Blog posts

ES 240 Project: Stress in Human Bodies

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 11/14/2006 - 05:48

Fall 2006

Physical stresses may bring us unhappy experiences, pain and sourness, even worse, the fracture of bones. Tennis elbow is not a syndrome appearing among tennis players. I believe most of us have this kind unpleasant experience occasionally. Pain or sourness accompanies laterally after over-using our muscle in the same region, waking up with a sour arm after overusing the computer last night, for instance. Surveying some papers I find doctors use MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) to observe how stresses build up in the pain region and how severe stresses induce fracture.

ES 240 Project: Analysis of a Fin Design for use in a Micromechanical Fish

Submitted by Michael T. Petralia on Tue, 11/14/2006 - 04:40

I am preforming my research at the Microrobotics Laboratory. Here I am will be designing systems for a micromechanical fish. One of the researchers in the lab has been prototpying a design for the fin mechanism. For this project, I plan to analyze and optimize her design using ABAQUS. The need for this is clear: due to the size and inertia restrictions of working on the millimeter scale, it is important to not overdesign the systems. We will be working near the limits of the materials.

ES 240 Project: Stretching Cardiac Myocytes

Submitted by Megan McCain on Tue, 11/14/2006 - 03:32

In the ventricle of the heart, the cells (myocytes) are not isotropically arranged. Myocytes are cylindrically shaped and align edge to edge, and then form a large sheet of parallel rows of aligned cells. This "sheet" is wrapped around itself to form the thick wall of the heart. Myocytes are mechanically coupled to each other by desmosomes, and are electrically coupled to each other by connexins. These connections are extremely important in assuring the heart beats synchronously.

ES 240 project: Stress and Vibration Analysis of a Golf Driver

Submitted by Adrian Podpirka on Tue, 11/14/2006 - 01:42

In this project, I will attempt to analyze the stresses and vibrations produced by a stroke of a golfer on the club in order to determine the drivers “sweet spot.” The sweet spot is the spot on the clubface, which causes the lease amount of vibration and force transfer to the golfers hand thus giving the golfer the best energy transfer, feel and therefore, the best drive. (Cross, The Sweet Spot of a baseball bat) Anyone who plays golf can quickly approximate the location of the sweet spot so I will attempt to verify its location through finite element analysis.

Hibbitt Lectureship in Solid Mechanics at Cambridge University Engineering Department

Submitted by MichelleLOyen on Mon, 11/13/2006 - 14:41

job

Applications are invited from suitably qualified candidates for a University Lectureship in Solid Mechanics, which falls within the Mechanics, Materials and Design Division of the Engineering Department. The successful candidate will take up the appointment as soon as possible.

The lectureship has recently been endowed by David and Susan Hibbitt, and the aim is to attract a high calibre researcher with a record of scholarship and research in experimental, computational and/or theoretical solid mechanics. Expertise is required in the mechanics of materials (structural, biological or energy materials, for example) and the successful candidate is expected to make a significant contribution to the Department’s teaching and research activities and to build a strong, externally funded research programme. The activity will fit within the Cambridge Centre for Micromechanics, which is an inter-departmental, inter-disciplinary research group housed within the Engineering Department.

Thoughts on Integration of Biomechanics and Applied Mechanics

Submitted by MichelleLOyen on Mon, 11/13/2006 - 01:41

opinion

biomechanics

Biomechanics is a reasonably well-developed field of study, with a modern history usually linked to the pioneering work of Prof. Y.C. Fung in the 1960s. There are a number of dedicated biomechanics journals (including but not limited to the Journal of Biomechanics and the Journal of Biomechanical Engineering). The field is well-enough established to have several generations of researchers working on the subject at universities across the world.

MRS Symposium: Mechanics of Biological and Bio-Inspired Materials

Submitted by MichelleLOyen on Mon, 11/13/2006 - 01:07

conference

biomechanics

biological materials

Symposium DD at the upcoming Materials Research Society Annual Meeting (Nov. 26-Dec. 1, Boston, MA) will be the latest in a series of MRS symposia on the mechanics of biological materials and materials designed following natural principles ("biomimetic" or "bio-inspired"). The full program is available at the MRS website (www.mrs.org). This topic was also the subject of the August, 2006 focus issue of the Journal of Materials Research, which contained over 30 articles on the subject.

Vibrations of a Cantilever Beam

Submitted by Michael T. Petralia on Sun, 11/12/2006 - 21:53

ES 240

Fall 2006

solid mechanics

I found this paper on Vibrations of a Cantilever Beam. Thought I would share it with the rest of the class.

http://em-ntserver.unl.edu/Mechanics-Pages/Scott-Whitney/325hweb/Beams…

Cheers.

give you some introduction of my department

Submitted by Changguo Xue on Sun, 11/12/2006 - 14:12

education

introduction of my department

USTC

Department of Modern Mechanics

USTC's Department of Modern Mechanics, founded in 1958, first chaired by famous scientist, Prof. H.S. Tsien, is among the most prestigious in China.

The Department has 400 undergraduate students, 121 students doing Master degrees and 59 students studying for doctoral degrees. It is a major provider of high-caliber personnels to research institutes, universities, industry, commerce, management and government, both at home and abroad.