<p dir="ltr">Low frequency noise has been a challenge to noise control strategies for a long time due to its relatively long wavelength compared with practical thicknesses of acoustical treatments. A series of studies have drawn increasing attention to the acoustical behavior of porous granular materials such as activated carbon due to their good performance at low frequency. To better characterize this type of material, a 1-dimensional poro-elastic model is introduced in this work, which accounts for both the inner particle structure and the elasticity of the granule stack, allowing a better match of resonance features between the model prediction and measurement results. This model was then extended to a 2-dimensional finite difference (2DFD) approach under an axisymmetric assumption, with the depth-dependent stiffness of the granule stack considered. The shape of the computational domain of this 2DFD approach is close to the realistic geometry of the cylindrical standing wave tube, and it provides flexibility in assigning different types of boundary conditions at the circumferential wall of the container. The model is validated by comparing the simulation output and measurements of the acoustic response of porous granular materials in a cylindrical standing wave tube with rigid backing. The comparison demonstrates that the proposed 2DFD model is able to closely match the test results even down to detailed features, thus providing a means of accurate acoustic characterization of granular materials. The application scenarios of porous granular materials are also discussed in this work. A hybrid model based on the classical Johnson-Champoux-Allard (JCA) model and the rigid model describing the multi-level porosity within the granules is proposed to predict the performance of composite materials made of non-woven fiber matrices and porous granular materials. The performance of other practical applications such as that of a sound absorber consisting of a membrane and a cavity partially filled with the porous granular material is also discussed. These applications are shown to be promising strategies of addressing the low frequency noise problems.</p>

Longitudinal growth of long bone occurs at growth plates by a process called endochondral ossification. Endochondral ossification is affected by both biological and mechanical factors. This thesis focuses on the mechanical modulation of femoral bone growth occurring at the proximal growth plate, using mechanobiological theories reported in the literature. Finite element analysis was used to simulate bone growth. The first study analyzed the effect of subject-specific growth plate geometry over simplified growth plate geometry in numerical prediction of bone growth tendency. Subject-specific femur finite element model was constructed from magnetic resonance images of one able- bodied child. Gait kinematics and kinetics were acquired from motion analysis and analyzed further in musculoskeletal modelling to determine muscle and joint contact forces. These were used to determine loading on the femur in finite element analysis. The growth rate was computed based on a mechanobiological theory proposed by Carter and Wong, and a growth model in the principal stress direction was introduced. Our findings support the use of subject- specific geometry and of the principal stress growth direction in prediction of bone growth. The second study aimed to illustrate how different muscle groups’ activation during gait affects proximal femoral growth tendency in able-bodied children. Subject-specific femur models were used. Gait kinematics and kinetics were acquired for 3 able-bodied children, and muscle and joint contact forces were determined, similar to the first study. The contribution of different muscle groups to hip contact force was also determined. Finite element analysis was performed to compute the specific growth rate and growth direction due to individual muscle groups. The simulated growth model indicated that gait loading tends to reduce neck shaft angle and femoral anteversion during growth. The muscle groups that contributes most and least to growth rate were hip abductors and hip adductors, respectively. All muscle groups’ activation tended to reduce the neck shaft and femoral anteversion angles, except hip extensors and adductors which showed a tendency to increase the femoral anteversion. The third study’s aim was to understand the influence of different physical activities on proximal femoral growth tendency. Hip contact force orientation was varied to represent reported forces from a number of physical activities. The findings of this study showed that all studied physical activities tend to reduce the neck shaft angle and anteversion, which corresponds to the femur’s natural course during normal growth. The aim of the fourth study was to study the hypothesis that loading in the absence of physical activity, i.e. static loading, can have an adverse effect on bone growth. A subject-specific model was used and growth plate was modeled as a poroelastic material in finite element analysis. Prendergast’s indicators for bone growth was used to analyse the bone growth behavior. The results showed that tendency of bone growth rate decreases over a long duration of static loading. The study also showed that static sitting is less detrimental than static standing for predicted cartilage-to-bone differentiation likelihood, due to the lower magnitude of hip contact force. The prediction of growth using finite element analysis on experimental gait data and person- specific femur geometry, based on mechanobiological theories of bone growth, offers a biomechanical foundation for better understanding and prediction of bone growth-related deformity problems in growing children. It can ultimately help in treatment planning or physical activity guidelines in children at risk at developing a femur or hip deformity. / <p>QC 20170616</p>