The mechanics of soft biological composites.

Nguyen, Thao D. (Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, CA) ; Grazier, John Mark ; Boyce, Brad Lee ; Jones, Reese E. (Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, CA)

Sandia National Laboratories

关键词: Tissues-Analysis.;    Design Biological Models.;    Mechanics;    Fibers;    Prostheses;   

DOI  :  10.2172/922773
RP-ID  :  SAND2007-6191
RP-ID  :  AC04-94AL85000
RP-ID  :  922773

美国|英语

来源: UNT Digital Library

【 摘 要 】

Biological tissues are uniquely structured materials with technologically appealing properties. Soft tissues such as skin, are constructed from a composite of strong fibrils and fluid-like matrix components. This was the first coordinated experimental/modeling project at Sandia or in the open literature to consider the mechanics of micromechanically-based anisotropy and viscoelasticity of soft biological tissues. We have exploited and applied Sandia's expertise in experimentation and mechanics modeling to better elucidate the behavior of collagen fibril-reinforced soft tissues. The purpose of this project was to provide a detailed understanding of the deformation of ocular tissues, specifically the highly structured skin-like tissue in the cornea. This discovery improved our knowledge of soft/complex materials testing and modeling. It also provided insight into the way that cornea tissue is bio-engineered such that under physiologically-relevant conditions it has a unique set of properties which enhance functionality. These results also provide insight into how non-physiologic loading conditions, such as corrective surgeries, may push the cornea outside of its natural design window, resulting in unexpected non-linear responses. Furthermore, this project created a clearer understanding of the mechanics of soft tissues that could lead to bio-inspired materials, such as highly supple and impact resistant body armor, and improve our design of human-machine interfaces, such as micro-electrical-mechanical (MEMS) based prosthetics.