Poisson׳s ratio of arterial wall - Inconsistency of constitutive models with experimental data.

Poisson׳s ratio of fibrous soft tissues is analyzed in this paper on the basis of constitutive models and experimental data. Three different up-to-date constitutive models accounting for the dispersion of fibre orientations are analyzed. Their predictions of the anisotropic Poisson׳s ratios are investigated under finite strain conditions together with the effects of specific orientation distribution functions and of other parameters. The applied constitutive models predict the tendency to lower (or even negative) out-of-plane Poisson׳s ratio. New experimental data of porcine arterial layer under uniaxial tension in orthogonal directions are also presented and compared with the theoretical predictions and other literature data. The results point out the typical features of recent constitutive models with fibres concentrated in circumferential-axial plane of arterial layers and their potential inconsistence with some experimental data. The volumetric (in)compressibility of arterial tissues is also discussed as an eventual and significant factor influencing this inconsistency.