A composite micromechanical model for connective tissues, II:​ application to rat tail tendon and joint capsule

Ault, H. K.<sup>1</sup>; Hoffman, A. H.<sup>1</sup>

Affiliations

¹Department of Mechanical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA 01609

Abstract

A micromechanical model of fibrous soft tissue has been developed which predicts upper and lower bounds on mechanical properties based on the structure and properties of tissue components by Ault and Hoffman [3, 4]. In this paper, two types of biological tissue are modeled and the results compared to experimental test data. The highly organized structure of rat tail tendon is modeled using the upper bound aggregation rule which predicts uniform strain behavior in the composite material. This model fits the experimental data and results in a correlation coefficient of 0.98. Applied to cat knee joint capsule, the lower bound aggregation rule of the model correlates with the data and predicts uniform stress within this more loosely organized tissue structure. These studies show that the nature of the interactions between the components in tissue differs depending upon its structure and that the biomechanical model is capable of analyzing such differences in structure.

Links

DOI: 10.1115/1.2895438

PubMed: 1491577

WoS: A1992HP75200021

History

Received: 1990-01-02

Revised: 1991-04-30

Cited Works (6)

Year	Entry
1988	Ault HK. A Micromechanical Model of Fibrous Soft Tissue [PhD thesis]. Worcester, MA: Worcester Polytechnic Institute; 1988.
1992	Ault HK, Hoffman AH. A composite micromechanical model for connective tissues, I: theory. J Biomech Eng. February 1992;114(1):137-141.
1959	Rigby BJ, Hirai N, Spikes JD, Eyring H. The mechanical properties of rat tail tendon. J Gen Physiol. November 1959;43(2):265-283.
1972	Diamant J, Keller A, Baer E, Litt M, Arridge RG. Collagen: ultrastructure and its relation to mechanical properties as a function of ageing. Proc R Soc B. March 14, 1972;180(1060):293-315.
1964	Hashin Z, Rosen BW. The elastic moduli of fiber-reinforced materials. J Appl Mech. June 1964;31(2):223-232.
1980	Ferry JD. Viscoelastic Properties of Polymers. 3rd ed. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons; 1980.

Cited By (17)

Year	Entry
2001	Weiss JA, Gardiner JC. Computational modeling of ligament mechanics. Crit Rev Biomed Eng. 2001;29(3):303-371.
1994	Schwartz MH, Leo PH, Lewis JL. A microstructural model for the elastic response of articular cartilage. J Biomech. July 1994;27(7):865-873.
1999	Arbogast KB, Margulies SS. A fiber-reinforced composite model of the viscoelastic behavior of the brainstem in shear. J Biomech. August 1999;32(8):865-870.
1992	Ault HK, Hoffman AH. A composite micromechanical model for connective tissues, I: theory. J Biomech Eng. February 1992;114(1):137-141.
1997	Hurschler C, Loitz-Ramage B, Vanderby R Jr. A structurally based stress-stretch relationship for tendon and ligament. J Biomech Eng. November 1997;119(4):392-399.
1998	Wren TAL, Carter DR. A microstructural model for the tensile constitutive and failure behavior of soft skeletal connective tissues. J Biomech Eng. February 1998;120(1):55-61.
1999	Soulhat J, Buschmann MD, Shirazi-Adl A. A fibril-network-reinforced biphasic model of cartilage in unconfined compression. J Biomech Eng. June 1999;121(3):340-347.
2005	Weiss JA, Gardiner JC, Ellis BJ, Lujan TJ, Phatak NS. Three-dimensional finite element modeling of ligaments: technical aspects. Med Eng Phys. December 2005;27(10):845-861.
1997	Pioletti DP. Viscoelastic Properties of Soft Tissues Application to Knee Ligaments and Tendons [PhD thesis]. Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne; 1997.
2011	Rigozzi S. Structure and Function in Tendon: Experimental Studies on the Ultrastructural Determinants of Tendon Biomechanical Function [PhD thesis]. Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zürich; 2011.
2007	Lavagnino M. The Mechanotransduction Response of Tendon Cells to Tensile Loading [PhD thesis]. East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University; 2007.
1997	Wren TAL. Structure-Function Relationships for Soft Skeletal Connective Tissues [PhD thesis]. Stanford University; June 1997.
1998	Derwin KA. A Quantitative Investigation of Structure-Function Relationships in a Tendon Fascicle Model [PhD thesis]. University of Michigan; 1998.
1997	Arbogast KB. A Characterization of the Anisotropic Mechanical Properties of the Brainstem [PhD thesis]. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania; 1997.
2002	Gardiner JC. Computational Modeling of Ligament Mechanics [PhD thesis]. University of Utah; May 2002.
2012	Reese SP. Multiscale Structure-Function Relationships in the Mechanical Behavior of Tendon and Ligament [PhD thesis]. University of Utah; May 2012.
1997	Hurschler C. Collagen Matrix in Normal and Healing Ligaments: Microstructural Behavior, Biological Adaptation, and a Structural Mechanical Model [PhD thesis]. University of Wisconsin – Madison; 1997.