Motivated by recent studies on reversible adhesion mechanisms of geckos and insects, we investigate the effect of pre-tension on the orientation-dependent adhesion strength of an elastic tape adhering on a substrate. Our analysis shows that the pre-tension can significantly increase the peel-off force at small peeling angles while decreasing it at large peeling angles, leading to a strongly rev...

A recent two-parameter fatigue model, aimed at the prediction of the fatigue behaviour of composite materials, was applied to fatigue results available in the literature, concerning graphite/epoxy laminates subjected to tension-compression loadings. It was found that the model, successfully applied in the case of tension-tension and compression-compression fatigue, also works when the sign of s...

Mechanical tension and contracture are two related facets of tissue biology. This study assessed the effect of ilomastat, a broad-spectrum matrix metalloprotease (MMP) inhibitor, on generation of tension by Dupuytren's disease fibroblasts. Nodule and cord-derived fibroblasts were isolated from five patients with Dupuytren's disease; flexor retinaculum acted as the control. A culture force monit...

This cross-sectional study tested the reproducibility of a simple button-pulling system for measuring lip-closing strength in normal preschool children and compared their strength to that of normal adults. The sample consisted of 348 preschool children and 123 adults. Lip-closing strength was measured by inserting a button, fastened to a piece of string, into the vestibule between the incisors ...

Remarkable mechanical properties of biocomposites (bone, teeth, shell, antler etc.) are usually attributed to their special design where staggered mineral platelets are embedded in a protein matrix. Because of the high aspect ratio of the platelet the soft protein deforms in the shear mode predominantly providing the linkage for the hard inclusions. Mimicking Nature one might design materials w...

Clinching technologies are increasingly used to join sheet materials in manufacturing, especially automotive lightweight applications. However, clinched joints have a weak static strength and high protuberance, which influence the application of clinching technology. In order improve decrease protuberance joint, new method aluminum alloy with two-stroke flattening (TFC) was investigated this pa...

BACKGROUND Membrane tension plays an essential role in cell motility. The load imposed by the tensed membrane restrains actin polymerization, promotes rear retraction, and influences membrane transport. Moreover, membrane tension is crucial for large-scale coordination of cell boundary dynamics. Despite its importance, little is known about how membrane tension is set and regulated in cells. Th...

BACKGROUND In clinical surgery, the vertical midline abdominal incision is popular but associated with healing failures. A murine model of the ventral vertical midline incision was developed in order to study the healing of this incision type. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS The strength of the wild type murine ventral abdominal wall in the midline was contained within the dermis; the linea al...

In this paper, the lap splice length and the long-term (fatigue) performance of lap-spliced carbon FRP laminates were investigated. Lap-spliced CFRP coupon specimens were fabricated with a splice length of 12.7, 25.4, 38.1, 50.8, 76.2, and 101.6 mm. To eliminate the bending on the lap splice joint, a symmetric specimen configuration was adopted. The width of the specimens was 38.1 mm. These spe...

Tension Leg Platform design is a challenging and popular area of research in the offshore oil industry. In order to compete in the International Student Offshore Design Competition (ISODC), a Tension Leg Platform (TLP) was designed. Our TLP design addresses five fundamental areas of technical competency (General Arrangement and Overall Hull/System Design, Weight, Buoyancy and Stability, Global ...