The regional mechanical work per unit volume is evaluated based on the stress and strain distribution in a cardiac wall calculated by using 3-dimensional finite element method. The total work of left ventricular wall is compared with the external work evaluated from the pressure-volume relationships of left ventricle. It is recognized as a result that the efficiency of the left ventricle is around 20%. In conclusion we examine a possibility of using the regional mechanical work of myocardial muscle fiber as an universal index of cardiac function.

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The present study has attempted to develop a mechanistic simulation of human facial expressions. A human face model has been created based on the anatomical knowledge about the structure of a human face and on the data base for the mechanical properties of human skins and muscles. Skins and muscles were regarded as viscoelastic materials modeled by the Prony series. By applying compressive tractions to various parts of facial muscles of this model, the present study has simulated the six basic facial expressions of human beings. Furthermore, the present model is also used to simulate an awkward expression created by a face subjected to muscle damage, implying the possibility of its application to the surgical operation of human faces

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In this paper, low cycle fatigue life of A16061 and fatigue life for 3 point bending are predicted by the elasto-viscoplastic constitutive equation formulated, based on the concept of continuum damage mechanics. Also, the damage evolution equation is extended to consider micro-cracks and micro-voids under repeated loading. The constitutive modeling is identified, based on static/dynamic tensile tests and fatigue tests for aluminum 6061-T6 and steel used for rail. The identified model is applied to predict fatigue limit under completely reversed tension for 6061-T6. Additionally, by the identified model, fatigue limit subjected to three point bending is predicted for rail. The predicted results for 6061-T6 and rail have corresponded well to the experimental results by Morino, Iwafuchi and others.

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Thermally grown oxide (TGO) layer is grown at the interface between top coating and bond coating when a thermal barrier coating (TBC) with both top coating and bond coating is heated. The growth of the TGO layer causes the delamination of top coating from bond coating after heating. In this paper, the growth of TGO layer was simulated by finite element analysis, and then the stresses in the coating system were examined near the top/bond coatings interface. It was found that the occurrence of the delamination of top coating was affected by the thickness of TGO layer, the geometry of the interface, the temperature at interface, the properties of those materials. The delamination of top coating was also effected by those parameters because the location of the occurrence of the maximum stress was changed in according to the growth of TGO layer.

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