Home About us Contact | |||
Compressive Modulus (compressive + modulus)
Selected AbstractsVARIATIONS IN FLEXURAL AND COMPRESSIVE FRACTURE BEHAVIOR OF A BRITTLE CELLULAR FOOD (DRIED BREAD) IN RESPONSE TO MOISTURE SORPTIONJOURNAL OF TEXTURE STUDIES, Issue 5 2000Y. P. CHANG Mechanical properties of dried bread (a cellular baked product) equilibrated at different water activities (Aw) were measured using three-point bending and uniaxial compression to compare their responses to moisture sorption. The glass-to-rubber transition was clearly demarcated in all the mechanical property-Aw curves, although there were differences in critical Aw (0.32,0.56) at which the dramatic changes in mechanical properties occurred. The role of water appeared to be strictly that of a plasticizer where flexural mechanical parameters were concerned, leading to reduced modulus and fracture stress but increased fracture strain with increasing Aw. Uniaxial compression tests revealed moisture-induced mechanical antiplasticization effects on the material in the glassy state which resulted in maximum compressive fracture stress but minimum fracture strain over the Aw range from 0,0.56. Compressive modulus apparently was not affected much by moisture sorption up to an Aw of 0.43, above which it decreased sharply. [source] Vulnerability of the superficial zone of immature articular cartilage to compressive injuryARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 10 2010Bernd Rolauffs Objective The zonal composition and functioning of adult articular cartilage causes depth-dependent responses to compressive injury. In immature cartilage, shear and compressive moduli as well as collagen and sulfated glycosaminoglycan (sGAG) content also vary with depth. However, there is little understanding of the depth-dependent damage caused by injury. Since injury to immature knee joints most often causes articular cartilage lesions, this study was undertaken to characterize the zonal dependence of biomechanical, biochemical, and matrix-associated changes caused by compressive injury. Methods Disks from the superficial and deeper zones of bovine calves were biomechanically characterized. Injury to the disks was achieved by applying a final strain of 50% compression at 100%/second, followed by biomechanical recharacterization. Tissue compaction upon injury as well as sGAG density, sGAG loss, and biosynthesis were measured. Collagen fiber orientation and matrix damage were assessed using histology, diffraction-enhanced x-ray imaging, and texture analysis. Results Injured superficial zone disks showed surface disruption, tissue compaction by 20.3 ± 4.3% (mean ± SEM), and immediate biomechanical impairment that was revealed by a mean ± SEM decrease in dynamic stiffness to 7.1 ± 3.3% of the value before injury and equilibrium moduli that were below the level of detection. Tissue areas that appeared intact on histology showed clear textural alterations. Injured deeper zone disks showed collagen crimping but remained undamaged and biomechanically intact. Superficial zone disks did not lose sGAG immediately after injury, but lost 17.8 ± 1.4% of sGAG after 48 hours; deeper zone disks lost only 2.8 ± 0.3% of sGAG content. Biomechanical impairment was associated primarily with structural damage. Conclusion The soft superficial zone of immature cartilage is vulnerable to compressive injury, causing superficial matrix disruption, extensive compaction, and textural alteration, which results in immediate loss of biomechanical function. In conjunction with delayed superficial sGAG loss, these changes may predispose the articular surface to further softening and tissue damage, thus increasing the risk of development of secondary osteoarthritis. [source] Real-time Monitoring of Force Response Measured in Mechanically Stimulated Tissue-Engineered CartilageARTIFICIAL ORGANS, Issue 4 2009Orahn Preiss-Bloom Abstract:, Mechanical stimulation improves tissue-engineered cartilage development both in terms of biochemical composition and structural properties. However, the link between the compositional changes attributed to mechanical stimulation and the changing structural properties of the engineered cartilage is poorly understood. We hypothesize that transient events associated with construct stiffening can be documented and used to understand milestones in construct development. To do this, we designed and built a mechanical stimulation bioreactor that can continuously record the force response of the engineered construct in real time. This study documents the transient changes of the stiffness of tissue-engineered cartilage constructs over the first 14 days of their development under cyclic loading. Compressive strain stimulation (15%, 1 Hz) was applied to poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogels seeded with primary articular chondrocytes. The average compressive modulus of strain-stimulated constructs was 12.7 ± 1.45 kPa after 2 weeks, significantly greater (P < 0.01) than the average compressive moduli of both unstimulated constructs (10.7 ± 0.94 kPa) and nonviable stimulated constructs (11.2 ± 0.91 kPa). The system was able to document that nearly all of the stiffness increase occurred over the last 2 days of the experiment, where live-cell constructs demonstrated a rapid 20% increase in force response. The system's ability to track significant increases in stiffness over time was also confirmed by Instron testing. These results present a novel view of the early mechanical development of tissue-engineering cartilage constructs and suggest that the real-time monitoring of force response may be used to noninvasively track the development of engineered tissue. [source] Synthesis and characterization of injectable bioadhesive hydrogels for nucleus pulposus replacement and repair of the damaged intervertebral discJOURNAL OF BIOMEDICAL MATERIALS RESEARCH, Issue 2 2010J. Vernengo Abstract Bioadhesive polymers are natural or synthetic materials that can be used for soft tissue repair. The aim of this investigation was to develop an injectable, bioadhesive hydrogel with the potential to serve as a synthetic replacement for the nucleus pulposus of the intervertebral disc or as an annulus closure material. Branched copolymers of poly(N -isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) were blended with poly(ethylene imine) (PEI). This three component injectable system can form a precipitated gel at physiological temperature due to the phase transition of PNIPAAm. The injection of glutaraldehyde into the gel core will adhere the implant to the surrounding tissues. 1H NMR results indicated the successful physical incorporation of PEI into the PNIPAAm-PEG network by blending. In addition, the covalent crosslinking between the amine functionalities on the PEI and the aldehyde functionalities on the glutaraldehyde was verified using FTIR difference spectroscopy. Mechanical characterization of these blends showed a significant increase (p < 0.05) in compressive modulus following glutaraldehyde injection. The in vitro bioadhesive force studies with porcine skin showed a significant increase (p < 0.05) in the mean maximum force of detachment for PNIPAAm-PEG/PEI gels when glutaraldehyde was injected into the gel core. The results of this study indicate that the reactivity between amines and aldehyde functionalities can be exploited to impart bioadhesive properties to PNIPAAm-PEG/PEI copolymers. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 2010 [source] Solvent/non-solvent sintering: A novel route to create porous microsphere scaffolds for tissue regenerationJOURNAL OF BIOMEDICAL MATERIALS RESEARCH, Issue 2 2008Justin L. Brown Abstract Solvent/non-solvent sintering creates porous polymeric microsphere scaffolds suitable for tissue engineering purposes with control over the resulting porosity, average pore diameter, and mechanical properties. Five different biodegradable biocompatible polyphosphazenes exhibiting glass transition temperatures from ,8 to 41°C and poly (lactide- co -glycolide), (PLAGA) a degradable polymer used in a number of biomedical settings, were examined to study the versatility of the process and benchmark the process to heat sintering. Parameters such as: solvent/non-solvent sintering solution composition and submersion time effect the sintering process. PLAGA microsphere scaffolds fabricated with solvent/non-solvent sintering exhibited an interconnected porosity and pore size of 31.9% and 179.1 ,m, respectively which was analogous to that of conventional heat sintered PLAGA microsphere scaffolds. Biodegradable polyphosphazene microsphere scaffolds exhibited a maximum interconnected porosity of 37.6% and a maximum compressive modulus of 94.3 MPa. Solvent/non-solvent sintering is an effective strategy for sintering polymeric microspheres, with a broad spectrum of glass transition temperatures, under ambient conditions making it an excellent fabrication route for developing tissue engineering scaffolds and drug delivery vehicles. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 2008 [source] Nanostructure of collagen fibrils in human nucleus pulposus and its correlation with macroscale tissue mechanicsJOURNAL OF ORTHOPAEDIC RESEARCH, Issue 4 2010Darwesh M.K. Aladin Abstract Collagen fibrils are the main structural components of the nucleus pulposus tissue in the intervertebral discs. The structure,property relationship of the nucleus pulposus (NP) tissues is still unclear. We investigated the structure of individual collagen fibrils of the NP and evaluated its correlation with the bulk mechanical properties of the tissue. Collagen fibrils were extracted from the NP of discs retrieved from adolescents during scoliosis correction surgery, and the extracts were confirmed by SDS-PAGE. The diameters of the individual collagen fibrils were measured through atomic force microscopy, and the compressive mechanical properties of the tissues were evaluated by confined compression. The correlations between the nanoscale morphology of the collagen fibrils and the macroscale mechanical properties of the tissues were evaluated by linear regression. The SDS-PAGE results showed that the fibril extracts were largely composed of type II collagen. The mean diameter of the collagen fibrils was 92.1,±,26.54 nm; the mean swelling pressure and compressive modulus of the tissues were 6.15,±,4.3 kPa and 1.23,±,0.7 MPa, respectively. The mean fibril diameter had no linear correlation (R2,=,0.30) with the swelling pressure of the tissues. However, it had a mild linear correlation with the compressive modulus (p,=,0.023, R2,=,0.68). This is the first study, to our knowledge, to evaluate the nanostructure of the individual collagen fibrils of the nucleus pulposus and its relationship with macroscale mechanical properties of the NP tissues. © 2009 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 28:497,502, 2010 [source] Bone differentiation of marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells using ,-tricalcium phosphate,alginate,gelatin hybrid scaffoldsJOURNAL OF TISSUE ENGINEERING AND REGENERATIVE MEDICINE, Issue 6 2007Mohamadreza Baghaban Eslaminejad Abstract The aim of the present study was to establish a 3D culture system for bone differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), using a new hybrid sponge. To manufacture the scaffold, a composite of ,-tricalcium phosphate,alginate,gelatin was prepared and cast as pellets of 1 cm diameter. The sponge was then fabricated by drying in freeze-dryer for 12 h. The porosity, mean pore size, compressive modulus and strength of the composite sponge fabricated in this study were 89.7%, 325.3 µm, 1.82 and 0.196 MPa, respectively. To establish a 3D culture system, the rat bone marrow-derived MSCs were suspended in 500 µl diluted collagen gel, loaded into the porous sponge and provided with medium with or without osteogenic supplements for 3 weeks. The day after loading, the cells appeared in the scaffold's internal spaces, where later some of them from either culture survived by anchoring on the surfaces. At the end of cultivation period, individually adhered cells from both cultures were observed to be replaced by cell aggregates, in which mineralized matrix was detected by alizarin red staining. Furthermore, RT-PCR analysis indicated that the bone-specific gene osteocalcin was expressed in cultures in both the presence and absence of the osteogenic supplements. Taken together, it seems that the studied scaffolds are cell-compatible and, more importantly, possess some osteo-inductive properties. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] A Study on Biomineralization Behavior of N -Methylene Phosphochitosan ScaffoldsMACROMOLECULAR BIOSCIENCE, Issue 10 2004Yu Ji Yin Abstract Summary: Biomimetic growth of calcium phosphate over natural polymer may be an effective approach to constituting an organic/inorganic composite scaffold for bone tissue engineering. In this work, N -methylene phosphochitosan (NMPCS) was prepared via formaldehyde addition and condensation with phosphoric acid in a step that allowed homogeneous modification without obvious deterioration in chitosan (CS) properties. The NMPCS obtained was characterized by using FT-IR and elemental analysis. The macroporous scaffolds were fabricated through a freeze-drying technique. A comparative study on NMPCS and CS scaffold biomimetic mineralization was carried out in different media, i.e, a simulated body fluid (SBF) or alternative CaCl2 and Na2HPO4 solutions respectively. Apatite formation within NMPCS and CS scaffolds was identified with FT-IR, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) and X-ray diffractometery (XRD). The results revealed alternate soaking of the scaffolds in CaCl2 and Na2HPO4 solutions was better than soaking in SBF solution alone in relation to apatite deposition on the scaffold pore walls. Biomineralization provides an approach to improve nature derived materials, e.g., chitosan derivative NMPCS properties e.g., compressive modulus, etc. SEM image of a NMPCS/apatite composite scaffold. [source] pH Tailoring Electrical and Mechanical Behavior of Polymer,Clay,Nanotube AerogelsMACROMOLECULAR RAPID COMMUNICATIONS, Issue 19 2009Matthew D. Gawryla Abstract Aerogels are low density (<0.1,g,·,cm,3), highly porous materials that are especially interesting for insulating applications. Combinations of clay and water-soluble polymers are commonly used to produce aerogels, but these materials are often mechanically weak. Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) were combined with clay and found to significantly improve mechanical behavior and impart electrical conductivity to these aerogels. Poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) as the matrix polymer provides a means of tailoring the electrical conductivity and mechanical behavior by altering the pH of the aqueous aerogel precursor suspensions prior to freeze drying. An aerogel, made from a pH 9 aqueous suspension containing 0.5,wt.-% PAA, 5,wt.-% clay, and 0.05,wt.-% SWNT, has a compressive modulus of 373,kPa. In the absence of nanotubes, this modulus is reduced to 43,kPa. Reducing suspension pH to 3, prior to freeze drying, also reduces modulus for these aerogels, but electrical conductivity is increased when nanotubes are present. It was found that bundled nanotubes provide better reinforcement for these low-density composites, which may provide some new insight into the use of nanotubes in materials that will be exposed to compressive loading. [source] Composites from PMMA modified thermosets and chemically treated woodflourPOLYMER ENGINEERING & SCIENCE, Issue 5 2003Betiana A. Acha The mechanical behavior of composites made from woodflour and a modified thermoset unsaturated polyester resin has been examined. Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), a common low profile additive (LPA), was used as the matrix modifier. Woodflour, the reinforcing filler, was used ,as received' and was also modified with a commercial alkenyl succinic anhydride (ASA), in order to enhance the compatibility with the resin. The composites exhibited higher flexural and compressive modulus and compressive yield stress than the neat resin, while flexural strength and ultimate strain were reduced. The addition of PMMA to the unfilled thermoset led to a LPA morphology and decreased the flexural modulus, but produced an increment in flexural strain at break, impact energy and toughness of the UP resin. No enhancement in the mechanical behavior of the composites was found when treated woodflour instead of unmodified woodflour was used. [source] Preparation and mechanical properties of poly(chitosan- g - DL -lactic acid) fibrous mesh scaffoldsPOLYMERS FOR ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES, Issue 2 2008Ying Wan Abstract DL -lactic acid was grafted onto chitosan to produce poly(chitosan- g - DL -lactic acid)(PCLA) without using a catalyst. These PCLAs were then spun into filaments and further fabricated into fibrous mesh scaffolds using an improved wet-spinning technique. The diameter of filaments in different scaffolds could vary from a few micrometers to several tens of micrometers. The scaffolds exhibited various pore sizes ranging from about 20,µm to more than 200,µm and different porosities up to 80%. The several main processing conditions were optimized for obtaining the desired scaffolds with well-controlled structures. The tensile and compressive mechanical properties of the mesh scaffolds in both dry and hydrated states were mainly examined. Significantly improved tensile strength and modulus, enhanced compressive modulus, and stress as well as the dimensional stability for these mesh scaffolds in their hydrated state were observed. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] |