Soft Tissue Biomechanics | ZHAW Institute of Mechanical Systems IMES

The field soft tissue biomechanics focuses on the mechanics of soft biological tissues and biomedical materials and structures. It is the newest research field within the Technical Focus Biomechanical Engineering and is currently under development.

Methodologies

Multi-scale experiments for mechanical characterization of microstructure-based materials (biological tissues, textiles, etc.) - (Figures 1, 2)
Experimental continuum mechanics for the evaluation and analysis of local deformations using digital image correlation (DIC) - (Figures 1-3)
Computational modeling for structural analyses at different length scales - (Figure 2)

Objectives

Derive criteria for the evaluation of the mechanical biocompatibility of biomedical materials and structures - (Figure 1, 4)
Explore the mechanobiology of biomedical materials and structures, i.e. the interplay between mechanics and cell behavior
Develop standardized protocols for the mechanical evaluation of soft biomedical materials (implant materials, scaffolds for tissue engineering, etc.) - (Figure 1, 4)

Figure 1 Digital image correlation: setup for uniaxial stress tests on polymeric membranes: local strain analysis is done by digital image correlation (DIC)

Figure 2 Experimental analyses and computational modeling: a) experimental setup for planar tension testing using a system for digital image correlation (DIC), b) soft solid liquid composite sample, c,d) experimental e),f) numerical local strain distribution at 10% global nominal strain

Figure 3 Unconventional test-setups: setup for organ insufflation tests: a porcine kidney is insufflated with physiological solution; the pressure in the organ is measured for controlled insufflated volumes.

Figure 4 Mechanical biocompatibility and mechanobiology of pelvic floor meshes: a) anatomy of the female pelvic floor with a representative mesh implantation site (blue), b) representative shape of a pelvic floor mesh; c) while current meshes are mainly large porous polypropylene meshes, this research aims at new nanofibrous materials.

Projects

Publications

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Hofmann, Jonas; Fialová, Christina; Adlhart, Christian; Strassmann, Marc; Rimann, Markus; Röhrnbauer, Barbara,

2024.

Large-porous or nano-fibrous? – a mechanical perspective on implant materials for the pelvic floor.

In:

29th Congress of the European Society of Biomechanics (ESB), Edinburgh, Scotland, 30 June - 3 July 2024.
Hofmann, Jonas; Fialová, Christina; Adlhart, Christian; Strassmann, Marc; Rimann, Markus; Röhrnbauer, Barbara,

2024.

Micro and macromechanics of electrospun membranes under uniaxial and biaxial loading conditions [poster].

In:

29th Congress of the European Society of Biomechanics (ESB), Edinburgh, Scotland, 30 June - 3 July 2024.
Moser, Nathalie; Skawran, Stephan; Steigmiller, Klaus; Röhrnbauer, Barbara; Winklehner, Thomas; Reiner, Cäcilia S.; Betschart, Cornelia,

2024.

Quantitative 3D analysis of levator ani muscle subdivisions in nulliparous women : MRI feasibility study.

Diagnostics.

14(9), pp. 923.

Available from: https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics14090923
Röhrnbauer, Barbara,

2024.

Dank Grundlagenforschung zum idealen Netz?.

In:

10. Internationaler Kongress Gynäkologie Update, Universitätsspital Zürich, Schweiz, 25.-27. Januar 2024.
Cabral, Kianna; Thiriot, Laureline; Röhrnbauer, Barbara; Bonmarin, Mathias; Spano, Fabrizio,

2023.

3D printing of solid liquid composites for cell-like based artificial skin model [poster].

In:

33rd Annual Conference of the European Society for Biomaterials (ESB), Davos, Switzerland, 4-8 September 2023.

ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften.

Available from: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-30588