A mathematical model on stress-strain of the epimysium of skeletal muscles

Abstract

A mathematical model based on the distribution of collagen fibers in ground substance is established to investigate epimysium of skeletal muscle. Under the condition of pinned boundary, incompressible soft biological tissues and the mixed ratio of composite materials, the macro-mechanical properties of the skeletal muscle epimysium are investigated by the proposed model, utilizing the principle of virtual work and the nonlinear theory of elasticity in this study. The effect of physical and geometrical parameters of skeletal muscle epimysium on the stress-strain relationship is also discussed in detail. The result of the investigation concurs with the experimental observations, which demonstrate the effectiveness and validity of the established model.

Keywords: Boltzmann distribution; Epimysium; Micromechanics; Skeletal muscle; Stress–strain relationship.