Optimization of specimen geometries for mechanical testing

Abstract

Mechanical tests have been used in industry and academia for the characterization of ceramics, metals, polymers, and biological tissues. While standard testing protocols have been established for manufacturable materials, only adaptations of these procedures exists for biologics. Simulation studies have been conducted to show the performance of these adaptations, focusing on the effect of boundary conditions and the homogeneity in loading distribution. However, these studies have not been used to optimize controllable variables such as the specimen geometry, cutting mechanisms, and gripping methodologies, with the goal of improving experimental outcomes. Moreover, previous studies have not include structural material models that may represent the microstructure of biological tissues more accurately. Using a novel Finite Element Analysis (FEA) platform for biomechanics, our goal is to optimize the geometry of inhomogeneous soft tissue samples, even stress distribution and avoid early material failure at intensities.