FURI | Fall 2020

Modeling Mechanical Properties of Fibrous, Polymer Scaffolds as a Function of Fiber Alignment

Musculoskeletal tissues, ranging from tendon to cartilage to bone, contains an extracellular matrix with unique fiber alignments and mechanical properties. Designing tissue engineered scaffolds that mimic these tissue properties is crucial for promoting proper healing after injury. This project will explore how mechanical properties of fibrous scaffolds vary as fiber alignment changes. Specifically, the mechanical properties examined include the Young’s modulus, tensile strength, and strain at break. Mechanical data from the Holloway lab was obtained for polycaprolactone. By utilizing numerical techniques previously published in literature, empirical models have been formulated that allow for prediction of a scaffold’s mechanical properties at any alignment. In this work, the results from this model will be compared to data obtained in lab.