Date of Graduation
5-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering
Degree Level
Undergraduate
Department
Biomedical Engineering
Advisor/Mentor
Morten Jensen
Abstract
Tissue mimicking phantoms are essential tools for studying physiological phenomena that cannot be directly measured in vivo, including vascular pressure crossover between adjacent arterial and venous channels. Because pressure transmission is highly dependent on tissue mechanics, accurate characterization of phantom materials is necessary to ensure that experimental results reflect physiologically relevant behavior. Humimic SimuGel formulations are widely used for soft tissue modeling, yet limited data exist describing their mechanical properties or their suitability for applications involving pressure driven flow phantoms. The aim of this study was to experimentally characterize the mechanical behavior of Humimic SimuGel and evaluate its suitability for use in phantoms designed to study vascular pressure crossover. Mechanical testing was performed using uniaxial tensile and compression protocols to quantify stress strain behavior, stiffness, ultimate strength, and strain at failure for Gel 0 and Gel 3. The resulting mechanical parameters were then incorporated into custom linear elastic material models in SolidWorks to simulate deformation and pressure crossover under physiologically relevant loading conditions. Both gel formulations exhibited nonlinear stress strain behavior with a short linear region at low strain. Gel 0 demonstrated higher stiffness and greater ultimate strength than Gel 3, indicating increased resistance to deformation. Parameters collected from the mechanical testing differed from theoretical values provided by the manufacturer, emphasizing the need for direct mechanical validation. SolidWorks simulations using the derived mechanical properties provided an approximation of phantom deformation and demonstrated that material stiffness influences the magnitude of pressure crossover. Overall, the combined mechanical testing and computational modeling results establish that Humimic gels can approximate soft tissue behavior within the strain ranges relevant to the pressure crossover studies. These findings provide a validated mechanical foundation for future investigations and support continued use of gel based phantoms as tissue mimicking materials in pressure crossover studies.
Keywords
Mechanical Testing, Gel Characterization, Computational Modeling
Citation
Ludwig, B. (2026). Mechanical Characterization and Computational Modeling of Tissue Mimicking Phantoms. Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/bmeguht/175
