Citation
Bourges, Jean Yves and Rojo Pérez, Francisco Javier and Garcia Paez, J.M. and Atienza Riera, José Miguel and Alvarez, L. and Guinea Tortuero, Gustavo V.
(2011).
Relationship between fibre orientation and tensile strength of natural collagen membranes for heart valve leaflets.
In: "XXVIII Encuentro del Grupo Español de Fractura", 06/04/2011 - 08/04/2011, Gijón, España.
Abstract
Heart valve prostheses are used to replace native heart valves which that are damaged because of congenital diseases or due to ageing. Biological prostheses made of bovine pericardium are similar to native valves and do not require any anticoagulation treatment, but are less durable than mechanical prostheses and usually fail by tearing. Researches are oriented in improving the resistance and durability of biological heart valve prostheses in order to increase their life expectancy. To understand the mechanical behaviour of bovine pericardium and relate it to its microstructure (mainly collagen fibres concentration and orientation) uniaxial tensile tests have been performed on a model material made of collagen fibres. Small Angle Light Scattering (SALS) has been also used to characterize the microstructure without damaging the material. Results with the model material allowed us to obtain the orientation of the fibres, relating the microstructure to mechanical performance