Evolution of the structural and fracture design of the ISS payloads due to the new launchers, specifically applied to Biolab IEC-2 projects

The relatively young discipline of astronautics represents one of the scientifically most fascinating and technologically advanced achievements of our time. The human exploration in space does not offer only extraordinary research possibilities but also demands high requirements from man and technology. The space environment provides a lot of attractive experimental tools towards the understanding of fundamental mechanism in natural sciences. It has been shown that especially reduced gravity and elevated radiation, two distinctive factors in space, influence the behavior of biological systems significantly. For this reason one of the key objectives on board of an earth orbiting laboratory is the research in the field of life sciences, covering the broad range from botany, human physiology and crew health up to biotechnology. The Columbus Module is the only European low gravity platform that allows researchers to perform ambitious experiments in a continuous time frame up to several months. Biolab is part of the initial outfitting of the Columbus Laboratory; it is a multi-user facility supporting research in the field of biology, e.g. effect of microgravity and space radiation on cell cultures, micro-organisms, small plants and small invertebrates. The Biolab IEC are projects designed to work in the automatic part of Biolab. In this moment in the TO-53 department of Airbus Defence & Space (formerly Astrium) there are two experiments that are in phase C/D of the development and they are the subject of this thesis: CELLRAD and CYTOSKELETON. They will be launched in soft configuration, that means packed inside a block of foam that has the task to reduce the launch loads on the payload. Until 10 years ago the payloads which were launched in soft configuration were supposed to be structural safe by themselves and a specific structural analysis could be waived on them; with the opening of the launchers market to private companies (that are not under the direct control of the international space agencies), the requirements on the verifications of payloads are changed and they have become much more conservative. In 2012 a new random environment has been introduced due to the new Space-X launch specification that results to be particularly challenging for the soft launched payloads. The last ESA specification requires to perform structural analysis on the payload for combined loads (random vibration, quasi-steady acceleration and pressure). The aim of this thesis is to create FEM models able to reproduce the launch configuration and to verify that all the margins of safety are positive and to show how they change because of the new Space-X random environment. In case the results are negative, improved design solution are implemented. Based on the FEM result a study of the joins has been carried out and, when needed, a crack growth analysis has been performed.

In silico methods to evaluate Fracture Risk and Bone Mineral Density changes in patients undergoing Total Hip Replacement

La sostituzione totale d’anca è uno degli interventi chirurgici con le più alte percentuali di successo. Esistono due varianti di protesi d’anca che differiscono in base al metodo di ancoraggio all’osso: cementate (fissaggio tramite cemento osseo) e non cementate (fissaggio tramite forzamento). Ad oggi, i chirurghi non hanno indicazioni quantitative di supporto per la scelta fra le due tipologie di impianto, decidendo solo in base alla loro esperienza. Due delle problematiche che interessano le protesi non cementate sono la possibilità di frattura intra-operatoria durante l’inserimento forzato e il riassorbimento osseo nel periodo di tempo successivo all’intervento. A partire da rilevazioni densitometriche effettuate su immagini da TC di pazienti sottoposti a protesi d’anca non cementata, sono stati sviluppati due metodi: 1) per la valutazione del rischio di frattura intra-operatorio tramite analisi agli elementi finiti; 2) per la valutazione della variazione di densità minerale ossea (tridimensionalmente attorno alla protesi) dopo un anno dall’operazione. Un campione di 5 pazienti è stato selezionato per testare le procedure. Ciascuno dei pazienti è stato scansionato tramite TC in tre momenti differenti: una acquisita prima dell’operazione (pre-op), le altre due acquisite 24 ore (post 24h) e 1 anno dopo l’operazione (post 1y). I risultati ottenuti hanno confermato la fattibilità di entrambi i metodi, riuscendo inoltre a distinguere e a quantificare delle differenze fra i vari pazienti. La fattibilità di entrambe le metodologie suggerisce la loro possibilità di impiego in ambito clinico: 1) conoscere la stima del rischio di frattura intra-operatorio può servire come strumento di guida per il chirurgo nella scelta dell’impianto protesico ottimale; 2) conoscere la variazione di densità minerale ossea dopo un anno dall’operazione può essere utilizzato come strumento di monitoraggio post-operatorio del paziente.

Fracture toughness characterization of aluminium-epoxy adhesive joints reinforced with electrospun Nylon 6,6 nanofibers

The use of adhesives to join two different substrates is an efficient replacement to classic joining technologies such as welding and soldering. One the one hand adhesion has different advantages over those techniques such as an improved stress distribution and the potential weight reduction of the structure; on the other hand, two of the most important drawbacks are a relatively low fracture toughness and the need of an accurate surface preparation. These two aspects will be accurately analysed in the present work: the use of Nylon nanofibers as reinforcement for the adhesive should increase fracture toughness, while a surface preparation method consisting of mechanical and chemical treatments will be developed. After the specimens are produced, they will be tested in mode I fracture using a DCB (Double Beam Cantilever) test, which allows to measure the fracture toughness during crack propagation. At the end of the test, the surfaces of the adherends will be visually observed and SEM (Scanning Electronic Microscope) analysed in order to evaluate if adhesive or cohesive fracture occurred, and thus if surface treatments has been well developed to allow a better adhesive-aluminium joining.