Principal Strain Directions Research Articles

Thoracic Responses and Injuries of Male Post-Mortem Human Subjects in a Homogeneous Rear-Facing Seat During High-Speed Frontal Impact.

In recent post-mortem human subjects (PMHS) studies in a high-speed rear-facing frontal impact (HSRFFI), the PMHS sustained multiple rib fractures. The seatback structure and properties of the seats might contribute to these fractures. This study aimed to determine if a homogeneous rear-facing seat with foam-covered seatback would mitigate the risk of thoracic injury during an HSRFFI. Three male PMHS were subjected to the same previous HSRFFI pulse. The seating structure consisted of a homogeneous seatback composed of rigid plates with load cells and covered with both comfort and safety foam. The PMHS spine was instrumented with accelerometers and angular rate sensors. Two chestbands were attached at the level of the axilla and xiphoid, and strain gages and strain rosettes were attached to ribs. Whole-body kinematics were quantified using a motion capture system. PMHS1 and PMHS3 sustained 30 and 13 rib fractures, respectively, while PMHS2 did not sustain any fractures. Average maximum anterior-posterior (A-P) chest compressions ranged from 15.9 to 22.6%. Rib fractures occurred before and after the maximum A-P compression, so A-P chest compression alone did not correlate well with rib fracture outcomes. Thoracic inferior-superior (I-S) deformation relative to the T12 was 107.4mm for PMHS1, 27.6mm for PMHS2, and 85.1mm for PMHS3. The direction of the maximum principal strain indicated that ribs experienced shear caused by I-S chest deformation. These results will assist with the development of countermeasures to protect occupants in a rear-facing seating configuration, along with validation of human body models.

Residual stress determination by blind hole drilling and local displacement mapping in aluminium alloy aerospace components

The determination of residual stresses by combining blind hole drilling and optical interferometric measurement of relief deformation is re-visited to evaluate its applicability to aerospace structures. The experimental methodology involves drilling a deep blind hole and evaluating the hole diameter increments in the principal strain directions using electronic speckle-pattern interferometry (ESPI). This is followed by the determination of the principal residual stress components via the solution of the inverse correlation problem. The study presents the pathway to overcoming one of the primary obstacles in residual stress determination, namely, the optimization of the measurement and interpretation procedures to obtain reliable results. It can be concluded from the analysis of the problem that the formulae connecting the raw experimental data and to the sought residual stress component values lead to a well-posed inverse problem. This makes it possible to obtain estimations of the measurement uncertainty. High density fringe patterns from ESPI provide a rapid and reliable method for residual stress determination, as illustrated using examples of approximately 160 MPa stresses in irregular zones of thick-walled structures.

Experimental study on the deterioration of mechanical properties of sandy mudstone under different water-gas interactions

Based on the water-rock-gas coupling test system, the work combined the scanning electron microscope and XTDIC 3D full-field strain measurement system. The Brazilian splitting test was performed on four groups of sandy mudstone specimens under contrast (CO), mash-gas soaking (MS), water-mash gas soaking (WM), and water-soaking (WS) conditions. The tensile strength, deformation failure, and microscopic characteristics of fractures were studied to reveal the deterioration mechanism of the tensile properties of sandy mudstone under water-gas coupling. The results showed that the uniaxial tensile strength of sandy mudstone specimens under the three soaking conditions was less than that of the contrast conditions. Compared with specimens in the CO group, the tensile strength of specimens in MS-WS groups was reduced; the WS group decreased the most. Specimens changed from brittle failure to plastic failure after soaking. The decrease rate in strength after the peak was consistent with the change trend in tensile strength. It led to a larger localized deformation zone of specimens and more obvious displacement. The deformation localization zone of the WS group was the broadest, with the most intense displacement. Besides, stress concentration first occurred in the submerged part of the WM group. Fractures expanded in the direction of maximum principal strain. The internal pore structure of sandy mudstone specimens in each group changed after soaking. The average porosity, maximum pore area, and probability entropy of specimens in WS-MS groups increased compared to the CO group. The WS group had the largest reduction and the MS group had the smallest. The pre-peak energy storage capacity of sandy mudstone specimens was gradually weakened. Compared with the CO group, that in the WS-MS groups was reduced. The WS group had the greatest reduction, and the MS group had the smallest. The deterioration effect of water on the interior of sandy mudstone was stronger than that of gas. The work is of great significance for understanding the stability of coal and rocks in closed-pit high-gas mines.

Parametric Solid Models of the At-Term Uterus From Magnetic Resonance Images.

Birthing mechanics are poorly understood, though many injuries during childbirth are mechanical, like fetal and maternal tissue damage. Several biomechanical simulation models of parturition have been proposed to investigate birth, but many do not include the uterus. Additionally, most solid models rely on segmenting anatomical structures from clinical images to generate patient geometry, which can be time-consuming. This work presents two new parametric solid modeling methods for generating patient-specific, at-term uterine three-dimensional geometry. Building from an established method of modeling the sagittal uterine shape, this work improves the uterine coronal shape, especially where the fetal head joins the lower uterine wall. Solid models of the uterus and cervix were built from five at-term patients' magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sets. Using anatomy measurements from MRI-segmented models, two parametric models were created-one that employs an averaged coronal uterine shape and one with multiple axial measurements of the coronal uterus. Through finite element analysis, the two new parametric methods were compared to the MRI-segmented high-fidelity method and a previously published elliptical low-fidelity method. A clear improvement in the at-term uterine shape was found using the two new parametric methods, and agreement in principal Lagrange strain directions was observed across all modeling methods. These methods provide an effective and efficient way to generate three-dimensional solid models of patient-specific maternal uterine anatomy, advancing possibilities for future research in computational birthing biomechanics.

In Situ Stereo Digital Image Correlation with Thermal Imaging as a Process Monitoring Method in Vacuum-Assisted Thermoforming

This experimental study probes the dynamic behaviour of a 3 mm ABS sheet during positive mould vacuum-assisted thermoforming. In this process, the sheet undergoes large and fast deformations caused by the applied vacuum and mechanical stretching by the mould. The objective is to elucidate the complexities of these large, rapid, and non-isothermal deformations. The non-isothermal conditions are caused by the radiative heating of the sheet, convective heat loss to the surrounding air, and conductive heat transfer from the sheet to the mould. By utilizing stereo digital image correlation (DIC) in tandem with thermal imaging, the present study accurately maps the occurring displacement, strain, and strain rate field in relation to real-time temperature variation in the material. The study progresses to observe the ABS material from the moment it contacts the mould until it conforms to a positive 250 mm diameter semi-sphere cast aluminum mould. The DIC methods are validated by comparing thickness values derived from DIC’s principal strain directions to ultrasonic thickness gauge readings. This knowledge not only broadens the understanding of the thermo-mechanical behaviour of the material but also aids in optimizing process parameters for improved thickness uniformity in thermoformed products.

Thermo-Mechanical Simulation of the Powder Bed of Polyamide 12 during the Selective Laser Sintering Process

The selective laser sintering process is considered to be a new process among the most innovative techniques in the field of additive manufacturing, to facilitate the development and the technical improvement of this process, Thermo-mechanical investigation is necessary to control the SLS process, in this paper a thermo-mechanical simulation of selective laser sintering of polyamide 12 will be presented., this thermo-mechanical simulation was made under the COMSOL Multiphysics software, using Hook's law with the equilibrium and accounting equations for the calculation of the residual stresses appearing in the sintered layer of polyamide 12, this simulation was made for the prevention of deformations appeared in the final printed parts. The calculation of von Mises stress and the calculation of the magnitude of displacement within a sintered layer of polyamide 12 was done, with the analysis of the volumetric strain and the calculation of the volume: stress tensors, principal strain directions.

In vitro effect of horseshoe length on hoof wall deformation, expansion, and strain

Abstract Shoeing techniques have the potential to affect hoof growth, causing abnormal hoof conformations, which in turn put affected horses at risk for lameness and injury. Racehorses are often shod with shorter shoe branches which may predispose them to underrun heel hoof conformation. Horseshoe branch length was tested to determine the effect on hoof wall deformations, expansion, strain and fetlock extension during midstance limb loading. Our hypotheses were that shortening of the shoe branch length would increase fetlock extension, increase compressive strains at the heel, and change principal strain directions in a proximodorsal direction. Nine cadaveric forelimbs were loaded in vitro to simulate mid-stance from walk to canter loads. Analysis of variance was used to assess the effect of horseshoe (no shoe, short shoe, full shoe, and long shoe) on outcome variables. Hoof wall expansion and lateral hoof wall distortion did not differ among treatments. Principal compressive hoof wall strain magnitudes were greater than principal tensile strain magnitudes. As shoe length increased principal compressive strains decreased, except for the middle quarter location; shear strains increased for distal locations and decreased at the proximal heel location; and principal strain directions viewed on the lateral side of the right hoof rotated in a counterclockwise direction at middle and distal quarter locations. Results do not provide evidence that a shorter shoe increases fetlock extension. Additionally, as the shorter shoe had similar strain results to that of an unshod hoof, it is unclear if a shorter shoe could lead to the development of abnormal hoof conformations. Other factors that may play a role in changes of hoof conformation including surface type, amount of exercise and frequency of trimming as well as other planes within the xyz coordinate system for the fetlock and hoof should be investigated.

Nonlinear mechanics of remodeling

In this paper, we present a large-deformation formulation of the mechanics of remodeling. Remodeling is anelasticity with an internal constraint—material evolutions that are mass and volume-preserving. In this special class of material evolutions, the explicit time dependence of the energy function is via one or more remodeling tensors that can be considered as internal variables of the theory. The governing equations of remodeling solids are derived using a two-potential approach and the Lagrange–d’Alembert principle. We consider both isotropic and anisotropic solids and derive their corresponding remodeling equations. We study a particular remodeling of fiber-reinforced solids in which the fiber orientation is time-dependent in the reference configuration—SO(3)-remodeling. We define an additional remodeling energy, which is motivated by the energy spent in collagen fiber-reinforced living systems to remodel to enhance stiffness or strength in the direction of loading. We consider the examples of a solid reinforced with either one or two families of reorienting fibers and derive their remodeling equations. This is a generalization of some of the proposed remodeling equations in the literature. We study three examples of material remodeling, namely finite extensions and torsion of solid circular cylinders, which are universal deformations for incompressible isotropic solids and certain anisotropic solids. We consider both displacement and force-control loadings. Detailed parametric studies are included for the effects of various material and loading parameters on fiber remodeling. It is observed that during remodeling, there is a competition between the action of the internal strain energy function and the remodeling energy. For a given material, a remodeling process dominated by strain energy works to align fibers in a direction that minimizes strain energy. On the other hand, a remodeling process dominated by the remodeling energy aligns fibers in the direction of the maximum principal strain according to a constitutive choice. We finally linearize the governing equations of the remodeling theory and derive those of linear remodeling mechanics.

Characterization of mechanical behavior of different types of masonry with a detailed investigation of full-field strain using digital image correlation

This article presents an experimental study on the mechanical characterization of three different types of masonry: burnt clay bricks, fly ash bricks, and autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) blocks, with a detailed focus on strain distribution and failure mechanism. The specimens were subjected to direct and diagonal compression loading, and the stress–strain curves and failure modes were studied. Digital image correlation (DIC) was used to obtain full-field strain data, allowing for detailed analysis of failure mechanisms, tracking of crack propagation, and examination of other intricate details. The DIC analysis showed that in burnt clay brick and fly ash brick masonry, failure under compression was initiated by the tensile splitting of the brick, while in AAC block masonry, it was initiated by the tensile splitting of the mortar. Additionally, the study identified that the failure modes under diagonal compression were different for each type of masonry, with bed joint sliding being the dominant failure mode in fly ash brick and AAC block masonry. In contrast, the failure mode in burnt clay brick masonry was due to vertical splitting along the loaded diagonal. In the diagonal compression test, the shear strain along both diagonals was negligible, and principal strain directions were observed to be aligned along the two diagonals.

Full-field in vivo experimental study of the strains of a breathing human abdominal wall with intra-abdominal pressure variation

The presented study aims to assess the mechanical behaviour of the anterior abdominal wall based on an in vivo experiment on humans. Full-field measurement of abdominal wall displacement during changes of intra-abdominal pressure is performed using a digital image correlation (DIC) system. Continuous measurement in time enables the observation of changes in the strain field during breathing. The understanding of the mechanical behaviour of a living human abdominal wall is important for the proper design of surgical meshes used for ventral hernia repair, which was also a motivation for the research presented below.The research refers to the strain field of a loaded abdominal wall and presents the evolution of principal strains and their directions in the case of 12 subjects, 8 male and 4 female. Peritoneal dialysis procedure allows for the measurement of intra-abdominal pressure after fluid introduction.High variability among patients is observed, also in terms of principal strain direction. Subjects exhibit intra-abdominal pressure of values from 11 to 21 cmH2O. However, the strain values are not strongly correlated with the pressure value, indicating variability of material properties.

Effects of Principal Strain Direction and Intermediate Principal Strain on Undrained Shear Behavior of Sand

Effects of Principal Strain Direction and Intermediate Principal Strain on Undrained Shear Behavior of Sand

Hoof Expansion, Deformation, and Surface Strains Vary with Horseshoe Nail Positions.

Racehorses are susceptible to underrun heel hoof conformation. Racehorses are often shod with nails placed toward the heel. It is unknown if palmar nails restrict or alter hoof deformation in a manner that could promote the development of underrun heel conformation over time with repeated loading. To determine how the addition of palmar nails affects heel deformation during limb loading, hoof expansion and hoof wall deformations were quantified using rosette strain gauges and kinematic markers during in the vitro limb loading of cadaveric limbs that simulated midstance for walk, trot, and canter loads. Nail treatments used to attach a horseshoe to the hoof included: toe nails (T), toe and quarter nails (TQ), and toe, quarter, and heel nails (TQH). The effects of nail treatment on heel expansion and hoof wall deformations were assessed using repeated measures analysis of variance (p < 0.05). Nails placed palmar to the quarters of the hoof decreased heel expansion (p < 0.001). Heel nails resulted in the largest changes in hoof wall principal strain directions distally. The application of nails palmar to the hoof quarters alters hoof wall deformation during limb loading. The continued loading of the hoof with palmer nails could alter hoof conformation over time.

Mechanical mechanism and indicator of diffuse axonal injury under blast-type acceleration

Diffuse axonal injury (DAI) caused by acceleration is one of the most prominent forms of blast-induced Traumatic Brain Injury. However, the mechanical mechanism and indicator of axonal deformation-induced injury under blast-type acceleration with high peak and short duration are unclear. This study constructed a multilayer head model that can reflect the response characteristics of translational and rotational acceleration (the peak time of which is within 0.5 ms). Based on von Mises stress, axonal strain and axonal strain rate indicators, the physical process of axonal injury is studied, and the vulnerable area under blast-type acceleration load is given. In the short term (within 1.75 ms), dominated by sagittal rotational acceleration peaks, the constraint of falx and tentorium rapidly imposes the inertial load on the brain tissue, resulting in a high-rate deformation of axons (axonal strain rate of which exceed 100 s−1). For a long term (after 1.75 ms), fixed-point rotation of the brain following the head causes excessive distortion of brain tissue (von Mises stress of which exceeds 15 kPa), resulting in a large axonal stretch strain where the main axonal orientation coincides with the principal strain direction. It is found that the axonal strain rate can better indicate the pathological axonal injury area and coincides with external inertial loading in the risk areas, which suggests that DAI under blast-type acceleration overload is mainly caused by the rapid axonal deformation instead of by the excessive axonal strain. The research in this paper helps understand and diagnose blast-induced DAI.

Dynamic Elastic Modulus Variability in Anisotropic and Isotropic Materials: Comparison by Acoustic Emission

This study compared the variation of the dynamic elastic modulus (E) of three types of composite pipes made by the filament winding process and a steel alloy specimen, according to signal source changes. The specimens were produced with three different winding angles, i.e., ±50°, ±52.5°, and ±55°. The moduli were obtained through a known signal source and the angular variation, according to two sensors positioned over the specimen's surface. In a previous article, the variation in the velocity of acoustic emission (AE) signals, performed in the same type of pipes, was discussed based on the standards for glass fiber-reinforced epoxy (GFRE) filament wound specimens. This work took these preliminary findings to compare with the results found for steel alloy pipes (SAE 1020). This data was used with appropriate equations to determine the dynamic elastic moduli of each material. It was found that, even for small angular differences, the modulus changes position concerning the lamination angle. Thus, the lower the quality control, the lower the final product with composite materials. As expected, for isotropic materials such as steel alloys, the modulus remains constant along the angles, while for anisotropic ones, it is dependent on the principal directions of stress and strain, or on the other hand, dependent on the correlation between the angular wave velocity of the AE signals.

Analysis on early warning of coal sample failure based on crack development law and strain evolution characteristics

In order to achieve effective early warning of coal sample failure under uniaxial compression, the digital speckle technology is used to analyze the evolution process of the crack field and strain field of the specimen from the global and local aspects, and the development laws of the crack and the characteristics of the strain evolution are clarified. And obtained the precursor information and early warning indicators of coal sample failure. The results showed that: there are often obvious strain concentration and deformation localization in the places where the cracks develop faster. When the crack opens or expands rapidly, the horizontal displacement of the specimen has obvious regional characteristics, the horizontal displacement and the maximum principal strain increase rapidly, and the direction of the displacement vector and the maximum principal strain also change significantly. Therefore, the rapid evolution period of deformation localization (69.4 % ∼ 70 % of the failure frame), the loading load of the specimen (66.08 % ∼ 69.51 % of the peak load), the direction of the displacement vector and the direction of the maximum principal strain can be used as important early warning indicators and effective precursor information before the specimen failure.

A Curved Plate-Flattening Method to Construct the Membrane Strain Distribution

The surface-flattening process has many applications in industries such as shipbuilding. Curved surfaces in the industry are usually formed from flat surfaces, so the target surface needs to be flattened to obtain its corresponding initial shape. In addition, the surface flattening process obtains the inherent strain distribution required in forming. Different forming methods in the plate forming process will produce different membrane deformations, such as shrinkage in the line heating and tensile in the roller forming. Therefore, different surface-flattening methods should be used to obtain the inherent strain distribution suitable for different forming methods. This paper proposes a method to perform the surface flattening using the finite element method and constrain the membrane strain generated in the flattening deformation by modifying the material constitutive relationship. Using a dual modulus material constitutive model in membrane deformation makes the surface more inclined to deform at locations with less stiffness during the flattening process. This method yields predominantly tensile or compressive membrane strain without changing the bending strain. By modifying the material model, this method can control the compressive strain region and the principal strain direction. The results of the proposed method applying to different surface shapes and its application in the surface-forming process are given in this paper.

Ex Vivo Uniaxial Tensile Properties of Rat Uterosacral Ligaments.

This manuscript presents new experimental methods for testing the ex vivo tensile properties of the uterosacral ligaments (USLs) in rats. The USL specimens ([Formula: see text]) were carefully dissected to preserve their anatomical attachments, and they were loaded along their main in vivo loading direction (MD) using a custom-built uniaxial tensile testing device. During loading, strain maps in both the MD and the perpendicular direction (PD) were collected using the digital image correlation technique. The mean (± S.E.M.) maximum load and displacement at the maximum load were [Formula: see text] N and [Formula: see text] mm, respectively. The USLs were found to be highly heterogeneous structures, with some specimens experiencing strains in the MD that were lower than [Formula: see text] and others reaching strains that were up to [Formula: see text] in the intermediate region. At 0.5 kPa stress, a value reached by all the specimens, the mean strain in the MD was [Formula: see text] while at 5 kPa stress, a value achieved only by 9 out of the 21 specimens, the mean strain increased to [Formula: see text]. Under uniaxial loading, the specimens also elongated in the PD, with strains that were one order of magnitude lower than the strains in the MD; at the 0.5 kPa stress, the mean strain in the PD was recorded to be [Formula: see text] and, at the 5 kPa stress, the strain in the PD was [Formula: see text]. The directions of maximum principal strains remained almost unchanged with the increase in stress, indicating that little microstructural re-organization occurred due to uniaxial loading. This study serves as a springboard for future investigations on the supportive function of the USLs in the rat model by offering guidelines on testing methods that capture their complex mechanical behavior.

Two-scale concurrent optimization of composites with elliptical inclusions under microstress constraints within the FE2 framework

In order to avoid the adverse effects of structural damage caused by stress concentration, the optimization problem considering stress constraints is very important in structural design. This paper aims at introducing microstress constraints within a multilevel finite element (FE2) analysis framework to perform the two-scale concurrent optimization and reduce the stress concentration while exhibiting better overall stiffness properties for composites with elliptical inclusions. In order to do that, at the macroscale, relying on the solid isotropic material with penalization (SIMP), a density-based optimization algorithm is raised for a maximum stiffness design and free material distribution optimization under a volume constraint, these displacement solutions and material distributions at the macroscopic structural scale provide kinematic constraints for microscale optimization. At the microscale, the parameterized composite microstructure (inclusion orientation and aspect ratio) is optimized under the principal strain direction constraints of the macroscale element’s Gauss integration point. The optimized microstructure in turn updates the macroscopic effective stress directly from the volume average of the microscopic stress field. The clustering strategy is used in order to improve the computation efficiency of the optimization. The novelty of the work lies in the use of microstress constraints to solve the concurrent optimization problems of two-phase composites within the FE2 framework. The effectiveness of the proposed concurrent optimization approach is validated through three numerical examples.

The effects of the principal stress direction on the deformation behavior of frozen silt clay under the cyclic loading

When considering the dynamic loading processes in the real engineering, such as seismic loading and traffic loading processes, the principal stress direction (PSD) of the of subgrade soil is not always consistent with the vertical direction. As a key factor that determines the deformation behavior of frozen soil, the inclination of PSD is happened quit often in the engineering practice. Meanwhile, the PSD can partially reflect the complexity of the actual cyclic stress fields. Due to the limitation in the test instruments and related technology, few studies had been carried out so far in this field. In order to investigate the impact of the PSD on the deformation characteristics of frozen soil under cyclic loading conditions, a series of hollow cylinder experiments were performed by taking the frozen silt clay as the object and by setting up different PSDs as the main experimental conditions. The test results indicated that when the inclination angle of PSD was less than 15°, it was mainly the axial strain that generated on the samples, but when the angle varied between 15° to 45°, there was a higher increasing rate in the circumferential torsional strain than axial strain. When α exceeded 45°, axial strain manifests as tensile deformation. Therefore, the angle of PSD equal 45° could be regarded as a threshold of axial strain behavior, at the same time, the circumferential torsional strain increased fastest under the degree. When the angle of PSD less 45°, the axial strain was decreasing while the circumferential torsional strain was increasing as the angle of PSD. When the angle of PSD>45°, the circumferential torsional strain started decreasing as the α increased, and the axial strain manifested as negative tensile strain, and it oppositely increased with the angle of PSD increased. Finally, an empirical model that can calculate the accumulated principal strain direction and quantity under different angle of PSD was determined.

Extracellular matrix deformations of the porcine recurrent laryngeal nerve in response to hydrostatic pressure

Damage to the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) caused by supraphysiological compression or tension imposed by adjacent tissue structures, such as the aorta, may contribute to onset of idiopathic unilateral vocal fold paralysis (iUVP) resulting in difficulty speaking, breathing, and swallowing. We previously demonstrated in adolescent pigs that the right RLN epineurium exhibits uniform composition of adipose tissue, with larger quantities along its length within the neck region in contrast to the left RLN that shows greater collagen composition in the thoracic region and greater quantities of adipose tissue in the neck region. In contrast, the epineurium in piglets was primarily composed of collagen tissue that remained uniform along the length of the left and right RLNs. Tensile testing of the left and right RLN in piglets and pigs showed associated differences in strain by RLN side and segment by age. The goal of this study was to investigate how external hydrostatic compression of the RLN affects the nerve's connective tissue and microstructure. RLN segments were harvested from the distal (cervical/neck) regions and proximal (subclavian for the right RLN, thoracic for the left RLN) regions from eight adolescent pigs and nine piglets. RLN segments were isolated and assessed under fluid compression to test hypotheses regarding epineurium composition and response to applied forces. Second harmonic generation (SHG) imaging of epineurial collagen was conducted at 0, 40, and 80 mmHg of compression. The cartesian strain tensor, principal strain (Eps1), and principal direction of the RLN collagen fibers were determined at each pressure step. Significantly larger values of the 1st principal strain occurred in the proximal segments of the pig left RLN when compared to the same segment in piglets (p = 0.001, pig = 0.0287 [IQR = 0.0161 - 0.0428], piglet = 0.0061 [IQR = 0.0033 - 0.0156]). Additionally, the median transverse strain Eyy) for the second pressure increment was larger in the right proximal segment of pigs compared to piglets (p < 0.001, pig = 0.0122 [IQR = 0.0033 - 0.0171], piglet = 0.0013 [IQR = 0.00001 - 0.0028]). Eyy values were significantly larger in the right proximal RLN versus the left proximal RLNs in pigs but not in piglets (p < 0.001). In contrast to piglets, histological analysis of pig RLN demonstrated increased axial alignment of epineurial and endoneurial collagen in response to compressive pressure. These findings support the hypothesis that the biomechanical response of the RLN to compressive pressure changed from being similar to being different between the right and left RLNs during development in the porcine model. Further investigation of these findings associated with age-related onset of idiopathic UVP may illuminate underlying etiologic mechanisms. Statement of significanceDamage to the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) caused by compression imposed by the aorta may contribute to the onset of left-sided idiopathic unilateral vocal fold paralysis resulting in difficulty speaking, breathing, and swallowing. The goal of this study was to investigate how compression affects the connective tissue and microstructure of the RLN. We quantified the pressure induced deformation of the RLN using multiphoton imaging as a function of both location (proximal versus distal) and age (piglets, adolescent pigs). Our results demonstrate that the biomechanical response of the RLN to compression changes in the right versus left RLN throughout development, providing further evidence that the the left RLN is exposed to increasing dynamic loads with age.