RESEARCH

Finite Element Modeling of Elasticity with Growth in MATLAB

I work with Dr. Jonathan Vande Geest as part of the Soft Tissue Biomechanics Laboratory (STBL). I'm currently building an axisymmetric model of the eye using finite elements in MATLAB, using porohyperelasticity and finite deformation. I'm also learning Abaqus to help validate the code I'm using. The current model uses pressure conditions to change the shape of the system. This creates residual stress in the medium, which drives growth.

Growth is a fundamental process behind the long-term behavior of living tissues. One of the more popular methods of modeling this phenomenon is to decompose growth into two steps--a stress-free, possibly incompatible growth step followed by an elastic deformation to satisfy both material continuity and boundary conditions.

In summer 2013, I received a grant from the Whitaker International Program to study growth and remodeling with Dr. Alain Goriely at the Oxford Centre for Collaborative Applied Mathematics.

 

Two presentations I gave on growth and finite elements may be found below.

	Presentation: Computational Growth
	Presentation: Elasticity Theory and Finite Elements