Soft pneumatic artificial muscles with low threshold pressures for a cardiac compression device
Name
864587294-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
6.06 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
37a7ad147519666acea4c26b2404d7d4
Author(s)
Obiajulu, Steven (Steven C.)
Advisor(s)
Daniel D. Frey.
Date Issued
2013
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
In this paper, I present the design, fabrication and characterization of fully soft pneumatic artificial muscles (PAMs) with low threshold pressures that are intended for direct cardiac compression (DCC). McKibben type PAMs typically have a threshold pressure of at least lOOkPa and require rigid end fittings which may damage soft tissue and cause local stress concentrations, and thus failure points in the actuator. The actuator design I present is a variant on the McKibben PAM with the following key differences: the nylon mesh is embedded in the elastomeric tube, and closure of the end of the tube is achieved without rigid ends. The actuators were tested to investigate the effects of mesh geometry and elastomer material on force output, contraction, and rise time. Lower initial braid angles and softer elastomer materials provided the best force, contraction, and rise times; Up to 50N of force, 24% contraction, and response times of 0.05s were achieved at 100kPa. The actuators exhibited low threshold pressures (<5kPa) and high rupture pressures (138kPa - 720kPa) which suggest safe operation for the DCC application. These results demonstrate that the actuators can achieve forces, displacements, and rise times suitable to assist with cardiac function.
Description
Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 2013.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 45-47).
Subjects
Mechanical Engineering.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
Terms of Use
M.I.T. theses are protected by
copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but
reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written
permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.
copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but
reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written
permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.
Persistent DSpace Link
