Biomechanics of fibrous ligamentous tissues: volumetric analysis of microstructure under increasing strain

Recently, an advanced experimental procedure has been proposed to highlight the close relationship existing between structure and function in fibrous materials [1], specifically focusing on Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) tissue. A micro-CT system embedding a custom tensioning device was specifically used to acquire the fibrous tissue volume at the micro-scale, considering several levels of strain (i.e. 0÷8%); a biochemical contrasting process optimized fiber visualization and tissue mechanics preservation. After those experimental acquisition sessions [1], this study focused on image data processing and analysis, to identify “fiber” objects, hereinafter called fibers, and estimate mechanical properties, including their mean elastic modulus.