Skin mechanical properties and modeling: A review.

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Skin's mechanical properties are crucial for diverse applications.
• Characterizing skin's mechanical behavior requires rigorous testing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review experimental methods for skin mechanical characterization.
• To discuss the general mechanical behavior of skin.
• To explore constitutive models for simulating skin's mechanical response.

Main Methods:

• Review of experimental techniques for skin testing.
• Analysis of skin's mechanical properties: nonlinearity, viscoelasticity, anisotropy, loading history, failure, and aging.
• Discussion of constitutive models.

Main Results:

• Skin exhibits complex mechanical behaviors including nonlinearity, viscoelasticity, and anisotropy.
• Aging significantly affects skin's mechanical properties.
• Various constitutive models exist to simulate observed skin behavior.

Conclusions:

• A comprehensive understanding of skin's mechanical properties is essential.
• Experimental methods and constitutive models are key to characterizing and simulating skin's behavior.
• Further research can refine models for improved simulation accuracy.