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Show Quantitative Characterization of the Strain Field on a Silicone Membrane Applied by a Custom-Made Stretch Device A number of factors affect the growth of capillaries, one of which is the mechanical environment of the endothelial cells. The effect of uniaxial stretch, one important mechanical force, on the growth of capillaries, is studied by using a custom-designed device that stretches a rectangular elastic membrane, to which endothelial cells being studied are affixed. The membrane is installed into the stretch device such that one edge of the rectangular membrane is held fixed while the parallel edge is pulled by the device, leaving the two perpendicular edges free. Because of the Poisson effect, these two free edges will pinch inward and therefore the strain of the entire membrane is not uniform. To obtain the best results, it is important to expose the cells to identical environmental factors while they are bing studied. The objective of this project is to quantitatively characterize the strain field in order to identify some region of the membrane for which deformation is uniform. To identify this region, the silicone membrane is marked with reference markers in the pattern of a grid, then tracking the movement of the markers using a low-powered microscope and a video recording device. The movement can be analyzed by digital image processing and defined as a function of the oscillation of the motor driving the stretch/relax pattern. Then, the series of data gathered will be used in a finite element analysis to describe the strain imposed on the silicone membrane by the stretch device. If time permits, a computer simulation describing the strain field will be devised. Carlos L. Buckner Class Standing: Junior Major: Bioengineering, E-mail: el_piel@yahoo.com Faculty Sponsor: Yan-Ting Elizabeth Shiu, Ph.D. Department of Bioengineering E-mail: yshiu@eng.utah.edu |