The effects of carbon nanotubes on the mechanical behavior of elastomeric materials is investigated. The large deformation uniaxial tension and uniaxial compression stress-strain behaviors of a representative elastomer are first presented. This elastomer is then reinforced with multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) and the influence of weight fraction of MWNTs on the large deformation behavior of...

This paper discusses the laboratory design of continuously graded asphaltic concrete mixtures containing styrene butadiene styrene (SBS). The purpose of this study is to evaluate mechanical properties of control and SBS modified asphalt mixtures. Furthermore rheological properties of conventional and modified asphalt in different SBS content were studied. AC-10 was used as binder in the study. ...

The present work describes the experimental mechanical characterisation of a natural flax fibre reinforced epoxy polymer composite. A commercial plain woven quasi-unidirectional flax fabric with spun-twisted yarns is employed in particular, as well as unidirectional composite panels manufactured with three techniques: hand-lay-up, vacuum bagging and resin infusion. The stiffness and strength be...

This study investigated the numerical convergence characteristics of specimen-specific "voxel-based" finite element models of 14 excised human cadaveric lumbar vertebral bodies (age: 37-87; M = 6, F = 8) that were generated automatically from clinical-type CT scans. With eventual clinical applications in mind, the ability of the model stiffness to predict the experimentally measured compressive...

Background: Studies on how the shoe insole hardness regulate joint stiffness and transfer energy in the lower extremity during jump landing are scarce. The current study aimed to determine the effectiveness of shoe insole changes in joint power and stiffness during landing from jumps. Methods: Fifteen healthy male athletes volunteered to perform jump-landing in various shoe insole conditions. ...

Abstract On one hand, the nature of linear elastic up to brittle rupture hinders application fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) bars as reinforcement in concrete member due displacement ductility demand structures. other FRP are equipped with many irreplaceable advantages To resolve this contradiction, a possible solution is use so-called compression yield (CY) structural system and beam incorporat...

BACKGROUND Twisting and braiding of four-strand hamstring tendon grafts used for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction has been proposed, but not proven, as a method of improving tensile properties. HYPOTHESIS Twisting and braiding four-strand human hamstring tendon grafts will have no significant effect on initial graft strength or stiffness. STUDY DESIGN Paired in vitro biomechanical ...

The mechanical properties of type I collagen gel vary due to different polymerization parameters. In this work, the role of crosslinks in terms of density and stiffness on the macroscopic behavior of collagen gel were investigated through computational modeling. The collagen fiber network was developed in a representative volume element, which used the inter-fiber spacing to regulate the crossl...