Mechanical behavior of thermally-damaged skin tissue under compression

Biothermomechanics of skin tissue is highly interdisciplinary, involving bioheat transfer, burn damage, biomechanics and physiology. Characterization of the thermomechanical behavior of skin tissue is of great importance and can contribute to a variety of medical applications. However, few studies attempted to address the influence of heat induced thermal damage on the mechanical properties of skin tissue. This paper presents the compressive behavior of pigskin at different thermal damage levels and discusses the possible mechanisms of thermal damage-dependent compressive behavior of skin. The results demonstrate that skin stiffness decreases with increasing thermal damage degree and there exist strain rate sensitivity at different damage levels, caused mainly by hydration changes.