title: Indentation versus tensile measurements of Young's modulus for soft biological tissues.
abstract: In this review, we compare the reported values of Young's modulus (YM) obtained from indentation and tensile deformations of soft biological tissues. When the method of deformation is ignored, YM values for any given tissue typically span several orders of magnitude. If the method of deformation is considered, then a consistent and less ambiguous result emerges. On average, YM values for soft tissues are consistently lower when obtained by indentation deformations. We discuss the implications and potential impact of this finding.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical and Radiological Science, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, California 95616, USA.
authors.forename: Clayton T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: McKee
authors.forename: Julie A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Last
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Russell
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Murphy
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003238:Connective Tissue / Q000502:physiology*; D055119:Elastic Modulus / Q000502:physiology*; D006244:Hardness / Q000502:physiology; D006245:Hardness Tests / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D013718:Tensile Strength / Q000502:physiology*