Modeling Large Deformation in Soft-tissues: Experimental results and Analysis

Biomechanical model of soft tissue derived from experimental measurements is critical for developing a reality-based model for minimally invasive surgical training and simulation. In our research, we focus on developing a biomechanical model of the liver under large tissue deformation. This paper presents the experimental apparatus, experimental data, and methods to model the experimental data through finite element simulation and also compare it with the hyperelastic models in the literature. We have designed and developed tissue indentation equipment for characterizing the biomechanical properties of the liver and compared the local effective elastic modulus (LEM) derived from experimental data with that from plane stress and plane strain analysis in ABAQUS and hyperelastic models in the literature. Our results show that the experimentally derived LEM matches closely with that derived from ABAQUS in plane stress and plane strain analysis and the Ogden hyperelastic model.