Modelling of an uniaxial single-sided magnetically actuated cell-stretching device

This paper reports the modelling approach and optimization of a magnetically actuated cell-stretching device. The paper first describes the numerical simulation of the actuation system consisting of a permanent magnet and an electromagnet. The magnetic flux density and magnetic force were verified experimentally over the range of superimposed magnetic flux density from 186 mT to 204 mT. The relative errors for magnetic flux density and magnetic force are 5% and 15%, respectively. This systematic modelling approach provides a reasonable numerical model for optimizing the electromagnetic actuator of the cell-stretching device. The induced actuation force was then coupled with the structural analysis of the cell-stretching device to determine the acceptable distance between the two magnets. The results suggested that this actuation system is capable of precisely predicting the behavior of our existing cell-stretching device. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.