Sharif Digital Repository

Background Iatrogenic injuries to paraspinal muscles during posterior lumbar surgery cause a reduction in their contractile cross-sectional area and thus presumably their postoperative activation. This study investigates the effect of such intraoperative injuries on postoperative patterns of muscle activations and spinal loads during various activities using a combined modeling and in vivo MR imaging approach. Methods A three-dimensional, multi-joint, musculoskeletal model was used to estimate pre- and postoperative muscle forces and spinal loads under various activities in upright and flexed postures. According to our in vivo pre- and postoperative (∼ 6 months) measurements in six patients... 

A time domain approach is used to study the cutting conditions in reaming process that leads the system to regenerative chatter vibrations. The dynamic analysis of the system includes inertia of the tool, centripetal and Coriolis terms, damping and the first mode bending of reamer. A model of cutting forces proportional to chip cross sectional area and process damping proportional to cutting speed is considered. Numerical simulation based on the Euler integration scheme is carried out to obtain time domain solution of the equation. Despite linearization in force modelling, the model is nonlinear due to the change in the tool engagement area. Another nonlinearity included in the model jumping... 

In this research the design methods of radial flow compressor volutes are reviewed and the main criterions in volute primary designs are recognized and most effective ones are selected. The effective parameters i.e. spiral cross section area, circumferential area distribution, exit cone and tongue area of the compressor volute are parametrically studied to identifythe optimum values. A numerical model is prepared and verified through experimental data which are obtained from the designed turbocharger test rig. Different volutes are modeled and numerically evaluated using the same impeller and vane-less diffuser. For each model,the volute total pressure ratio, static pressure recovery and... 

We study the thermal properties of ultra-narrow silicon nanowires (NW) with diameters from 3 nm to 12 nm. We use the modified valence-force-field method for computation of phononic dispersion and the Boltzmann transport equation for calculation of phonon transport. Phonon dispersion in ultra-narrow 1D structures differs from dispersion in the bulk and dispersion in thicker NWs, which leads to different thermal properties. We show that as the diameter of the NW is reduced the density of long-wavelength phonons per cross section area increases, which increases their relative importance in carrying heat compared with the rest of the phonon spectrum. This effect, together with the fact that... 

Liquid bridges are believed to play an important role in improving the recovery of fractured reservoirs. However, little is known about the stability of liquid bridges in fractured media at the pore scale. In this work, a glass micromodel representing a stack of two blocks was used at different tilt angles to monitor the frequency and stability of liquid bridges formed during free-fall gravity drainage as a function of tilt angle. It was observed that by increasing the tilt angle, the liquid bridge frequency decreased but its stability increased. This resulted in higher ultimate recovery. In addition, it was found that during the first half of the experiments, the number of bridges was... 

The S-shaped air intakes are very common shapes due to their ease in the engine-body integration or Radar Cross Section, RCS, specifications especially for fighter aircrafts. The numerical shape optimization of an S-shaped air intake using adjoint method is conducted. The flow of a specified air intake that uses S-duct M2129 is simulated using three dimensional (3D) numerical solution of Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes equation along with k-ω SST turbulence model. The main purpose of this optimization scheme is to maximize the total pressure recovery (TPR). Further, the scheme is developed in such a way that would be applicable in industry thru satisfying specified constraint requirements.... 

Free or restricted shock separation phenomena can occur inside a thrust optimized parabolic (TOP) nozzle during over-expanded operations. In the case of restricted shock separation, a cap shock pattern forms in the nozzle which leads to a substantial total pressure drop. This induces further related issues in the process of ground testing of such nozzles using a second throat exhaust diffuser (STED). In the present study, the flow physics in several TOP nozzles operating at over-expanded conditions is investigated numerically. At first, the strong effect of the initial expansion angle of a TOP nozzle on flow separation pattern and shock structure is demonstrated. Results reveal that for high... 

The compressive performance of glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) profiles subjected to elevated temperature was investigated through a large number of (3 0 0) tests. The effects of profile cross-sectional area, slenderness, and temperature on the behavior of the GFRP profiles at temperatures ranging from 25 to 400 °C were determined. It was observed that the compressive strength of the GFRP profiles has been decreased by half as the temperature exceeded 90 °C, i.e., close to the glass transition temperature of the matrix. The temperature and ratio of cross-sectional area to external perimeter were determined as two major parameters affecting section capacity. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd  

In this study, modeling of an irreversible thermoelectric heat pump was conducted, and its performance was assessed in terms of exergy for 10, 20, 30 and 40 K difference in temperature (∆T) by changing the values of the design parameters. By employing this model, positive impact of increasing cross-section area, current and thermocouple’s length which in turn increases the exergy efficiency is realized. In addition, diminishing adverse impact of adding more thermocouples on the exergy efficiency of the system is illustrated. Afterward, exergoeconomic performance of the thermoelectric heat pump is evaluated. Then, exergoeconomic factor for each of the system’s components is diagnosed. The... 

The exact numerical solution of the nonlinear Ginzburg-Landau equation for Josephson junctions is obtained, from which the precise nontrivial current density and effective potential of the Josephson junctions are found. Based on the resulting potential well, the tunneling probabilities of the associated bound states are computed which are in complete agreement with the reported experimental data. The effects of junction and bias parameters such as thickness of the insulating barrier, cross sectional area, bias current, and magnetic field are fully investigated using a successive perturbation approach. We define and compute figures of merit for achieving optimal operation of phase qubits and... 

Employing a proper pulse shaper in the conventional split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) test helps to achieve dynamic equilibrium condition and to fulfill a constant strain rate condition in the test specimen. To this end, the parameters affecting the incident pulse shape, i.e., pulse shaper thickness, pulse shaper diameter, striker bar length and striker bar velocity are experimentally studied. Moreover, simulation results, validated by experimental data together with wave propagation analysis, are exploited to provide general guidelines to properly design a pulse shaper. It is recommended to use a relatively large diameter pulse shaper for testing work-hardening materials. Also, for... 

In spite of earlier experimental and modeling studies, the relative role of the intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) in spine mechanics has remained controversial. This study employs simple analytical and finite element (FE) models of the spine and its surrounding structures to investigate the contribution of IAP to spinal loading and stability. The analytical model includes the abdominal cavity surrounded by muscles, lumbar spine, rib cage and pelvic ring. The intra-abdominal cavity and its surrounding muscles are represented by a thin deformable cylindrical membrane. Muscle activation levels are simulated by changing the Young's modulus of the membrane in the direction of muscle fibers, yielding... 

There is ambiguity on the quantitative validity of the predictions revealed by musculoskeletal models for muscle forces. This study investigated the consistency between the predictions of a musculoskeletal model of the upper limb and the experimental data for a number of different subjects and functional tasks. Six normal subjects performed isokinetic eccentric or isotonic concentric contraction tests of the wrist muscles in well controlled conditions, using a robotic apparatus, and the net joint torque and angular velocities, as well as the surface electromyograms (EMG) signals of the muscles, were recorded. The experiments were then simulated using a parametric musculoskeletal model of... 

In this work, a reliable dimensionless correlation is proposed for prediction of permeability reduction rate in porous media, which is verified by experimental data obtained in this work in glass bead and sand pack as well as the core data from the literature. Although this correlation is based on the data which were obtained in our work in glass bead and sand-packed media at low pressure, it shows considerable flexibility to match with the extracted data for sandstone cores at high pressure, various flow rates, different temperatures and concentrations of calcium, and sulfate ions in brine solutions. In addition, a novel relationship for predicting the rate of precipitation of CaSO4 in... 

The main propose of this research is providing a tool for suitable modeling, increase efficiency and decrease construction cost of solar absorption chiller. At first, the solar absorption chiller is modeled by the thermodynamic laws. Then, this model is converted to the new standard mathematical programming model with considering all technical and economic constrains. This mathematical model is optimized by Genetic algorithm (GA). After applying GA, optimized parameters of chiller heat exchanger designing and its electricity consumption are calculated. These parameters consist of heat exchanger effectiveness, heat transfer cross section area, heat transfer coefficient, efficiency of pump and... 

Equal channel angular pressing is an outstanding method for imposing large plastic deformation to metallic materials without any decreasing in cross section area of as processed samples. In this paper, the effect of working temperature, ram speed and the number of passes on the formation of adiabatic shear bands in Al6061 during equal channel angular pressing was investigated. Billets of the alloy were processed up to four passes via route BC from room temperature to 200°C with two ram speeds using a die that imparts an effective strain of ∼1.1 per pass. The results have demonstrated that the onset of the adiabatic shear banding in this alloy strongly depends on the ram speed: more... 

Dynamic behavior of concrete specimens is investigated experimentally and numerically by split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) tests. In order to accurately determine dynamic properties of brittle materials such as concrete, specimens should be subjected to particular pulse loading that can be generated by using pulse shapers. Choosing proper pulse shaper dimensions helps to obtain dynamic stress equilibrium, achieve constant strain rate and minimize pulse oscillation in the concrete specimens. To this end, SHPB tests are performed for concrete specimens and effective parameters on shaping pulses such as striker bar velocity, diameter and thickness of the pulse shaper are studied... 

In the present paper, conceptual duct shape design for kinetic energy extraction with hydrokinetic turbines is discussed. The goal is to find a single-passage axisymmetric geometry that holds stable flow with maximum kinetic energy flux at duct throat. For finding the optimum duct shape, the fluid flow was numerically simulated in a wedge shaped space with Flow-Simulation Software. In a multi-stage conceptual design, tabulated configurations were employed to study each geometrical characteristic separately. These include curvature of profile camber, trailing edge shape, profile tip shape, and duct exit cross sectional area. The revolved profile of each duct consists of a well constrained... 

Atrogenic injuries to paraspinal muscles during the posterior lumbar surgery (PLS) cause a reduction in their cross-sectional areas (CSAs) and contractile densities over time post-surgery. This study aims to quantify such alterations. Method: Pre- and postoperative CSAs (~6 months interval) of all paraspinal muscles were measured in six patients undergoing PLS using a 3-T magnetic resonance (MR) scanner to quantify the alterations in geometrical and tissue effective contractile (non-fatty) CSAs of these muscles at all lumbar levels. To examine the presence of any confounding effects on recorded changes within ~7-month period, measurements were also carried out on ten healthy volunteers.... 

This paper studies the effects of bending-torsion coupling on the flutter stability boundaries of a turbomachinery cascade with Magnetorheological Elastomer (MRE) based sandwich blades. The blade structure is considered as a non-uniform sandwich beam with an embedded MRE core. The governing equations of bending and torsional motions are obtained based on the classical sandwich beam theory and the unsteady Whitehead aerodynamic theory is applied for modeling of the aerodynamic flow. The equations of motion governing on the coupled aeroelastic system have been derived in a discrete form by Lagrange's equations and using the assumed modes method. The stability analysis is performed and the...