On the mechanics of monofilaments used in touch sensory perception.

The buckling of a slender monofilament is a standard clinical method used to assess touch sensory perception, with specific applications to somatosensory impairment in patients after a stroke, detecting carpal tunnel syndrome, and as a prognosis tool for diabetic peripheral neuropathy. The basis of this approach is the Semmes-Weinstein monofilament, which comprises a calibrated set of thin, polycarbonate rods with different diameters. Application of a monofilament onto the surface of the skin with increasing pressure causes the rod to buckle.

Experimental study of isolas in nonlinear systems featuring modal interactions.

The objective of the present paper is to provide experimental evidence of isolated resonances in the frequency response of nonlinear mechanical systems. More specifically, this work explores the presence of isolas, which are periodic solutions detached from the main frequency response, in the case of a nonlinear set-up consisting of two masses sliding on a horizontal guide. A careful experimental investigation of isolas is carried out using responses to swept-sine and stepped-sine excitations.

Multiplexing superparamagnetic beads driven by multi-frequency ratchets.

Here, we explore the single particle dynamics of superparamagnetic beads exposed to multifrequency ratchets. Through a combination of theory, simulation, and experiment, we determine the important tuning parameters that can be used to implement multiplexed separation of polydisperse colloidal mixtures. In particular, our results demonstrate that the ratio of driving frequencies controls the transition between open and closed trajectories that allow particles to be transported across a substrate.

Transport of superparamagnetic beads through a two-dimensional potential energy landscape.

The nonlinear dynamic behavior of superparamagnetic beads transported through a two-dimensional potential energy landscape is explored empirically and through numerical simulation. The beads are driven through a periodic array of micromagnets by an external rotating field oriented at an angle θ relative to the magnetization direction of the substrate. The bead's motion was highly sensitive to the angle of the driving field near critical angles and to various system parameters, including bead size, rotation frequency, and substrate pole density.

The synchronization of superparamagnetic beads driven by a micro-magnetic ratchet.

We present theoretical, numerical, and experimental analyses on the non-linear dynamic behavior of superparamagnetic beads exposed to a periodic array of micro-magnets and an external rotating field. The agreement between theoretical and experimental results revealed that non-linear magnetic forcing dynamics are responsible for transitions between phase-locked orbits, sub-harmonic orbits, and closed orbits, representing different mobility regimes of colloidal beads. These results suggest that the non-linear behavior can be exploited to construct a novel colloidal separation device that can achieve effectively infinite separation resolution for different types of beads, by exploiting minor differences in their bead's properties.

Nonlinear dynamics of superparamagnetic beads in a traveling magnetic-field wave.

The nonlinear dynamic behavior of superparamagnetic beads exposed to a periodic array of micromagnets and an external rotating field is simulated as a function of the relative size of the bead with respect to the micromagnet size and the strength of the external field relative to the pole density of the substrate. For large bead sizes, it is confirmed that the motion of the beads corresponds to the dynamics of an overdamped nonlinear harmonic oscillator. For lower bead sizes, additional subharmonic locking effects are observed along with the emergence of bounded orbits.

Bragg grating-based fibre optic sensors in structural health monitoring.

This work first considers a review of the dominant current methods for fibre Bragg grating wavelength interrogation. These methods include WDM interferometry, tunable filter (both Fabry-Perot and acousto-optic) demultiplexing, CCD/prism technique and a newer hybrid method utilizing Fabry-Perot and interferometric techniques. Two applications using these techniques are described: hull loads monitoring on an all-composite fast patrol boat and bolt pre-load loss monitoring in a composite beam in conjunction with a state-space modelling data analysis technique.