Figure 3.

Progression of fatigue damage in bovine extensor tendon fascicles with increasing number of cycles of creep loading (25% of the ultimate tensile stress). Confocal images of fascicles stained with 5 mM acridine orange solution. Kinked fibres were observed after just 300 cycles with much more severe damage including widening of the interfibre space and fibre breakages at 900 and 1200 cycles.