scholarly journals Collagen Structure and Mechanical Properties of the Human Sclera: Analysis for the Effects of Age

2015 ◽  
Vol 137 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Baptiste Coudrillier ◽  
Jacek Pijanka ◽  
Joan Jefferys ◽  
Thomas Sorensen ◽  
Harry A. Quigley ◽  
...  

The objective of this study was to measure the collagen fiber structure and estimate the material properties of 7 human donor scleras, from age 53 to 91. The specimens were subjected to inflation testing, and the full-field displacement maps were measured by digital image correlation. After testing, the collagen fiber structure was mapped using wide-angle X-ray scattering. A specimen-specific inverse finite element method was applied to calculate the material properties of the collagen fibers and interfiber matrix by minimizing the difference between the experimental displacements and model predictions. Age effects on the fiber structure and material properties were estimated using multivariate models accounting for spatial autocorrelation. Older age was associated with a larger matrix stiffness (p = 0.001), a lower degree of fiber alignment in the peripapillary sclera (p = 0.01), and a lower mechanical anisotropy in the peripapillary sclera (p = 0.03).

2015 ◽  
Vol 137 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Baptiste Coudrillier ◽  
Jacek Pijanka ◽  
Joan Jefferys ◽  
Thomas Sorensen ◽  
Harry A. Quigley ◽  
...  

The effects of diabetes on the collagen structure and material properties of the sclera are unknown but may be important to elucidate whether diabetes is a risk factor for major ocular diseases such as glaucoma. This study provides a quantitative assessment of the changes in scleral stiffness and collagen fiber alignment associated with diabetes. Posterior scleral shells from five diabetic donors and seven non-diabetic donors were pressurized to 30 mm Hg. Three-dimensional surface displacements were calculated during inflation testing using digital image correlation (DIC). After testing, each specimen was subjected to wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) measurements of its collagen organization. Specimen-specific finite element models of the posterior scleras were generated from the experimentally measured geometry. An inverse finite element analysis was developed to determine the material properties of the specimens, i.e., matrix and fiber stiffness, by matching DIC-measured and finite element predicted displacement fields. Effects of age and diabetes on the degree of fiber alignment, matrix and collagen fiber stiffness, and mechanical anisotropy were estimated using mixed effects models accounting for spatial autocorrelation. Older age was associated with a lower degree of fiber alignment and larger matrix stiffness for both diabetic and non-diabetic scleras. However, the age-related increase in matrix stiffness was 87% larger in diabetic specimens compared to non-diabetic controls and diabetic scleras had a significantly larger matrix stiffness (p = 0.01). Older age was associated with a nearly significant increase in collagen fiber stiffness for diabetic specimens only (p = 0.06), as well as a decrease in mechanical anisotropy for non-diabetic scleras only (p = 0.04). The interaction between age and diabetes was not significant for all outcomes. This study suggests that the age-related increase in scleral stiffness is accelerated in eyes with diabetes, which may have important implications in glaucoma.


Author(s):  
Katia Genovese ◽  
Luciana Casaletto ◽  
Jay D. Humphrey ◽  
Jia Lu

Continuing advances in mechanobiology reveal more and more that many cell types, especially those responsible for establishing, maintaining, remodelling or repairing extracellular matrix, are extremely sensitive to their local mechanical environment. Indeed, it appears that they fashion the extracellular matrix so as to promote a ‘mechanical homeostasis’. A natural corollary, therefore, is that cells will try to offset complexities in geometry and applied loads with heterogeneous material properties in order to render their local environment mechanobiologically favourable. There is a pressing need, therefore, for hybrid experimental–computational methods in biomechanics that can quantify such heterogeneities. In this paper, we present an approach that combines experimental information on full-field surface geometry and deformations with a membrane-based point-wise inverse method to infer full-field mechanical properties for soft tissues that exhibit nonlinear behaviours under finite deformations. To illustrate the potential utility of this new approach, we present the first quantification of regional mechanical properties of an excised but intact gallbladder, a thin-walled, sac-like organ that plays a fundamental role in normal digestion. The gallbladder was inflated to a maximum local stretch of 120% in eight pressure increments; at each pressure pause, the entire three-dimensional surface was optically extracted, and from which the surface strains were computed. Wall stresses in each state were predicted from the deformed geometry and the applied pressure using an inverse elastostatic method. The elastic properties of the gallbladder tissue were then characterized locally using point-wise stress–strain data. The gallbladder was found to be highly heterogeneous, with drastically different stiffness between the hepatic and the serosal sides. The identified material model was validated through forward finite-element analysis; both the configurations and the local stress–strain patterns were well reproduced.


Author(s):  
Pradeep Lall ◽  
Geeta Limaye ◽  
Sandeep Shantaram ◽  
Jeff Suhling

Industry migration to lead-free solders has resulted in a proliferation of a wide variety of solder alloy compositions. The most popular amongst these are the Tin-Silver-Copper (Sn-Ag-Cu or SAC) family of alloys like SAC105, SAC305 etc. Recent studies have highlighted the detrimental effects of isothermal aging on the material properties of these alloys. SAC alloys have shown up to 50% reduction in their initial elastic modulus and ultimate tensile strength within a few months of elevated temperature aging. This phenomenon has posed a severe design challenge across the industry and remains a road-block in the migration to Pb-free. Multiple compositions with additives to SAC have been proposed to minimize the effect of aging and creep while maintaining the melting temperatures, strength and cost at par with SAC. Innolot is a newly developed high-temperature, high-performance lead-free substitute by InnoRel™ targeting the automotive electronics segment. Innolot contains Nickel (Ni), Antimony (Sb) and Bismuth (Bi) in small proportions in addition to Sn, Ag and Cu. The alloy has demonstrated enhanced reliability under thermal cycling as compared to SAC alloys. In this paper, the high strain rate material properties of Innolot have been evaluated as the alloy ages at an elevated temperature of 50°C. The strain rates chosen are in the range of 1–100 per-second which are typical at second level interconnects subjected to drop-shock environments. The strain rates and elevated aging temperature have been chosen also to correspond to prior tests conducted on SAC105 and SAC305 alloys at this research center. This paper presents a comparison of material properties and their degradation in the three alloys — SAC105, SAC305 and Innolot. Full field strain measurements have been accomplished with the use of high speed imaging in conjunction with Digital Image Correlation (DIC). Ramberg-Osgood non-linear model parameters have been determined to curve-fit through the experimental data. The parameters have been implemented in Abaqus FE model to obtain full-field stresses which correlates with contours obtained experimentally by DIC.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luigi Bruno ◽  
Santo Canto ◽  
Luciano Luciani

Abstract In the present work, authors have demonstrated how a localized induction heat treatment can be advantageously applied, controlled and mechanically characterized on a specific part – i.e. on steel hose fittings for hydraulic applications. More specifically, the study shows how this specific type of heat treatment facilitates the acquisition of significant localization effects on mechanical properties, and how such a treatment could act as a powerful tool for material optimization in diverse applications. The instrumented micro-indentation test was adopted as the investigation method for mechanical characterization and, due to the reduced amount of material required for the test, has the double advantage of retrieving potential spatial gradients of the mechanical properties without causing permanent damage to the entirety of analyzed parts. The measurement of both the Vickers hardness and plastic work required to make the indentation that would be necessary to quantify the strength and ductility capability of the parts’ material. In addition, a customized tensile test, based on the strains measurement obtained through an optical full-field method – i.e. Digital Image Correlation (DIC) – was developed with the aim of identifying and quantifying the correlation between the material properties attainable through a conventional tensile test and those measured by the instrumented micro-indentation test. Finally, it was demonstrated that the proposed customized tensile test, due to the localized heat treatment, is capable of retrieving potential spatial gradients of material properties.


Author(s):  
A. Y. Elghazouli ◽  
D. V. Bompa ◽  
S. A. Mourad ◽  
A. Elyamani

AbstractThis paper presents an experimental investigation into the structural and material response of ambient-dry and wet clay-brick/lime-mortar masonry elements. In addition to cyclic tests on four large-scale masonry walls subjected to lateral in-plane displacement and co-existing compressive gravity load, the study also includes complementary tests on square masonry panels under diagonal compression and cylindrical masonry cores in compression. After describing the specimen details, wetting method and testing arrangements, the main results and observations are provided and discussed. The results obtained from full-field digital image correlation measurements enable a detailed assessment of the material shear-compression strength envelope, and permit a direct comparison with the strength characteristics of structural walls. The full load-deformation behaviour of the large-scale walls is also evaluated, including their ductility and failure modes, and compared with the predictions of available assessment models. It is shown that moisture has a notable effect on the main material properties, including the shear and compression strengths, brick–mortar interaction parameters, and the elastic and shear moduli. The extent of the moisture effects is a function of the governing behaviour and material characteristics as well as the interaction between shear and precompression stresses, and can lead to a loss of more than a third of the stiffness and strength. For the large scale wall specimens subjected to lateral loading and co-existing compression, the wet-to-dry reduction was found to be up to 20% and 11% in terms of stiffness and lateral strength, respectively, whilst the ductility ratio diminished by up to 12%. Overall, provided that the key moisture-dependent material properties are appropriately evaluated, it is shown that analytical assessment methods can be reliably adapted for predicting the response, in terms of the lateral stiffness, strength and overall load-deformation, for both dry and wet masonry walls.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 5430
Author(s):  
Paolo Neri ◽  
Alessandro Paoli ◽  
Ciro Santus

Vibration measurements of turbomachinery components are of utmost importance to characterize the dynamic behavior of rotating machines, thus preventing undesired operating conditions. Local techniques such as strain gauges or laser Doppler vibrometers are usually adopted to collect vibration data. However, these approaches provide single-point and generally 1D measurements. The present work proposes an optical technique, which uses two low-speed cameras, a multimedia projector, and three-dimensional digital image correlation (3D-DIC) to provide full-field measurements of a bladed disk undergoing harmonic response analysis (i.e., pure sinusoidal excitation) in the kHz range. The proposed approach exploits a downsampling strategy to overcome the limitations introduced by low-speed cameras. The developed experimental setup was used to measure the response of a bladed disk subjected to an excitation frequency above 6 kHz, providing a deep insight in the deformed shapes, in terms of amplitude and phase distributions, which could not be feasible with single-point sensors. Results demonstrated the system’s effectiveness in measuring amplitudes of few microns, also evidencing blade mistuning effects. A deeper insight into the deformed shape analysis was provided by considering the phase maps on the entire blisk geometry, and phase variation lines were observed on the blades for high excitation frequency.


Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 1602
Author(s):  
Ángel Molina-Viedma ◽  
Elías López-Alba ◽  
Luis Felipe-Sesé ◽  
Francisco Díaz

Experimental characterization and validation of skin components in aircraft entails multiple evaluations (structural, aerodynamic, acoustic, etc.) and expensive campaigns. They require different rigs and equipment to perform the necessary tests. Two of the main dynamic characterizations include the energy absorption under impact forcing and the identification of modal parameters through the vibration response under any broadband excitation, which also includes impacts. This work exploits the response of a stiffened aircraft composite panel submitted to a multi-impact excitation, which is intended for impact and energy absorption analysis. Based on the high stiffness of composite materials, the study worked under the assumption that the global response to the multi-impact excitation is linear with small strains, neglecting the nonlinear behavior produced by local damage generation. Then, modal identification could be performed. The vibration after the impact was measured by high-speed 3D digital image correlation and employed for full-field operational modal analysis. Multiple modes were characterized in a wide spectrum, exploiting the advantages of the full-field noninvasive techniques. These results described a consistent modal behavior of the panel along with good indicators of mode separation given by the auto modal assurance criterion (Auto-MAC). Hence, it illustrates the possibility of performing these dynamic characterizations in a single test, offering additional information while reducing time and investment during the validation of these structures.


Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 1154
Author(s):  
Dario De Domenico ◽  
Antonino Quattrocchi ◽  
Damiano Alizzio ◽  
Roberto Montanini ◽  
Santi Urso ◽  
...  

Digital Image Correlation (DIC) provides measurements without disturbing the specimen, which is a major advantage over contact methods. Additionally, DIC techniques provide full-field maps of response quantities like strains and displacements, unlike traditional methods that are limited to a local investigation. In this work, an experimental application of DIC is presented to investigate a problem of relevant interest in the civil engineering field, namely the interface behavior between externally bonded fabric reinforced cementitious mortar (FRCM) sheets and concrete substrate. This represents a widespread strengthening technique of existing reinforced concrete structures, but its effectiveness is strongly related to the bond behavior between composite fabric and underlying concrete. To investigate this phenomenon, a set of notched concrete beams are realized, reinforced with FRCM sheets on the bottom face, subsequently cured in different environmental conditions (humidity and temperature) and finally tested up to failure under three-point bending. Mechanical tests are carried out vis-à-vis DIC measurements using two distinct cameras simultaneously, one focused on the concrete front face and another focused on the FRCM-concrete interface. This experimental setup makes it possible to interpret the mechanical behavior and failure mode of the specimens not only from a traditional macroscopic viewpoint but also under a local perspective concerning the evolution of the strain distribution at the FRCM-concrete interface obtained by DIC in the pre- and postcracking phase.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 879
Author(s):  
Eleni Tsangouri ◽  
Hasan Ismail ◽  
Matthias De Munck ◽  
Dimitrios G. Aggelis ◽  
Tine Tysmans

Internal interfacial debonding (IID) phenomena on sandwich façade insulated panels are detected and tracked by acoustic emission (AE). The panels are made of a thin and lightweight cementitious composite skin. In the lab, the panels are tested under incremental bending simulating service loads (i.e., wind). Local (up to 150 mm wide) skin-core detachments are reported in the early loading stage (at 5% of ultimate load) and are extensively investigated in this study, since IID can detrimentally affect the long-term durability of the structural element. A sudden rise in the AE hits rate and a shift in the wave features (i.e., absolute energy, amplitude, rise time) trends indicate the debonding onset. AE source localization, validated by digital image correlation (DIC) principal strains and out-of-plane full-field displacement mapping, proves that early debonding occurs instantly and leads to the onset of cracks in the cementitious skin. At higher load levels, cracking is accompanied by local debonding phenomena, as proven by RA value increases and average frequency drops, a result that extends the state-of-the-art in the fracture assessment of concrete structures (Rilem Technical Committee 212-ACD). Point (LVDT) and full-field (AE/DIC) measurements highlight the need for a continuous and full-field monitoring methodology in order to pinpoint the debonded zones, with the DIC technique accurately reporting surface phenomena while AE offers in-volume damage tracking.


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