Sharon Kao-Walter

A Health-IoT Platform Based on the Integration of Intelligent Packaging, Unobtrusive Bio-Sensor, and Intelligent Medicine Box

In-home healthcare services based on the Internet-of-Things (IoT) have great business potential; however, a comprehensive platform is still missing. In this paper, an intelligent home-based platform, the iHome Health-IoT, is proposed and implemented. In particular, the platform involves an open-platform-based intelligent medicine box (iMedBox) with enhanced connectivity and interchangeability for the integration of devices and services; intelligent pharmaceutical packaging (iMedPack) with communication capability enabled by passive radio-frequency identification (RFID) and actuation capability enabled by functional materials; and a flexible and wearable bio-medical sensor device (Bio-Patch) enabled by the state-of-the-art inkjet printing technology and system-on-chip. The proposed platform seamlessly fuses IoT devices (e.g., wearable sensors and intelligent medicine packages) with in-home healthcare services (e.g., telemedicine) for an improved user experience and service efficiency. The feasibility of the implemented iHome Health-IoT platform has been proven in field trials.

Design of a terminal solution for integration of in-home health care devices and services towards the Internet-of-Things

In-home health care services based on the Internet-of-Things are promising to resolve the challenges caused by the ageing of population. But the existing research is rather scattered and shows lack of interoperability. In this article, a business-technology co-design methodology is proposed for cross-boundary integration of in-home health care devices and services. In this framework, three key elements of a solution (business model, device and service integration architecture and information system integration architecture) are organically integrated and aligned. In particular, a cooperative Health-IoT ecosystem is formulated, and information systems of all stakeholders are integrated in a cooperative health cloud as well as extended to patients’ home through the in-home health care station (IHHS). Design principles of the IHHS includes the reuse of 3C platform, certification of the Health Extension, interoperability and extendibility, convenient and trusted software distribution, standardised and secured electrical health care record handling, effective service composition and efficient data fusion. These principles are applied to the design of an IHHS solution called iMedBox. Detailed device and service integration architecture and hardware and software architecture are presented and verified by an implemented prototype. The quantitative performance analysis and field trials have confirmed the feasibility of the proposed design methodology and solution.

A crack perpendicular to the bimaterial interface in finite solid

The dislocation simulation method is used in this paper to derive the basic equations for a crack perpendicular to the bimaterial interface in a finite solid. The complete solutions to the problem, including the T stress and the stress intensity factors are obtained. The stress field characteristics are investigated in detail. It is found that when the crack is within a weaker material, the stress intensity factor is smaller than that in a homogeneous material and it decreases when the distance between the crack tip and interface decreases. When the crack is within a stiffer material, the stress intensity factor is larger than that in a homogeneous material and it increases when the distance between the crack tip and interface decreases. In both cases, the stress intensity factor will increase when the ratio of the size of a sample to the crack length decreases. A comparison of stress intensity factors between a finite problem and an infinite problem has been given also. The stress distribution ahead of the crack tip, which is near the interface, is shown in details and the T stress effect is considered.

Fracture Toughness of a Laminated Composite

The fracture toughness of a polymer-metal laminate composite is obtained by mechanical testing of a specimen containing a pre-crack. The laminate is a material used for packaging. It consists of a thin aluminium foil and a polymer coating. A centre cracked panel test geometry is used. Each of the layers forming the laminate is also tested separately. The result is compared with the measured fracture strength of the individual layers. It is observed that the load carrying capacity increases dramatically for the laminate. At the strain when peak load is reached for the laminate only aluminium is expected to carry any substantial load because of the low stiffness of the LDPE. However, the strength of the laminate is almost twice the strength of the aluminium foil. The reason seems to be that the aluminium forces the polymer to absorb large quantities of energy at small nominal strain. The toughness compares well with the accumulated toughness of all involved layers. Possible fracture of the interface between the layers is discussed.

Including die and press deformations in sheet metal forming simulations

Structural analysis, in Abaqus, of a stamping die and subsequent morphing of the tool surfaces in AutoForm were performed to improve a sheet metal forming simulation. First, the tool surfaces of the XC90 rear door inner were scanned. They were not matching when the die was unloaded and could therefore not give any satisfying results in sheet metal forming simulations. Scanned surface geometries were then added to a structural FE-model of the complete stamping die and some influential parts of the production press. The structural FE- model was analysed with Abaqus to obtain the structural deformations of the die. The calculated surface shapes were then transferred to AutoForm where a forming simulation was performed. Results from the different sheet metal forming simulations were compared to measured draw in curves and showed a substantial increase in accuracy and ability to analyse dies in running production when the morphed surfaces were used.

In-situ SEM study of fracture of an ultrathin Al-foil-modeling of the fracture processes

Fracture behavior of an ultra thin Aluminium foil was studied. For very short crack lengths, fracture has been followed in the scanner electronic microscope (SEM) with a tensile stage. A single edge notched tension specimen was used. Crack length and applied load during the crack growth were measured. These results have been used to calculate fracture strength using linear elastic fracture mechanics and a strip yield model. The results are discussed in general and in particular regarding the importance of process region modeling.

A Finite Element Analysis of a Crack Penetrating or Deflecting into an Interface in a Thin Laminate

The crack tip driving force of a crack growing from a pre-crack that is perpendicular to and terminating at an interface between two materials is investigated using a linear fracture mechanics theory. The analysis is performed both for a crack penetrating the interface, growing straight ahead, and for a crack deflecting into the interface. The results from finite element calculations are compared with asymptotic solutions for infinitesimally small crack extensions. The solution is found to be accurate even for fairly large amounts of crack growth. Further, by comparing the crack tip driving force of the deflected crack with that of the penetrating crack, it is shown how to control the path of the crack by choosing the adhesion of the interface relative to the material toughness.

Mechanical Properties and Life-Cycle Sustainability Aspects of Natural Fibre

In order to understand the basic definition of the natural material, references of recently published articles were studied. From these articles, the definition of different terms like renewable material, recyclable material, biodegradable material, sustainable material and finally natural material were collected. Furthermore, a classification of natural fibre was drawn. One of these natural fibres - the coconut was chosen for a more detail analysis in mechanical point of view. An integrated method to analyse the sustainability of the coconut fibre as one of the blend components in building construction will be suggested. Finally, several uses of the fibre are reviewed.

Tearing and Delaminating of a Polymer Laminate

The fracture behaviour of laminated materials was studied in this work. The materials used in this work were low-density polyethylene (LDPE) laminated on polyethylene (PET). The thickness of the LDPE was 27 µm and the PET was 100 µm. Experiments were performed by using a 2-leg trousers specimen to analyse the tearing behaviour of the laminate in relation to the delamination. A clear delamination zone was observed during the crack propagation by tearing. Furthermore, a finite element calculation was performed to simulate the behavior around the crack tip during the tearing. A correlation between adhesion and crack propagation was discussed. Finally, the theory of Essential Work of Fracture (EWF) was used for predicting the specific total work of fracture along the tear path across the plastic zones.

Vibration-based damage detection and evaluation of sheet materials using a remote acoustic excitation

A simple method of damage severity assessment on sheet materials is suggested and proved by theory and experiment. The investigated defect types are in forms of added mass and crack. The method is based on the frequency shift measurement of a material vibrating as a membrane subjected to static tension and irradiated by an acoustic wave. It is shown both theoretically and experimentally that the natural frequency of the damaged membrane is shifted relative to its position in the ideal material. A local increase in thickness (or addition of mass) shifts the natural frequency down, while a crack shifts the frequency up. The method can be considered as acoustic weighting through the frequency shift. The sensitivity of this method can be high because frequency measurement is one of the most accurate measurements in physics and metrology.