Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Breakage mechanics'

Milling is a common unit operation in industry for the purpose of intentional size reduction. Considerable amount of energy is consumed during a grinding process and much of the energy is dissipated as heat and sound, which often makes grinding into an energy-intensive and highly inefficient operation. Despite many attempts to interpret particle breakage during a milling process, the grindability of a material in a milling operation remains aloof and the mechanisms of particle breakage are still poorly understood. Hence the optimisation and refinement in the design and operation of milling are in great need of an improved scientific understanding of the complex failure mechanisms. This thesis aims to provide an in-depth understanding of particle breakage associated with stressing events that occur during milling. A hybrid of experimental, theoretical and numerical methods has been adopted to elucidate the particle breakage mechanics. This study covers from single particle damage at micro-scale to bulk comminution during the whole milling process. The mechanical properties of two selected materials, i.e. alumina and zeolite were measured by indentation techniques. The breakage test of zeolite granules subjected to impact loading was carried out and it was found that tangential component velocity plays an increasingly important role in particle breakage with increasing impact velocity. Besides, single particle breakage via in-situ loading was conducted under X-ray microcomputed tomography (μCT) to study the microstructure of selected particles, visualize the progressive failure process and evaluate the progressive failure using the technique of digital image correlation (DIC). A new particle breakage model was proposed deploying a mechanical approach assuming that the subsurface lateral crack accounts for chipping mechanism. Considering the limitation of existing models in predicting breakage under oblique impact and the significance of tangential component velocity identified from experiment, the effect of impact angle is considered in the developed breakage model, which enables the contribution of the normal and tangential velocity component to be rationalized. The assessment of breakage models including chipping and fragmentation under oblique impact suggests that the equivalent normal velocity proposed in the new model is able to give close prediction with experimental results sourced from the public literature. Milling experiments were performed using the UPZ100 impact pin mill (courtesy by Hosokawa Micron Ltd. UK) to measure the comminution characteristics of the test solids. Several parameters were used to evaluate the milling performance including product size distribution, relative size span, grinding energy and size reduction ratio etc. The collective data from impact pin mill provides the basis for the validation of numerical simulation results. The Discrete Element Method (DEM) is first used to model single particle breakage subject to normal impact loading using a bonded contact model. A validation of the bonded contact model was conducted where the disparity with the experimental results is discussed. A parametric study of the most significant parameters e.g. bond Young’s modulus, the mean tensile bond strength, the coefficient of variation of the strength and particle & particle restitution coefficient in the DEM contact model was carried out to gain a further understanding of the effect of input parameters on the single particle breakage behavior. The upscaling from laboratory scale (single particle impact test) to industrial process scale (impact pin mill) is achieved using Population Balance Modelling (PBM). Two important functions in PBM, the selection function and breakage function are discussed based on the single particle impact from both experimental and numerical methods. An example of predicting product size reduction via PBM was given and compared to the milling results from impact pin mill. Finally, the DEM simulation of particle dynamics with emphasis on the impact energy distribution was presented and discussed, which sheds further insights into the coupling of PBM and DEM.

Particle morphology is of pivotal importance in granular materials at different length scales. This thesis begins with quantification and reconstruction of real particle shapes, then studies various kinds of granular material behaviour influenced by morphology features. The project background and related previous work are introduced in Chapters 1 and 2, respectively. Chapter 3 is firstly concentrated on reconstructing particle shapes using Spherical Harmonics (SH). DEM clumps are also used to approximate realistic particle shapes to simulate sand column collapse. The efficiency of SH analysis between different coordinate systems in FEM mesh qualities and reconstruction are also compared. Chapter 4 is on contact behaviour of rough spheres with different morphology features. Via FEM simulation, benchmarked with Hertzian solution, a semi-analytical model is proposed. In Chapter 5, to highlight the influences of contact curvature on single particle crushing behaviour, a rotational point loading in FDEM, benchmarked with an in-situ XCT experiment, is proposed. In Chapter 6, experiments of failure modes of cemented sands under different loading paths and the quantification of fracture fabric are conducted. FDEM simulations, benchmarked with a combined in-situ experiment with XCT and diffraction, of meso-scale concrete are also conducted. Effects of realistic aggregate morphology on overall concrete are investigated. In Chapter 7, permeability of uniformly graded 3D printed grains, is experimentally studied. Modified Kozney-Carman equation is also proposed. Chapter 8 concludes this work by summarising the findings and implications and provides an outlook on future works. This dissertation presents a new comprehensive understanding of granular behaviour influenced by its morphology features. Via the proposed framework combining both experimental and numerical information, it is helpful to design and optimise of various granular materials with specific morphology features.

Granular media are ubiquitous throughout the world and developing a comprehensive understanding of their behaviour is a pressing challenge. Of particular importance is accounting for the localisation of deformation into thin bands that feature intense grain crushing. This thesis develops a framework that predicts the formation of these bands and the grain size evolution, using experimental, theoretical and numerical approaches. Our experimental approach uses spatio-temporal plotting and Fourier analysis to extract information from photographs, allowing a sub-grain resolution of the velocity field. We investigate the effect of grain size polydispersity on the width of shear bands. Our theoretical approach develops a novel constitutive model that combines two existing formulations. We enrich Breakage Mechanics with the Cosserat continuum by an elastic upscaling that includes Cosserat state variables. This regularises Breakage Mechanics, allowing it to predict strain localisation phenomena such as shear bands, and adds physical fidelity to Cosserat models. Our numerical approach uses linear stability analysis and the finite element method to determine the conditions that result in strain localisation. The linear stability analysis gives the expected initial thickness and the initial post-localisation tendencies of the system. This information informs the finite element analysis, which is used to perform a rigorous post-localisation analysis. This thesis provides a framework which can be used to explore and further model the evolution of systems that experience strain localisation accompanied by intense grain crushing, ranging from standard laboratory tests to seismogenic faults.

This thesis focuses on proposing a novel comprehensively predictive modelling framework for granular materials which builds on the hydrodynamic procedure to satisfy the principles of thermodynamics, mass, momentum and energy conservations. In developing our physical arguments we recognise that complexity of the macroscopic mechanical response of granular media is mainly a result of kinematic degrees of freedom in granular scale. We therefore employ the original concept of two-stage irreversibility by Jiang and Liu (2009) and consider an energy sink from the mesoscopic granular entropy level to the microscopic thermal entropy level. In stark contrast from previous hydrodynamic formulations for granular materials, we establish a clear passage from the granular temperature to calibrate instead our model based on the measurable kinetic pressure. We introduce a novel coupling between the hydrodynamic formulation and plasticity theory by directly defining the evolution equations for state variables and imposing restrictions to ensure the non-negativity of the mechanical dissipation. Within our hydrodynamic-plastic framework, we construct two constitutive model variants. The first simpler model demonstrates remarkable capability to predict comprehensive rate-independent and rate-dependent phenomena, all while relying on only five previously defined mechanical constants. We enhanced the first model to capture particle breakage effects through integration with the breakage mechanics theory (Einav 2007). This more advanced model readily maintains all the rate-independent capabilities of the first one, and demonstrates remarkable agreement with elaborated experimental breakage data from monotonic and cyclic compression and shear tests. This thesis provides a foundation to explore and further model granular materials, as well as materials with complex internal heterogeneous mesoscopic structure, such as weakly cemented granular rocks, silts and clays.

As humanity prepares to migrate to the frontiers of the Moon and other planets, the area of mining in space must go along for the purpose of exploration and in-situ resource utilization. In the present work the literature that has been developed over the years in the area of mining in space as applicable to Lunar and Martian environments is reviewed. Subsequently, the key mining technologies that are most suitable for Lunar and Martian environments are identified. From the literature review, it is concluded that an optimal combination of both mechanical methods and novel energy (lasers, microwaves, nuclear energy) methods for rock destruction drawing a trade off between the energy and mass would be the most ideal option for space applications.
One such technique of applying low power microwaves to the rocks to thermally weaken them without actually melting them before employing mechanical methods of rock destruction is investigated. Finite element simulations were carried out to simulate microwave heating of a calcareous rock to determine the temperature profiles and thermal stresses at different microwave heating times and powers. Preliminary experiments were carried out in order to determine the microwave susceptibility of terrestrial basalt (which has similar composition as Lunar and Martian rocks). Temperature and strength of the rock sample before and after microwaving was measured.
The results of the finite element simulation indicated that a calcareous rock with microwave responsive phase and a microwave non-responsive phase developed thermal stresses of large magnitudes exceeding the actual strength of the rock. The simulation methodology can be applied to other rock types as well, provided the thermal, electrical and structural properties of constituent mineral phases are available.
The preliminary experimental results showed that the basalt rock specimens used were quite susceptible to the low power microwaves. There was a decreasing trend in terms of the point load index of the rock samples as the microwaving exposure times were increased, with some rock samples showing visible cracks at higher microwaving times.

Grinding in mineral processing is used to liberate valuable minerals from ore and prepare feed for mineral separation. It accounts for up to 50% of a concentrator's energy consumption. Ball mills are usually adopted in grinding processes; however their energy efficiency is low. Consequently, a small improvement can lead to important savings.
Population balance models can be used for ball mill optimization, but their use is limited because they are black box models based on incomplete information about the breakage events inside ball mills. Charge motion simulators, based on the discrete element method (DEM), not only provide information about charge media motion, but also collision energy distributions inside ball mills. Ball mill optimization can be achieved using charge motion simulators if the product size distribution can be predicted by linking charge motion results with single particle breakage tests.
Single particle drop tests were carried out to determine the effect of different levels of impact energy. Fundamental ore breakage model equations for an impact breakage event were established, and were applied for the drop weight tests based on a theoretical breakage mechanism. The energy consumptions are calculated with the given feed and product size distribution with the established equations. The comparison of two kinds of drop weight test devices were made and the effect of impact speeds of drop blocks on particle breakage at constant impact energy level was also discussed.

In comminution machines, the product properties (particle size distribution, mineral liberation characteristics) and process consumables (energy for size reduction, wear) are affected by various parameters. On the one hand, understanding and optimizing these parameters can provide an energy efficient process and a specified product. On the other hand, a fundamental understanding of the breakage process can even be used for designing new or improved comminution machines. In this thesis, breakage fundamentals are analyzed and set against the principles of various comminution machines. The study of the breakage fundamentals is crucial for a better understanding of the effect of different comminution environments on ore types and their textures in order to achieve a desired product size and liberation. This work defines three main areas of breakage processes with breakage fundamentals, namely “loading mechanism”, “breakage mechanism” and “breakage mode”. The “loading mechanism” is defined as the physical action that is applied to a particle or several particles in order to introduce mechanical stress. The resulting pattern of the particle failure is named “breakage mechanism”. Finally, the “breakage mode” defines the particle breakage in terms of being random or non‐random. Non‐random breakage depends on the ore texture, which can be categorized as preferential breakage and phase boundary breakage. Promoting the breakage mode to the phase boundary breakage could help to increase the liberation degree. Various studies have assessed the effect of ore texture and operational parameters on mineral liberation. While ore texture is related to the particle inherent characteristics, operational conditions such as loading mechanism are related to the comminution environment. In all these investigations, little attempt has been made to explore the combined effects of loading mechanism and quantitative ore texture features on breakage mode and mineral liberation. In addition, a lack of fundamental understanding of the breakage process and mineral liberation can be seen. Accordingly, a more fundamental study of the causes behind the effects of loading mechanism and texture is required in order to optimize the comminution process in terms of mineral liberation. The objective of this work is, therefore, to investigate the effects of different loading mechanisms on particle breakage and breakage mode. In order to achieve this goal, work has started with using two methods including three‐dimensional deformation and two‐dimensional crack quantification. The former method involved X‐ray computed micro‐tomography (XCT) imaging and Digital Volume Correlation (DVC) measurements which determiners the breakage mode in terms of being random or non-random. Whereas the latter was done using an image processing code in MATLAB to quantify cracks in terms of random and non-random breakage (preferential or phase boundary) from Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images. In addition, XCT 3D imaging was used in order to track the propagated cracks in the third dimension. Moreover, phase boundary breakage in magnetite grains was studied qualitatively based on optical microscopy images in order to identify and characterize the propagated cracks.

Les analyses multi-échelles en mécanique des sols granulaires deviennent de plus en plus répandues. L’avantage de ce type d’approches réside dans leur capacité d’établir un lien entre les comportements au niveau du continu et leurs origines au niveau de la particule. Pour la majorité des études micromécaniques,les particules sont généralement considérées comme des corps parfaitement rigides. La rupture des grains, qui représente le mécanisme dissipatif d’énergie qui génère le plus de déformations plastiques à hautes contraintes,est donc négligée. Le but de cette étude est d’améliorer notre connaissance du processus de rupture des grains à travers des approches énergétiques. Pour y parvenir, le problème est étudié du point de vue du continu et du grain. La première partie de ce travail de recherche est une étude théorique des mécanismes énergétiques qui régissent la rupture des grains dans un empilement granulaire. Les résultats de cette analyse nous ont permis de dériver une loi constitutive capable de prédire l’évolution de la rupture. Afin d’étendre les capacités du modèle aux conditions non saturées, la formulation thermodynamique est modifiée afin d’inclure le couplage entre les effets hydrauliques et ceux de la rupture des grains. La seconde partie consiste en une étude expérimentale de la micromécanique de la rupture du grain pris individuellement. Cette partie est structurée en trois sections : les effets des particules environnantes, la mécanique de la fissuration et l’ effet de l’eau sur le développement de la fissure. Dans toutes ces études, de nouveaux dispositifs expérimentaux ont été conçus, et des techniques d’imagerie innovantes ont été utilisées
In recent years, multiscale analyses in granular soil mechanics have become more prevalent. The beauty of these approaches is that they can establish a link between the behaviors from a continuum level to their origin at the particle level. In the micromechanical investigationof a granular medium, the particles are usually described as perfectly rigid bodies and their interactions as merely rolling, sliding and friction. Grain crushing however , the energy dissipating mechanism responsible for most of the plastic strains in granular soils and rockfill at higher stresses, is consequently neglected. The aim of this study is to improve our understanding of the process of grain crushing in soils through energy approaches. In order to do so, the problem was studied from both the continuum and the grain levels.The first part of this research work is a theoretical investigation into the energy dynamics of breakage in a granular packing. The results of this analysis allowed us to derive a constitutivelaw capable of predicting the breakage evolution. In order to extend the capabilities of the model to unsaturated conditions, the thermodynamic formulation was modified to include the coupling between the hydraulic effects and breakage.The second part consists of an experimental study of the micromechanics of single grain fracture, and is structured into three sections, that represent the three main aspects of grain fracture : the effect of the surrounding grains, the mechanics of the crack and the effect of water on the development of the crack. In all of these studies, new experimental devices were designed, and novel imaging techniques were used

Stirred milling is a grinding tool that is used extensively for mineral liberation, in order to achieve successful downstream processing such as flotation or leaching. The focus of this research is to understand the effect of different operating parameters on particle breakage mechanism. Operating parameters could be summarized as stress intensity on the particles which are varied by changing the mill’s agitator speed, and different ground material properties such as extreme hard/low density minerals like quartz versus soft/high density minerals like galena. Grinding performance is assessed by analysing particle size reduction and energy consumption. Breakage mechanism is evaluated using the state of the art morphological analysis and liberation. Finally, theoretical evaluation of particles flow, types of forces and energy distribution across the mill are investigated using Discrete Element Modelling (DEM). It is observed that breakage mechanisms are affected by the type of mineral and stress intensities (agitator speed) in the mill. For example, galena, the soft/high density mineral, reaches its grinding limit very fast at high agitator speed and specific energy consumption increases exponentially with the increase of the agitator speed. On the other hand, for quartz, the hard/low density mineral, the breakage rate is very slow at low agitator speed and the specific energy consumption increases linearly with the increase of the agitator speed. Fracture mechanism of the particles is also a function of the agitator speed and type of mineral. At high agitator speed, galena fractures mostly along the grain boundaries, whereas quartz breaks across the grains, which is abrasion. The morphology observation is confirmed by the DEM model, which conveyed that at higher agitator speed, the normal forces were higher than tangential forces on the galena particles compared to the ceramic grinding media particles. The core of this research is the morphology analysis, which is a novel approach to studying particle breakage mechanisms. More work is recommended in the field of morphology with other types of minerals to confirm the findings of this research. 3D liberation analysis was introduced in this research; a correlation to the conventional liberation methodology would be a major addition to the industry.

Afin de garantir la sécurité des voyageurs et des appareils, de nombreuses études ont été financées ces dernières années par l'industrie aérospatiale et aéronautique en vue de caractériser expérimentalement puis de simuler numériquement l'ingestion par les moteurs d'avion de projectiles en tout genre. La glace est un exemple de projectiles susceptibles d'impacter les moteurs d'avion pendant leur fonctionnement. Notre travail s'inscrit directement dans ce cadre de recherche avec l'objectif de caractériser expérimentale la glace aéronautique à haute vitesse et de développer un modèle qui permettra de simuler des impacts de glace sur une structure. Une synthèse des divers travaux et recherches existants sur le matériau glace permet de faire le point sur les connaissances actuelles du matériau glace et d'en pointer les faiblesses, notamment l'absence de données expérimentales sur les glace aéronautique. Les protocoles de fabrication de différent types de glace, le protocole d'usinage des échantillons, la méthode de transport, des banc d'essais sur presse électromécanique et sur barres d'Hopkinsons ont été développé. Ils permettent de mieux cerner les mécanismes du comportement de la glace à hautes vitesses de déformation (en mettent en évidence le rôle de la microstructure, le rôle de la température et l'influence de la vitesse de déformation). La dernière partie détaille un modèle de comportement et de rupture général applicable aux matériaux fragiles et plus particulièrement à la glace sous impact. Il s'agit d'une loi de comportement élasto-endommagebale avec endommagement de type Mazars, associé aux modifications de Chuzel pour son utilisation en dynamique rapide. La méthode d'identification des paramètres de la loi à partir des essais est également présentée. L'implémentation de la loi dans le code commercial LS-Dyna est validée sur des cas simples avant que les résultats numériques ne soient confrontés aux résultats expérimentaux. Cette comparaison a mis en lumière un défaut inhérent au modèle d'endommagement de type Mazars une correction du modèle est donc proposée
In order to guarantee the safety of passengers and aircrafts, numerous studies have been financed in recent years by the aerospace and aeronautics industry in order to characterize experimentally and then numerically simulate the ingestion by the aircraft engines of projectiles. Ice is an example of projectile that can impact aircraft engines during the fly. In this research framework, our work objectives are the high-speed experimental characterization of aeronautical ice and the developpement of a model that will simulate ice impacts on a structure. A synthesis of the various existing research and work on ice makes possible to take stock of the current knowledge of the ice material and to point out its weaknesses, in particular the lack of experimental data on aeronautical ice. Production protocols for different types of ice, sample processing protocol, transport method, electromechanical press test bench and split Hopkinson bars were developed. They make it possible to better understand the behavior of ice at high deformation velocities (influence of microstructure, influence of temperature and influence of deformation velocity). The last part details a model of behavior and general rupture applicable to fragile materials and more particularly to the ice under impact. It is a law of behavior elasto-damagebale with Mazars damage type, associated with modifications of Chuzel for its use in fast dynamics. The method of identifying the parameters of the law from the tests is also presented. The implementation of the law in the commercial code LS-Dyna is validated on simple cases before the numerical results are compared to the experimental results. This comparison has highlighted a defect inherent in the Mazars model of damage. A correction of the model is therefore proposed

Thesis (Ph.D)--Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009.
Committee Chair: Melkote, Shreyes; Committee Member: Danyluk, Steven; Committee Member: Griffin, Paul; Committee Member: Johnson, Steven; Committee Member: Kalejs, Juris; Committee Member: Sitaraman, Suresh. Part of the SMARTech Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Collection.

A cone crusher is a crushing machine which is widely used in the mining, construction and recycling industries. Previous research studies have proposed empirical mathematical models to simulate the operational performance of a cone crusher. These models attempt to match the size distributions of the feed and product streams. The flow of the rock and its breakage within the cone crusher chamber are not explicitly modelled by these methods. Moreover, the ability to investigate the changes in crusher performance affected by changes to the crusher design geometry and/or operating variables (including cavity profile, closed size setting and eccentric speed) are not easily achieved. Improvements to system design and performance are normally achieved by the combination of iterative modifications made to the design and manufacture of a series of prototype machines, and from a subsequent analysis of the results obtained from expensive and time consuming rock testing programs. The discrete element method (DEM) has in recent years proved to be a powerful tool in the execution of fundamental research to investigate the behaviour of granular material flow and rock breakage. Consequently, DEM models may provide the computational means to simulate the flow and breakage of rock as it passes through a cone crusher chamber. Thus, the development of field validated models may provide a cost effective tool to predict the changes in crusher performance that may be produced by incremental changes made to the dimensions or power delivered to the crusher chamber. To obtain an improved understanding of the fundamental mechanisms that take place within a cone crusher chamber, the two processes of rock flow and rock breakage may be decoupled. Consequently, this study firstly characterised the flow behaviour of broken rock through a static crusher chamber by conducting a series of experiments to investigate the flow of regular river pebbles down an inclined chute. A parallel computational study constructed and solved a series of DEM models to replicate the results of these experimental studies. An analysis of the results of these studies concluded that an accurate model replication of the shape of the pebbles and the method used to load the pebbles into the inclined chute were important to ensure that the DEM models successfully reproduced the observed particle flow behaviour. These studies also established relationships between the chute geometry and the time taken for the loaded pebble streams to clear the chute. To investigate the rock breakage behaviour observed within a cone crusher chamber, thirty quasi-spherical particles of Glensanda ballast aggregate were diametrically crushed in the laboratory using a Zwick crushing machine. The crushed rock particles used were of three sieve size fractions: 14-28mm, 30-37.5mm and 40-60mm. The effects that either a variation in the particle size or strength has on and the number and size distribution of the progeny rock fragments produced on breakage were studied. Subsequently, a series of DEM simulation models were constructed and solved to replicate the experimental results obtained from these crushing tests. The aggregate particles were represented by agglomerates consisting of a number of smaller diameter bonded micro-spheres. A new method was proposed to generate a dense, isotropic agglomerate with negligible initial overlap between the micro-spheres by inserting particles to fill the voids in the agglomerate. In addition, the effects that a variation in the particle packing configurations had on the simulated strength and breakage patterns experienced by the model agglomerate rock particles were investigated. The results from these DEM model studies were validated against the experimental data obtained from the ballast rock breakage tests. A comparative analysis of the experimental and modelling studies concluded that once the bond strengths between the constituent micro-spheres matched the values determined from the rock breakage tests, then the numerical models were able to replicate the measured variations in the aggregate particle strengths. Finally, the individual validated DEM aggregate particle flow and breakage modes were combined to construct a preliminary coupled prototype DErvl model to simulate the flow and breakage of an aggregate feed through a cone crusher chamber. The author employed two modelling approaches: the population balance model (PBM) and bonded particle model (BPM) to simulate the observed particle breakage characteristics. The application of the PBM model was successfully validated against historical experimental data available in the literature. However, the potential wider use of the BPM model was deemed impractical due to the high computation time. From a comparative analysis of the particle size distributions of the feed and computed product streams by the two modelling approaches, it is concluded that the simpler PBM produces more practical computationally efficient numerical solutions.

Thesis (M. Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2012.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 66).
Historically, substrate breakage during the poling process has been responsible for a 2% yield loss for a contract manufacturer specializing in volume production of lead zirconate titatate (PZT) thin film devices. In this research, two major causes of poling breakage were identified. First, stresses along substrate edges make PZT substrates more susceptible to breakage if any sort of mechanical force is present. It was determined that these stresses were caused by differential strains due to incomplete metal layer coverage. Second, the electrical arcing that is frequently taking place during poling sends a mechanical shock wave through the substrate. Electrical arcing is caused by metal overspray during the sputtering process. Poling breakage was experimentally reduced by 70% by redesigning the shadow mask used during sputtering to eliminate any metal overspray.
by Abdulelah Alsaeed.
M.Eng.

Includes abstract.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 147-153).
The Discrete Element Method (DEM) is a powerful modelling tool that characterises the system at the individual particle level. This makes it particularly well suited for simulating tumbling mills whose charge is principally individual particles (steel balls, rocks and fines). The use of DEM to simulate tumbling mills has proliferated since the early 1990s and been successfully employed to predict important milling parameters such as charge motion, power draw, liner wear and impact energy distribution. The ultimate aim of any model of the tumbling mill is to predict the product of the milling process. Current DEM simulations of the tumbling mill however do not simulate the breakage of the particles and as such can not directly predict the product. In order to predict the performance of industrial-scale tumbling mills, laboratory-scale mills are used to experimentally obtain data, which is then scaled up using black box mathematical models. In this thesis a tumbling mill model that utilises the power of DEM to provide the mechanical environment and the energies available for breakage is proposed. The incorporation of DEM eliminates the need to scale up because DEM is able to simulate the actual industrial-scale device. Data from breakage experiments on the ore being treated is also incorporated into the model to determine the breakage functions. Population balance techniques are applied in the mathematical framework of the model to predict the product of the comminution process. In order to test the proposed tumbling mill model, DEM simulations of a 1.695m diameter pilot SAG mill using charge based on actual operation data were performed and analysed. Results from the DEM simulation and Drop Weight Tester breakage experiments were then used in the proposed tumbling mill model to predict the evolution of the product size distribution.

This report examines stem breakage of Pinus radiata as a result of mechanical felling in Kinleith forest. Four machines were studied, two Bell TF120 feller-bunchers and two Timbco T445 hydro-bunchers. The machines broke between 84% and 100% of the trees felled. Most causes of breakage could not be determined. Of that which could, falling trees striking stumps and previously felled logs accounted for the majority of the breakage. The machine operators and the machine types studied were deemed to be significantly different and thus separate breakage functions were derived for each operator and machine type. The breakage function currently used by Carter Holt Harvey Forests Kinleith, produced from manual felling data, was compared with the newly developed mechanical functions and found to be different. For this reason a mechanical breakage function was created. Nested analysis showed that most of the variation in relative break heights was due to differences in individual trees, not differences in machines or differences in operators. Two sets of statistically significant equations between height and machine type and the breakpoint variables diameter at the break point and relative break height were identified. Although the models account for some of the breakage, none of the relationships developed completely explain how the variables influence stem breakage. Further research is required into operator and the landing environment variables and how these affect felling breakage.

Les phénomènes liés au comportement à la rupture de la glace sous impact sont fréquents dans le génie civil, pour les structures offshore, et les processus de dégivrage. Pour réduire les dommages causés par l'impact de la glace et optimiser la conception des structures ou des machines, l'étude sur le comportement à la rupture dynamique de la glace sous impact est nécessaire. Ces travaux de thèse portent donc sur la propagation dynamique des fissures dans la glace sous impact. Une série d'expériences d'impact est réalisée avec un dispositif de barres de Hopkinson. La température est contrôlée par une chambre de refroidissement. Le processus dynamique de la rupture de la glace est enregistré avec une caméra à grande vitesse et ensuite analysé par des méthodes d'analyse d'images. La méthode des éléments finis étendus complète cette analyse pour évaluer la ténacité dynamique. Au premier abord, le comportement dynamique de la glace sous impact est étudié avec des échantillons cylindriques afin d'établir la relation contrainte-déformation dynamique qui sera utilisée dans les simulations numériques plus tard. Nous avons observé de multi-fissuration dans les expériences sur les échantillons cylindriques mais son étude est trop difficile à mener. Pour mieux comprendre la propagation des fissures dans la glace, des échantillons rectangulaires avec une pré-fissure sont employés. En ajustant la vitesse d'impact on aboutit à la rupture des spécimens avec une fissure principale à partir de la pré-fissure. L'histoire de la propagation de fissure et de sa vitesse sont évaluées par analyse d'images basée sur les niveaux de gris et par corrélation d'images. La vitesse de propagation de la fissure principale est identifiée dans la plage de 450 à 610 m/s ce qui confirme les résultats précédents. Elle varie légèrement au cours de la propagation, dans un premier temps elle augmente et se maintient constante ensuite et diminue à la fin. Les paramètres obtenus expérimentalement, tels que la vitesse d'impact et la vitesse de propagation de fissure, sont utilisés pour la simulation avec la méthode des éléments finis étendus. La ténacité d'initiation dynamique et la ténacité dynamique en propagation de fissure sont déterminées lorsque la simulation correspond aux expériences. Les résultats indiquent que la ténacité dynamique en propagation de fissure est linéaire vis à vis de la vitesse de propagation et semble indépendante de la température dans l'intervalle -15 à -1 degrés
The phenomena relating to the fracture behaviour of ice under impact loading are common in civil engineering, for offshore structures, and de-ice processes. To reduce the damage caused by ice impact and to optimize the design of structures or machines, the investigation on the dynamic fracture behaviour of ice under impact loading is needed. This work focuses on the dynamic crack propagation in ice under impact loading. A series of impact experiments is conducted with the Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar. The temperature is controlled by a cooling chamber. The dynamic process of the ice fracture is recorded with a high speed camera and then analysed by image methods. The extended finite element method is complementary to evaluate dynamic fracture toughness at the onset and during the propagation. The dynamic behaviour of ice under impact loading is firstly investigated with cylindrical specimen in order to obtain the dynamic stress-strain relation which will be used in later simulation. We observed multiple cracks in the experiments on the cylindrical specimens but their study is too complicated. To better understand the crack propagation in ice, a rectangular specimen with a pre-crack is employed. By controlling the impact velocity, the specimen fractures with a main crack starting from the pre-crack. The crack propagation history and velocity are evaluated by image analysis based on grey-scale and digital image correlation. The main crack propagation velocity is identified in the range of 450 to 610 m/s which confirms the previous results. It slightly varies during the propagation, first increases and keeps constant and then decreases. The experimentally obtained parameters, such as impact velocity and crack propagation velocity, are used for simulations with the extended finite element method. The dynamic crack initiation toughness and dynamic crack growth toughness are determined when the simulation fits the experiments. The results indicate that the dynamic crack growth toughness is linearly associated with crack propagation velocity and seems temperature independent in the range -15 to -1 degrees

Constitutive modelling of geomaterials that can both describe the field-scale behaviour and microscopic details while dealing with hydro-mechanical coupling problems is crucial for predicting the failure of petroleum reservoirs. Highly porous rocks like sandstone, which are typically found in petroleum and gas reservoirs, have been observed to exhibit localised deformation both in experiments and in the field. This phenomenon occurs when stress concentration in weak zones at the grain scale triggers localised deformation, leading to the formation of narrow zones called compaction bands and hence bifurcation of behaviour from homogeneous to strongly localised. Breakage mechanics has been successfully used to describe the mechanisms of grain crushing, a key factor constituting the formation of compaction bands. This theory provides the capability of linking stress with evolving grain size distribution and hence permeability for a homogeneous volume element. However, as a continuum model that relies on the assumption of homogeneous deformation, it fails to correctly describe the post-localisation stage of behaviour where the assumption of homogeneous deformation is no longer valid. This study aimed to develop a model, based on breakage mechanics, that could correctly capture both pre- and post-localisation stages of behaviour. In addition, the progressive characteristics of compaction bands should be taken into account as they have been observed to develop successively until the whole volume is compacted. It should be noted that the current breakage model cannot efficiently cope with the material behaviour under low confining pressure, and thus the high-pressure regime is the primary focus in this study. The key innovation is exploring the macro permeability evolution of porous rocks by using this enhanced model to track the stress-permeability behaviours at a lower scale corresponding with the compaction band and its surrounding mass.
Thesis (MPhil.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Civil, Environmental and Mining Engineering, 2022

Yes
Melt blending of polyolefin/carbon nanotube (CNT) composites always leads to serious agglomeration of CNTs and hence inferior properties. Thus, well-dispersed CNTs within matrix are urgently required during processing. In this work, effective breakage of CNT agglomerates was achieved by solid-phase die drawing at a temperature below but near to the melting temperature of the matrix. Experimental results indicate that the incurred extensional stress provides a high orientation degree on the polypropylene (PP) matrix and consequently helps rupture CNT agglomerates, leading to improved alternating current（AC） conductivity by ~5–6 orders in magnitude. The reduced agglomerate ratio, the altered CNT networks (3D→2D), and the improved interfacial morphology between CNT and matrix are suggested to be responsible for the viscoelasticity variation of the composite melt and the improved property of PP/multiwalled CNTs (MWCNTs) composite. The initial loss of tensile ductility by the incorporation of MWCNTs is recovered by nearly 100%, which was attributed to the low agglomeration rate and improved interfacial morphology. This article provided the potential inspiration for the melt blending of polymer melt and CNTs.
China Scholarship Council. Grant Number: 201806465028
The full-text of this article will be released for public view at the end of the publisher embargo on 19 Oct 2021.

Vitamin A and its metabolites retinal and retinoic acid are important molecules for the regulation of normal cellular growth, differentiation and other important functions. Retinoids are known to exert mutagenic as well as antimutagenic activity, although conflicting reports are known. All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) is used in the treatment of many diseases such as acne, psoriasis and ichthyosis. It is also used in differentiated therapy of acute promyelocytic leukemia; however, it is frequently observed that relapses occur when ATRA is prescribed as maintenance therapy. Therefore, understanding the mechanism of action of ATRA in cells would be helpful in the development of high potent and low toxic chemotherapeutic agents. EA-4 is a newly synthesized steroidal analogue of ATRA and is considered as a promising agent for the inhibition of human leukemic cell growth. The study of genotoxicity is an important parameter for the design and development of new chemotherapeutic agents. Genotoxic effects of anticancer drugs in non-tumour cells are of special significance due to their possibility of inducing secondary tumours in cancer patients. Therefore, it is important to determine the genotoxic potential of a drug that will be used in chemotherapy, particularly in native human cells. Taking into consideration the above referred, it would be of interest to evaluate the genotoxic potential of EA-4 in comparison to ATRA, as to their ability to provoke micronucleus (MN) generation, due to both chromosome breakage and chromosome delay. Micronuclei originate from chromosome fragments or whole chromosomes, which lag behind at anaphase during nuclear division. According to our knowledge, there is no information on the ability of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) to induce micronucleus formation. To investigate the ability of ATRA and its steroidal analogue EA-4 to enhance micronucleation on human lymphocytes cultured in vitro, the Cytokinesis Block MicroNucleus (CBMN) assay was conducted. By this assay, the cytotoxic effect of the two retinoids was also estimated. To clarify the mechanism by which micronuclei are generated due to ATRA and EA-4 treatment, CBMN was combined with Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH) using an α-satellite pancentromeric probe to detect centromere inclusion and thus intact chromosome(s) in micronuclei or acentric chromosome fragments. ATRA and EA-4 were shown to be cytotoxic by decreasing CBPI (Cytokinesis Block Proliferation Index) to statistically significant levels in relation to untreated cells. A statistically significant increase in micronucleus frequency was also observed for both investigated compounds. ATRA generated micronuclei mainly via chromosome breakage while a mild effect on chromosome delay was also apparent. On the other hand, EA-4 generated micronuclei exclusively via chromosome breakage. To verify ATRA and EA-4 genotoxicity, micronucleation was investigated in a second biological system coming from a different organism, C2C12 mouse cells. Micronucleus analysis was achieved by α-tubulin/CREST immunostaining for the visualization of microtubules and the detection of kinetochore inside micronuclei and hence the inclusion of whole chromosome(s) or acentric chromosome fragments. Additionally the effect of ATRA and EA-4 on cell proliferation was investigated by the estimation of Mitotic Index (M.I.). We found that ATRA and EA-4 exerted cytotoxic activity in C2C12 mouse cells by reducing the cell proliferation rate at significant levels, as evaluated by the decrease of M.I. A statistically significant elevation in the frequency of interphase cells with micronuclei was shown. CREST analysis confirmed the clastogenic activity of the studied retinoids that was indicated in human lymphocytes. Micronucleation due to ATRA was mediated mainly by chromosome breakage and in a lesser extent by chromosome delay. EA-4 was shown to induce chromosome breakage as well as chromosome delay, as opposed to human lymphocytes at which only clastogenic effect was shown. These observations suggest that, ATRA and EA-4 are able to provoke chromosome fragmentation, but additionally and in a lesser extent to disturb chromosome segregation at anaphase due to chromosome lagging. Cell cycle analysis showed that ATRA and EA-4 accumulated cells at ana-telophase. The analysis of ana-telophases revealed micronucleation, nucleoplasmic bridges and multinucleation, phenomena that may explain the dual genetic activity of ATRA and EA-4. Multinucleated and multimicronucleated interphase cells were also apparent, the second ones generated due to both chromosome delay and breakage. To further investigate the mechanism of genotoxic activity of ATRA and EA-4 we proceeded our research on two axes based on their aneugenicity and clastogenicity. Thus we studied the effect of ATRA and EA-4: i) on the integrity of mitotic spindle, as a target of aneugens by using double immunofluorescence staining of β- and γ-tubulin in C2C12 mouse cell line, which is a convenient system to apply this experimental procedure, and ii) to investigate the ability of the studied retinoids to induce double-strand breaks on DNA by using neutral Single Cell Gel Electrophoresis (SCGE assay-Comet assay) in two different cell lines, C2C12 mouse cells and HL-60 human leukemic cells. Analysis of mitotic spindle has shown that the studied retinoids affect chromosome orientation during metaphase by inducing bipolar metaphases with non-congressed genetic material due to abnormal microtubule network. In addition defects on centrosome duplication and/or separation were observed due to the presence of monopolar metaphases. Ana-telophases as well as interphases with supernumerary centrosomes were also apparent. Additionally, interphase cells with abnormal microtubule network were observed. The above findings may explain aneugenic as well as clastogenic activity of the studied retinoids. Comet assay revealed that ATRA and its steroidal analogue EA-4 provoke DNA migration due to double strand DNA fragmentation in both C2C12 mouse cells and HL-60 human leukemic cells. EA-4 was shown to be the stronger inducer of DNA fragmentation. These results confirm the findings from FISH and CREST analysis indicating that the studied retinoids show high clastogenic activity. . Taking into account the above, we may say that our findings clarify the cytotoxic and genotoxic activity of retinoic acid and the mechanism of its action by indicating its ability to induce chromosome breakage via double-strand DNA breaks and secondary its ability to provoke chromosome delay due to defects in microtubule network and mitotic spindle integrity.
Η βιταμίνη Α και οι μεταβολίτες της, ρετινόλη και ρετινοϊκό οξύ είναι ισχυροί παράγοντες για τη ρύθμιση σημαντικών λειτουργιών, όπως της κυτταρικής ανάπτυξης, διαφοροποίησης και άλλων. Τα ρετινοειδή είναι γνωστά για την μεταλλαξιγόνο αλλά και αντιμεταλλαξιγόνο δράση τους, αν και έχουν αναφερθεί αντικρουόμενα ευρήματα. Το all-trans ρετινοϊκό οξύ (ATRA) χρησιμοποιείται στη θεραπεία πολλών ασθενειών, όπως η ακμή, ψωρίαση, ιχθύωση, αλλά και στη θεραπεία κακοηθειών όπως η μυελογενής λευχαιμία. Συχνά σε περιπτώσεις όπου το ATRA αποτελεί τη βασική θεραπεία παρατηρούνται υποτροπιάσεις Έτσι, η κατανόηση του μηχανισμού δράσης του ATRA στα κύτταρα θα αποτελέσει χρήσιμο εργαλείο για την ανάπτυξη νέων, ισχυρών και μη-τοξικών θεραπευτικών παραγόντων προερχόμενων από αυτό. Το EA-4 είναι ένα πρόσφατα συντεθέν στεροειδικό ανάλογο του ATRA, που θεωρείται υποσχόμενος παράγοντας για την αναστολή της ανάπτυξης ανθρώπινων λευχαιμικών κυττάρων. Η μελέτη της γονιδιοτοξικότητας αποτελεί σημαντική παράμετρο για το σχεδιασμό και την ανάπτυξη νέων θεραπευτικών παραγόντων. Οι γονιδιοτοξικές επιπτώσεις αντικαρκινικών φαρμάκων σε μη-καρκινικά κύτταρα είναι ιδιαίτερης σημασίας, και αποτελούν πιθανή αιτία εμφάνισης δευτερογενών όγκων σε ασθενείς. Έτσι, είναι σημαντικό να μελετηθεί η γονιδιοτοξική δράση ενός φαρμάκου που θα χρησιμοποιηθεί στη χημειοθεραπεία. Λαμβάνοντας υπόψη όλα τα παραπάνω, θεωρήθηκε ενδιαφέρον να εκτιμηθεί η γονιδιοτοξικότητα του EA-4 σε σύγκριση με το ATRA ως προς την ικανότητά τους να προκαλούν την εμφάνιση μικροπυρήνων (MN) είτε μέσω της χρωμοσωματικής θραύσης είτε μέσω της χρωμοσωματικής καθυστέρησης. Οι μικροπυρήνες προέρχονται από χρωμοσωματικά θραύσματα ή ολόκληρα χρωμοσώματα, τα οποία καθυστερούν κατά την ανάφαση της μείωσης ή της μίτωσης. Σύμφωνα με όσα μέχρι σήμερα γνωρίζουμε, δεν φαίνεται να υπάρχουν στοιχεία που αφορούν την ικανότητα του all-trans ρετινοϊκού οξέος (ATRA) να επάγει το σχηματισμό μικροπυρήνων. Για τη διερεύνηση της ικανότητας του ATRA και του στεροειδικού αναλόγου του EA-4 να επάγει την εμφάνιση μικροπυρήνων, πραγματοποιήθηκε η μέθοδος αναστολής της κυτταροκίνησης (CBMN assay) σε ανθρώπινα λεμφοκύτταρα in vitro. Με την ίδια μέθοδο εκτιμήθηκε και η κυτταροτοξικότητα των δύο ρετινοειδών. Για την διευκρίνιση του μηχανισμού δημιουργίας των μικροπυρήνων από τη δράση των ATRA και EA-4, η μέθοδος CBMN συνδυάστηκε με την in situ υβριδιποίηση με φθοροχρώματα (FISH) και χρήση α-δορυφορικού (α-satellite) πανκεντρομερικού ανιχνευτή για την επισήμανση του κεντρομέρους και την ανίχνευσή του σε μικροπυρήνες. Η παρουσία σήματος υβριδοποίησης στους μικροπυρήνες υποδηλώνει την ύπαρξη άθικτου χρωμοσώματος στο εσωτερικό τους. Το αντίθετο υποδεικνύει την παρουσία άκεντρου χρωμοσωματικού θραύσματος. Τα αποτελέσματα έδειξαν ότι και οι δύο χημικές ενώσεις προκαλούν στατιστικά σημαντική αύξηση της συχνότητας των μικροπυρήνων Το ATRA οδηγεί στην δημιουργία μικροπυρήνων κυρίως μέσω χρωμοσωματικής θραύσης, και σε ηπιότερο βαθμό μέσω χρωμοσωματικής καθυστέρησης. Αντίθετα, το EA-4 επάγει το σχηματισμό μικροπυρήνων αποκλειστικά μέσω χρωμοσωματικής θραύσης. Επίσης το ATRA και το EA-4 παρουσάζουν ισχυρή κυτταροτοξικότητα, όπως φάνηκε από τη στατιστικά σημαντική μείωση του κυτταρικού δείκτη πολλαπλασιασμού (CBPI), σε σύγκριση με τις καλλιέργειες του μάρτυρα. Προκειμένου να επιβεβαιωθεί η γονιδιοτοξικότητα του ATRA και του EA-4, διερευνήθηκε η ικανότητά τους να προκαλούν αυξημένες συχνότητες μικροπυρήνων σε ένα δεύτερο βιολογικό σύστημα, την κυτταρική σειρά ποντικού C2C12. Η ανάλυση των MN πραγματοποιήθηκε με τη μέθοδο διπλού ανοσοφθορισμού α-τουμπουλίνης/CREST, για την ανίχνευση σήματος κινητοχώρου στο εσωτερικό του μικροπυρήνα κι έτσι την παρουσία ολόκληρου χρωμοσώματος. Επίσης,η κυτταροτοξικότητα τους διερευνήθηκε με την εκτίμηση του μιτωτικού δείκτη. Με τη ίδια μέθοδο αναλύθηκε η πρόοδος του κυτταρικού κύκλου. Παρατηρήθηκε ότι το ATRA και το EA-4 παρουσιάζουν κυτταροτοξική δράση στα κύτταρα C2C12 μειώνοντας το ρυθμό κυτταρικού πολλαπλασιασμού σε στατιστικά σημαντικά επίπεδα. Επιπλέον αποκαλύφθηκε στατιστικά σημαντική αύξηση της συχνότητας κυττάρων με μικροπυρήνες. Η επισήμανση του κινητοχώρου επιβεβαίωσε τη θραυσματογόνο δράση των υπό μελέτη ρετινοειδών που παρατηρήθηκε στα ανθρώπινα λεμφοκύτταρα. Η δημιουργία μικροπυρήνων μέσω του ATRA ήταν αποτέλεσμα κυρίως χρωμοσωματικής θραύσης και σε μικρότερη έκταση χρωμοσωματικής καθυστέρησης, σε συμφωνία με τα ευρήματα από τα πειράματα στις καλλιέργειες ανθρώπινων λεμφοκυττάρων. Αντίθετα, παρατηρήθηκε ότι το EA-4, πλην της ισχυρής θραυσματογόνου δράσης, προκαλεί και χρωμοσωματική καθυστέρηση. Οι παρατηρήσεις αυτές υποδεικνύουν ότι το ATRA και το EA-4 είναι ισχυροί θραυσματογόνοι παράγοντες, αλλά σε μικρότερο βαθμό είναι ικανοί να διαταράξουν και τον χρωμοσωματικό αποχωρισμό κατά την πυρηνική διαίρεση. Η μελέτη του κυτταρικού κύκλου έδειξε ότι τόσο το ATRA και όσο και το EA-4 προκαλούν καθυστέρηση συσσωρεύοντας τα κύτταρα στα στάδια ανάφασης και τελόφασης της πυρηνικής διαίρεσης. Κύτταρα που συσσωρεύονται στα παραπάνω στάδια χαρακτηρίζονται από την εμφάνιση πυρηνοπλασματικών γεφυρών, την παρουσία περισσότερων του ενός πυρήνων, αλλά και την παρουσία μικροπυρήνων, φαινόμενα τα οποία είναι σύμφωνα με τη διττή γενετική δράση των ATRA και EA-4. Επίσης, παρατηρήθηκαν πολυπύρηνα μεσοφασικά κύτταρα και μεσοφασικά κύτταρα με πολλαπλούς μικροπυρήνες, με τον δεύτερο τύπο κυττάρων να προέρχεται τόσο από χρωμοσωματική θραύση όσο και από χρωμοσωματική καθυστέρηση. Έτσι, φαίνεται ότι τα δύο υπό μελέτη ρετινοειδή μπορούν να χαρακτηρισθούν μόρια με θραυσματογόνες αλλά και ανευπλοειδογόνες ιδιότητες. Για τη λεπτομερέστερη ανάλυση του μηχανισμού δράσης του ATRA και του EA-4 σχεδιάσθηκαν πειράματα σε δύο βασικούς άξονες που αφορούσαν την περαιτέρω μελέτη τόσο της ανευπλοειδογόνου όσο και της θραυσματογόνου δράσης τους. Έτσι, μελετήθηκε η επίδραση του ATRA και του EA-4 αντίστοιχα ως προς: α) την ακεραιότητα της μιτωτικής συσκευής, η οποία αποτελεί κυτταρικό στόχο ανευπλοειδογόνων ενώσεων. Η μελέτη πραγματοποιήθηκε στην κυτταρική σειρά C2C12, μέσω της μεθόδου διπλού ανοσοφθορισμού για τη β- και γ-τουμπουλίνη, δομικά στοιχεία των μικροσωληνίσκων και του κεντροσώματος, και β) την δημιουργία δίκλωνων ρηγμάτων στο DNA μέσω της μεθόδου ηλεκτροφόρησης μοναδιαίων κυττάρων (SCGE assay-Comet assay) σε δύο διαφορετικές κυτταρικές σειρές, στα κύτταρα ποντικού C2C12 και στα λευχαιμικά κύτταρα ανθρώπου HL-60. Τα αποτελέσματα μας έδειξαν ότι τα υπό εξέταση ρετινοειδή επηρεάζουν τον χρωμοσωματικό προσανατολισμό κατά τη μετάφαση με την εμφάνιση διπολικών μεταφάσεων με τα χρωμοσώματα μη-διατεταγμένα στο ισημερινό πεδίο, λόγω ανωμαλιών του δικτύου των μικροσωληνίσκων. Επίσης, φάνηκε ότι προκαλούν ανωμαλία στον πολλαπλασιασμό και πιθανόι στον αποχωρισμό των κεντροσωμάτων, παρατήρηση που δικαιολογείται από την παρουσία μονοπολικών μεταφάσεων, καθώς και ανάτελοφάσεων αλλά και μεσοφασικών κύττάρων με υπεράριθμο κεντροσωματικό αριθμό. Επιβεβαιώθηκε επίσης η επίδρασή τους στην πορεία του κυτταρικού κύκλου με συσσώρευση των κυττάρων στα στάδια ανάφασης-τελόφασης. Επιπρόσθετα, φάνηκε ότι το ΕΑ-4, στη μεγαλύτερη συγκέντρωση, διακόπτει τον κυτταρικό κύκλο στο στάδιο της μετάφασης. Παράλληλα, παρατηρήθηκε διαταραχή στη δομή του δικτύου των μικροσωληνίσκων. Όλα τα παραπάνω ευρήματα ερμηνεύουν τόσο την ανευπλοειδογόνο όσο και τη θραυσματογόνο δράση των δύο ρετινοειδών. Με τη μέθοδο ηλεκτροφόρησης μοναδιαίων κυττάρων δείχθηκε ότι το ATRA και το στεροειδικό του ανάλογο EA-4 προκάλεσαν τη δημιουργία «κομητών», δηλαδή πυρήνων με ανώμαλη μορφολογία μέσω του σχηματισμού δίκλωνων θραυσμάτων DNA. Το φαινόμενο αυτό παρατηρήθηκε τόσο στα κύτταρα ποντικού C2C12 όσο και στα λευχαιμικά κύτταρα ανθρώπου HL-60, με το EA-4 να παρουσιάζει ισχυρότερη επαγωγή θραύσης του DNA. Τα αποτελέσματα αυτά επιβεβαιώνουν τα ευρήματα των μεθόδων FISH και CREST, υποδεικνύοντας ότι τα υπό εξέταση ρετινοειδή παρουσιάζουν ισχυρή θραυσματογόνο δράση. Λαμβάνοντας υπόψη όλα τα παραπάνω, μπορούμε να ισχυριστούμε ότι τα ευρήματά μας διευκρινίζουν την κυτταροτοξική και γονιδιοτοξική δράση του ρετινοϊκού οξέος. Υποδεικνύουν ιδιότητες ισχυρώς θραυσματογόνων παραγόντων μέσω δημιουργίας δίκλωνων ρηγμάτων στο DNA των κυττάρων. Δευτερογενώς μπορούν να χαρακτηρισθούν ως ήπιες ανευπλοειδογόνες ενώσεις που προκαλούν ανώμαλο χρωμοσωματικό αποχωρισμό μέσω ανωμαλιών τόσο του δικτύου των μικροσωληνίσκων όσο και της ακεραιότητα της μιτωτικής συσκευής.