The application of digital image correlation to investigate the heterogeneity of Achilles tendon deformation and determine its material parameters

The challenge for researchers is to develop measurement techniques that can deal with biological specimens (e.g. the human Achilles tendon) characterized by high deformation during examination. The relevant quantity which has to be investigated in laboratory experiments is the deformation or strain field of the specimen subjected to a given load. In experimental mechanics, the most remarkable technique used for strain field computation is the Digital Image Correlation (DIC) method. In the paper, the DIC method is employed to study biomaterial parameters of human Achilles tendons (AT) subjected to tensile uniaxial loadings. The application of DIC allows the heterogeneity of tendon deformation to be taken into consideration. Young’s modulus of AT based on the strain field obtained from a vision-based measurement is estimated and the results are discussed. A map of Young’s modulus (YM) is demonstrated as well.