This paper presents a coupled thermal-hydraulic-mechanical (THM) model for simulating failure processes in geological media. The coupling between stress/strain and heat transfer describing how thermal expansion affects stress is based on the theory of thermo-elasticity. Additionally, fluid flow pore-pressure governed by Biot's consolidation theory. Stress/strain-dependent porosity/permeability/...

a novel starch/poly (vinyl alcohol)/nano-titanium dioxide (st/pva/nano-tio2) biodegradable nanocomposite film was prepared by homogeneously dispersed tio2 nanoparticles in different ratios of starch/pva-based materials, via a solution casting method. glycerol was used as plasticizer. the mechanical and thermal properties of films were studied using tensile and perforation strength tests and the...

This paper presents the methodology for virtual prototyping of a class of one-of-a-kind assistive devices customizable to the human user. This class consists of passive, articulated mechanical manipulation aids which are physically coupled to the user. We address the synthesis, design, optimization and analysis of such mechanisms in a virtual environment containing models of both the product an...

In this work, internal moisture profiles obtained either by simulation or experimentally during the convective drying of resorcinol-formaldehyde gels are compared. Such a comparison constitutes an attractive way to validate drying simulation models. X-ray microtomography, a powerful 3D imaging technique, coupled to image analysis is used to determine the internal moisture profiles in a non dest...

We study the physical properties of double-cavity optomechanical system in which the mechanical resonator interacts with one of the coupled cavities and another cavity is used as an auxiliary cavity. The model can be expected to achieve the strong optomechanical coupling strength and overcome the optomechanical cavity decay, simultaneously. Through the coherent auxiliary cavity interferences, t...

Quantum mechanical analysis of electron tunneling in nine thermally fluctuating cytochrome b562 derivatives reveals two distinct protein-mediated coupling limits. A structure-insensitive regime arises for redox partners coupled through dynamically averaged multiple-coupling pathways (in seven of the nine derivatives) where heme-edge coupling leads to the multiple-pathway regime. A structure-dep...

Understanding sensorimotor, cognitive and social development in animals and robots is a truly interdisciplinary endeavour. Development happens through the progressive organisation of coupled complex systems, at various spatio-temporal scales, and covering a large diversity of levels of abstraction, ranging from coupled mechanical dynamics for low-level body control to higher-level conceptual de...

This study deals with the effect of coupled thermal and cyclic mechanical loadings on the viscoelastic response of carbon black filled nitrile rubber. For this purpose, cyclic loading tests were performed at different temperatures by means of Dynamic Mechanical and Thermal Analysis (DMTA). The type and level of the thermomechanical loadings applied were chosen in order to determine the relative...