A triplane video-based experimental system for studying axisymmetrically inflated biomembranes

Uniform inflation experiments are useful for studying the multiaxial mechanical properties of thin biological soft tissues, but previous inflation studies have been limited by: (1) the lack of a theory that allows a specific form of the constitutive relation to be inferred directly from data; and (2) slow, off-line methods for the measurement and analysis of strain. Here, the authors describe a new on-line, triplane, video-based experimental system for performing new theoretically based tests on axisymmetrically inflated biomembranes. In particular, in-plane principal stretch ratios and principal curvatures can be measured continuously in multiple regions during pressure-controlled inflation tests. Data from tests on rubber membranes and fusiform aneurysms illustrate the utility of both the new theory and the experimental system