Showing papers on "Shear stress published in 1998"

Oscillatory and Steady Laminar Shear Stress Differentially Affect Human Endothelial Redox State: Role of a Superoxide-Producing NADH Oxidase

Abstract: Atherosclerotic lesions are found opposite vascular flow dividers at sites of low shear stress and oscillatory flow. Since endothelial proinflammatory genes prominent in lesions are regulated by oxidation-sensitive transcriptional control mechanisms, we examined the redox state of cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells after either oscillatory or steady laminar fluid shear stress. Endothelial oxidative stress was assessed by measuring activity of the superoxide (O2.- )-producing NADH oxidase (a major source of reactive oxygen species in vascular cells), intracellular O2.- levels, induction of the redox-sensitive gene heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), and abundance of Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn SOD), an antioxidant defense enzyme whose level of expression adapts to changes in oxidative stress. When cells were exposed to oscillatory shear (+/-5 dyne/cm2, 1 Hz) for 1, 5, and 24 hours, NADH oxidase activity and the amount of HO-1 progressively increased up to 174+/-16% (P<0.05) and 505+/-111% (P<0.05) versus static conditions, respectively, whereas levels of Cu/Zn SOD remained unchanged. This upregulation of HO-1 was completely blocked by the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC, 20 mmol/L). In contrast, steady laminar shear (5 dyne/cm2) induced NADH oxidase activity and NAC-sensitive HO-1 mRNA expression only at 1 and 5 hours, a transient response that returned toward baseline at 24 hours. Levels of Cu/Zn SOD mRNA and protein were increased after 24 hours of steady laminar shear. Furthermore, intracellular O2.-, as measured by dihydroethidium fluorescence, was higher in cells exposed to oscillatory than to laminar shear. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that continuous oscillatory shear causes a sustained activation of pro-oxidant processes resulting in redox-sensitive gene expression in human endothelial cells. Steady laminar shear stress initially activates these processes but appears to induce compensatory antioxidant defenses. We speculate that differences in endothelial redox state, orchestrated by different regimens of shear stress, may contribute to the focal nature of atherosclerosis.

Test environments and mechanical properties of Zr-base bulk amorphous alloys

Abstract: The mechanical properties of two Zr-base bulk amorphous alloys (BAA), Zr-10Al-30Cu-5Ni (BAA-10) and Zr-10Al-5Ti-17.9Cu-14.6Ni (BAA-11), were studied by both tensile and compressive tests at room temperature in various test environments. The BAA ingots up to 7 mm in diameter were successfully produced by both arc melting and drop casting and induction melting and injection casting. The BAA specimens deformed mainly elastically, followed by catastrophic failure along shear bands. Examination of the fracture region revealed ductile fracture features resulting from a substantial increase in temperature, which was attributable to the conversion of the stored elastic strain energy to heat. Surprisingly, “liquid droplets” located at major shear-band cracks adjacent to the fracture section were observed, indicating the occurrence of local melting during fracture. The angle orientation of shear bands, shear-band cracks, and fracture surfaces relative to the stress axis is quite different for BAA specimens tested in tension and compression. This suggests that both shear stress and normal stress may play a role in developing shear bands during plastic deformation. The tensile properties of BAAs were found to be insensitive to the test environment at room temperature. However, the reaction of BAAs with distilled water and heavy water was detected by laser desorption mass spectrometry (LDMS). These results suggest that moisture-induced hydrogen embrittlement in BAAs may be masked by catastrophic fracture following shear bands.

Microstructure of shear bands and its relation to the mechanisms of dilatancy and failure of dense granular soils

Abstract: Microstructural changes taking place in two shear bands of Toyoura and Ticino sands were examined by means of an X-ray method and optical measurements using a microscope and thin sections. The following must be taken into account in order to produce a realistic micro-structural deformation model for granular soils: (1) shear band boundaries are not straight, but are gently curved with different inclination angles to the major principal stress from section to section; (2) extremely large voids are produced in shear bands, and the resulting local void ratio can be larger than the maximum void ratio determined by standard methods; (3) the particle orientation changes sharply at shear band boundaries, so that a high gradient of particle rotation can be developed within a relatively narrow zone during the shear banding process; (4) particle rotation, on average, takes place in parallel with the corresponding geotoscopic rotation in the continuum sense; (5) the thickness of shear bands is about 7 to 8 times the...

Simple liquids confined to molecularly thin layers. I. Confinement-induced liquid-to-solid phase transitions

Abstract: A surface force balance with extremely high resolution in measuring shear forces has been used to study the properties of films of the simple organic solvents cyclohexane, octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane, and toluene, confined in a gap between smooth solid surfaces. We were able to probe in detail the transition between liquidlike and solidlike behavior of the films as the gap thickness decreased. Our results reveal that in such confined layers the liquids are fluid down to a film thickness of few molecular layers (typically seven, depending on the particular liquid examined). On further decreasing the gap thickness by a single molecular layer, the films undergo an abrupt transition to become solidlike in the sense that they are able to sustain a finite shear stress for macroscopic times. At the transition, the effective rigidity of the films, quantified in terms of an effective creep viscosity, increases by at least seven orders of magnitude. This sharp transition is reversible and occurs as a function of the confinement alone: it does not require external applied pressure. Following the transition the confined films behave under shear in a manner resembling ductile solids.

Fluid Shear Stress Stimulates Phosphorylation of Akt in Human Endothelial Cells: Involvement in Suppression of Apoptosis

Abstract: Fluid shear stress alters the morphology and function of the endothelium by activating several kinases. Furthermore, shear stress potently inhibits apoptosis of endothelial cells. Since activation of Akt kinase has been shown to prevent cell death, we investigated the effects of shear stress on Akt phosphorylation. To test the hypothesis that shear stress interacts with the Akt kinase pathway, human umbilical venous endothelial cells were exposed to laminar shear stress (15 dyne/cm2). Western blotting with specific antibodies against the phosphorylated Akt demonstrated a time-dependent stimulation of Akt phosphorylation by shear stress with a maximal increase up to 6-fold after 1 hour of shear stress exposure. The stimulation of Akt phosphorylation by shear stress thereby seemed to be mediated by the phosphoinositide 3-OH kinase (PI3K), as evidenced by the significant inhibition of shear stress-induced Akt phosphorylation by the PI3K inhibitors wortmannin (20 nmol/L) and Ly294002 (10 micromol/L). In addition, pharmacological inhibition of P13K reduced the antiapoptotic effect of shear stress against growth factor depletion-induced apoptosis. Most important, overexpression of a dominant-negative Akt mutant significantly inhibited the apoptosis-suppressive effect of shear stress against serum depletion-induced apoptosis, thus indicating the direct involvement of shear stress-induced Akt phosphorylation for inhibition of endothelial cell apoptosis. These results define a novel shear stress-stimulated signal transduction pathway, namely, activation of the serine/threonine kinase Akt, which may contribute to the profound changes in endothelial morphology and function by shear stress.

Shear modulus and damping relationships for gravels

Abstract: Two of the most important parameters in any dynamic analysis involving soils are the shear modulus and the damping ratio. Because both shear modulus and damping are strain dependent, curves must be developed to define their variation with shear strain. Fifteen studies (including this one) now provide results from tests on a wide variety of gravels. This paper combines the results of available investigations to develop best-fit relationships between (1) shear wave velocity and equivalent N60 from Becker penetration tests; (2) normalized shear modulus and shear strain; and (3) damping ratio and shear strain. The mean curve for the normalized shear modulus reported for gravelly soil in this study falls near the mean curve reported for sands by Seed and Idriss (1970). The normalized shear modulus curve is dependent on confining pressure, but essentially independent of sample disturbance, relative density, and gradation. The mean damping ratio curve falls toward the lower range of the data reported by Seed and...

Shear stress induces spatial reorganization of the endothelial cell cytoskeleton.

Abstract: The morphology of endothelial cells in vivo depends on the local hemodynamic forces. Cells are polygonal and randomly oriented in areas of low shear stress, but they are elongated and aligned in the direction of fluid flow in regions of high shear stress. Endothelial cells in vitro also have a polygonal shape, but the application of shear stress orients and elongates the cells in the direction of fluid flow. The corresponding spatial reorganization of the cytoskeleton in response to the applied hemodynamic forces is unknown. In this study, we determined the spatial reorganization of the cytoskeleton throughout the volume of cultured bovine aortic endothelial cells after the cells had been exposed to a physiological level of shear stress for 0, 1.5, 3, 6, 12, or 24 h. The response of the monolayer to shear stress was not monotonic; it had three distinct phases. The first phase occurred within 3 h. The cells elongated and had more stress fibers, thicker intercellular junctions, and more apical microfilaments. After 6 h of exposure, the monolayer entered the second phase, where the cells exhibited characteristics of motility. The cells lost their dense peripheral bands and had more of their microtubule organizing centers and nuclei located in the upstream region of the cell. The third phase began after 12 h of exposure and was characterized by elongated cells oriented in the direction of fluid flow. The stress fibers in these cells were thicker and longer, and the heights of the intercellular junctions and microfilaments were increased. These results suggest that endothelial cells initially respond to shear stress by enhancing their attachments to the substrate and neighboring cells. The cells then demonstrate characteristics of motility as they realign. The cells eventually thicken their intercellular junctions and increase the amount of apical microfilaments. The time course of rearrangement can be described as a constrained motility that produces a new cytoskeletal organization that alters how the forces produced by fluid flow act on the cell and how the forces are transmitted to the cell interior and substrate. Cell Motil. Cytoskeleton 40:317–330, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Prediction of Failure Load of R/C Beams Strengthened with FRP Plate Due to Stress Concentration at the Plate End

Abstract: Epoxy-bonding a composite plate to the tension face is an effective technique for repair and retrofit of reinforced concrete beams. Experiments have indicated local failure of the concrete layer between the plate and longitudinal reinforcement in retrofitted beams. This mode of failure is caused by local stress concentration at the plate end as well as at the flexural cracks. This paper presents a method for calculating shear and normal stress concentration at the cutoff point of the plate. This method has been developed based on linear elastic behavior of the materials. The effect of the large flexural cracks along the beam has also been investigated. The model has been used to find the shear stress concentration at these cracks. The predicted results have been compared with both the finite element method and experimental results. The analytical models provide closed form solutions for calculating stresses at the plate ends that can easily be incorporated into design equations.

Finite element modeling of three-dimensional pulsatile flow in the abdominal aorta: relevance to atherosclerosis.

Abstract: The infrarenal abdominal aorta is particularly prone to atherosclerotic plaque formation while the thoracic aorta is relatively resistant. Localized differences in hemodynamic conditions, including differences in velocity profiles, wall shear stress, and recirculation zones have been implicated in the differential localization of disease in the infrarenal aorta. A comprehensive computational framework was developed, utilizing a stabilized, time accurate, finite element method, to solve the equations governing blood flow in a model of a normal human abdominal aorta under simulated rest, pulsatile, flow conditions. Flow patterns and wall shear stress were computed. A recirculation zone was observed to form along the posterior wall of the infrarenal aorta. Low time-averaged wall shear stress and high shear stress temporal oscillations, as measured by an oscillatory shear index, were present in this location, along the posterior wall opposite the superior mesenteric artery and along the anterior wall between the superior and inferior mesenteric arteries. These regions were noted to coincide with a high probability-of-occurrence of sudanophilic lesions as reported by Cornhill et al. (Monogr. Atheroscler. 15:13-19, 1990). This numerical investigation provides detailed quantitative data on hemodynamic conditions in the abdominal aorta heretofore lacking in the study of the localization of atherosclerotic disease.

Influence of Oscillatory and Unidirectional Flow Environments on the Expression of Endothelin and Nitric Oxide Synthase in Cultured Endothelial Cells

Abstract: —In vivo, endothelial cells (ECs) are subjected to a complex mechanical environment composed of shear stress, pressure, and circumferential stretch. The aim of this study was to subject bovine aortic ECs to a pulsatile pressure oscillating from 70 to 130 mm Hg (mean of 100 mm Hg) in combination with pulsatile shear stresses from 0.1 to 6 dyne/cm2 (1 dyne/cm2=0.1 N/m2) with or without a cyclic circumferential stretch of 4% for 1, 4, and 24 hours. The effect of highly reversing oscillatory shear stress (range −3 to +3 dyne/cm2, mean of 0.3 dyne/cm2) typical of regions prone to the development of atherosclerotic plaques was also studied at 4 and 24 hours. Endothelin-1 (ET-1) and endothelial constitutive nitric oxide synthase (ecNOS) mRNA expression was time and mechanical force dependent. ET-1 mRNA was maximal at 4 hours and decreased to less than static culture expression at 24 hours, whereas ecNOS mRNA increased over time. Pressure combined with low shear stress upregulated ET-1 and ecNOS mRNA compared with static control. Additional increase in expression for both genes was observed under a combination of higher shear stress and pressure. A cyclic circumferential stretch of 4% did not induce a further increase in ET-1 and ecNOS mRNA at either low or high shear stress. Oscillatory shear stress with pressure induced a higher expression of ET-1 mRNA but lower expression of ecNOS mRNA compared with unidirectional shear stress and pressure. We have shown that the combination of pressure and oscillatory shear stress can downregulate ecNOS levels, as well as upregulate transient expression of ET-1, compared with unidirectional shear stress. These results provide a new insight into the exact role of mechanical forces in endothelial dysfunction in regions prone to the development of atherosclerosis.

Fourier-transform rheology

Abstract: Oscillatory shear of polymeric liquids in the non-linear regime generates higher harmonic contributions in the shear stress response. These non-linear contributions are analyzed in Fourier space with respect to the different frequencies and intensities. Simulated and experimental Fourier rheology spectra for atactic poly(propylene) melts are shown.

Ring-shear studies of till deformation: Coulomb-plastic behavior and distributed strain in glacier beds

Abstract: A ring-shear device was used to study the factors that control the ultimate (steady) strength of till at high shear strains. Tests at a steady strain rate and at different stresses normal to the shearing direction yielded ultimate friction angles of 26.3 and 18.6° for tills containing 4% and 30% clay-sized particles, respectively. Other tests at steady normal stresses and variable shear-strain rates indicated a tendency for both tills to weaken slightly with increasing strain rate. This weakening may be due to small increases in till porosity. These results provide no evidence of viscous behavior and suggest that a Coulomb-plastic idealization is reasonable for till deformation. However, viscous behavior has often been suggested on the basis of distributed shear strain observed in subglacial till. We hypothesize that deformation may become distributed in till that is deformed cyclically in response to fluctuations in basal water pressure. During a deformation event, transient dilation ofdiscrete shear zones should cause a reduction in internal pore-water pressure that should strengthen these zones relative to the surrounding till, a process called dilatant hardening. Consequent changes in shear-zone position, when integrated over time, may yield the observed distributed strain.

Critical plane approaches in high-cycle fatigue : On the definition of the amplitude and mean value of the shear stress acting on the critical plane

Abstract: Critical plane approaches are useful methods when designing against long-term fatigue of machine components made from metals. Somewhat surprisingly, the very basic problem of the evaluation of the amplitude and mean value of the shear stress acting on the critical plane is still not resolved satisfactorily for non-proportional cyclic loading conditions. In the present paper, existing proposals for solving this problem are briefly reviewed and their weaknesses highlighted. Then it is shown, through particular examples, that application of these proposals can lead to ambiguous results. Therefore, new definitions of the amplitude and mean value of the shear stress acting on the critical plane are formulated here. These new definitions are free from any ambiguity because they are based on the construction of the unique minimum-circumscribed circle to the path described by the shear stress on the critical plane. The centre of this circle defines the mean shear stress, whereas its radius provides the corresponding shear stress amplitude. The algorithm yielding this minimum-circumscribed circle is presented in some detail.

Effects of disturbed flow on endothelial cells

Abstract: Atherosclerotic lesions tend to localize at curvatures and branches of the arterial system, where the local flow is often disturbed and irregular (e.g., flow separation, recirculation, complex flow patterns, and nonuniform shear stress distributions). The effects of such flow conditions on cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were studied in vitro by using a vertical-step flow channel (VSF). Detailed shear stress distributions and flow structures have been computed by using the finite volume method in a general curvilinear coordinate system. HUVECs in the reattachment areas with low shear stresses were generally rounded in shape. In contrast, the cells under higher shear stresses were significantly elongated and aligned with the flow direction, even for those in the area with reversed flow. When HUVECs were subjected to shearing in VSF, their actin stress fibers reorganized in association with the morphological changes. The rate of DNA synthesis in the vicinity of the flow reattachment area was higher than that in the laminar flow area. These in vitro experiments have provided data for the understanding of the in vivo responses of endothelial cells under complex flow environments found in regions of prevalence of atherosclerotic lesions.

Rheology of Dendrimers. I. Newtonian Flow Behavior of Medium and Highly Concentrated Solutions of Polyamidoamine (PAMAM) Dendrimers in Ethylenediamine (EDA) Solvent

Abstract: Steady shear flow properties of an extensive family of dendrimers were examined for the first time in medium to high concentration solutions. For this, the first seven generations of ethylenediamine (EDA) core−polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers, having molecular weights from about 500 to almost 60 000 in 30 to 75 wt % solutions in ethylenediamine (EDA) were used. It was found that these dendrimer solutions exhibited typical Newtonian flow behavior as manifested by direct proportionality of the shear stress to the shear rate (i.e., constant viscosity with respect to both shear stress and shear rate) over the entire range of shear stress and shear rate studied. In addition to this, there was no abrupt change in the slope of the shear viscosity vs molecular weight relationship, indicating that these dendrimers do not interpenetrate to form transient quasi-networks of the “entanglement”-type typically found for long-chain linear or randomly branched macromolecules, nor do they engage in “sticking” interactions...

A model for aortic growth based on fluid shear and fiber stresses.

Abstract: Stress-modulated growth in the aorta is studied using a theoretical model. The model is a thick-walled tube composed of two pseudoelastic, orthotropic layers representing the intima/media and the adventitia. Both layers are assumed to follow a growth law in which the time rates of change of the growth stretch ratios depend linearly on the local smooth muscle fiber stress and on the shear stress due to blood flow on the endothelium. Using finite elasticity theory modified to include volumetric growth, we computed temporal changes in stress, geometry, and opening angle (residual strain) during development and following the onset of sudden hypertension. For appropriate values of the coefficients in the growth law, the model yields results in reasonable agreement with published data for global and local growth of the rat aorta.

An experimental study of a two-dimensional plane turbulent wall jet

Abstract: Laser-Doppler measurements were conducted in a plane turbulent wall jet at a Reynolds number based on inlet velocity, Re 0, of 9600. The initial development as well as the fully developed flow was studied. Special attention was given to the near-wall region, including the use of small measuring volumes and the application of specific near-wall data corrections, so that wall shear stresses were determined directly from the mean velocity gradient at the wall using only data below y +=4. It was possible to resolve the inner peak in the streamwise turbulence intensity as well as the inner (negative) peak in the shear stress. Limiting values of (u′)+ and uv + were determined. Turbulence data from the outer region of the flow were compared to earlier hot wire measurements and large differences in the normal turbulence intensity and the shear stress were found. These differences can be attributed to high turbulence intensity effects on the hot-wires.

Shear thickening in low-concentration solutions of wormlike micelles. I. Direct visualization of transient behavior and phase transitions

Abstract: Shear thickening of low-concentration solutions of wormlike micelles is investigated using simultaneous rheological and visualization measurements. Shear-induced structures (SISs) are directly visualized in transparent Couette cells using a laser light scattering technique similar to dark-field microscopy. From these measurements, four different regimes of behavior are identified. In regime I, which occurs below a critical shear stress σc, the shear rate increases monotonically with stress and no shear thickening or SISs are observed. In regime II, which occurs for stresses greater than σc but less than σs, SISs nucleate inhomogeneously and grow from the inner cylinder of the Couette cell. In this regime, the steady state shear rate initially decreases with increasing stress and then increases again as the stress is raised. The steady state in regime II is characterized by two coexisting states separated by a cylindrical interface (concentric with the Couette cylinders). Near the inner cylinder, viscous S...

Shear yield stress of partially flocculated colloidal suspensions

Abstract: A general expression was derived for the shear yield stress of a flocculated suspension of particles that is able to describe the effect of particle-size distribution, solid loading, pH, and hence, electrokinetics of the suspension. The model builds on an earlier model by incorporating the effect of the repulsive interaction between particles. Scaling of the data to the maximum yield stress at a given volume fraction provides a means of removing particle-size- and volume-fraction-related effects. The scaling process establishes that to a high level of precision, concentrated dispersions act, in interparticle interaction terms, as the sum of two-body interactions.

Mode-Coupling Theory for the Pasty Rheology of Soft Glassy Materials

Abstract: We introduce a simple mode-coupling model for concentrated suspensions under flow. This model exhibits a jamming transition and stress vs shear rate relations which are very similar to experimental results. Namely, a Newtonian regime or yield stress are followed by a slow variation of the stress for higher shear rates, and by an apparent Newtonian regime for very large shear rates. Another striking result is that under oscillating strain, even in the jammed state, the system exhibits a relaxation time which depends on the strain amplitude.

An interface model for the prediction of Young's modulus of layered silicate‐elastomer nanocomposites

Abstract: Recent experiments on layered silicate-elastomer nancomposites by Burnside and Giannelis have shown that there is a discrepancy between theoretical modulus predictions and experimental modulus measurements. A theory is proposed to explain this discrepancy. We hypothesize that the discrepancy is due to imperfect bonding between the matrix/inclusion interface which effectively reduces the aspect ratio and the volume fraction of the inclusion. We use a simple interface model to quantify the imperfect interfacial bonding. From this model, we introduce the concept of the effective aspect ratio and effective volume fraction of the inclusions. These effective quantities depends on a single material parameter, namely, the constant interfacial shear stress, τ. The interfacial shear stress for the elastomer-silicate nanocomposites is found by fitting the theory to the experimentally measured modulus of Burnside and Giannelis. The interfacial shear stress is in the range of thousands of Pascals. For the elastomer-silicate nanocomposite systems considered here, the interfacial shear stress can be decomposed into two parts; intrinsic shear stress τ i and frictional shear stress τ f . The intrinsic interfacial shear stress τ i depends only on the volume fraction of inclusions and decreases with increasing volume fraction of inclusions. On the other hand, the frictional shear stress τ f is found to increase linearly with the applied strain. Since the mean stress is also proportional to the applied strain, this gives rise to an effective coefficient of friction, which is found to be 0.0932 for the nanocomposite system considered here.