The purpose of this project is to further develop an understanding of the structural and mechanical properties of tendons and ligaments of the human knee. The main focus is to develop a tissue-bone model for a cruciate ligament using the geometry of the collagen fiber bundles and their mechanical properties. The approach will attempt to map the non-uniform strain fields found in the ligaments of the human knee. The results also will provide information important to researchers interested in fiber-reinforced composite materials.
