Structural study of AAO membrane during the dialysis process

Abstract

In this paper we present structural simulation of 10×10 mm anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane having thickness 0.5 mm by using ANSYS, that is finite element method based simulation software. AAO membranes have been used for various applications including hemodialysis, one of the most important applications in serving mankind. As the membrane is exposed to certain values of pressure during hemodialysis this may break or deform the membrane. Mechanical strength of AAO membrane was calculated by applying pressure ranging from 0.4-1.1 MPa. The parameters used to determine the mechanical strength includes stress, strain and displacement vector sum. The yield strength value and ultimate tensile strength value of aluminium were kept as standard to determine the maximum value of pressure that a membrane can endure without permanent deformation and breakage respectively.