Figure 6.
The role of micromechanics of elastic lamellae in arterial tissue mechanics. (a) Schematic of an elastin lamella undergoing unfolding and stretching when the arterial wall is pressurized. The multiphoton imaging data allowed us to quantify the lamellar unfolding λf, however stretching of the elastic lamella λs cannot be measured and was calculated using equation (3.1). (b) Stretching of the lamellae occurs at the onset of pressurization and is a main contributor to the overall tissue deformation. (c) The primary role of lamellar unfolding is to make uniform the stretching of elastic lamellae through the arterial wall, while tissue deformation is not uniform. (Online version in colour.)