Length scales in the tear resistance of soft tissues and elastomers: a comparative study based on computational models

Length scales in the tear resistance of soft tissues and elastomers: a comparative study based on computational models | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Length scales in the tear resistance of soft tissues and elastomers: a comparative study based on computational models Eleni Kahle, Alexander Ehret, Edoardo Mazza, Andrea Spagnoli This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5434574/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Fracture toughness describes a material’s ability to resist failure in the presence of defects. In case of soft biological tissues, a reliable determination and interpretation of the fracture properties is essential to estimate the risk of fracture after clinical interventions. Here we perform a comparative computational study between soft biological tissues and compliant elastomers to discuss the influence of material non-linearity on the crack tip nearfield. Using detailed finite element simulations, singular near-tip stress fields are obtained, and a so-called nonlinear region is identified. Additional focus is put on the effect of material nonlinearity on the phenomenon of elastic crack blunting, by analysing the deformed crack profile and extracting a radius of curvature at the tip. Through concepts of traditional fracture mechanics, we identify the size of the process zone and nonlinear elastic zone in biological tissues, juxtaposed with that of elastomers, demonstrating the limitations of the traditional metrics in capturing the remarkable defect tolerance of this highly nonlinear material class. Mechanical Engineering Hyperelasticity Non-linear materials Fracture toughness Soft materials Crack blunting FE modeling Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-5434574","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":376850900,"identity":"ec8d2aa8-92cf-4fd0-9bae-36de79766e7a","order_by":0,"name":"Eleni Kahle","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"ETH Zurich","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Eleni","middleName":"","lastName":"Kahle","suffix":""},{"id":376850901,"identity":"609f1c83-92a7-46e1-9043-c7bf694d768b","order_by":1,"name":"Alexander Ehret","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"ETH 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