Ultrastructural properties of rat tail tendon

Abstract

The correlation between the structural hierarchy of soft connective tissues and the structural properties of these tissues continues to be an area of research interest in biomechanics. This paper presents current research to quantify the effects of the structural organization of collagen type I connective tissues on its load bearing function from ultrastructural properties obtained from tensile tests. The aim of the present paper is to determine if the structural properties, specifically the modulus in the high stress region, vary within the fascicle and sub-fascicle organizational level.