• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.33 no.11
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• pp.1202-1208
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• 2009

An inverse finite element (FE) model parameter estimation algorithm can be used to characterize mechanical properties of biological tissues. Using this algorithm, we can consider the influence of material nonlinearity, contact mechanics, complex boundary conditions, and geometrical constraints in the modeling. In this study, biomechanical experiments on macro and micro samples are conducted and characterized with the developed algorithm. Macro scale experiments were performed to measure the force response of porcine livers against mechanical loadings using one-dimensional indentation device. The force response of the human liver cancer cells was also measured by the atomic force microscope (AFM). The mechanical behavior of porcine livers (macro) and human liver cancer cells (micro) were characterized with the algorithm via hyperelastic and linear viscoelastic models. The developed models are suitable for computing accurate reaction force on tools and deformation of biomechanical tissues.