In a team of four, we have been tasked with developing a 3D-printable structure capable of isolating vibrations originating from within a Bruker 70/20 7 Tesla MRI Machine. A testing setup for scanning mice requires this vibration isolation in order to improve the cranial imaging quality. I was hand-selected for this project as a result of my familiarity with finite element methods, and my proficiency with the mechanical design process.
Below is our first semester progress presentation, of which I was responsible for the initial analysis of the current 3D-printed structure and development of novel structures through topological optimization and modal analysis in ANSYS Mechanical workbench (Slides 5 and 6).
I will post more results as I continue optimization in ANSYS as well as initiate work in Sierra – the Sandia National Labs software developed by our mentor Dr. Wilkins Aquino and Sandia National Lab researcher, Dr. Tim Walsh.
Jolán von Plutzner 