Microstructure-oriented modeling and computational remodeling of the collagen network in corneo-scleral shells

Abstract

Tissue adaptation and the mechanical condition within biological tissues are complex and mutually dependent phenomena. In this contribution, a computational model is presented to investigate the interaction between collagen fibril architecture and mechanical loading conditions in eye tissues. The biomechanical properties of eye tissues are derived from the single crimped fibril at the micro-scale via the collagen network of distributed fibrils at the meso-scale to the incompressible and anisotropic soft tissue at the macro-scale. Biomechanically induced remodeling of the collagen network is captured on the meso-scale by allowing for a continues reorientation of collagen fibrils. The remodeling process is introduced into an incompressible finite shell formulation. Finally, the presented approach is applied to a numerical human eye model considering the cornea and sclera. The predicted fibril morphology correlates well with experimental observations from x-ray scattering data.