Semester
Spring
Date of Graduation
2003
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Type
MS
College
Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources
Department
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Committee Chair
Nilay Mukherjee.
Abstract
A 3D finite element model was built to study the mechanical response of the cell to load. The model included major structural components of a cell like cytoskeletal elements, cell membrane and the presence of internal fluid pressure. The cell was considered as a pressurized, fluid filled bag where inflation of the cell membrane is resisted by the cytoskeletal elements. The behavior of the cell model with microtubules prone to buckling and stabilized by actin filaments was also studied.;A point load was applied to a microtubule in a cell model with there buckling effect taken into consideration. The microtubule started to buckle at around 54.5 pN. A parametric analysis was performed to study the effect of each structural component on overall stiffness of cell measured in terms of modulus. This study showed microtubules and internal fluid pressure were important elements in determining the overall stiffness of the cell.
Recommended Citation
Venkatesan, Vidhyashankar, "Finite element analysis of cell subjected to compressive loading" (2003). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 1302.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/1302