Faculty Publications

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    Experimental investigation on performance of disposable micropump with retrofit piezo stack actuator for biomedical application
    (Springer Verlag service@springer.de, 2019) Mohith, S.; Karanth P, P.N.; Kulkarni, S.M.
    Extensive researches are being conducted to develop miniaturized pumping systems to fulfill the need for accurate delivery of fluids at required rates, particularly in the biomedical field. This paper presents the design, fabrication, and testing of novel valveless micropump actuated through an amplified piezo actuator. The proposed model of the micropump pump has the unique feature of a disposable chamber and employs low-cost polymeric materials, conventional molding and machining operations for fabrication. The disposable part of the pump consists of a laser-cut pump chamber with nozzle/diffuser made of Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and conventionally molded silicone rubber diaphragm. The retrofit part includes the amplified piezo actuator and support structures build from PMMA. Systematic characterization of the pump was carried with water and blood mimicking fluid to understand the effect of operating parameters such as driving frequency and actuation voltage on flow rate and back pressure of the micropump. Experimental results show that the proposed design was capable of pumping 3.3–3.4 ml/min of dye solution and 1.7–1.75 ml/min of blood mimicking fluid at a driving frequency of 5 Hz and actuation voltage of 150 V. The corresponding computed volume resolution/stroke of the pump was found to about 5.75 µl and 11.25 µl of blood mimicking fluid and dye solution, respectively. The proposed pump was found to work effectively against a maximum back pressure of 156 Pa with blood mimicking fluid and 250 Pa with the dye solution as the working fluid under the same operating condition of 5 Hz and 150 V. © 2019, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.
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    Performance analysis of valveless micropump with disposable chamber actuated through Amplified Piezo Actuator (APA) for biomedical application
    (Elsevier Ltd, 2020) Mohith, M.; Karanth P, N.; Kulkarni, S.M.
    The precise manipulation of fluid through pumping systems has been the technological challenge in microfluidic applications. The biomedical applications call for precise and accurate delivery of fluid through miniaturized pumping systems. This paper presents a novel valveless micropump for biomedical applications operated by the Amplified Piezo Actuator. Integrating the disposable chamber and reusable actuator with the proposed micropump allows the actuator to be reused and eliminates the possibility of infection or contagion. The micropump was fabricated using low-cost polymeric materials like Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), Silicone rubber through CNC milling, Laser Cutting, conventional moulding operation. The micropump chamber, nozzle/diffusers, and a bossed diaphragm constituted disposable part and Amplified Piezo Actuator with structural support formed the reusable part of the micropump. The bossed diaphragm of the pump chamber consists of a central cylindrical protrusion to reduce the force of adhesion on the diaphragm and transmit force required for micropump actuation. A theoretical analysis was performed to assess the effect of diaphragm thickness and the bossed region on the effective stiffness of the diaphragm, which in turn influences the deflection achieved. Besides, an analytical approach has been presented to address the effect of adhesive force on the diaphragm surface due to the residual fluid and chamber depth. The experimental characterization of the micropump was carried out to determine the optimal performance parameters with water, fluids mimicking blood plasma, and whole blood. Based on the experimental results, the pumping rate and head developed by the micropump have been significantly affected by factors such as bossed ratio, diaphragm thickness, depth of the micropump chamber, and viscosity of the fluid. The optimum configuration of the micropump cosidered silicone rubber diaphragm with thickness of 0.20 mm having a bossed ratio of 0.33 and a chamber depth of 1.25 mm. With the optimal operating parameters of 150 V sinusoidal input of frequency 5 Hz, the proposed micropump was capable of delivering 7.192 ml/min, 6.108 ml/min, and 5.013 ml/min of water and blood plasma, whole blood mimicking fluid with the maximum backpressure of 294.00 Pa, 226.243 Pa, and 204.048 Pa respectively. The corresponding resolution, i.e., pumping volume/stroke of the micropump was about 23.972 µl, 20.358 µl, and 16.708 µl, respectively. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd
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    Numerical analysis of polymer composites for actuation
    (International Information and Engineering Technology Association, 2020) Hiremath, S.; Sangappa, V.; Rajole, S.; Kulkarni, S.M.
    The design of a polymer composite actuator is essential for micro and nano applications. Thus, the composite material may deform or deflects as specific stimuli are applied, such as heat, electrical, light source, etc. The deformation of the composite material is caused by the type of stimulus applied. Hence, while it is heated, the expansion takes place quickly, and the heating is shut down, the material shrinks very slowly. In the present investigation, this phenomenon is mainly studied in the actuation of composite beams. Numerical analysis of carbon black filled polymer composite beam expansion, and contraction is being analyzed in this research. The structure of the beam has been created, and the composite properties are incorporated into the beam, and the uniform heat source is applied on to the surface of the beam. The heating and cooling of the composite material predict the increase and decrease in the temperature of the beam. The numerical analysis of the temperature-dependent expansion and contraction of the composite beam has been carried out successfully. An increase in temperature is observed to signify the slight expansion in the composite beam, whereas the contraction of the composite beam takes a longer time to reach room temperature. Also, the increase in the content of the filler leads to a decrease in the expansion of the composite beam. The numerical simulation of the polymer composite thus provides a solid platform for the experimental study of thermal actuators. © 2020 Lavoisier. All rights reserved.
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    Progression and characterization of polydimethylsiloxane-carbon black nanocomposites for photothermal actuator applications
    (Elsevier B.V., 2021) Hiremath, S.; H, S.M.; Kulkarni, S.M.
    The new development of polymer-based actuators triggers the progress of nanocomposites. Polymer materials are currently used in sensors, microfluidic devices, electrical and thermal actuators, and energy harvesting applications due to ease of availability, excellent tolerable properties, and customizable properties. The polymer-based nanocomposite can be driven by various stimuli, which is the actuator's emerging field. Thus, photothermal actuation is a thurst area of research transforming light energy into mechanical energy through the polymer material. The photo-responsive material can be prepared and tested for photo-actuation by incorporating the nanoparticles into the polymer. The present work focuses on developing polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and carbon black (CB) nanocomposite. The objective here is to investigate the photothermal actuator's performance by illuminating the infrared (IR) light source and studying its most influential characteristics, such as absorbance, thermal conductivity, and the thermal expansion coefficient. The PDMS / CB nanocomposite absorbs the IR light and then increases temperature, which is finally transformed into a beam deflection. Responses are measured as a result of time deflection using the Laser displacement sensor. It is noted that the deflection of the nanocomposite beam is linearly increased during illumination with light while it is exponentially decreasing when the light is turned off. The proposed polymer nanocomposite is approximately deflected by 9 mm in the duration of 16 s duration. Furthermore, the experimental deflection of the photothermal actuator is very close to theoretical results. The nanocomposite PDMS / CB reveals that there is an increase in absorbance by increasing the filler content. The nanocomposite conductivity is 35.2 % higher than the base material. As well, the thermal expansion coefficient decreases with an increase in carbon black content. The photothermal actuator's development is an ongoing process in which the material parameter, actuator geometry, and many more are modified. As a result, the photothermal bending performed can provide a means for various light-driven applications. © 2020 Elsevier B.V.