Large Strain Behavior of Brain Tissue: Mechanical Testing and Preliminary Modeling

Understanding the mechanical response of brain tissue to dynamic loading conditions is critically needed for the development of realistic brain injury models. The characterization of the tissue behavior via mechanical testing and numerical modeling remains, however, challenging because of the strongly nonlinear time- and strain-dependencies inherent in the tissue response. While several studies [1–4] have uncovered some essential features of this response, the integration of all these features — nonlinearities, hysteresis, volumetric behavior — into one single constitutive framework remains an area of active research [5].