Single-test evaluation of directional elastic properties of anisotropic structured materials

When the elastic properties of structured materials become direction-dependent, the number of their descriptors increases. For example, in two-dimensions, the anisotropic behavior of materials is described by up to 6 independent elastic stiffness parameters, as opposed to only 2 needed for isotropic materials. Such high number of parameters...

Application of Virtual Fields Method for the mechanical characterization of atherosclerotic plaques

Atherosclerosis is a lipid-driven inflammatory disease of the arteries. It causes<br/>increased thickness of the intima layer of an artery, due to build-up of, among<br/>others, lipid deposits. Eventually, this could cause rupture of the blood vessel’s<br/>wall, leading to thrombus forming and possibly to clinical events. Clinically, the<br/...

A Novel Approach to Estimating the Material Properties of Atherosclerotic Plaque Tissue

The majority of cardiovascular clinical events, which are the main causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide, are caused by atherosclerotic plaque rupture. This biomechanical event occurs when the local plaque stresses exceed its strength. The plaque stresses can be assessed by computational models to predict these events. Current approaches...