Integrated mechanical models for collagenous biostructuresat different length scales

Abstract A multiscale model for the elasto-damage response of soft collagenous tissues is proposed, accounting for geometrical and constitutive non-linearities as well as for tissue microscale inhomogeneities. Models at very different length scales are integrated describing molecular damage onset and propagation by an internal-constrained approach employing convex analysis. Stress-strain constitutive relationships are obtained, predicting failure response of soft collagenous tissues in agreement with experimental evidences.