令和 3 年度

在 外 研 究 員 報 告 書
所

属

理学部職

名教授

機械工学科
氏

名

アブラハ ペトロス

調査研究題目 鋼製手術器具の強化とその応用に関する研究

研究先国期間（西暦年）

アメリカ

研究機関

令和３ 年 ９月 １日

研究員の種類 長期支給研究員～

カリフォルニア大学（デービス校）
令和 ４年 ８月 ３１日

Summary: I am pleased to report that despite the difficult situation due to the circumstances
related to the COVID-19 pandemic, I had a successful sabbatical leave. In general, work
engagement during the sabbatical period was hybrid, evenly divided into in-person and remotework. During my stay, I identified and strengthened the selected surgical tool, bone biopsy
needles, to more than two times that of the untreated ones. I also accomplished several othergoals. These include: Publishing a journal paper, presenting a paper at an international
conference, attending a medical devices trade show, securing an award for a research grantapplication, and Meijo – UC Berkeley Entrepreneurship Workshop. I have organized the reportof my accomplishments as follows.
Academic Research: My academic research work focused on strengthening the sharp cuttingedges of surgical tools using a patented proprietary technology that I developed. Soon after myarrival, I began to sort out the specific surgical-tool appropriate for our experimental work.
Upon several thorough discussions with my partners, a bone biopsy needle was selected as theexperimental surgical tool. Bone biopsy needles are stainless steel tools used by surgeons fordrilling the hard bone surface that is performed to confirm the diagnosis of a bone abnormality.
The experimental work on the optimal plasma nitriding conditions that may produce
strengthened bone biopsy needles without changing the original surface conditions was the firsttask done. After a lengthy optimization case study, the driving conditions for the various
nitriding parameters were determined. In the subsequent nitriding processes, we were capableof obtaining harder cutting edges. The results of our experiments show that the bone biopsy
needles were strengthened to more than two times the pre-treatment hardness while
maintaining the surface conditions (color, roughness, and reflectivity). Besides, the design ofthe tip of the bone biopsy needles for a durable and ridged construction proceeded using theFinite Element Method. The optimal design for the tip of the bone biopsy needles was based ona review of the FEM design variations that highlighted durability and ease of use by specificsurgeons. The final output, however, is short of planned preliminary clinical trials because ofrestrictions in place due to COVID situations.
Educational Lessons: One of the lessons I learned that should merit adoption
is theEngineering Design Showcase for graduating classes at UC Davis. In this showcase, students
complete a capstone project and share their work with the public. Selected experts from thepublic then serve as evaluators who provide expert feedback to student teams on their exhibits.
The showcase boosts students’ motivation to a great extent. I think it would be beneficial toadopt the idea at Meijo University.
Journal Publications (July 2022): I published an article in the Japanese Society of Tribologists(JST). The paper is entitled "Sliding properties of hydrogenated diamond-like carbon coatings on
CFRP surfaces," Tribologist, Vol.67 No.7 (2022) PP 507-513
Conference Presentation (May 2022): I presented my paper at the 48th International
Conference on Metallurgical Coatings and Thin Films (ICMCTF 2022), San Diego, USA. The
research paper was on enhanced wear and corrosion properties of stainless steel byelectron-induced plasma nitriding.
Trade Show (December 2021): I attended the Medical Design & Manufacturing (MD&M 2021)
trade show held at the Javits Convention Center, in New York. I had detailed discussions aboutbone biopsy needles with several medical device companies that displayed and demonstrated
their latest products. During the discussions, the engineers acknowledged the need forenhanced cutting-edge tips.
Secured Grant (2022): I secured a grant from Nitto Science Foundation. The proposed research
project is "Improving Mechanical Properties of Stainless Steel Using Plasma Nitriding." Theaward is a total sum of 1,000,000 Japanese Yen.
Meijo – UC Berkeley (Entrepreneurship Workshop (2022): I organized a successful workshop
for Meijo University students in the Challenge support program to collaborate with UC Berkeley
students on an entrepreneurship workshop. The workshop was held between 2/21-2/25, live via
Zoom. The participants of the workshop were 22 students from Meijo University and 14
students from UC Berkeley.