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More Efficient Thermal Cooling Method Bioinspired by Plants
Studying evaporation: A mechanical engineer with the McKelvey School of Engineering combined properties similar to those seen in a lotus leaf (above) with those found on rose petals to find a more efficient way for droplets to evaporate from a surface. McKelvey Engineering Mechanical Engineer Creates Bioinspired Evaporation Technique When drops of water touch the surface of a lotus flower leaf, they form beads and roll off, collecting dust particles along the way. In contrast, water droplets on a rose petal also form beads, but remain pinned to the petal’s surface. A mechanical engineer at Washington University in St. Louis combined the two concepts to find a more efficient way for droplets to evaporate from a surface. Patricia Weisensee, assistant…
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New Equipment Finds the Flaws in Everything – From Airplanes to Cell Phones
Sandia National Laboratories researchers in the Mechanics of Materials department utilize the new fracture testing hangers for traditional interlaminar composite fracture testing as well as advanced hybrid composite laminates, as shown here. Credit: Sandia National Laboratories Fracture technology innovation allows faster materials testing. Tim Briggs has built a career at Sandia National Laboratories tearing and breaking things apart with his team of collaborators. Now, he’s developed a fracture-testing tool that could help make everything from aircraft structural frames to cellphones stronger. Briggs has filed a patent for a device associated with bonded structural composite materials with the deceptively mundane title “Mode I Fracture Testing Fixture.” The device, a small set of two hangers no larger than a hand, fits into…
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“Acoustic Tweezers” – Human Hands Replaced by Sound Waves in Petri Dish Experiments
Three proof of concept experimental setups that use acoustic tweezers in Petri dishes. From left to right, a standing pattern for sorting, a whirlpool for concentrating, and high-frequency beam-like waves for concentration and stimulation. Credit: Tony Huang, Duke University Three proof-of-concept prototypes seek to make contactless ‘acoustic tweezer’ technology available to a wide array of laboratories. Mechanical engineers at Duke University have demonstrated a set of prototypes for manipulating particles and cells in a Petri dish using sound waves. The devices, known in the scientific community as “acoustic tweezers,” are the first foray into making these types of tools, which have thus far been relegated to laboratories with specific equipment and expertise, available for use in a wide array of…
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New Insights Into How Whisker Bending Translates to Sensory Touch Signals
First-of-its-kind mechanical model simulates bending of mammalian whiskers. Researchers have developed a new mechanical model that simulates how whiskers bend within a follicle in response to an external force, paving the way toward better understanding of how whiskers contribute to mammals’ sense of touch. Yifu Luo and Mitra Hartmann of Northwestern University and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS Computational Biology. With the exception of some primates, most mammals use whiskers to explore their environment through the sense of touch. Whiskers have no sensors along their length, but when an external force bends a whisker, that deformation extends into the follicle at the base of the whisker, where the whisker pushes or pulls on sensor cells, triggering…
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Bigon Rings: Technique Inspired by Lace Making Could Someday Weave Structures in Space
Bigon Rings: Researchers described the mathematics that underlie many forms created from thin strips of flexible material. The techniques could assist to form materials that change shape to improve performance as conditions change. Credit: Illustration by Neil Adelantar Lauren Dreier was paging through a 19th century book by the German architect Gottfried Semper when she spotted some intriguing patterns inspired by lace. A professional artist and designer who often incorporates technology into her work, Dreier, who is also a doctoral student at the School of Architecture at Princeton University, decided to recreate the printed illustrations in 3D. She grabbed ribbon-like plastic material she had been experimenting with in her studio, bending and connecting the semi-rigid strips. To Dreier’s surprise, the…
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