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Multidirectional mechanical properties and constitutive modeling of human adipose tissue under dynamic loading
Zhaonan Sun1, Bronislaw D Gepner1, Sang-Hyun Lee1
1Center for Applied Biomechanics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22911, United States.
Acta Biomaterialia
|May 28, 2021
Summary
This study characterized human subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) mechanical behavior under dynamic loading, crucial for improving vehicle safety systems. The findings enable more accurate computational models for occupant protection.
Area of Science:
- Biomechanics
- Materials Science
- Automotive Safety Engineering
Background:
- Subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) mechanical properties are vital for understanding vehicle occupant interactions during motor vehicle crashes (MVCs).
- Existing computational models for vehicle safety lack accurate material models for human SAT under MVC conditions.
- Accurate SAT material models are essential for enhancing finite element human body models (FE-HBMs) used in crash simulations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally characterize the dynamic, multidirectional mechanical behavior of human abdominal SAT under MVC-relevant conditions.
- To evaluate the quasi-linear viscoelasticity (QLV) assumption and stress relaxation in SAT under compression and shear.
- To develop and validate a constitutive model for human SAT applicable to automotive safety simulations.
Main Methods:
- Dynamic multidirectional unconfined compression and simple shear tests on human abdominal SAT specimens.
- Ramp-hold tests to assess stress relaxation and QLV behavior under varying loads.
- Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to correlate macrostructural response with tissue microstructure.
Main Results:
- Human SAT exhibits nonlinear, viscoelastic, and direction-dependent mechanical responses under dynamic compression and shear.
- The QLV assumption and an Ogden-type hyperelastic model effectively captured SAT's observed mechanical behavior.
- SEM analysis revealed distinct anatomical plane structures but no identifiable preferred fibrous orientation.
Conclusions:
- The developed constitutive model, incorporating QLV into an Ogden-type hyperelastic framework, provides a more accurate representation of human SAT for FE-HBMs.
- These findings will significantly improve the accuracy of computational simulations for vehicle occupant protection.
- This research supports the development of advanced injury countermeasures and enhanced restraint systems for motor vehicle safety.
