Author(s)

B. Irfanoglu & E. Karaesmen

Abstract

A biomechanical model for the gravid uterus B. Irfanoglu & E. Karaesmen Department of Engineering Sciences, Middle East Technical University, 06531 Ankara, Turkey ABSTRACT The biomechanics of the uterus is studied on a mathematical model based on a shell of ellipsoid of revolution. The myometrium is treated as a homogenous, isotropic and incompressible elastic material using continuum approach and large deformation theory as introduced by Fliigge and Chou [1] and Green and Adkins [2]. The governing equations which are nonlinear differential equations of boundary value type are solved by the shooting method together with the Runge-Kutta integration scheme. The numerical results showing the variation of stretch ratios with uterine pressure are presented graphically for neo-Hookean and Mooney-Rivlin type of materials. INTRODUCTION The importance of mechanical parameters in uterine activity has been well recognized but, unfortunately, manifested only in relatively small

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