Table 3.

Conventional mechanical testing methods for the characterization of blood vessel substitutes, main parameters, manipulated variables, and the responding mechanical properties.

Testing method	Sample geometry	Test direction	Deformation rate range	Strain/pressure rangea	Mechanical properties	References
Compression	Cylindrical/Ring	Longitudinal	0.01–0.2 mm/min	YM: 0–30%	SB, EB, YM	[32,33]
	Rectangular	Radial				[34]
Tensile	Rectangular	Longitudinal	1–50 mm/min	YM: 0–30%	SB, EB, YM	[35,36]
		Circumferential
	Dogbone	Longitudinal				[37,38]
		Circumferential
	Ring	Circumferential			SB, EB YM, BP, C	[[39], [40], [41], [42], [43], [44], [45]]
Tensile stress-relaxation	Ring	Longitudinal	1–50 mm/min	YM: 10–70%	SB, EB IEM, EEM BP, C	[46]
		Circumferential				[41,[46], [47], [48], [49], [50], [51], [52], [53]]
Creep	Rectangular	Circumferential	1.6 mm/s	30–50% of SB	CP	[54]
	Ring					[42,50,55]
Burst pressure	Tubular	Circumferential	0.1–100 mL/min	0 until rupture	BP	[35,[37], [38], [39],[42], [43], [44],55,56]
Compliance	Tubular	Circumferential	4–100 mL/min	50–180 mmHg	C	[35,38,39,43,49,55,56]
DMA	Rectangular	Longitudinal	0.1–10 Hz	5–16%	E′, E″, tanδ	[57]
	Ring	Circumferential				[33,58]

DMA, dynamic mechanical analysis; SB, strength at break; EB, elongation at break; YM, Young elastic modulus; IEM, initial elastic modulus; EEM, equilibrium elastic modulus; CP, creep profile; BP, burst pressure; C, compliance; E′, storage modulus; E′′, loss modulus; tanδ, damping factor.

^aStrain/pressure range used for the calculation of the mechanical properties.