Elastic buckling of column embedded in a medium

• Main Author: Tay, Teng Chean
• Other Authors: Wu Mao See
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2020
• Subjects: Engineering::Mechanical engineering
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/142003
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Buckling of columns is not a fresh topic to be discussed but elastic buckling of soft elastic columns is a new field to be studied. Soft robotics are rising in its popularity across different fields including the medical field, food industry, etc. In this research project, the elastic columns to be embedded in a medium will help to justify the practicality of the lateral reinforcement provided by the surrounding medium. This will help to demonstrate its practical uses in the mechanical structures where utilisation of soft robotics is applicable and biological related research whereby microscopic cells or filaments are surrounded by fluid and other related fields or categories. This Final Year Project will focus on the design and construction of the test rig, elastic buckling of columns and elastic buckling of columns embedded in a medium. In addition, the research project will revolve around the main parameters including critical buckling loads, concentration of agar-agar columns and gelatin medium. Observations are made on the mode shape of the columns and critical buckling loads are recorded for every set of experiments. The result will provide an indication of the relationship between the concentration, slenderness, length of specimens and the concentration of the surrounding medium on the critical buckling loads. Besides, the observation of the mode shape will illustrate the lateral support effectiveness on the columns by comparing the experiments without the surrounding medium and manipulate the concentration of the cases with the surrounding medium.