Modelling skeletal muscle fibre orientation arrangement

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Computational mechanics
• Finite element analysis

Background:

• Skeletal muscle tissues exhibit complex geometries and intricate fiber arrangements.
• Accurate finite element models are challenging due to difficulties in representing complex fiber orientations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose an alternative method for calculating initial fiber orientations in finite element muscle models.
• To accurately characterize complex fiber arrangements and mechanical responses of skeletal muscles.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing ABAQUS software, combining finite element method (FEM) with non-uniform rational B-spline (NURBS) solid representation.
• Specifying initial muscle fiber directions as tangent directions of NURBS curves.
• Calculating deformed fiber directions using initial directions, deformation gradients, and fiber stretch ratios.

Main Results:

• The proposed method successfully calculates initial fiber orientations for complex muscle geometries.
• Demonstrated ability to characterize intricate fiber orientation arrangements.
• Successfully captured the complex mechanical response of skeletal muscles.

Conclusions:

• The proposed FEM-NURBS method offers an effective approach for modeling skeletal muscle fiber orientations.
• This method enhances the accuracy of finite element muscle models.
• The approach is capable of representing both the structural complexity and mechanical behavior of muscles.