Implementation and validation of constitutive relations for human dermis mechanical response

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Biomaterials Science
• Computational Mechanics

Background:

• Finite element models (FEM) are crucial for predicting tissue response in physiological and medical applications.
• Validating constitutive models is essential for reliable FEM results in soft tissue biomechanics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present an experimental-computational framework for investigating soft tissue biomechanics, specifically the human reticular dermis.
• To implement and validate three hyperelastic constitutive models: Ogden, Holzapfel, and Gasser-Ogden-Holzapfel.

Main Methods:

• Material parameters for hyperelastic models were determined using biaxial experimental data and a cost function.
• Finite element simulations were performed to reproduce experimental tests.
• Model validation involved comparing experimental and numerical displacements and stress-strain relationships.

Main Results:

• The study successfully implemented and validated Ogden, Holzapfel, and Gasser-Ogden-Holzapfel models for human reticular dermis.
• The experimental-computational framework demonstrated the ability to predict soft tissue mechanical behavior.
• Discrepancies between experimental and numerical data were quantified for model validation.

Conclusions:

• An experimental-numerical framework for collagenous tissue investigation was proposed.
• The validated constitutive models provide a basis for accurate biomechanical predictions.
• Future improvements may involve larger and independent experimental datasets for enhanced accuracy.