Search

The aim of this paper is to use a poroviscohyperelastic (PVHE) model, which is developed based on the porohyperelastic (PHE) model to explore the mechanical deformation properties of single chondrocytes. Both creep and relaxation responses are investigated by using finite element analysis models of micropipette aspiration and atomic force microscopy experiments, respectively. The newly developed PVHE model is compared thoroughly with the standard neo-Hookean solid and PHE models. It has been found that the PVHE can accurately capture both creep and stress relaxation behaviors of chondrocytes better than other two models. Hence, the PVHE is a promising model to investigate mechanical properties of single chondrocytes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The mechanical vibration properties of single actin filaments from 50 to 288 nm are investigated by the molecular dynamics simulation in this study. The natural frequencies obtained from the molecular simulations agree with those obtained from the analytical solution of the equivalent Euler–Bernoulli beam model. Through the convergence study of the mechanical properties with respect to the filament length, it was found that the Euler–Bernoulli beam model can only be reliably used when the single actin filament is of the order of hundreds of nanometre scale. This molecular investigation not only provides the evidence for the use of the continuum beam model in characterising the mechanical properties of single actin filaments, but also clarifies the criteria for the effective use of the Euler–Bernoulli beam model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]