Ileana Rosca

Locomotory Diseases Influence on Body Equilibrium and Balance

The paper describes a new method of body equilibrium evaluation applied for different human subjects, the principal aim being to demonstrate to what extent any locomotory diseases could influence the body stability and equilibrium. The research refers to identify some persons with different locomotory diseases and to find both the influence on equilibrium and stability and if possible to improve them. Our research stage, synthesized in this paper, explains the body equilibrium evaluation in orthostatic posture done for different subjects, aged between 20 and 40 years. A number of 10 relevant persons were considered to be evaluated, 2 of them having some locomotory diseases. The first person presents any neuro-motor stability problems in case of long standing case. The other person has both Achilles tendons torn and operated. All subjects were tested in orthostatic posture, in 3 distinct positions, using a Kistler force plate. The experiments referred to the body mass center (COM) displacement in sagittal and lateral planes, representing an interesting characteristic for its equilibrium. It was shown that the person with diseases affecting stability presented a loss of equilibrium when standing for 10-20 seconds, i.e. higher COM displacements in both planes reported to the other tested subjects.

Research on the Influence of Progressive Plantar Supporters on the Stability in Biped Position

This paper presents a new method to evaluate the progressive plantar supporters on the stability for human subjects; the procedure could be applied as further researches for humanoid robots. The research subject is a male person, 25 years, 65 kg weight, tested on stability in orthostatic position, using a Kistler force plate, when the subject wears plantar supporters with progressive conformation. Stability parameters evolution were followed, in terms of body center of mass (COM) displacement in sagittal and lateral plane, for different phases of progressive plantar supporters while testing. It was found that for medium conformation of supports the subjects stability in bipedal position was the best. The next studies will be focused to establish if the results on plantar base body stability could be valid even for humanoid robots, which must assess different domestic or industrial activities.

Design and construction of an experimental stand for total hip and knee prosthetics testing

The paper presents the design and construction of an experimental stand for in vitro testing of total hip and knee prosthetics. It is composed of a pneumatic circuit (two pneumatic cylinders, a rack-piston oscillating motor), an electric circuit (an electric motor of 24 V DC, a power source, a command and control circuit), a device for cycles number counting, sensors for acceleration, rotational speed and Eulers angles measurements etc.

Determination of deviation from spherical profile of total hip prosthesis

The paper presents a study in vitro concerning the deviation from sphericity of some components of total hip prosthesis (acetabular cups and femoral heads). Prosthesis have been tested on an experimental stand, on which were simulated the loads and movements from coxo-femoral articulation. Deviation from sphericity was determined in accordance with ASTM standards and specifications from the ISO on a CMM machine (MMC). Thus, the standard deviation of the sphericity was measured at the beginning of the tests (initial phase) during tests (intermediate phase) and at the end of the tests (final phase). Two types of articulation have been tested: metal on Metal (MoM) and Metal on Polyethylene (MoP). We believe that the sphericity deviation is a very important parameter in determining wear and loss of implant prosthetic components.

Thermal Response for a Reinforced Concrete Slab Analyzed with Active Infrared Thermography and Comsol Multiphysics

This paper presents a non-destructive technique (NDT) using active infrared thermography and FEM analyses with Comsol Multiphysics software applied for thermal distribution detection through reinforced concrete. For this work a reinforced concrete slab was created having a parallelepiped shape, the length and the width of 400 mm and the thickness of 50 mm. The concrete slab was reinforced using a rebar mesh of 18 mm diameter. The experimental installation consisted of an electrical heating source and a steel frame for fixing the slab and for the thermal distribution analyses an infrared camera was used. The same type of material and conditions like in the laboratory was used for the FEM analyses in Comsol Multiphysiscs to compare with the experimental part. A concrete slab without steel was used to determine the difference between the simple concrete and reinforced concrete in the heat transfer process.

Active Pulse Thermography Applied to Defect Detection in Bioceramic Materials

The present paper presents a non-destructive technique (NDT) using active pulse infrared thermography with a thermal excitation consisting in two photographic flash laps controlled by a signal generator. For this work we used two bioceramics samples, having the same size, 15, 30 mm diameter and 3, 75 mm thickness. A non-defect sample was used as the basis to demonstrate the temperature differences in the defected zone between the healthy and the defective one. In the second sample was created an internal defect. The main advantage of this method represents its possibility to detect the internal defects in bioceramic materials, the method being more reliable then the microscopic method. Other two advantages of this method are represented bythe rapidity of testing and the maintenance of material properties after the thermal excitation.

Measurements of the Human Body Parameters Made with the GDV Camera and the SCIO Device to the Influence of Colloidal Silver Solution

The experiments conducted and presented in this article are meant to determine the changes in the parameters characteristic of the human body which can be shown by means of two state-of-the-art biomedical devices. The comparative study has been conducted by using a SCIO bio-resonance device and a GDV (gas discharge visualization) Camera. The study’s protocol includes the ingestion of a small quantity of electro-colloidal silver solution (ECS). Both devices were strictly used for measuring and the method used was thep Test-ReTest method. The experiment was conducted on only 3 subjects and was meant to be a pilot study that would determine the parameters for a future measurement session with these two devices on a statistically relevant group of subjects. The final study is meant to determine that ECS is more than a mere antiseptic solution.

STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OF THE MAIN ROTOR BLADE FOR A LIGHT HELICOPTER - CASE OF HOVERING FLIGHT MODE

The aerospace industry deals from the beginning with structures with special requirements as extreme lightweight and withstanding to a big number of load cases. Aerodynamics constraints lead to supplementary restrictions, the results being the complex shape to sustain the fuselage, the rotor blades or the wings skin. This paper presents a static structural analysis of the main rotor blade for the light helicopter. To simulate the mechanical behavior of the blade, a finite elements method was used. A case of hovering flight mode was considered.

Study of a Contact in the Gearing of a Tooth With its Wheel by Optical Shadow Method

The gearing between a tooth of a synchronous belt and its wheel is experimentally simulated. The areas and the levels of great stresses are visualised the optical shadow method. This study permitted us to show that the order of loading tangential (the applied torque) followed by the normal load (static or gearing load) is more dangerous for the integrity of the belts tooth than the reciprocal one (normal followed by tangential load). We found the analogy with the stress state at the beginning of a crack loaded in mixed mode by the two above-mentioned loads.

Surface Deformations Analysis by Double Exposure Holography Using Guided Waves and Image Processing

Some aspects about using the double exposure holography with fibre optic for study the surface deformations of an artificial eye-lens are proposed in this paper. Because in the internal structure of the eye lens there are ten different surfaces, with different refractive index a model of this kind of the lens have been computed by optical combination optimum method (OCOM). To study the elastic behaviour of the eye lens we were building a holographic stand with guided radiation and also a system with image processing. In each of these stands we obtain a similar result and in according with our design and theoretical determination. In the holographic stand we used a guided system for the radiation through fiber optics to eliminate the environment influences and for image processing we used a complex method based on the specialised software.