Quantification of strains in biaxially tested soft tissues

A technique for the quantification of the strain field in the central region of biaxially tested planar soft tissues is presented. A vidicon-based image analysis system interfaced to a PDP 11/34 minicomputer is employed to track particles affixed to the specimen surface in real-time, from which the strains are inferred. Illustrative results are given for tests on excised canine pleural specimens on which four particles were affixed. The technique is applicable, however, to any planar soft tissue and any number of tracking particles. This procedure is recommended over previously used methods when testing anisotropic tissues.