The rheological behavior of the skin: experimental results and a structural model¹

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Lanir, Y.

Affiliations: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel

Note: [1] Third International Congress of Biorheology

Note: [] Accepted by: Editor Y.C.B. Fung

Abstract: The complex rheological behavior of the sy.in under biaxial deformations is exhibited in terms of its experimental stress-strain relationships under constant strain level. The stress-strain relationships are anisotropic, nonlinear, strain rate dependent and have considerable hysteresis. The stress-relaxation modes are strain dependent and different for different components of the stress. The sY.in is therefore nonlinear viscoelastic. An attempt is made to develop a rheological model for the skin which is based on the observed structure of its constituents and their mechanical properties. The model emphasizes the importance of the nonuniformities in the skin’s structure as the possible sources of the skin’s nonlinear and anistropic behavior. It is shown that these nonuniformities can indeed account for the skin rheological behavior. The model consists of two material parameters and four material functions which can be determined for each specimen from results of specific experiments.

DOI: 10.3233/BIR-1979-16308

Journal: Biorheology, vol. 16, no. 3, pp. 191-202, 1979