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− | |when characterizing engineering structures with the help of classical continuum field theories, we typically think of closed thermodynamic systems for which the amount of matter within a fixed material domain is constant throughout the entire thermodynamical process. the appropriate characterization of living biological structures, however, goes far beyond this traditional point of view. it falls within the framework of <b>open system thermodynamics</b>. in order to account for biological growth, the traditional balance of mass is enriched by additional mass source and flux terms that account for cell growth, cell shrinkage, cell division or cell migration on a phenomenological level. it is obvious, that the exchange of matter with the environment not only effects the balance of mass itself since the newly generated or inflowing mass typically carries a specific amount of momentum, energy and entropy. we have developed a general theoretical framework for open system thermodynamics which has been implemented in a finite element based simulation tool for density growth in biological tissues. for example, a medically relevant application of this model that has led to a pronounced industrial interest in our work is the optimization of <b>modern implant design</b> in hip replacement surgery. | + | |when characterizing engineering structures with the help of classical continuum field theories, we typically think of closed thermodynamic systems for which the amount of matter within a fixed material domain is constant throughout the entire thermodynamical process. the appropriate characterization of living biological structures, however, goes far beyond this traditional point of view. it falls within the framework of <b>open system thermodynamics</b>. in order to account for biological growth, the traditional balance of mass is enriched by additional mass source and flux terms that account for cell growth, cell shrinkage, cell division or cell migration on a phenomenological level. it is obvious, that the exchange of matter with the environment not only effects the balance of mass itself since the newly generated or inflowing mass typically carries a specific amount of momentum, energy and entropy. we have developed a general theoretical framework for open system thermodynamics which has been implemented in a finite element based simulation tool for density growth in biological tissues. for example, a medically relevant application of this model that has led to a pronounced industrial interest in our work is the optimization of <b>modern implant design</b> in hip replacement surgery.|} |
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Revision as of 21:05, 4 April 2007
research statement
one of the most challenging applications of the mechanics of solid materials today is certainly the field of computational biomechanics, a well-recognized, fast-growing but not yet clearly defined subject that is unquestionably an interdisciplinary science par excellence. It provides a vast number of new and fascinating areas of application such as the internal and external remodeling of bones, the healing of fracture, the growth of tumors, wound healing of the epidermis, the regeneration of microdamaged muscles, functional adaptation and general repair processes of the cardiovascular system to name but a few. besides a basic knowledge in medicine, biology and chemistry, research in the field of computational biomechanics requires a profound theoretical background in thermodynamics, continuum mechanics and structural mechanics paired with the ability to develop efficient robust and stable computational simulation tools.
my ultimate goal is to establish an interactive computer-based biomechanical lab that supports the solution of medically and technologically challenging biomechanical problems.
selected research accomplishments
in contrast to traditional engineering materials, living organisms show the remarkable ability to adapt not only their geometry, but also their internal architecture and their material properties to environmental changes. although this functional adaptation of biological tissues has been known since julius wolff published his fundamental law of bone remodeling in 1892, research in biomechanics mainly focuses on the passive behavior of tissues rather than taking into account their active response to changes in mechanical loading. instead of following mainstream research and applying standard classical constitutive equations to biological materials, my personal research was driven by the desire to formulate appropriate continuum equations that properly account for the functional adaptation of living tissues. this adaptation is known to occur in three different forms which have dominated my previous research:
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current projects
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