A Simplified Model to Determine the Contribution of Strain Energy in the Failure Process of Thin Biological Membranes during Cutting

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Thin biological membranes such as skin are highly deformable, nonlinear in behaviour and fracture resistant. As a result of these properties, measuring the resistance to fracture of such materials is difficult. This paper investigates the resistance to fracture of a thin biological membrane, using the example of animal skin. Models of cutting using a fracture approach are examined and a review of the structure and mechanical properties of skin is given. A review of previous work in examining the fracture behaviour of skin is carried out and a strain energy‐based failure model for skin is proposed. A method of measuring the fracture resistance of skin in opening mode (mode I) using this failure model is described. Values for the resistance to fracture of skin samples were calculated from experiments to be 2.32 ± 0.40 kj m‐2. These results were found to be in good agreement with the literature. The model and experimental technique proposed here may be applied to establish the failure properties of membranes and, in particular, a range of soft tissues under a variety of cutting conditions.