鼻腔手术对OSAHS患者治疗效果的数值分析

对3名伴有鼻阻塞的OSAHS患者术前术后的上气道结构包含软腭组织进行三维重构,采用数值模拟的方法研究这3名患者手术前后,上气道气流分布以及软腭的运动情况,分析鼻腔手术对OSAHS患者的治疗效果.3名患者手术后鼻腔通气程度均得已改善.两名轻度OSAHS患者手术后上气道阻力减小,软腭位移均比术前减小,这些变化均有助于缓减呼吸时气流受限情况.而第3名重度患者手术后上气道阻力和软腭位移反而增加,这将会进一步加重气道的阻塞程度.鼻部手术对OSAHS患者的治疗效果取决于上游鼻腔通气程度的改善能否对下游咽腔产生有益的影响.数值模拟结果与PSG监测结果及其主诉情况相符,与现阶段临床有关的研究结论相一致,能够间接反映术后气道通气程度以及打鼾症状是否改善,为进一步解决临床的疑难问题提供了理论依据.     

Numerical analysis for the efficacy of nasal surgery in obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome

In the present study, we reconstructed upper airway and soft palate models of 3 obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome（OSAHS） patients with nasal obstruction. The airflow distribution and movement of the soft palate before and after surgery were described by a numerical simulation method. The curative effect of nasal surgery was evaluated for the three patients with OSAHS. The degree of nasal obstruction in the 3 patients was improved after surgery. For 2 patients with mild OSAHS, the upper airway resistance and soft palate displacement were reduced after surgery. These changes contributed to the mitigation of respiratory airflow limitation. For the patient with severe OSAHS, the upper airway resistance and soft palate displacement increased after surgery, which aggravated the airway obstruction. The effcacy of nasal surgery for patients with OSAHS is determined by the degree of improvement in nasal obstruction and whether the effects on the pharynx are beneficial. Numerical simulation results are consistent with the polysomnogram（PSG） test results, chief complaints, and clinical findings, and can indirectly reflect the degree of nasal patency and improvement of snoring symptoms, and further,provide a theoretical basis to solve relevant clinical problems.     

Computational fluid dynamics simulations of respiratory airflow in human nasal cavity and its characteristic dimension study

To study the airflow distribution in human nasal cavity during respiration and the characteristic parameters of nasal structure, three-dimensional, anatomically accurate representations of 30 adult nasal cavity models were recons- tructed based on processed tomography images collected from normal people. The airflow fields in nasal cavities were simulated by fluid dynamics with finite element software ANSYS. The results showed that the difference of human nasal cavity structure led to different airflow distribution in the nasal cavities and variation of the main airstream passing through the common nasal meatus. The nasal resistance in the regions of nasal valve and nasal vestibule accounted for more than half of the overall resistance. The characteristic model of nasal cavity was extracted on the basis of characteristic points and dimensions deduced from the original models. It showed that either the geometric structure or the airflow field of the two kinds of models was similar. The characteristic dimensions were the characteristic parameters of nasal cavity that could properly represent the original model in model studies on nasal cavity.     

Toward numerical simulations of fluid–structure interactions for investigation of obstructive sleep apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a medical condition characterized by repetitive partial or complete occlusion of the airway during sleep. The soft tissues in the airway of OSA patients are prone to collapse under the low-pressure loads incurred during breathing. This paper describes efforts toward the development of a numerical tool for simulation of air–tissue interactions in the upper airway of patients with sleep apnea. A procedure by which patient-specific airway geometries are segmented and processed from dental cone-beam CT scans into signed distance fields is presented. A sharp-interface embedded boundary method based on the signed distance field is used on Cartesian grids for resolving the airflow in the airway geometries. For simulation of structure mechanics with large expected displacements, a cut-cell finite element method with nonlinear Green strains is used. The fluid and structure solvers are strongly coupled with a partitioned iterative algorithm. Preliminary results are shown for flow simulation inside the three-dimensional rigid upper airway of patients with obstructive sleep apnea. Two validation cases for the fluid–structure coupling problem are also presented.     

Effective elastic moduli of inhomogeneous solids by embedded cell model

An embedded cell model is presented to obtain the effective elastic moduli for three-dimensional two-phase composites which is an exact analytic formula without any simplified approximation and can be expressed in an explicit form. For the different cells such as spherical inclusions and cracks surrounded by sphere and oblate ellipsoidal matrix, the effective elastic moduli are evaluated and the results are compared with those from various micromechanics models. These results show that the present model is direct, simple and efficient to deal with three-dimensional two-phase composites. The project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 19704100) and the National Natural Science Foundation of Chinese Academy of Sciences (No. KJ951-1-201)     

An approach to three-dimensional elasticity problem of cylindrical orthotropic bodies

The state equation for a static or dynamic thermal elastic problem of cylindrical orthotropic bodies is derived using the three-dimensional theory of elasticity. The governing equation for displacement components is obtained by series expansion, and for simplicity the case of an axisymmetric problem of transverse isotropic bodies is given. For illustration, an axisymmetric problem of a combined-cylinder made of two transverse isotropic materials is also presented. Some interesting and significant results are obtained.Supported by-National Natural Science Foundation and Post-Doctor's Foundation of China     

Multi-scale analysis for the structure of composite materials with small periodic configuration under condition of coupled thermoelasticity

The two-scale asymptotic expression of the solution for the increment of temperature in a structure with a small periodic configuration is presented first, and the two-scale asymptotic expression of the displacement for the structure under the coupled thermoelasticity condition is then derived in this paper. In the asymptotic expressions the two-scale coupled relation between the increment of temperature and displacement is included. The approximate solutions and its error estimations are given. The project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (19932030) and Special Funds for Major State Basic Research Projects     

INVESTIGATION OF BEHAVIOR OF MODE-I INTERFACE CRACK IN PIEZOELECTRIC MATERIALS BY USING SCHMIDT METHOD

The behavior of a Mode-Ⅰinterface crack in piezoelectric materials was investigated under the assumptions that the effect of the crack surface overlapping very near the crack tips was negligible. By use of the Fourier transform, the problem can be solved with the help of two pairs of dual integral equations. To solve the dual integral equations, the jumps of the displacements across the crack surfaces were expanded in a series of Jacobi polynomials. It is found that the stress and the electric displacement singularities of the present interface crack solution are the same as ones of the ordinary crack in homogenous materials. The solution of the present paper can be returned to the exact solution when the upper half plane material is the same as the lower half plane material.     

Three-dimensional analysis of scale dependence of sub-micron polycrystals due to configuration entropy

The authors proposed a plausible explanation for the deviation of experimental data for sub-micron polycrystals from the Hall-Petch relation by introducing the configuration entropy. The present paper extends the previous two-dimensional analysis to the three-dimensional case. The statistical distribution of dislocation lengths within a spherical grain and the bow-out of dislocations are considered. According to Ashby's model, analyses are pursued for the statistically stored dislocations and geometrically necessary dislocations, respectively. It is confirmed that the configuration entropy model can predict the abnormal Hall-Petch dependence for grain sizes in the sub-micron range. The project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (19891180-01)     

Dynamic displacements of an infinite beam on a poroelastic half space due to a moving oscillating load

This investigation is concerned with the dynamic displacements of a beam on a poroelastic half space under a periodic oscillating load of constant velocity. The governing equations for the proposed analysis are solved using Fourier transform. The expression for the vertical displacement is obtained according to the contact condition between a beam and a half space. The effects of the moving velocity and vibration frequency of the load on the dynamic displacement are considered in the numerical examples. The results show that the load velocity has significant influence on dynamic displacement. It is also noted that large differences exist between the dynamic responses for a beam on a poroelastic half space and on an elastic half space when the load velocity is larger than the shear wave speed of the medium. The reported work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Project No. 10372073).     

The exact solution for thick laminated cantilever cylindrical shell

Discarding any assumption regarding displacement or stress models, the state equation for orthotropy is established in a cylindrical system. The exact solution is presented for the statics of thick closed laminated cantilever cylindrical shells. Every equation of elasticity can be satisfied and all the elastic constants are taken into account. Arbitrary precision of a desired order can be obtained. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China     

Multi-scale FE computation for the structures of composite materials with small periodic configuration under condition of coupled thermoelasticity

In this paper, the multi-scale computational method for a structure of composite materials with a small periodic configuration under the coupled thermoelasticity condition is presented. The two-scale asymptotic (TSA) expression of the displacement and the increment of temperature for composite materials with a small periodic configuration under the condition of thermoelasticity are briefly shown at first, then the multi-scale finite element algorithms based on TSA are discussed. Finally the numerical results evaluated by the multi-scale computational method are shown. It demonstrates that the basic configuration and the increment of temperature strongly influence the local strains and local stresses inside a basic cell. The project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (19932030) and Special Funds for Major State Basic Research Projects     

The ICM method with objective function transformed by variable discrete condition for continuum structure

ICM (Independent Continuous Mapping) method can solve topological optimization problems with the minimized weight as the objective and subjected to displacement constraints. To get a clearer topological configuration, by introducing the discrete condition of topological variables and integrating with the original objective, an optimal model with multi-objectives is formulated to make the topological variables approach 0 or 1 as near as possible, and the model reduces the effect of deleting rate on the result. The image-filtering method is employed to eliminate the checkerboard patterns and mesh dependence that occurred in the topology optimization of a continuum structure. The computational efficiency is enhanced through selecting quasi-active displacement constraints and a design region. Numerical examples indicate that this algorithm is robust and practicable, though the number of iterations is slightly increased with respect to the original algorithm. The project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (10472003), Beijing Natural Science (3002002) and Beijing Educational Committee Foundations (KM200410005019) and Suspensoried by American MSC Company. The English text was polished by Keren Wang.     

Elastoplastic model describing cyclic creeping behaviour of soft clays

The elastoplastic model in the deviatoric stress space is constructed to describe the cyclic undrained creeping behaviour of soft clays under cyclic stress by using Mises yield criterion and the concept of a field of hardening moduli. Furthermore, the effect of model parameters on the deformation is studied, and a method is given to determine quantitatively model parameters from results of cyclic triaxial tests of the saturated soft clay. The project supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China and Tianjin Twenty-one Century Youth Science Foundation     

RENEWAL OF BASIC LAWS AND PRINCIPLES FOR POLAR CONTINUUM THEORIES (Ⅷ)—PRINCIPLE OF TOTAL WORK AND ENERGY

Theoretical incompleteness of the existing conservation laws of energy for polar continuum mechanics is further clarified. For completeness, the principles of total work and energy and of total work and energy of incremental rate type are postulated. Via total variations of the former and the latter of them, the principles of virtual displacement and microrotation & stress and couple stress as well as virtual velocity and angular velocity & stress rate and couple stress rate are immediately obtained, respectively. From these principles all balance equations and boundary conditions for micropolar mechanics are naturally and simultaneously deduced. The essential differences between the nontraditional results obtained in this paper and the existing conservation laws of energy are expounded. Contributed by DAI Tian-min, Original Member of Editorial Committe, AMM Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 10472041, 10072024) and the Science Research Foundation of Liaoning Province (No. 990111001)     

Exact static analysis of a rotating piezoelectric spherical shell

This paper gives an exact analysis of a rotating piezoelectric spherical shell with arbitrary thickness. At first, three displacement functions are introduced to simplify the basic equations of a spherically isotropic, piezoelectric medium. By expanding the displacement functions as well as the electric potential in terms of spherical harmonics, the basic equations of equilibrium are converted to an uncoupled Euler type, second order ordinary differential equation and a coupled system of three second order ordinary differential equations. A general solution to the homogeneous equations of equilibrium is then derived. The static analysis of a rotating spherical shell is then performed and numerical example is presented. The project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation, and the Japanese Committee of Culture, Education and Science.     

The Patterns of Surface Capillary-gravity Short-crested Waves with Uniform Current Fields in Coastal Waters

A fully three-dimensional surface gravity-capillary short-crested wave system is studied as two progressive wave-trains of equal amplitude and frequency, which are collinear with uniform currents and doubly-periodic in the horizontal plane, are propagating at an angle to each other. The first- and second-order asymptotic analytical solutions of the short-crested wave system are obtained via a perturbation expansion in a small parameter associated with the wave steepness, therefore depicting a series of typical three-dimensional wave patterns involving currents, shallow and deep water, and surface capillary waves, and comparing them with each other.The project supported by the Foundation for the Author of National Excellent Doctoral Dissertation of China (200428), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (10272072 and 50424913), the Shanghai Natural Science Foundation (05ZR14048), and the Shanghai Leading Academic Discipline Project (Y0103). The English text was polished by Yunming Chen.     

Exact solution of the thick laminated open cylindrical shells with four clamped edges

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Research on the algorithm of binary image cross-correlation for unsteady flow field measurement

In the present paper, the algorithm of Binary Image Cross-Correlation (BICC) was developed to measure the unsteady flow field. A vortex flow field was used to test the algorithm by numerical simulation. The results show that BICC is an effective algorithm for particle identification from consecutive images, the accurate velocity vector field can be obtained. The real velocity field in a valve chamber was measured by BICC in this study. From the full-field velocity information, the pressure and vorticity fields were also extracted by post-processing. The project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China     

Effects of cartilaginous rings on airflow and particle transport through simplified and realistic models of human upper respiratory tracts

In the present study, computational fluid dynamics （CFD） is used to investigate inspiratory and expiratory airflow characteristics in the human upper respiratory tract for the purpose of identifying the probable locations of particle deposition and the wall injury. Computed tomography （CT） scan data was used to reconstruct a three dimensional respiratory tract from trachea to first generation bronchi. To compare, a simplified model of respiratory tract based on Weibel was also used in the study. The steady state results are obtained for an airflow rate of 45 L/min, corresponding to the heavy breathing condition. The velocity distribution, wall shear stress, static pressure and particle deposition are compared for inspiratory flows in simplified and realistic models and expiratory flows in realistic model only. The results show that the location of cartilaginous rings is susceptible to wall injury and local particle deposition.