An integrated method for evaluating the mechanical integrity of biomaterials in-situ

In this study, an integrated material evaluation method was developed allowing simultaneous consideration of both the mechanical properties and material structures. This method also permits measurements of nonlinear and time-dependent characteristics of a material. With the experimentally measured transient stresses and strains, the complex modulus of the testing material can be determined directly and instantaneously. Because the complex modulus contains not only the mechanical properties (magnitude of the modulus curves) but also the material characteristics (shape of the modulus curves), this method provides integrated considerations of the mechanical properties and the material characteristics in a real-time and in-situ manner. With these capabilities, changes in both the mechanical integrity and material structure can be correlated repeatedly during the material's formation, aggregation, or assembly processes.