[Biomechanical investigations of the liver capsule (author's transl)].

The strain properties of geometrically defined specimens of human, pig, and bovine liver capsule were analysed in vitro by applying histomechanical procedures. The dynamic relaxation correlates with the static relaxation under sinus shaped strain process after previous additional predetermined increase in length. If such a process occurs in the linear region of the stress-strain curve, the relaxation process continues on a new level even if the amplitude of the sinus length-time input function is augmented. The same experiment causes in the lower non-linear region of the stress-strain relation the so-called asymmetric amplitude phenomenon. Further histomechanical features of the liver capsule obtained after defined length-time input functions such as relaxation, static isorheological line, dynamic isorheological curve, increase of the vertices of the dynamic force-time function after static relaxation and dynamic force recovery curve are shown. The phase shift between force and lenth is pointed out. The significance of the biomechanical properties of the liver capsule under physiological and pathological conditions is discussed.