Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-18T21:35:57Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Graziella Ferecini Bueno Amaral1.pdf: 4073691 bytes, checksum: 8ff4dce433de3d6c54c6320e248c3e74 (MD5) Graziella Ferecini Bueno Amaral2.pdf: 2731324 bytes, checksum: 8a0dac7da8171451384cd27ab251102c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-03-17 / Fundo Mackenzie de Pesquisa / In this study it was studied the physical-mechanical properties of elastomers based on styrenebutadiene rubber (SBR) with the addition of barite, for application of these compounds in protecting in the shielding against radiation X, for the substitution of aprons form based on elastomer fillered with lead in ergonomic and economically advantageous conditions. Elastomeric compounds were studied with different barite concentrations [50, 75, 100, 125 and 150 phr (parts for hundred of rubber)]. The studied properties were: tensile strength, tensile modulus, tear strength, permanent deformation in compression, hardness, absorption of fluid, resilience, measure of rheology, morphological analysis and characterization of attenuating materials to radiation X. Results showed that all compositions exhibit good dispersion of the filler in the matrix. It was observed that with the increase barite concentration there is an increase in hardness beyond not causing significant alteration in the tensile strenght, in the elasticity, as well as in the resistance to the tearing of the material. / Neste trabalho foram estudadas as propriedades físico-mecânicas de elastômeros a base de borracha de estireno-butadieno (SBR) com a adição de barita, para aplicação destes compostos na proteção de blindagem contra a radiação X, para a substituição de aventais a base de elastômeros carregados com chumbo em condições ergonômicas e economicamente vantajosas. Foram estudados compostos elastoméricos com diferentes concentrações de barita [50, 75, 100, 125 e 150 phr (partes por cem de borracha)]. Entre as propriedades estudadas destacam-se: resistência à tração, módulo sob tração, resistência ao rasgo, deformação permanente à compressão, dureza, absorção de fluido, resiliência, medida de reologia, análise morfológica e caracterização de materiais atenuadores à radiação X. Os resultados mostraram que todas as composições apresentam uma boa dispersão da carga na matriz. Observou-se que com o aumento da concentração de barita há um aumento na dureza além de não causar alteração significativa na resistência à tração, na elasticidade, bem como na resistência ao rasgamento do material.

Submitted by isabela.moljf@hotmail.com (isabela.moljf@hotmail.com) on 2017-05-22T11:28:08Z No. of bitstreams: 1 adrianaalvessilva.pdf: 479342 bytes, checksum: e8874dc2bfd843cc66a19f10a9099d36 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2017-05-22T17:19:25Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 adrianaalvessilva.pdf: 479342 bytes, checksum: e8874dc2bfd843cc66a19f10a9099d36 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-05-22T17:19:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 adrianaalvessilva.pdf: 479342 bytes, checksum: e8874dc2bfd843cc66a19f10a9099d36 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-02-20 / Muitos estudos têm avaliado o comportamento das ligaduras elásticas em relação às suas propriedades físicas. No entanto, a biocompatibilidade destes materiais não se apresenta bem documentada na literatura. O presente estudo teve como objetivo avaliar, in vitro, a viabilidade celular de macrófagos murinos J774 na presença de ligaduras elásticas de diferentes marcas e cores e, analisar o efeito destas ligaduras na produção de óxido nítrico (NO) produzido por estas células, com e sem ativação de interferon-gama (IFN-γ), uma citocina pró-inflamatória. Para cada tempo estudado, foram utilizados 6 elos de ligaduras elásticas de 3 marcas diferentes (Morelli, GAC e TP) nas cores prata e transparente após esterilização com óxido de etileno. As placas de cultura de 96 poços, utilizadas no experimento, foram divididas em 2 metades. A primeira foi preenchida pelas células J774 resuspensas em meio RPMI suplementado juntamente com os elos de cada tipo de ligadura e células controle. A segunda metade foi completada com outros 6 elos dos mesmos tipos de ligaduras mantidos em culturas juntamente com 10μl de IFN—γ (5 ng/ml) e grupo controle. As placas foram incubadas em diferentes intervalos de tempo: 24, 48 e 72 horas. As células foram submetidas à avaliação da viabilidade celular através da técnica do MTT [3 – (4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl) – diphenyl tetrazolium bromide] e os sobrenadantes foram coletados para a análise da produção de NO, utilizando-se o método de Griess. Para análise dos resultados foram utilizados os testes de Kruskal-Wallis e Mann-Whitney. Na ausência do estímulo (IFN—γ), a viabilidade celular nos grupos de ligaduras foi maior no período final da avaliação em relação ao grupo controle. No entanto, 3 grupos de ligaduras (Morelli prata, Morelli transparente e GAC prata) exibiram proliferação significativa em 72 horas. As ligaduras da marca TP Orthodontics (prata e transparente) não influenciaram de forma significativa a viabilidade celular e a produção de NO. Embora a ligadura Morelli prata tenha estimulado as células J774 a realizarem uma maior produção de NO, os outros tipos de ligaduras nos diferentes tempos avaliados não apresentaram diferenças significativas na produção de óxido nítrico em relação às células controle. Na presença do IFN-γ, houve uma redução significativa da viabilidade celular no tempo 48 horas para o grupo das ligaduras Morelli e GAC. Entretanto, uma média de viabilidade superior ao apresentado pelas células controle foi observada em todos os grupos de ligaduras no tempo 72 horas, sendo significativa para o grupo das ligaduras GAC transparente. O grupo das ligaduras TP foi o que apresentou comportamento semelhante ao grupo controle, apesar das ligaduras TP prata terem apresentado menor viabilidade em 24 horas. O IFN-γ proporcionou aumento significativo na produção de NO em todos os grupos no período final em relação ao inicial. As ligaduras Morelli transparente e GAC (prata e transparente) demonstraram a menor produção desta molécula nos 3 tempos analisados. / Although the physical properties of elastic ligatures have been the subject of several studies, the biocompatibility of these materials has not been well documented in the literature. This study was an in vitro investigation of the cellular viability of the murine macrophage J774 cell line in the presence of elastomeric ligatures of different brands and colors, and of nitric oxide (NO) production of these cells both, under the presence of such ligatures, and under the influence of a proinflammatory cytokine: gamma-interferon. After sterilization with ethylene oxide, 6 chains of ligatures of 3 different brands (Morelli, GAC e TP) and colors (silver and transparent) were used at each study time. The 96-well culture plates used in the experiment were divided in 2 halves. The first was filled with J774 cells resuspended in supplemented RPMI medium, along with the chains of each kind of ligature and control cells. The second half was filled with another 6 chains of the same kinds of ligatures, kept in J774 cell cultures in supplemented RPMI medium, along with 10μl of IFN-γ (5 ng/ml) and control cells. The plates were incubated at 24, 48, and 72 hours. The MTT [3 – (4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl) – diphenyl tetrazolium bromide] technique was used for cellular viability assessment, and the supernatants were collected for NO production analysis with the Griess method. Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests were used to analyze the results. Cellular viability in the elastomeric groups was higher at the final time point in relation to the control group. However, 3 elastomeric groups (silver Morelli, transparent Morelli and silver GAC) showed significant proliferation after 72 hours. TP-ligature-exposed cells had the same behavior of controls, no significant changes in cellular viability and NO production being found. Although silver Morelli ligatures led to higher NO production, the other types of ligatures did not significantly affect NO production, as compared to control cells. In the presence of IFN-γ, Morelli and GAC ligatures led to a significant reduction of cellular viability after 48 hours. Yet a viability mean higher than that seen in control cells was observed for all ligatures after 72 hours, with transparent GAC showing significant proliferation. Cells exposed to TP ligatures had the same behavior of controls, although silver TP ligatures led to lower viability at 24 hours. Nitric oxide production was significantly greater in all groups at the final time point in relation to the initial time point. The transparent Morelli and silver and transparent GAC showed the smallest NO production at the 3 study time points.

The diploma thesis deals with a design of a steel loadbearing structure of a footbridge over a river. The footbridge is located in Svitavy and is designed for span length of 60 meters. The construction is preliminarily designed in two variants. A part of the thesis is also a comparison of both variants. The chosen variant has been elaborated in detail. It is an arched construction with a semi-through bridge deck. The main loadbearing structure consists of a pair of arches that support the steel-concrete bridge deck by means of rods in tension. The main loadbearing arches are inclined from the vertical plane towards the bridge axis and are fixed at the ends. All steel parts are designed from S355 steel, except for the rods that are designed from S460 steel. The bridge deck is designed from C 35/45 concrete. The spatial rigidity of the structure in the transverse direction is achieved by means of arc sway bracings.

<p>Ovaj rad je imao za cilj , razvoj postupka sinteze polimernih prekursora mreža na bazi<br />obnovljivih sirovina. Razvijen je postupak sinteze poli laktida u rastvoru dihlor metana. Vreme trajanja postupka sinteze je 6 h, a uspe&scaron;nost samog procesa je potvrđena metodama identifikacije i karakterizacije dobijenih polimera PLLA. U ovom radu, za ispitivanja dobijenih polimernih materijala, uzimajući u obzir ideju o krajnjoj nameni, kori&scaron;ćene su sledeće metode: GPC ( Gel Permeation Chromarography) za određivanje raspodele molekulske mase; IR spektrofotometrija, prikazuje vibraciju atomskih, molekulskih ili funkcionaknih grupa; i termička analiza TGA i DSC, za praćenje promena pri kontrolisanom zagrevanju i hlađenju.<br />Jedan od ciljeva rada je bio i da se da pregled postojećih teorija ojačanja elastomera punilima sa nano česticama, i ispita pona&scaron;anje nano-kompozitnih materiajala pod dejstvom visoko energetskog zračenja ( gama zračenja). U eksperimentalnom delu ispitivani su elastomerni materijale na bazi butadienakrilonitrilnog kaučuka (NBR) i hlorsulfonovanog polietilenskog kaučuka (CSM) . Me&scaron;anjem CSM i NBR formiraju se umreženi sistemi, koji se koriste kao prekursori mreža za dobijanje nano-kompozitnih materijala ojačanaih česticama aktivnih punilačađi i silicijum (IV) oksida. Kod tako dobijenih materijala ispitivane su karakteristike pre i posle ozračivanja &gamma; zracima. Dinamičko-mehaničkom analizom potvrđen je ojačavajući efekat punila.</p> / <p> This work was aimed at the development procedure for the synthesis of polymer precursors<br /> network based on renewable raw materials. Developed a procedure for synthesis of poly<br /> lactide in solution, dichloro methane. The duration of the synthesis procedure was 6 h, and<br /> the success of the process was confirmed by the methods of identification and<br /> characterization of the obtained polymer PLLA. In this paper, the investigation obtained<br /> polymer materials, taking into account the idea of final destination, following methods were<br /> used: GPC (gel permeation Chromarography) to determine the distribution of molecular<br /> weight, IR spectrophotometry, showing the vibration of atomic, molecular or funkcionaknih<br /> group, and thermal analysis TGA and DSC, to track changes in a controlled heating and<br /> cooling.<br /> One of the aims of this study was to be given to review of existing theories of reinforcement<br /> fillers elastomer with nano particles, and examine the behavior of nano-composite<br /> materiajala under the influence of high energy radiation (gamma radiation). In the<br /> experimental part of elastomeric materials have been studied on the basis of<br /> butadienakrilonitrilnog rubber (NBR) and chlorosulphonated polyethylene rubber (CSM). CSM NBR mixing and forming the network system, which are used as precursors for a<br /> network of nano-composite particles ojačanaih active fillers-carbon black and silicon (IV)<br /> oxide. With so obtained materials were investigated characteristics before and after<br /> irradiation with &gamma; rays. Dynamic-mechanical analysis confirmed the reinforcing effect of<br /> fillers.</p>

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Fabrications of desirable fixed or removable dental prostheses depend upon accurate casts or dies. Recently, the most frequently used impression materials have been polyether (PE) and polyvinyl siloxane (PVS). However, both have their limitations: PVS is inherently hydrophobic, and PE is rigid. In order to take advantage of the desirable qualities of both PVS and PE impression materials, a new generation of impression material is being developed called vinyl polyether silicone (VPES, GC). The purpose of the present study was to compare the properties of hydrophilic PVS, PE, and VPES in regard to surface detail reproduction, contact angle, and tear strength. The hypotheses to be tested were: 1) VPES will show a significant superiority insurface detail reproduction compared with PVS and PE impression materials; 2) VPES will show a significant superiority in wettability compared with PVS and PE impression materials; 3) VPES will show a significant superiority in tear strength compared with PVS and PE impression materials. In order to test the surface detail reproduction, impressions were made of stainless steel dies with a parallel series of 15 different width lines on the surface and tested under dry and moist conditions. The wettability was assessed by contact angles of saturated CaSO4 aqueous solution drops on flat impression surfaces. A trouser tear test was employed to test the tear strength. The trouser-shaped specimens were prepared and tested in the Instron Universal Testing Machine. The data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA and Pearson‘s Chi square, (p < 0.05). All the materials showed better detail reproduction under the dry conditions than the moist conditions. There were no differences between the three materials in detail reproduction when impressing under either moist conditions or dry conditions. All the materials showed good wettability in the contact angle test. PVS rendered a contact angle as low as 34.19º. The contact angle of VPES was 44.84º, which was lower than 54.76º for PE. In the tear strength test, PE showed nearly two time higher tear strength than the other two impression materials. VPES showed slightly lower tear strength than PVS. The tear strength of the three materials tested in increasing order was VPES, PVS, PE. VPES showed comparable detail reproduction to PVS and PE and better wettability than PE, but showed the lowest tear strength compared with PE and PVS.

Polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell (FC) stacks require elastomeric gaskets for each cell to keep the reactant gases within their respective regions[1]. If any gasket degrades or fails, the reactant gases can leak or mix with each other directly during operation or standby, affecting the overall operation and performance of the FC. The elastomeric gaskets used as FC seals are exposed to a range of environmental conditions, and concurrently, subjected to mechanical compression between the bipolar plates forming the cell. The combination of mechanical stress and environmental exposure may result in degradation of the seal material[2] over a period of time. In order to address the durability and make reliability predictions, the long-term stability of the gaskets in FC assemblies is critical. The aim of this study is to investigate the performance of elastomeric seals in a simulated FC environment in the presence of mechanical stresses. The overall scope of the study includes mechanical and viscoelastic properties characterization, and lifetime durability predictions based on an accelerated characterization approach. With the help of finite element analysis software, ABAQUS, a fixture was designed to perform strain-based accelerated characterization of seal material in air, deionized (DI) water, 50v/50v ethylene glycol/water solution, and 0.1M sulfuric acid solution. Dogbone samples were strained to different levels in the custom fixture and submerged in liquid solutions at 90°C and in air at 90°C and 120°C. It was observed that mechanical properties such as tensile strength, strain to break, 100% modulus, crosslink density, and tensile set degrade due to aging and the extent of change (increase or decrease) depends significantly on the strain level on the specimen. Trouser tear tests were conducted on reinforced specimens in air and deionized water (DI) to evaluate the tear resistance of an elastomeric seal material intended for proton exchange membrane fuel cells. Plots relating the crack growth rate with tearing energy were obtained at various temperatures and provided significant insight into the rate and temperature dependence of the tearing strength of the seal material. Stick-slip crack propagation was observed at all temperatures and loading rates, although the behavior was suppressed significantly at low loading rates and high temperatures. Crack growth rate versus tearing energy data at different temperatures was shifted to construct a master curve and an estimate on the threshold value of tear energy was obtained which may be helpful in designing components where material tear is of concern. Strain energy release rate (SERR) value, calculated using the J-integral approach for a pre-existing crack in ABAQUS, was used to estimate the crack growth rate in a given seal cross-section to predict lifetime. In order to assess the viscoelastic behavior and to investigate the long term stress relaxation behavior of the seal material, compression stress relaxation (CSR) tests were performed on molded seals, called as SMORS, over a range of environmental conditions using a custom-designed fixture. The effect of temperature and environment was evident on material property changes and presented in terms of momentary properties and stress relaxation behavior. Various mechanisms involved in material degradation, chain scission and crosslinking, were suggested and insights were gained into how cure state and level of antidegradants in a material dictate the material behavior during the first phase of environmental exposure leading to change in material properties. Ring samples made of silicone were also tested using the fixture to obtain insight additional into material degradation due to aging. Results presented from testing on SMORS showed a lot more variation in data as compared to neat silicone rings due to the complexity involved in making SMORS. For understanding the deformation behavior of an elastomeric seal and its sealing performance, finite element characterization of seal cross-section was carried out on O-ring and SMORS cross-section. The effect of a seal's layout on distribution and magnitude of contact stresses and contact width was investigated for the O-ring and the information obtained thereby helped to analyze a complex assembly such as SMORS, where several interfaces and boundary conditions are involved. Stress/strain profiles were generated to visualize their concentration and distribution in the seal cross-section. Frictionless and rough interfacial conditions between seal material and platens were assumed and it was found that its effect on contact width and peak contact pressure was insignificant. Results obtained from FEA on SMORS were validated through comparison with contact mechanics approach and experimental data and it was found that Lindley's equation correlates well with experimental data whereas ABAQUS overestimates the load values at a given compression. Lindley's approach may be used to develop contact pressure profiles that may help estimate peak contact pressure at a given time so leaking can be avoided. / Ph. D.

The problem of a thin elastomeric layer confined between two stiff adherends arises in numerous applications such as microelectronics, bio-inspired adhesion and the manufacture of soft biomedical products. A common requirement is that the debonding of the elastomeric layer from the adherends be controlled to avoid undesirable failure modes. This level of control may necessitate understanding the collective role of the interfacial adhesion, material properties, part geometries, and loading conditions on the debonding. Analytical and numerical approaches using the finite element method and a cohesive zone model (CZM) for the interfacial debonding are used in this dissertation to delineate the role of the afore-mentioned parameters on the initiation and propagation of debonding for both rigid and non-rigid adherends. Extensively studied in the dissertation is the debonding of a semi-infinite relatively stiffer adherend from an elastomer layer with its other surface firmly bonded to a rigid base. The adherend is pulled upwards by applying normal displacements either on its entire unbonded surface or on the edge of its part overhanging from the elastomer layer. The adherend and the elastomeric layer materials are assumed to be linear elastic, homogeneous and isotropic and the elastomer is assumed to be incompressible. Viscoelasticity of the elastomer is considered in the first part of the work. Plane strain deformations of the system with a bilinear traction-separation (TS) relation in the CZM are analyzed. Two non-dimensional numbers, one related to the layer confinement and the other to the interfacial TS parameters, are found to determine if debonding initiates at interior points in addition to at corner points on the adherend/elastomer interface, and if adhesion-induced instability is exhibited. This work is extended to axisymmetric problems in which debonding can take place at both interfaces. Motivated by an industrial demolding problem, numerical experiments are conducted to derive insights into preferential debonding at one of the two interfaces, including for curved adherends. Results reported herein should help engineers design an elastomer layer sandwiched between two adherends for achieving desired failure characteristics. / Ph. D.

Resilin is a disordered elastomeric protein and can be found in specialized regions of insect cuticles. Its protein sequence, functions and dynamic mechanical properties vary substantially across the species. Resilin can operate across the frequency range from 5 Hz for locomotion to 13 kHz for sound production. To understand the functions of different exons of resilin, we synthesize recombinant resilin-like hydrogels from different exons, and investigate the water content and dynamic mechanical properties, along with estimating surface energies relevant for adhesion. The recombinant resilin-like hydrogel has 80wt% water and does not show any sign of tack even though it satisfies the Dahlquist criterion. Finally, doubly shifted dynamic moduli master curves are developed by applying the time-temperature concentration superposition principle (TTCSP), and compared to results obtained with natural resilin from locusts, dragonflies and cockroaches. The resulting master curves show that the synthetic resilin undergoes a prominent transition, though the responsible mechanism is unclear. Possible explanations for the significant increase in modulus include the formation of intramolecular hydrogen bonds, altered structural organization, or passing through a glass transition, all of which have been reported in the literature for polymeric materials. Results show that in nature, resilin operates at a much lower frequency than this glass transition frequency at room temperature. Moreover, recombinant resilins from different clones have comparable resilience with natural resilin, though the modulus is around 1.5 decades lower. Results from the clones with and without chitin binding domains (ChBD) indicate that the transition for the clone without ChBD occurs at lower frequencies than for those with the ChBD, perhaps due to the disordered nature of the clone without ChBD. Atomistic molecular modeling is applied on the repetitive motifs of resilin and different elastomeric proteins to better understand the relationship between elastomeric behavior and amino acid sequences. Results show that the motifs form a favorable bent conformation, likely enabled by glycine's lack of steric hindrance and held in place through intramolecular hydrogen bonds. During Steered Molecular Dynamic (SMD) pulling of these motifs, the hydrogen bonds break and they reform again when the peptides are released to move freely, returning to similar bent conformations. The transition seen in the master curves of recombinant resilins might be due to either these intramolecular hydrogen bonds or to glass transition behavior, though evidence indicates that the transition probably due to the glass transition. What we learned from the synthesized recombinant resilin and simulating the repetitive motifs of resilin may be applicable to the biology and mechanics of other elastomeric biomaterials, and may provide deeper understanding of their unique properties. / Ph. D.

No description available.

Forças aplicadas no corpo humano são essenciais para o crescimento tecidual, a postura e a locomoção. Entretanto, na postura sentada, altos níveis de pressão por tempo prolongado podem ocasionar graves danos à pele e aos tecidos subjacentes, podendo levar o indivíduo à morte devido às complicações decorrentes das úlceras de pressão. Pessoas com deficiência que apresentam impossibilidade, temporária ou definitiva, de deslocar-se, adotam a postura sentada em sua cadeira de rodas. Cadeirantes que apresentam diminuição ou perda de funções sensitivas estão mais predispostos a serem acometidos por úlceras por não perceberem os incômodos dos altos níveis de pressão na posição sentada. A engenharia biomecânica tem estudado novas tecnologias em ergômetros e em equipamentos de monitoramento da pressão no assento da cadeira de rodas, com diferentes sensores de medição da pressão, considerando o custo e a constituição do equipamento. Diante disso, foi desenvolvido um novo dispositivo óptico de baixo custo e constituição simples para monitoramento da pressão, utilizando o processamento de imagens da intensidade luminosa gerada pela deformação de semiesferas de elastômeros contra uma superfície transparente rígida iluminada lateralmente sem o uso de líquidos sensores. Foi projetado e desenvolvido um programa de aquisição e processamento, de calibração, de análise das imagens e um módulo de sensores elásticos adaptado ao assento de um ergômetro para cadeirantes. Para entender o funcionamento do dispositivo e avaliar o projeto do novo sistema de monitoramento da pressão foi realizado uma modelagem numérica por elementos finitos, uma análise experimental, uma estimativa da pressão por meio de modelo analítico e um experimento que visa avaliar o efeito do apoio do pé na distribuição da pressão no assento em repouso e com propulsão manual. Por meio, do novo dispositivo de pressão no assento de ergômetro ajustável, foi desenvolvido um novo método de monitoramento da pressão no assento de ergômetro para cadeirantes utilizando um princípio óptico de captação da imagem processada da deformação de semiesferas de elastômeros utilizando aplicativos em ambiente LabVIEW. O dispositivo possibilitou a aquisição, a análise e o monitoramento da imagem do mapeamento dos níveis de pressão no assento de lesados medulares que realizam propulsão manual. Os resultados dos experimentos demonstraram que a elevação do apoio do pé aumenta significativamente (p<0,05) a pressão média e máxima na região isquiática em lesados medulares. O mapeamento óptico com semiesferas de elastômeros para monitoramento da pressão por imagem no assento do ergômetro, mostrou ser uma ferramenta importante na avaliação adequação postural e na ergonomia da configuração de uma cadeira de rodas com potencial para desenvolver novas pesquisas na área da pessoa com deficiência com usuários de cadeira de rodas. / Forces applied to the human body is essential for tissue growth, posture and locomotion. However, in the sitting position, high-pressure levels for long periods can cause serious damage to the skin and underlying tissues, may lead the individual to death due to complications of pressure ulcers. People with disabilities who have not possible, temporary or permanent, to move, adopt a sitting posture with the use of a wheelchair. Wheelchair presenting decrease or loss of sensory functions are more likely to be affected by ulcers do not realize the discomfort of high levels of pressure in the sitting position. Biomechanics Engineering has studied new technologies ergometers and pressure monitoring equipment on the seat of the wheelchair, with different pressure measuring sensors, considering the cost and the setting up of the equipment. Therefore, a new optical device of low cost and simple constitution for pressure monitoring was developed using image processing of the light intensity generated by the deformation of elastomeric hemispheres against a rigid surface transparent illuminated laterally without the use of liquid sensors. For this, it designed and developed an acquisition program, calibration, processing, image analysis and elastic sensor module that is adapted to seat an ergometer for wheelchair users. To understand the device operation and evaluate the design of the new pressure monitoring system was carried out a numerical modeling for finite element, an experimental analysis, an estimate of the pressure by means of analytical model and an experiment designed to assess the effect of support standing on the pressure distribution on the seat at rest and with manual propulsion. By means of the new pressure device on the seat adjustable ergometer it was developed a new pressure monitoring method in ergometer seat for wheelchair users using an optical principle processed image capture of elastomeric hemispheres deformation using applications in LabVIEW environment. The device enabled the acquisition, analysis and monitoring of pressure levels of mapping image on spinal cord injuries seat performing manual propulsion. The results of the experiments with spinal cord injury, demonstrated that the rise foot support increases significantly (p <0.05) and the average maximum pressure in the ischial region. The optical mapping elastomeric hemispheres for monitoring image by pressing the ergometer seat, was an important tool in assessing the ergonomics of the configuration of a wheelchair and postural adjustment with the potential to develop further research in the area of disabled wheelchair users. / Tese (Doutorado)