2026-09-20T03:45:03Zhttps://dspace.mit.edu/server/oai/requestoai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/744522022-01-13T07:54:36Zcom_1721.1_7582com_1721.1_7581col_1721.1_131024
Anette Hosoi.
Sweeney, Marty S. (Marty Suzanne Goldsmith)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Mechanical Engineering.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
2012-10-26T18:10:01Z
2012-10-26T18:10:01Z
2012
2012
http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/74452
813318347
Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2012.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 37).
The flagellum is one of the most critical biological compenents in nature; it is a basic feature common to many different types of cells and allows for even the most primitive cells to move around. However, the structure of the flagellum is far from simple. The inner core consists of a 9+2 microtubular structure where nine pairs of microtubules are arranged circumferentially with the last pair running down the center. The interstitial space consists of springy proteins and nexin bridges which radially connect the microtubules. Due to this structural complexity and minuscule size, the physical phenomena that occur within the flagellum itself are not well understood. Furthermore, it has been observed that under beam bending conditions a passive sperm flagellum will exhibit counterbend behavior which cannot be explained by current engineering theories. This study created a macroscopic model of the flagellum which allowed deeper exploration of these phenomena. Analysis of material properties and experiments were used to verify the accuracy of the proposed model.
by Marty S. Sweeney.
S.B.
37 p.
eng
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
M.I.T. theses are protected by
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http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582
Mechanical Engineering.
Counterbending in a flagellum macromodel
Thesis
application/pdf
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Publication
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<Abstract>The flagellum is one of the most critical biological compenents in nature; it is a basic feature common to many different types of cells and allows for even the most primitive cells to move around. However, the structure of the flagellum is far from simple. The inner core consists of a 9+2 microtubular structure where nine pairs of microtubules are arranged circumferentially with the last pair running down the center. The interstitial space consists of springy proteins and nexin bridges which radially connect the microtubules. Due to this structural complexity and minuscule size, the physical phenomena that occur within the flagellum itself are not well understood. Furthermore, it has been observed that under beam bending conditions a passive sperm flagellum will exhibit counterbend behavior which cannot be explained by current engineering theories. This study created a macroscopic model of the flagellum which allowed deeper exploration of these phenomena. Analysis of material properties and experiments were used to verify the accuracy of the proposed model.</Abstract>
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