue regeneration and drug delivery devices is currently a major focus in biomedical research. Tannic Acid (TA), a naturally occurring plant polyphenol, displays unique medicinal abilities as an antioxidant, an antibiotic, and as an anticancer agent. TA has applications in biomaterials acting as a crosslinker in polymer hydrogels improving thermal stability and mechanical properties. We have developed injectable cell seeded collagen beads crosslinked with TA for breast reconstruction and anticancer activity following lumpectomy. This study determined the longevity of the bead implants by establishing a degradation time line and TA release profile in vivo. Beads crosslinked with 0.1% TA and 1% TA were compared to observe the differences in TA concentration on degradation and release. We found collagen/TA beads degrade at similar rates in vivo, yet are resistant to complete degradation after 16 weeks. TA is released over time in vivo through diffusion and cellular activity. Changes in mechanical properties in collagen/TA beads before implantation to after 8 weeks in vivo also indicate loss of TA over a longer period of time. Elastic moduli decreased uniformly in both 0.1% and 1% TA beads. This study establishes that collagen/TA materials can act as a drug delivery system, rapidly releasing TA within the first week following implantation. However, the beads retain TA long term allowing them to resist degradation and remain in situ acting as a cell scaffold and tissue filler. This confirms its potential use as an anticancer and minimally invasive breast reconstructive device following lumpectomy.
Following a ban on many materials containing bisphenol-A, new bisphenol-free Boron silicates have been found as substitutes. The purpose of this study is to describe the mechanical properties of these bisphenol-free magnetoactive borosilicate polymers containing hard magnetic particles. Samples of 0%, 33% and 66% by wt. were loaded for compression using a universal testing machine. The maximum forces occurring for different travel speeds were compared before and after post-magnetization treatments. The post-magnetization included 2 stages. In addition, the change in mechanical properties within 24 hours after the post-magnetization process was investigated. Furthermore, the influence of speed and particle content were investigated. In general, there is a correlation between the required compressive force and, the level of post-magnetization stress, the increase in travel speed and particle content in the boron silicate. Comparison of the non-post-magnetized and post-magnetized samples using two-tailed t-tests shows that the p-values for all weight fraction changes in NdPrFeB particles and travel speeds are less than 0.001. Also, a comparison between tests in which the traverse speed was varied also showed significant changes in the resulting compression forces. The same is valid for changes in the weight ratio of the NdPrFeB particles in the samples. For post-magnetized samples, no significant difference can be observed in the first 24 hours following magnetization. In summary, the material presents viscoelastic, plastic force-displacement behavior, which can be well recognized by its bi-linear curve shape.
The investigation shows that borosilicate polymers based on NdPrFeB can have their mechanical behavior modified and controlled by post-magnetization processes. This opens new possibilities for many future applications.
Titanium is used in many areas due to its excellent mechanical, biological and corrosion-resistant properties. Implants often have thin and filigree structures, providing an ideal application for fine cutting with laser. In the literature, the main focus is primarily on investigating and optimizing the parameters for titanium sheets with thicknesses greater than 1 mm. Hence, in this study, the basic manufacturing parameters of laser power, cutting speed and laser pulse of a 200 W modulated fiber laser are investigated for 0.15 mm thick grade 2 titanium sheets. A reproducible, continuous cut could be achieved using 90 W laser-power and 2 mm/s cutting-speed. Pulse pause variations between 85 and 335 μs in 50 μs steps and a fixed pulse width of 50 μs show that a minimum kerf width of 23.4 μm, as well as a minimum cut edge roughness Rz of 3.59 μm, is achieved at the lowest pulse pause duration. An increase in roughness towards the laser exit side, independent of the laser pulse pause duration, was found and discussed. The results provide initial process parameters for cutting thin titanium sheets and thus provide the basis for further investigations, such as the influence of cutting gas pressure and composition on the cut edge.
Modeling, identification and control of an antagonistically actuated joint for telerobotic systems
(2015)
Within this paper a modeling, identification and control technique for an antagonistically actuated joint consisting of two pneumatically actuated muscles is presented. The antagonistically actuated joint acts as a test bench for control architectures which are going to be used to control an exoskeleton within a telerobotic system. A static and dynamic model of the muscle and the joint is derived and the parameters of the models are identified using a least-squares algorithm. The control architecture, consisting of a inner pressure and an outer position controller is presented. The pressure controller is evaluated using switching valves compared against proportional valves.
Investigation of Bolted Composite Joints with Different Reinforcement Elements at the Bolt Hole
(2014)
In this paper, a new method for a minimum-error pose estimation of cylinder axes based on apparent contour line features from multiple views is presented. Novel model equations for both single and particularly multiple views are derived, and based upon these, an algorithm for least squares fitting the model to imaged cylinder contour line features is introduced. The good performance of the proposed algorithm is shown by solving an exemplary fitting problem.
Least squares pose estimation of cylinder axes from multiple views using contour line features
(2015)
In this paper, a new method for a minimum-error pose estimation of cylinder axes based on apparent contour line features from multiple views is presented. Novel model equations for both single and particularly multiple views are derived, and based upon these, an iterative algorithm for least squares fitting the model to imaged cylinder contour line features is introduced. The good performance and fast convergence of the proposed algorithm is shown by solving exemplary fitting problems.
The development of actuator and sensor systems with complex adaptive behavior and operating sensitivity is one of the actual scientific challenges. Smart materials like magneto-sensitive elastomers (MSEs) offer great potential for designing such intelligent devices, because they possess unique magnetic-field-dependent properties. The present paper deals with investigations of the free and forced vibrational behavior displayed by cantilever beams of MSEs containing magnetically soft particles in a uniform magnetic field. It is shown experimentally as well as theoretically that the first bending eigenfrequency of MSE beams depends strongly on the strength of an applied magnetic field. The proposed magneto-mechanical model is based on the vibrational dynamics of thin rods and predicts reliably the amplitude–frequency characteristics depending on the geometric configuration of the MSE and its material parameters. It is found that the vibration response of an MSE beam under kinematic excitation of its base can be modified indirectly by a magnetic field control due to the change of the vibration characteristics. As a result, the resonance can occur in different ranges of the excitation frequency. The dependencies of the amplification ratio on the excitation frequency are obtained experimentally and compared with the result provided by the theoretical model. Moreover, investigations on the potential use of the field-induced plasticity effect of MSEs in form-fit gripper applications are presented. This effect can be used to realize shape adaptable system parts. It is found that the mechanical properties of each component and its concentration within the mixture have an impact on the mechanical behavior of the whole MSE compound. Such parameters as the strength of magnetic field and geometry of the MSE sample have influence on the quality of shape adaptation. The evidence presented provides a good basis for the realization of MSE-based actuator and sensor systems with adaptable sensitivity.
Vibrating sensor unit made of a magnetoactive elastomer with field-adjustable characteristics
(2020)
The present work deals with the investigation of the oscillatory behavior displayed by a vibrating sensor unit made of a magnetoactive elastomer (MAE). Since this type of smart materials consists of an elastic matrix and micro-magnetic particles, it reveals exceptional magnetic-field-dependent material properties. The forced vibration response under the bending of the MAE unit subjected to in-plane harmonic kinematic excitation of the housing is studied. It is found that the amplitude-frequency characteristics of the MAE unit can be changed considerably by means of an external homogeneous magnetic field. With and without applied field, the unit displays different steady-state responses for the same excitation, and the resonance occurs at various ranges of the excitation frequency. The nonlinear phenomenon of the resonance hysteresis is observed depending on whether the excitation frequency increases or decreases. It is shown that the MAE vibrations can be detected based on the magnetic field distortion measurements. The presented prototype of the MAE-based vibrating unit with field-adjustable “configuration” can be potentially implemented for realization of acceleration sensor systems with adaptive sensitivity.
Magnetoactive elastomers (MAEs) are a special type of smart materials consisting of an elastic matrix with embedded microsized particles that are made of ferromagnetic materials with high or low coercivity. Due to their composition, such elastomers possess unique magnetic field-dependent material properties. The present paper compiles the results of investigations on MAEs towards an approach of their potential application as vibrating sensor elements with adaptable sensitivity. Starting with the model-based and experimental studies of the free vibrational behavior displayed by cantilevers made of MAEs, it is shown that the first bending eigenfrequency of the cantilevers depends strongly on the strength of an applied uniform magnetic field. The investigations of the forced vibration response of MAE beams subjected to in-plane kinematic excitation confirm the possibility of active magnetic control of the amplitude-frequency characteristics. With change of the uniform field strength, the MAE beam reveals different steady-state responses for the same excitation, and the resonance may occur at various ranges of the excitation frequency. Nonlinear dependencies of the amplification ratio on the excitation frequency are obtained for different magnitudes of the applied field. Furthermore, it is shown that the steady-state vibrations of MAE beams can be detected based on the magnetic field distortion. The field difference, which is measured simultaneously on the sides of a vibrating MAE beam, provides a signal with the same frequency as the excitation and an amplitude proportional to the amplitude of resulting vibrations. The presented prototype of the MAE-based vibrating unit with the field-controlled “configuration” can be implemented for realization of acceleration sensor systems with adaptable sensitivity. The ongoing research on MAEs is oriented to the use of other geometrical forms along with beams, e.g. two-dimensional structures such as membranes.
The bond between methacrylic polymer adhesives and dental restoratives is not perfect and may fail either in the short or in the long term. This study aims to evaluate the effects of particle incorporation in a self-etch model adhesive on mechanical and physical properties that are relevant during application and service. Filled adhesives containing 5, 10, 15 or 25 wt% glass fillers were compared to their unfilled counterpart in terms of water sorption and solubility; viscosity and dynamic viscosity during polymerization were recorded using rheological measurements and compared to FTIR analysis of the real-time degree of cure. Elastic modulus and ultimate tensile strength measurements were performed in uniaxial tension; the energy to fracture was used to calculate the fracture toughness of the adhesives. Finally, the experimental adhesives were applied on dentin substrate to test the bond strength using the microtensile test. Results showed that the incorporation of 5–10 wt% nanofiller to self-etching dental adhesives is efficient in accelerating the polymerization reaction and increasing the degree of cure without compromising the film viscosity for good wettability or water sorption and solubility. Fillers increased the elastic modulus, tensile strength and fracture toughness to a plateau between 5 and 15 wt% filler concentration, and despite the tendency to form agglomerations, active crack pinning/deflection toughening mechanisms have been observed. The bond strength between resin composite and dentin was also improved when adhesives with up to 10 wt% fillers were used, with no additional improvements with further packing. The use of fillers to reinforce dental adhesives may therefore be of great practical benefit by improving curing and mechanical properties.
The number of spinal fusion surgeries is steadily increasing and biomechanical consequences are still in debate. The aim of this study is to provide biomechanical insights into the sagittal balance of the spine and to compare spinal load before and after spinal fusion.
METHOD:
The joint reaction forces of 52 patients were analyzed in proximo-distal and antero-posterior direction from the levels T12-L1 to L5-S1 using musculoskeletal simulations.
RESULTS:
In 104 simulations, pre-surgical forces were equal to post-surgical. The levels L4-L5 and T12-L1, however, showed increased spinal forces compression forces with higher sagittal displacement. Improved restauration of sagittal balance was accompanied by lower spinal load. AP shear stress, interestingly decreased with sagittal imbalance.
CONCLUSION:
Imbalanced spines have a risk of increased compression forces at Th12-L1. L4-L5 always has increased spinal loads. These slides can be retrieved under Electronic Supplementary Material.
Bauteilfertigung
(2009)
Feasibility of detecting thrombotic deposits in membrane oxygenators using micro computed tomography
(2019)
Coagulative disorders, especially clotting during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, are frequent complications. Direct visualization and analysis of deposits in membrane oxygenators using computed tomography (CT) may provide an insight into the underlying mechanisms causing thrombotic events. However, the already established multidetector CT1 (MDCT) method shows major limitations. Here, we demonstrate the feasibility of applying industrial micro-CT (μCT) to circumvent these restrictions. Three clinically used membrane oxygenators were investigated applying both MDCT and μCT.
The scans were analyzed in terms of clot volume and local clot distribution. As validation, the clot volume was also determined from the fluid volume, which could be filled into the respective used oxygenator compared to a new device. In addition, cross-sectional CT images were compared with crosscut oxygenators. Based on the μCT findings, a morphological measure (sphericity) for assessing clot structures in membrane oxygenators is introduced. Furthermore, by comparing MDCT and μCT results, an augmentation of the MDCT method is proposed, which allows for improved clot volume determination in a clinical setting.
Blood flow in channels of varying diameters <500μm exhibits strong non-linear effects. Multiphase finite volume approaches are feasible, but still computationally costly. Here, the feasibility of applying convolutional neural networks for blood flow prediction in artificial lungs is investigated. Training targets are precomputed using an Eulerian two-phase approach. To match with experimental data, the interphase drag and lift, as well as intraphase shear-thinning are adapted. A recursively branching regression network and convolution/deconvolution networks with plain skip connections and densely connected skips are investigated. A priori knowledge is incorporated in the loss functional to prevent the network from learning non-physical solutions. Inference from neural networks is approximately six orders of magnitude faster than the classical finite volume approach. Even if resulting in comparably coarse flow fields, the neural network predictions can be used as close to convergence initial solutions greatly accelerating classical flow computations.
Modelling blood flow an shear induced coagulation in membraene oxygenators (MO) is challenging. The relevant geometry of oxygenator fibers (OF) and chaining threads is complex and spans several length scales. In relevant scales and regimes blood shows several significant non-Newtonian effects. Existing models are only capable of accounting for some, but not all relevant effects. Additionally, coagulation processes are influencing fluid properties and geometry significantly. Due to the enormous size of the discretised geometries highly detailed viscosity and coagulation properties of blodd flow in MOs. First step is to find a gemoetry dependent viscosity representation on basis of parametric micro channel experiments with anti-coagulated blood. Next step is a statistic coagulation model, based on micro channel experiments with human (re-calcified citrated) whole blood an evaluation of clinically used osygenators. Since shear rate dependent (i.e. viscosity dependet) coagulation in return influences the viscosity, a combined model with suitable implementation in a RANS framework is necessary. Towards this end, micro channel experiments with new and used single OFs triggering coagulation are performed. Structures of multimeric von Willebrand fibers (vWF), as indicator for shear induced coagulation, are compared to computed and measured flow conditions, using immunofluorescence microscopy, RANS-computations and µPIV, respectively. Preliminary examinations in clinically used MOs show good agreement between occurring structures of vWF, cell depositions and computed flow patterns (geometry form µCT-Scans). However, computed shear rates might be to low to actually trigger activation of vWF. The complex geometry of MOs results in huge meshes, which makes RANS with statistical modelling of viscosity and coagulation a reasonable approach. Towards this end, experimental data on micro channel level with evaluation on real application level is crucial. Especially regarding clotting processes, micro fluidic experiments are powerful research tool.
Convolutional Neural Networks for Approximation of Internal Non-Newtonian Multiphase Flow Fields
(2021)
Neural networks (NNs) as an alternative method for universal approximation of differential equations have proven to be computationally efficient and still sufficiently accurate compared to established methods such as the finite volume method (FVM). Additionally, analysing weights and biases can give insights into the underlying physical laws. FVM and NNs are both based upon spacial discretisation. Since a Cartesian and equidistant grid is a raster graphics, image-to-image regression techniques can be used to predict phase velocity fields as well as particle and pressure distributions from simple mass flow boundary conditions. The impact of convolution layer depth and number of channels of a ConvolutionDeconvolution Regression Network (CDRN), on prediction performance of internal non-Newtownian multiphase flows is investigated. Parametric training data with 2055 sets is computed using FVM. To capture significant non-Newtownian effects of a particle-laden fluid (e.g. blood) flowing through small and non-straight channels, an Euler-Euler multiphase approach is used. The FVM results are normalized and mapped onto an equidistant grid as supervised learning target. The investigated NNs consist of n= {3, 5, 7} corresponding encoding/decoding blocks and different skip connections. Regardless of the convolution depth (i.e. number of blocks), the deepest spacial down-sampling via strided convolution is adjusted to result in a 1 × 1 × f · 2nfeature map, with f = {8, 16, 32}. The prediction performance expressed is as channel-averaged normalized root mean squared error (NRMSE). With a NRMSE of < 2 · 10-3, the best preforming NN has f = 32 initial feature maps, a kernel size of k = 4, n = 5 blocks and dense skip connections. Average inference time from this NN takes < 7 · 10-3s. Worst accuracy at NRMSE of approx 9 · 10-3is achieved without any skips, at k = 2, f = 16 and n = 3, but deployment takes only < 2 · 10-3s Given an adequate training, the prediction accuracy improves with convolution depth, where more features have higher impact on deeper NNs. Due to skip connections and batch normalisation, training is similarly efficient, regardless of the depth. This is further improved by blocks with dense connections, but at the price of a drastically larger model. Depending on geometrical complexity, spacial resolution is critical, as it increases the number of learnables and memory requirements massively.
Introduction
Shear induced multimerisation of von-Willebrand-factor (vWF) is supposed to play an important role in coagulation inside extracorporeal membrane oxygenators. However, there is no proof that links observed vWF structures to computed or measured flow conditions.
Methods
The structures of multimeric vWF fibers, observed in clinically used membrane oxygenators is examined using immunofluorescence microscopy (IFM) using Carstairs’ staining method (positive ethics committee vote). The flow around the membrane fibres inside the oxygenator is investigated in terms of shear rate, wall shear velocity and streamlines by using CFD (RANS, Carreau-Yasuda viscosity, geometry remodelled after high-resolution µCT-scans). By interpreting the histological and numerical results in this common context, indications for shear induced coagulation mechanisms can be identified.
Results
The fibre structures of multimeric vWF build regular but not exactly symmetric formations around the contact face (CF) between the crosswise stacked oxygenator fibres (OF), see fig.1B, vWF marked red. Annular around the CF arranged, cells are likely to be found, see fig.1B, nuclei marked blue.
The computed streamlines around the OF show attached flow around the circular fibres. However, the irregular arrangement of real OF produce considerable cross flow between the interconnected neighbouring channels, in contrast to previous 2D-simulations. Thus, the CF are washed around closely by blood, also from neighbouring channels. The wall shear velocity streamlines form regular, slightly asymmetric shapes around the contact faces. The occurring maximum shear rates are in the range of 1,000 1/s.
Discussion
The shapes of vWF structures found in clinically used oxygenators match the computational results in terms of wall shear velocity and streamlines well. The accumulation of cells close to the CF can also be explained by fluid mechanics, as there are small shear gradients and slow velocities. However, occurring shear rates between OFs are too low to trigger multimerisation of vWF. That raises the question where in the circuit the actual activation of vWF is started and how, at least partly chained, vWF multimeres are attracted towards the OF surface. A next step will be the investigation of the actual shear rate triggered (or mediated) multimerisation of vWF. Towards this end, microfluidic experiments with shear triggered coagulation will be performed. Also of big interest is the computation of the flow situation in the oxygenator in proximity to chaining threads, which have been ignored in computations so far. However, first a realistic representation of the effective viscosity in computations is needed, which is not available yet.
BACKGROUND:
Shear-induced conformational changes of von Willebrand factor (vWF) may be responsible for coagulation disorder and clot formation inside membrane oxygenators (MOs) during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) therapy.
OBJECTIVE:
The aim was to identify vWF structures inside clinically used MOs and employ computational fluid dynamics to verify the corresponding flow conditions.
METHODS:
Samples from gas exchange membranes (GEM) from MOs were analysed for accumulations of vWF and P-selectin-positive platelets using immunofluorescence techniques. Streamlines and shear rates of the flow around GEMs were computed using a laminar steady Reynolds-Averaged-Navier-Stokes approach.
RESULTS:
Most samples were colonized with equally distributed leukocytes, integrated in thin cobweb-like vWF-structures. Only 25 % of the samples showed extended accumulations of vWF. Computed streamlines showed considerable cross flow between interconnected neighbouring channels. Stagnation points were non-symmetric and contact faces were washed around closely. The occurring maximum shear rates ranged from 2,500 to 3,000 1/s.
CONCLUSIONS:
If pronounced vWF structures are present, shape and extent match the flow computations well. Computed shear rates bear a critical degree of uncertainty due to the improper viscosity model. If flow conditions inside the MO were sufficient to affect vWF, a more consistent distribution of vWF across the samples should be present.
Kombinationen aus kraft- und formschlüssigen Verbindungen erhöhen die Leistung bei im Hybridguss verbundenen Gussteilen mit Anbau- oder Einlegeteilen und machen separate Fügeprozesse überflüssig. Simulations-Methoden unterstützen das Design kraft- und formschlüssiger Verbindungen. Ergebnisse eines Ausdrückversuchs zeigen eine relativ gute Übereinstimmung zwischen gemessenen und mittels Simulation ermittelten Kraft-Weg-Kurven.
Plastic design allows the exploitation of the full resistance of steel structures by taking advantage of stress–redistributions due to plastic strains exceeding the yield strain. Especially in seismic design the utilization of material reserves and the formation of plastic hinges play an important role. In devastating earthquakes in Northridge (USA) and Kobe (Japan) brittle fracture of welded connections in steel moment frames occurred prior to formation of plastic hinges and utilization of plastic material reserves. The subsequent research works resulted in improved design rules and recommendations for these kinds of failure. But to guarantee sufficient ductile performance of these connections also in the upper shelf region, plastic and earthquake resistant design rules should take into account degradation of strain capacity and toughness properties due to quasi static and especially seismic loading.
In the scope of the current European project “Plastotough”, the main objective is to derive quantified toughness design rules in the upper shelf based on the strain requirements opposed to strain capacities. This paper gives an overview over the research work in performance and shows recent results from experimental and numerical analyses performed within this project for monotonic and cyclic loading.
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the processability of cohesive PE-HD particles in laser beam melting processes (LBM) of polymers. Furthermore, we present a characterization method for polymer particles, which can predict the quality of the powder deposition via LBM processes. Design/methodology/approach – This study focuses on the application of dry particle coating processes to increase flowability and bulk density of PE-HD particles. Both has been measured and afterwards validated via powder deposition of PE-HD particles in a LBM machine. Findings – For efficient coating in a dry particle coating process, the PE-HD particles and the attached nanoparticles need to show similar surface chemistry, i.e. both need to behave either hydrophobic or hydrophilic. It is demonstrated that dry particle coating is appropriate to enhance flowability and bulk density of PE-HD particles and hence considerably improves LBM processes and the resulting product quality. Originality/value – At present, in LBM processes mainly polyamide (PA), 12 particles are used, which are so far quite expensive in comparison to, for example, PE-HD particles. This work provides a unique and versatile method for nanoparticulate surface modification which may be applied to a wide variety of materials. After the coating, the particles are applicable for the LBM process. Our results provide a correlation between flowability and bulk density and the resulting product quality.
The aim of this study is to compare two different standardized testing procedures, tensile testing and Mode-I double cantilever beam (DCB) testing, to evaluate a possible correlation between the dominant failure in glass fibre-reinforced plastics and their according acoustic emissions (AE). AE is processed by using a burst collection of all recorded transient signals and is further analysed with the k-means clustering algorithm. To generate damage related AE, a series of experiments for tensile testing and Mode-I DCB testing is performed on 16-layer glass fibre/epoxy specimens with a cross-ply lay-up for tensile and an unidirectional lay-up for Mode-I DCB testing. Three sensors at tensile testing and one sensor at Mode-I DCB testing gather AE data. The results of clustered burst signals show a good accordance between both testing procedures, with a similar weighted peak frequency (WPF) range in each classified cluster. In total, three different clusters are determined. An assignment of these three clusters to the three dominant damage mechanisms, visually observed by microscopy, is suggested.
Analysis of the Acoustic Emission Failure Frequencies of Glass Fiber Reinforced Composite Components
(2017)
Ductile failure of structural metals is relevant to a wide range of engineering scenarios. Computational methods are employed to anticipate the critical conditions of failure, yet they sometimes provide inaccurate and misleading predictions. Challenge scenarios, such as the one presented in the current work, provide an opportunity to assess the blind, quantitative predictive ability of simulation methods against a previously unseen failure problem. Rather than evaluate the predictions of a single simulation approach, the Sandia Fracture Challenge relies on numerous volunteer teams with expertise in computational mechanics to apply a broad range of computational methods, numerical algorithms, and constitutive models to the challenge. This exercise is intended to evaluate the state of health of technologies available for failure prediction. In the first Sandia Fracture Challenge, a wide range of issues were raised in ductile failure modeling, including a lack of consistency in failure models, the importance of shear calibration data, and difficulties in quantifying the uncertainty of prediction [see Boyce et al. (Int J Fract 186:5-68, 2014) for details of these observations]. This second Sandia Fracture Challenge investigated the ductile rupture of a Ti-6Al-4V sheet under both quasi-static and modest-rate dynamic loading (failure in 0.1 s). Like the previous challenge, the sheet had an unusual arrangement of notches and holes that added geometric complexity and fostered a competition between tensile- and shear-dominated failure modes. The teams were asked to predict the fracture path and quantitative far-field failure metrics such as the peak force and displacement to cause crack initiation. Fourteen teams contributed blind predictions, and the experimental outcomes were quantified in three independent test labs. Additional shortcomings were revealed in this second challenge such as inconsistency in the application of appropriate boundary conditions, need for a thermomechanical treatment of the heat generation in the dynamic loading condition, and further difficulties in model calibration based on limited real-world engineering data. As with the prior challenge, this work not only documents the 'state-of-the-art' in computational failure prediction of ductile tearing scenarios, but also provides a detailed dataset for non-blind assessment of alternative methods.
Ammonia-based selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems are the most widely used technology for reduction of nitrogen oxide emissions from lean-burn engines such as diesel engines. However, at low exhaust temperatures, the SCR process is limited by difficulties in the decomposition of the ammonia precursor urea, which is carried on-board using an aqueous solution "AdBlue". In this study, the decomposition of AdBlue urea induced by electrical current and the resulting associated pH shifts were investigated in a divided cell configuration in the liquid phase. The decomposition was found to be favored in both electrochemical compartments, anodic and cathodic, at temperatures of 60-80 degrees C compared to a reference without electrochemical treatment. In addition to the determination of ammonia contents using an ammonia sensor, IC/HPLC analyses were carried out for each sample. Different side products such as biuret, nitrate, cyanuric acid, ammelide, and others were formed. In the anodic compartment, nitrate formation could be observed due to oxidation of ammonia at the electrode surface.
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Lean-burn engines, such as diesel engines, are widely used in mobile and stationary applications. Operation of lean-burn engines leads to formation of distinct amounts of nitrogen oxides (NO and NO2). Efficient aftertreatment is mandatory to meet legal requirements, especially at low exhaust temperatures, as for the future a decline of the exhaust temperature level can be predicted due to improved engine efficiencies. Within this review, potential technical solutions to enhance the DeNO(x)-aftertreatment efficiency at low exhaust temperatures are presented.
Difficulties in decomposing AdBlue to ammonia limit the applicability of selective catalytic reduction systems at low exhaust temperatures. Investigations on the decomposition of AdBlue in the liquid phase under elevated pressure at temperatures up to 165 degrees C were carried out. Besides effects of inorganic catalysts, the impact of pH on urea decomposition was examined. After dissolution in aqueous phase, the compounds ZnO, WO3, and MoO3 were found to be effective in liquid-phase AdBlue decomposition. However, the efficiency was dropping significantly over few hours. Decomposition of AdBlue urea was also found to be favored for alkaline and acidic conditions.
Bei Zugschwellversuchen kann sowohl die Amplituden- als auch die Mittelspannung frei eingestellt werden. Für eine zusammenfassende Auswertung müssen Amplituden- und Mittelspannungen durch eine einzige sogenannte äquivalente Spannung ersetzt werden. Die Bestimmung dieser äquivalenten Spannung setzt die Kenntnis des sogenannten Mittelspannungseinflusses voraus, der sich von Material zu Material unterscheidet. Aus der Literatur werden die gängigen Modelle zur Beschreibung des Mittelspannungseinflusses bei metallischen Werkstoffen vorgestellt. Daraus werden erstmals geeignete Modelle für Seildrähte abgeleitet. Dadurch lassen sich für Seildrähte die ertragbaren Lastwechselzahlen bei Zugschwellversuchen zuverlässig abschätzen und damit eine allgemeine Beschreibung ihres Materialermüdungsverhaltens angeben.
Rope line of free bent ropes
(2019)
In tension-tension tests the amplitude stress as well as the mean stress can be adjusted to any desired level. For a common evaluation of all tension-tension tests amplitude and mean stresses should be substituted by an equivalent amplitude stress. For determination of these e quivalent stress the so called mean stress influence hast to be known. In the following, suitable models will be presented which allow a common evaluation of all tension-tension tests and also a general description of rope wire fatigue behavior.
Mobilkrane arbeiten regelmäßig in Regionen, in denen Temperaturen bis -60 °C herrschen. In sicherheitstechnisch bedeutsamen Anwendungen wird der Kranbetrieb eingestellt, und zwar nur, weil in den entsprechenden Regelwerken die niedrigste genannte Arbeitstemperatur -40 °C ist. Aber ist dies technisch zwingend? Es wird über Versuche mit Seilen und Seildrähten berichtet, die sowohl bis -95 °C als auch bei Raumtemperatur durchgeführt wurden. Sowohl das Ermüdungsverhalten der Seildrähte als auch die Bruchkraft der Seile sind bei Temperaturen von -60 °C besser als bei Raumtemperatur. Dagegen wird das Ermüdungsverhalten der Seile schlechter. Dies ist aber hauptsächlich verursacht durch das Verhalten des verwendeten Konservierungsstoffs. Im Betrieb sind die Seile zusätzlich mit Endverbindungen versehen. Diese Komponenten müssen ebenfalls solchen tiefen Temperaturen widerstehen. Untersuchungen, ob Seilendverbindungen bei Tieftemperatur geeignet sind, waren allerdings nicht Gegenstand dieses Berichts. Daher ist es ratsam, beim Betrieb bei Tieftemperatur die Intervalle der Seilinspektion zu verkürzen. Konservierungsstoffe können ihre Wirkung verlieren und zu beschleunigter Seilermüdung führen - zum Beispiel bei Auslegerverstellseilen von Mobilkranen - und das Zusammenwirken von Seilen und ihren Endverbindungen bei tiefen Temperaturen ist nicht ausreichend erforscht und dokumentiert. Insgesamt können Seile bei Temperaturen von -60 °C sicher betrieben werden, wenn sowohl die Seile als auch ihre Endverbindungen regelmäßig inspiziert werden.
Die Richtlinie VDI 2500 „Faserseile“ hat 1990 erstmals zusammenfassend den Stand der Technik auf dem Gebiet der Faserseile dargestellt und wertvolle Infor-mationen über Aufbau, Auswahl, Konfek-tionierung und Überwachung von Faser-seilen gegeben. Die jetzt erscheinende zweite Auflage enthält eine Vielzahl wichtiger technischer Neuerungen für die Praxis. Zu nennen sind hier die hochfesten Fasern und deren Beschichtung sowie die erstmals systematisch aufgeführten Sei-lendverbindungen und ein Ausblick auf die zukünftig bedeutsamen sogenannten Hybridseile. Eine Checkliste hilft bei der richtigen Auswahl und Bemessung von Faserseilen. Bei den Normen wurde – soweit möglich – auf europäische Normen verwiesen.
The rope curve line of a tensioned rope can be described by means of the catenary curve. Opposed to that, the curved line of a free bent rope cannot be described by an analytical function. Practical applications of free bending are for example at tail ropes at the bottom of shaft in rope drives with traction sheaves. The question whether the maximum diameter of rope loop is small enough for the diameter of the shaft is highly interesting. In [1] a method was presented to calculate the curved line of free bent ropes numerically by help of energy methods. An analytical description of rope curve line would be very helpful. Beginning with the structure of a rope curve line of tensioned rope (catenary curve) and considering the influence of bending stiffness, the structure of an analytical equation for the curve line of a free bent rope will be developed. The main focus of this paper is to develop and to describe the structure of such an analytical equation. To get a first idea about the values of the constants in that analytical equation a few test results were evaluated. But these equations consider the static rope behavior only. Due to dynamic effects in the rope while running through the loop at the bottom of a shaft, pendulousness of the tail rope occurs.
The rope curve line of a tensioned rope can be described by means of the catenary curve. Opposed to that, the curved line of a free bent rope cannot be described by an analytical function. Practical applications of free bending are for example at tail ropes at the bottom of shaft in rope drives with traction sheaves. The question whether the maximum diameter of rope loop is small enough for the diameter of the shaft is highly interesting. In [1] a method was presented to calculate the curved line of free bent ropes numerically by help of energy methods. An analytical description of rope curve line would be very helpful. Beginning with the structure of a rope curve line of tensioned rope (catenary curve) and considering the influence of bending stiffness, the structure of an analytical equation for the curve line of a free bent rope will be developed. The main focus of this paper is to develop and to describe the structure of such an analytical equation. To get a first idea about the values of the constants in that analytical equation a few test results were evaluated. But these equations consider the static rope behavior only. Due to dynamic effects in the rope while running through the loop at the bottom of a shaft, pendulousness of the tail rope occurs.
A new biofuel concept is developed, enabling the usage of vegetable oils and glycerol derivatives in mixtures with biodiesel. This concept significantly enhances the biodiesel production's profitability and thus strongly contributes to the sustainability of future biofuels. After simple addition reactions with building block chemicals, less hydrophilic glycerol derivatives are obtained, which are compatible with biofuels. Even more, the products of the reactions of glycerol with acetone or butyric acid, referred to as solketal and tributyrin, respectively, lead to promising biofuels in mixtures with rapeseed oil and its biodiesel. Due to their low freezing points, they act as cloud and freezing point depressants, when added to vegetable oil/biodiesel blends. Further, since their viscosity is close to common biodiesel, biofuels containing high amounts of vegetable oil and even more glycerol derivatives than they arise during the biodiesel production can be obtained. Thus, this new class of biofuels enables adaptable compositions depending on the application and also the usage as drop-in fuel without any or just few percent of further additives. After optimising the formulations, ignition delay, exhaust gas recirculation, fuel consumption and combustion process measurements were performed in an unmodified upto-date diesel engine. The experiments showed that the properties of the formulated biofuels are either similar to or even better than diesel. The hydrotropy of the glycerol derivatives in these mixtures enables the potential to implement water into biofuels, so-called hydrofuels, reducing nitrogen oxide emissions and leading to further optimised dropin fuels.
A review of the current use of multibody dynamics methods in the analysis of the dynamics of vehicles is given. Railway vehicle dynamics as well as road vehicle dynamics are considered, where for the latter the dynamics of cars and trucks and the dynamics of single-track vehicles, in particular motorcycles and bicycles, are reviewed. Commonalities and differences are shown, and open questions and challenges are given as directions for further research in this field.
Titanium is used in many areas due to its excellent mechanical, biological and corrosion-resistant properties. Implants often have thin and filigree structures, providing an ideal application for laser fine cutting. In literature, the main focus is primarily on investigating and optimizing the parameters for titanium sheet thicknesses greater than 1 mm. Hence, in this study, the basic manufacturing parameters of laser power, cutting speed and laser pulsing of a 200 W modulated fibre laser are investigated for 0.15 mm thick titanium grade 2 sheets. A reproducible, continuous cut could be achieved using 90 W laserpower and 2 cutting-speed. Pulse pause variations between 85–335 μs in 50 μs steps and fixed
pulse duration of 50 μs show that a minimum kerf width of 23.4 μm, as well as a minimum cut edge roughness Rz of 3.59 μm, is achieved at the lowest pulse pause. An increase in roughness towards the laser exit side, independent of the laser pulse pause, was found and discussed. The results provide initial process parameters for cutting thin titanium sheets and thus provide the basis for further investigations, such as the influence of cutting gas pressure and composition on the cut edge.
Mobile cranes are regularly operated in regions which experience ultra deep operating temperatures of down to -60?C (-76?F). In safety regulated work environments crane operations will be suspended simply because the lowest wire rope working temperature stated in the applicable standards is -40?C/F. Examples of ultra deep temperature wire rope application are shown in Figure 1.1 and 1.3. It should be noted that this paper is written in conjunction with a paper written by the co-author Ulrich Briem titled “Fatigue Behaviour of Rope Wires”, presented and published in unison with this one. In order to analyze the behaviour under ultra deep temperature conditions, tests on wire rope as well as on rope wires were carried out. In the following, static tensile and bending test results with rope and rope wires will be reported, which were carried out in conditions of down to -95?C (-139?F) as well as at room temperature. The conclusion is that the results of these tests can be adopted to crane wire rope as well.
In this paper compliant multistable tensegrity structures with discrete variable stiffness are investigated. The different stiffness states result from the different prestress states of these structures corresponding to the equilibrium configurations. Three planar tensegrity mechanisms with two stable equilibrium configurations are considered exemplarily. The overall stiffness of these structures is characterized by investigations with regard to their geometric nonlinear static behavior. Dynamical analyses show the possibility of the change between the equilibrium configurations and enable the derivation of suitable actuation strategies.
This work presents a novel concept to develop mobile robots enabling crawling locomotion in tubular environment. Chain-like systems are designed by serial cascading a uniform tensegrity module. Inspired by the movement of worms in nature, an undulating shape change of the system is targeted to generate locomotion. The shape changeability of an exemplary tensegrity module due to internal actuation is examined in simulations and experiments. A prototype consisting of these tensegrity modules is manufactured and the locomotion principle is verified in experiments. Comparing to existing prototypes this approach enables an enhanced compliance due to the modular assembly of tensegrity structures.
This paper deals with the locomotion by tilting sequences of shape-variable compliant tensegrity structures. The shape of these structures is controlled by manipulating their prestress state. The tensegrity structure is tilting as consequence of a suitable variation of its shape. By multiple repetition of such tilting sequences a motion is generated. Quasi-static considerations for the considered structures are presented in order to estimate the actuation parameters. For a proper number of actuators this quasi-static approach enables an analytical calculation of the actuation parameters of the structure in order to control the geometrical configuration as required. As an example a two-dimensional tensegrity structure which is in contact with a horizontal plane due to gravity is considered. By successive tilting sequences a uniaxial motion results. The excitation of the structure is calculated for a given change of shape with the quasi-static analysis. The according results are compared with transient dynamic simulations. Qualitative conclusions about the motion behavior and the usability of the quasi-static approach are given.
The use of compliant tensegrity structures in robotic applications offers several advantageous properties. In this work the dynamic behaviour of a planar tensegrity structure with multiple static equilibrium configurations is analysed, with respect to its further use in a two-finger-gripper application. In this application, two equilibrium configurations of the structure correspond to the opened and closed states of the gripper. The transition between these equilibrium configurations, caused by a proper selected actuation method, is essentially dependent on the actuation parameters and on the system parameters. To study the behaviour of the dynamic system and possible actuation methods, the nonlinear equations of motion are derived and transient dynamic analyses are performed. The movement behaviour is analysed in relation to the prestress of the structure and actuation parameters.
The TMeasy is a tyre model suitable for vehicle handling analyses and enables easy parametrisation. Recently, a convenient interface to Modelica was implemented by DLR to support the TMeasy also for vehicle modelling in multi-physical domains. This paper focuses especially on the particular problem of reliable reproduction of the tyre’s bore torque which occurs during parking manoeuvres. It outlines the theory behind it, discusses the Modelica interface implementation, and presents the results of parameter identification which were achieved based on real experiments with DLR’s research platform ROboMObil.
In this work, a tensegrity structure with spatially curved members is applied as rolling locomotion system. The actuation of the structure allows a variation of the originally cylindrical shape to a conical shape. Moreover, the structure is equipped with internal movable masses to control the position of the center of mass of the structure. To control the locomotion system a reliable actuation strategy is required. Therefore, the kinematics of the system considering the nonholonomic constraints are derived in this paper. Based on the resulting insight in the locomotion behavior a feasible actuation strategy is designed to control the trajectory of the system. To verify this approach kinematic analyses are evaluated numerically. The simulation data confirm the path following due to an appropriate shape change of the tensegrity structure. Thus, this system enables a two-dimensional rolling locomotion. The use of mechanically compliant tensegrity structures in mobile robots is an attractive research topic, due to the possibility to adjust their mechanical properties reversibly during locomotion. In this paper rolling locomotion of mobile robots based on simple tensegrity structures, consisting of three compressed spatially curved members connected to a continuous net of prestressed tensional members, is discussed. Planar locomotion of these robots is induced by the movement of internal masses. The movement direction can be changed by changing the robot's shape between a cylinder and a truncated cone. The paper focuses on the description of the kinematics of these systems with respect to the shape change.