Physical modelling of the arterial wall. Part 2: Simulation of the non-linear elasticity of the arterial wall.

In part 1 it was established that the elasticity of tubes made from natural rubber is, at low pressures, close to that of the arterial wall; in this part a method is described for reinforcing the walls of rubber tubes so that they may be used for simulating arterial elasticity at higher pressures. The technique is versatile in that, within reasonable limits, wall non-linearity can be modified; tubes with non-linear wall elasticity were produced and tested. A modification of the method enabled us to produce geometrically non-uniform rubber tubes which may be useful in the construction of physical models of the arterial system.