title: Positional variations in fracture toughness, stiffness and strength of descending thoracic pig aorta.
abstract: The tunica media and intima of descending thoracic aortas from commercially killed pigs showed variations in mechanical properties along their length in a region extending from just in front of the first intercostal artery to the sixth intercostal artery. Along this region circumferential toughness, measured as work of fracture from a tear test, increased, longitudinal and circumferential ultimate tensile strength increased and longitudinal and circumferential stress-strain gradients of excised strips increased further away from the heart. These increasing mechanical properties are positively correlated with an increase in collagen mass fraction and an increase of radius/thickness ratio away from the heart over this region.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D003094:Collagen / Q000032:analysis; D004549:Elastin / Q000032:analysis; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D012421:Rupture; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D013552:Swine; D013718:Tensile Strength
chemical_list: D003094:Collagen; D004549:Elastin