Centre of Mechanics of Biological Materials, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
Connect Tissue Res. 2010 Oct;51(5):337-46. doi: 10.3109/03008200903389127.
A constitutive model is proposed to describe the mechanical behavior of the plantar fascia. The mechanical characterization of the plantar fascia regards the role in the foot biomechanics and it is involved in many alterations of its functional behavior, both of mechanical and nonmechanical origin. The structural conformation of the plantar fascia in its middle part is characterized by the presence of collagen fibers reinforcing the tissue along a preferential orientation, which is that supporting the major loading. According to this anatomical evidence, the tissue is described by developing an isotropic fiber-reinforced constitutive model and since the elastic response of the fascia is here considered, the constitutive model is based on the theory of hyperelasticity. The model is consistent with a kinematical description of large strains mechanical behavior, which is typical of soft tissues. A fitting procedure of the constitutive model is implemented making use of experimental curves taken from the literature and referring to specimens of human plantar fascia. A satisfactory fitting of the tensile behavior of the plantar fascia has been performed, showing that the model correctly interprets the mechanical behavior of the tissue in the light of comparison to experimental data at disposal. A critical analysis of the model with respect to the problem of the identification of the constitutive parameters is proposed as the basis for planning a future experimental investigation of mechanical behavior of the plantar fascia.
提出了一个本构模型来描述足底筋膜的力学行为。足底筋膜的力学特性涉及到足的生物力学作用，它涉及到其功能行为的许多改变，既有机械性的，也有非机械性的。足底筋膜中部的结构构象的特点是存在胶原纤维，沿优先取向增强组织，该取向支撑主要的负载。根据这一解剖学证据，通过开发各向同性纤维增强本构模型来描述组织，由于这里考虑了筋膜的弹性响应，本构模型基于超弹性理论。该模型与软组织的大应变力学行为的运动学描述一致。本构模型的拟合过程利用从文献中提取的实验曲线，并参考人体足底筋膜的标本进行。对足底筋膜的拉伸行为进行了令人满意的拟合，表明该模型根据可利用的实验数据正确地解释了组织的力学行为。针对本构参数识别问题，对模型进行了批判性分析，为足底筋膜力学行为的未来实验研究提供了基础。
