Biomechanical Aspects of Soft Tissues

This title is devoted to the constitutive aspects of the biomechanics of soft tissues. The book initiates by giving the in-depth description of the mechanics and thermodynamics that underlies the constitutive modeling of biological tissues in a continuum perspective. Further, it presents a unified framework in which electro-chemo-mechanical couplings associated with the composition-induced function of these tissues with a fixed electric charge are exposed. The last part addresses the growth of biological tissues. Articular cartilages are addressed from the points of view of their normal functioning and of the production of substitutes through tissue engineering.

Biomechanics applies the laws and techniques of mechanics in the study of biological systems and related phenomena. Biomechanics uses mathematical and computational tools such as model construction of musclo-skeletal system, body fluid circulation, to aid medical diagnosis, therapeutics and surgery planning, designing of prostheses and implants or in tissue engineering. Present book targets specific topics pertaining to the biomechanics of soft tissues. Subjects addressed includes solids and multi-species mixtures as open systems: a continuum mechanics perspective; electro-chemo-mechanical couplings: tissues with a fixed electric charge and growth of biological tissues.