| dc.description.abstract | Many mechanicstic models aimed at predicting tissue behavior attempt to connect constitutive factors (such as effects due to collagen or fibrin concentrations) with the overall tissue behavior. Such a link between constitutive and material behaviors would allow for a better understanding of the mechanobiology of diseased states and how one might return the tissue to a healthy state. Therefore, a literature search into present mechanistic models was performed and yielded a variety of models that were analyzed in order to determine their uniqueness, a requisite characteristic for this aim. It was found that many of these models did not make uniqueness a defining characteristic in their development and thus cannot be used for multiscale modeling (connecting constitutive behavior to material behavior).The literature search was then extended and narrowed to specifically analyze mechanical models describing vascular wall behavior. Once again, it was found that uniqueness was lacking in these models. To develop a unique model for inflation strains, an inflation experiment utilizing a bladder, syringe, and a pressure sensor was conducted to provide pressure vs. volume data for a sheep aorta. The data was then used to develop a unique model for inflation strains in an aorta utilizing a constitutive framework developed by Dr. John Criscione. | en |
