Digital image elasto-tomography: mechanical property estimation of silicone phantoms

The application of a surface motion error based elasticity estimation method to hard and soft silicone phantom data is presented. Steady-state harmonic surface motion was measured at a limited number of measurement sites, and fitted with an ideal damped motion path. A finite element (FE) model was used to simulate phantom motion at a range of modulus and damping values. Comparing the simulated cases with the measured motion allowed estimation of the actual elastic properties of the silicone. These estimations compared favorably to static mechanical tests of the material, showing the DIET system can identify homogenous material stiffness values from surface motion measurements alone.