scholarly journals ROLE OF FLUID ON THE CONTACT DEFORMATION RESPONSE OF BIOLOGICAL TISSUE

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
pp. 22-31
Author(s):  
Michael V. Swain

This paper will focus on the role of fluids on the indentation deformation response of tooth and eye tissues. All natural biological materials contain fluid and function in a fluidic environment, which plays a critical role in responding to loading events as well as tissue nutrition. The location of this fluid varies and is considered as both bound and mobile with much of it located in cell compartments that are also able to respond directly to loading. The extent of the fluid content varies from less than 10 % in the case of the highly mineralised enamel to more than 80 % in the case of soft eye tissues. The role of the fluid and its response during loading is also complicated by the hierarchical structure of biological tissues, be they mineralised or not. The mechanisms by which the presence of fluid in these materials influences the mechanical response is still poorly understood and has not been systematically investigated. The present paper presents data generated over many years on both the above biological tissues and attempts to present indications as to the mechanism(s) by which the presence of fluid contributes to the deformation. The situation associated with contact loading with the presence of mobile fluid in the tissues results in a more complex situation than the classic elastic-plastic contact situation, but the latter still forms the basis for much of the analysis of instrumented indentation force-displacement load-unloading curves using various shapes of indenters, especially for mineralised structures. In the case of soft tissues the absence of agreed protocols for interpretation of force-displacement-time responses is restricting clinical/biological applications.

2010 ◽  
Vol 1274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taher Saif ◽  
Jagannathan Rajagopalan ◽  
Alireza Tofangchi

AbstractWe used high resolution micromechanical force sensors to study the in vivo mechanical response of embryonic Drosophila neurons. Our experiments show that Drosophila axons have a rest tension of a few nN and respond to mechanical forces in a manner characteristic of viscoelastic solids. In response to fast externally applied stretch they show a linear force-deformation response and when the applied stretch is held constant the force in the axons relaxes to a steady state value over time. More importantly, when the tension in the axons is suddenly reduced by releasing the external force the neurons actively restore the tension, sometimes close to their resting value. Along with the recent findings of Siechen et al (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 106, 12611 (2009)) showing a link between mechanical tension and synaptic plasticity, our observation of active tension regulation in neurons suggest an important role for mechanical forces in the functioning of neurons in vivo.


Author(s):  
Lijuan Zhang ◽  
Spencer P. Lake ◽  
Victor K. Lai ◽  
Victor H. Barocas ◽  
Mark S. Shephard

The mechanical properties of soft connective tissues are governed by their collagen fiber network and surrounding non-fibrillar matrix (e.g., proteoglycans, cells, elastin, etc.). In order to understand how healthy tissues function, and how properties change in injury and disease, it is necessary to quantify the mechanical response of both the collagen network and the non-fibrillar matrix (NFM), as well as the nature of the interaction between these tissue constituents. Using collagen-agarose co-gels as a simple experimental tissue analog system, we have demonstrated how NFM contributes to the mechanical and organizational properties of soft tissues in indentation and tension [1–2]. Furthermore, we used a network-based microscale model to examine how specific NFM properties alter the response of fiber-matrix composites under load [3]. This model fit our experimental data well and provided insight into the role of NFM in tensile mechanics. Since it was constructed according to the conventional approach of superposition of the two constituents (collagen network and NFM), however, the model could not specifically examine local interactions between collagen fibers and the surrounding NFM, which could be critical in assessing tissue damage or cell-matrix interactions. Therefore, we developed and evaluated a fiber-matrix modeling scheme to characterize the microstructural interactions between tissue constituents, as well as to quantify the role of individual tissue components in the behavior of soft tissues under tensile load. For validation, the new model (‘coupled’) was compared to our previous model (‘parallel’) and to experimental co-gel data.


Author(s):  
Rong Fan ◽  
Michael S. Sacks

Constitutive modeling is critical for numerical simulation and analysis of soft biological tissues. The highly nonlinear and anisotropic mechanical behaviors of soft tissues are typically due to the interaction of tissue microstructure. By incorporating information of fiber orientation and distribution at tissue microscopic scale, the structural model avoids ambiguities in material characterization. Moreover, structural models produce much more information than just simple stress-strain results, but can provide much insight into how soft tissues internally reorganize to external loads by adjusting their internal microstructure. It is only through simulation of an entire organ system can such information be derived and provide insight into physiological function. However, accurate implementation and rigorous validation of these models remains very limited. In the present study we implemented a structural constitutive model into a commercial finite element package for planar soft tissues. The structural model was applied to simulate strip biaxial test for native bovine pericardium, and a single pulmonary valve leaflet deformation. In addition to prediction of the mechanical response, we demonstrate how a structural model can provide deeper insights into fiber deformation fiber reorientation and fiber recruitment.


Author(s):  
Rong Fan ◽  
Michael S. Sacks

Constitutive modeling is of fundamental important for numerical simulation and analysis of soft biological tissues. The mechanical behaviors of soft tissues are usually highly nonlinear and anisotropic. The complex behavior is the results from the interaction of tissue microstructure. By incorporating information of fiber orientation and distribution at tissue microscopic scale, the structural model avoids ambiguities in material characterization. Moreover, structural models produce much more information than just simple stress-strain results, but can provide much insight into how soft tissues internally reorganize to external loads by adjusting their internal microstructure. Moreover, it is only through simulation of an entire organ system can such information be derived and provide insight into physiological function. However, accurate implementation and rigorous validation of these models remains very limited. In the present study we implemented a structural constitutive model into a commercial finite element package. The structural model was verified against experiential test data for native bovine pericardium and fetal membrane. In addition to prediction of the mechanical response, we demonstrate how a structural model can provide deeper insights into fiber reorientation and fiber recruitment.


Author(s):  
Arturo N. Natali ◽  
Emanuele L. Carniel ◽  
Piero G. Pavan ◽  
Alessio Gasparetto ◽  
Franz G. Sander ◽  
...  

Soft biological tissues show a strongly non linear and time-dependent mechanical response and undergo large strains under physiological loads. The microstructural arrangement determines specific anisotropic macroscopic properties that must be considered within a constitutive formulation. The characterization of the mechanical behaviour of soft tissues entails the definition of constitutive models capable of accounting for geometric and material non linearity. In the model presented here a hyperelastic anisotropic formulation is adopted as the basis for the development of constitutive models for soft tissues and can be properly arranged for the investigation of viscous and damage phenomena as well to interpret significant aspects pertaining to ordinary and degenerative conditions. Visco-hyperelastic models are used to analyze the time-dependent mechanical response, while elasto-damage models account for the stiffness and strength decrease that can develop under significant loading or degenerative conditions. Experimental testing points out that damage response is affected by the strain rate associated with loading, showing a decrease in the damage limits as the strain rate increases. This phenomena can be investigated by means of a model capable of accounting for damage phenomena in relation to viscous effects. The visco-hyperelastic damage model developed is defined on the basis of a Helmholtz free energy function depending on the strain-damage history. In particular, a specific damage criterion is formulated in order to evaluate the influence of the strain rate on damage. The model can be implemented in a general purpose finite element code. This makes it possible to perform numerical analyses of the mechanical response considering time-dependent effects and damage phenomena. The experimental tests develop investigated tissue response for different strain rate conditions, accounting for stretch situations capable of inducing damage phenomena. The reliability of the formulation is evaluated by a comparison with the results of experimental tests performed on pig periodontal ligament.


2008 ◽  
Vol 130 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Arturo N. Natali ◽  
Emanuele L. Carniel ◽  
Piero G. Pavan ◽  
Franz G. Sander ◽  
Christina Dorow ◽  
...  

The periodontal ligament (PDL), as other soft biological tissues, shows a strongly non-linear and time-dependent mechanical response and can undergo large strains under physiological loads. Therefore, the characterization of the mechanical behavior of soft tissues entails the definition of constitutive models capable of accounting for geometric and material non-linearity. The microstructural arrangement determines specific anisotropic properties. A hyperelastic anisotropic formulation is adopted as the basis for the development of constitutive models for the PDL and properly arranged for investigating the viscous and damage phenomena as well to interpret significant aspects pertaining to ordinary and degenerative conditions. Visco-hyperelastic models are used to analyze the time-dependent mechanical response, while elasto-damage models account for the stiffness and strength decrease that can develop under significant loading or degenerative conditions. Experimental testing points out that damage response is affected by the strain rate associated with loading, showing a decrease in the damage limits as the strain rate increases. These phenomena can be investigated by means of a model capable of accounting for damage phenomena in relation to viscous effects. The visco-hyperelastic-damage model developed is defined on the basis of a Helmholtz free energy function depending on the strain-damage history. In particular, a specific damage criterion is formulated in order to evaluate the influence of the strain rate on damage. The model can be implemented in a general purpose finite element code. The accuracy of the formulation is evaluated by using results of experimental tests performed on animal model, accounting for different strain rates and for strain states capable of inducing damage phenomena. The comparison shows a good agreement between numerical results and experimental data.


2015 ◽  
Vol 76 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Farshid Fathi ◽  
Shahrokh Shahi ◽  
Soheil Mohammadi

Extensive research has been performed in the past decades to study the behavior of soft biological tissues in order to reduce the need for practical experiments. The applicability of these researches, particularly for skin, ligament, muscles and the heart, brings up its importance in various biological science and technology disciplines such as surgery and medicine. Softness and large deformation govern the behavior of soft materials and prohibit the use of small strains solutions in finite element method.In this work, the focus is set on a strain energy function which has the advantage of accurately representing the behavior of a variety of soft tissues with only a few parameters in a finite element approach. The numerical results are verified with a set of tensile experiments to demonstrate the performance of the proposed model. The parameters include the matrix and collagen bundles and their orientation. Different cases are analyzed and discussed for better prediction of different soft tissue responses.  


Author(s):  
Beth Stephen ◽  
Theresa A. Good ◽  
L. D. Timmie Topoleski

Collagen and elastin are the primary load-bearing components of arteries. Elastin is a low strength, highly elastic, fibrous material and collagen is a stiffer material, generally present as wavy fibers when unstretched. Together, they account for the material response of arteries under tensile load. Arteries, and other soft tissues, exhibit a two-part material response to tensile load. There is an initial low stiffness response at low stretch followed by a high stiffness response at higher stretch. It has been proposed that the low stiffness response is dominated by the elastin in the material and the high stiffness response is dominated by collagen [1]. The elastin accounts for the initial low stiffness response of the material, until the wavy collagen fibers straighten and become engaged, at which point the material transitions to its higher stiffness response. It is important to understand the role of the individual collagen and elastin components and how they contribute to the overall mechanical response of the arteries. Further, it is important to understand how specific biochemical processes that occur with age and disease affect the mechanical response of the individual collagen and elastin components and consequently the overall mechanical response of the arteries. This knowledge will increase our understanding of arterial mechanical response and how this response changes arterial function in health and disease.


Author(s):  
C.A. Baechler ◽  
W. C. Pitchford ◽  
J. M. Riddle ◽  
C.B. Boyd ◽  
H. Kanagawa ◽  
...  

Preservation of the topographic ultrastructure of soft biological tissues for examination by scanning electron microscopy has been accomplished in the past by using lengthy epoxy infiltration techniques, or dehydration in ethanol or acetone followed by air drying. Since the former technique requires several days of preparation and the latter technique subjects the tissues to great stress during the phase change encountered during air-drying, an alternate rapid, economical, and reliable method of surface structure preservation was developed. Turnbill and Philpott had used a fluorocarbon for the critical point drying of soft tissues and indicated the advantages of working with fluids having both moderately low critical pressures as well as low critical temperatures. Freon-116 (duPont) which has a critical temperature of 19. 7 C and a critical pressure of 432 psi was used in this study.


2008 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 50-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Philofsky

AbstractRecent prevalence estimates for autism have been alarming as a function of the notable increase. Speech-language pathologists play a critical role in screening, assessment and intervention for children with autism. This article reviews signs that may be indicative of autism at different stages of language development, and discusses the importance of several psychometric properties—sensitivity and specificity—in utilizing screening measures for children with autism. Critical components of assessment for children with autism are reviewed. This article concludes with examples of intervention targets for children with ASD at various levels of language development.


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