ON THE EFFECTIVE BEHAVIOR, MICROSTRUCTURE EVOLUTION, AND MACROSCOPIC STABILITY OF ELASTOMERIC COMPOSITES

Objective: The objective of this present study was to understand how children and adolescents perceive esthetic attractiveness of a variety of orthodontic appliances. It also analyzed preferences according to patients' age, sex and socioeconomic status. Methods: A photograph album consisting of eight photographs of different orthodontic appliances and clear tray aligners placed in a consentin...

Multilayer elastomeric device fabrication by replication molding requires a method for bonding together layers. In our development of solvent-resistant microfluidics, the goal with each promising new material or coating was to fabricate multilayer chips to evaluate crossed-channel valve performance and ultimately to implement functional elastomeric devices. However, determining a reliable adhes...

A matrix method is used to determine fluctuations of junctions and points along the polymer chains making up a phantom Gaussian network that has the topology of an infinite, symmetrically grown tree. The functionalities of the junctions alternates between phi(1) and phi(2), such that one end of each network chain has functionality phi(1), while the opposite end has functionality phi(2). Quantit...

– We consider a simple model of a random heteropolymer chain that is known to undergo the freezing transition. We investigate the change in the elastic properties of the chain upon freezing. The elastic constants are evaluated and it is shown that they acquire a non-trivial contribution in the frozen phase. The goal of this letter is to investigate the elasticity of a random heteropolymer chain...

Elastomeric bridge bearings have a history of use in the USA of close to 50 years. They are capable of carrying large vertical loads and allowing horizontal movement with low lateral force due to the extreme flexibility of the elastomeric material. They require little maintenance, have no moving parts, have good longevity and are very economical. The elastomer in bridge bearings is usually eith...

Ionic interactions offer the highest non-covalent cohesive strength in supramolecular assemblies. In spite of that, they have been consistently underestimated development self-healing materials due to their lack directionality and association specificity. this paper, ionic moieties are introduced as side-chain pendants poly(urea-urethane) siloxane-based polymers, aiming obtain a strong yet flex...

It is proposed to use elastomeric composites as artificial joint bearing surfaces to increase their fluid film lubrication and therefore reduce the number of failures which have been attributed to wear mechanisms. The fluid generated between the surfaces supports part of the load and prevents direct contact of the bearing surfaces. In order to obtain optimum elastohydrodynamic lubrication, elas...