%0 Journal Article
%T Compressive Mechanical Properties of Porcine Brain: Experimentation and Modeling of the Tissue Hydration Effects
%J Bioengineering | An Open Access Journal from MDPI
%D 2019
%R https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering6020040
%X Designing protective systems for the human head¡ªand, hence, the brain¡ªrequires understanding the brain¡¯s microstructural response to mechanical insults. We present the behavior of wet and dry porcine brain undergoing quasi-static and high strain rate mechanical deformations to unravel the effect of hydration on the brain¡¯s biomechanics. Here, native ¡®wet¡¯ brain samples contained ~80% (mass/mass) water content and ¡®dry¡¯ brain samples contained ~0% (mass/mass) water content. First, the wet brain incurred a large initial peak stress that was not exhibited by the dry brain. Second, stress levels for the dry brain were greater than the wet brain. Third, the dry brain stress¨Cstrain behavior was characteristic of ductile materials with a yield point and work hardening; however, the wet brain showed a typical concave inflection that is often manifested by polymers. Finally, finite element analysis (FEA) of the brain¡¯s high strain rate response for samples with various proportions of water and dry brain showed that water played a major role in the initial hardening trend. Therefore, hydration level plays a key role in brain tissue micromechanics, and the incorporation of this hydration effect on the brain¡¯s mechanical response in simulated injury scenarios or virtual human-centric protective headgear design is essential. View Full-Tex
%U https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5354/6/2/40