title: A thermodynamically consistent constitutive equation for the elastic force-length relation of soft biological materials.
abstract: Starting from the laws of thermodynamics of reversible processes, a temperature-dependent constitutive equation is derived for the elastic force-length relation of soft biological tissues. These tissues are composed of a network of fibres (mainly collagen). The equation is based on a model which uses a simplified two-dimensional representation of the alpha-helix of collagen.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Experimental Physics, Rijksuniversitair Centrum Antwerpen, Belgium.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maes
authors.forename: V J
authors.initials: VJ
authors.lastname: Vanhuyse
authors.forename: W F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Decraemer
authors.forename: E R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Raman
mesh_terms: D003094:Collagen / Q000502:physiology*; D004548:Elasticity; D008432:Mathematical Computing; D013696:Temperature; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: D003094:Collagen