Mechanical properties of pig skin

As the first layer of defense, the skin provides a flexible but durable protective coating to the body. Skin consists of two- and three-dimensional complex networks of collagen and elastin fibers. Mechanical tests show that the skin has complex viscoelastic, nonlinear mechanical properties. Mechanical properties of soft-tissues that are determined through the use of mechanical tools may provide inaccurate values. These tools may also damage the tissues. For this purpose, a tool capable of showing the full field deformation is needed. In this study we employ the technique of used computer aided speckle Interferometry (CASI) to measure the deformation on the skin. The aim of this study is to investigate the mechanical properties of skin under tension.