Mechanical Behavior of the Skin: Men Versus Women, a Preliminary Analysis

Abstract

In order to numerically simulate the contact between equipment and the skin, it is necessary to have equations that satisfactorily reproduce the mechanical behavior of the skin. Taking into account the variability of the mechanical behavior of the skin, it is desirable that the determination of the coefficients of these same equations and the limits of load application are based on experimental results. The mechanical behavior of the skin depends on the place where the contact occurs, the gender and age of the individual, among other factors, as well as the test parameters used, which makes it difficult to obtain these coefficients and limits. The objective of this study is to verify if it is possible to reproduce the mechanical behavior of the skin by performing the ANOVA approach of the experimental data and verify if the limits of load application in safety and comfort remain stable for a group of individuals. Indentation test that allows to obtain the force vs deformation curve in which the maximum reached is when the maximum pain is reached and where the instant where the pain threshold occurs (pain onset) is also recorded. The test was performed at a specific point on the forearm, with a spherical tip indenter, with a diameter of 5 mm, at a speed of 1 mm/s in eighty (80) healthy subjects, aged between 20 and 28 years, 40 women and 40 men.