Age-related changes of the traction-separation law parameters for the description of the delamination of the human aorta

Aortic dissection is a life-threatening disease manifested by a tear that separates the aortic wall into two layers. The mechanical conditions under which delamination of the human aorta occurs are the subject of our study. Our study combines experimental and computational approaches. The delamination strength is investigated in the peeling experiments, which resemble mode I crack opening well-known form the fracture mechanics. Peeling experiments were designed to take into account the possible effects of the material anisotropy and site-specific differences in the mechanical properties that occur along the aortic length. The computational branch of our study is based on the FEM model of the peeling experiment built in Abaqus and attempts to find location-dependent parameters of the traction-separation law that would reflect age-related changes in the delamination resistance. Our results suggest that there is a strong correlation between age and delamination strength which is expressed by age-specific values of the material parameters that characterize the delamination interface.