Conference Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Mechanics Series, 2014
ABSTRACT Tendons have a important structural function in biological systems, their mechanical pro... more ABSTRACT Tendons have a important structural function in biological systems, their mechanical proprieties are therefore of great interest in biomechanics engineering and reconstructive medicine. Their physiological characteristics require the study of specific experimental methods able to determine the mechanical properties. In this work the authors propose an non-contact experimental method aimed to the characterization of the mechanical proprieties of rabbit patellar tendons based on the use of a single camera and a customized gripping system. The tensile test setup makes use of a fixed lens camera and a customized algorithm, providing the measurement of the local sample strain on different part along the tendon and of the cross sectional area. The tensile stress is estimated by the value of the applied load and of the cross section value of the sample; tensile stress values are calculated at a frequency of 8 Hz. Moreover a special design of the clamps and the use of the camera allow to protect the experimental tests from the well-know problem of peak force concentrations on the sample and slipping at its extremities, which indeed are typical problems in tensile testing of tendons. Keywords: rabbit patellar tendons, tensile test, image analysis, cross sectional area, gripping system
Conference Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Mechanics Series, 2014
ABSTRACT Tendons have a important structural function in biological systems, their mechanical pro... more ABSTRACT Tendons have a important structural function in biological systems, their mechanical proprieties are therefore of great interest in biomechanics engineering and reconstructive medicine. Their physiological characteristics require the study of specific experimental methods able to determine the mechanical properties. In this work the authors propose an non-contact experimental method aimed to the characterization of the mechanical proprieties of rabbit patellar tendons based on the use of a single camera and a customized gripping system. The tensile test setup makes use of a fixed lens camera and a customized algorithm, providing the measurement of the local sample strain on different part along the tendon and of the cross sectional area. The tensile stress is estimated by the value of the applied load and of the cross section value of the sample; tensile stress values are calculated at a frequency of 8 Hz. Moreover a special design of the clamps and the use of the camera allow to protect the experimental tests from the well-know problem of peak force concentrations on the sample and slipping at its extremities, which indeed are typical problems in tensile testing of tendons. Keywords: rabbit patellar tendons, tensile test, image analysis, cross sectional area, gripping system
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Papers by Barbara Lonzi