Along with microtubules and microfilaments, intermediate filaments are a major component of the eukaryotic cytoskeleton and play a key role in cell mechanics. In cells, keratin intermediate filaments form networks of bundles that are sparser in structure and have lower connectivity than, for example, actin networks. Because of this, bending and buckling play an important role in these networks....

A belt-conveyor bridge is built inside a ring-stiffened cylindrical shell. The unknown variables are the shell thickness as well as the thickness and the number of flat rings. Optimum solutions are evaluated for different bridge lengths. The design constraints relate to the local shell buckling strength, to the panel ring buckling and to the deflection of the bridge. The cost function includes ...

Dissolving microneedles are especially attractive for transdermal drug delivery as they are associated with improved patient compliance and safety. Furthermore, microneedles made of sugars offer the added benefit of biomolecule stabilisation making them ideal candidates for delivering biological agents such as proteins, peptides and nucleic acids. In this study, we performed experimental and fi...

Using high-strength steels for pressure shafts and tunnel liners and taking into account significant rock mass participation allows the design of comparatively thin steel liners in hydropower projects. Nevertheless, during emptying of waterways, these steel linings may be endangered by buckling. Compared with traditional measures such as increased steel liner thickness and stiffeners, pressure ...

Intraplate compressional deformation in the Central Indian Basin is expressed as linear E-W trending topographic undulations and geoid anomlies with characteristic spacings of approximately 200 km. To elucidate the nature of this deformation, we develop models of an oceanic lithosphere in a state of horizontal compression. The lithosphere is treated as a viscous or plastic layer of uniform stre...

This paper suggests an optimization-based design methodology for improving the strength and overall stability of framed structures, the capacities of which are governed by inelastic limit-load behavior. The optimization objective function, comprising the dominant linearized buckling eigenvalue of the structure weighted by a frequency-dependent penalty function, is motivated by a simple model of...

This paper studies the pure bending and bending-induced local buckling of a nanocomposite beam reinforced by a single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT). The Airy stress-function method was employed to analyse the deformation of the matrix, and the cross-sectional change of the SWNT in bending was taken into account. A particular consideration was given to the effect of the SWNT s radial flexibility...

Carbon fibre epoxy matrix composite honeycombs have been fabricated by slotting, assembling and adhesively bonding composite laminate sheets with various fibre architectures. Their out-of-plane compressive and in-plane shear responses were measured as a function of relative density, ratio of the cell height to width and the number of cells in the specimen. The measurements indicate that the res...

A class of planar, pin-jointed truss structures based on the ancient Kagome basket weave pattern with exceptional characteristics for actuation has been identified. Its in-plane stiffness is isotropic and has optimal weight among planar trusses for specified stiffness or strength. The version with welded joints resists plastic yielding and buckling, while storing minimal energy upon truss bendi...

In composite structures subjected to compressive loads, impact damage is a major problem as it promotes delamination, which severely reduces the buckling strength. The problem is further complicated by the fact that internal defects cannot be detected by a visual inspection. In order to assess the effect on a component of any damage it is desirable to determine the behaviour of a defect during ...