Mechanical testing of materials is essential for determining their mechanical properties, such as elasticity, plasticity, and viscoelastic behavior. These properties are crucial for verifying whether a material meets specific processing and production requirements.
Regarding mechanical testing, devices that assess mechanical responses under tension, compression, and shear conditions are currently available. However, they are not suitable for the actual characterization of multi-axial behavior. This is particularly relevant for studying biological tissues, because samples are frequently small in size and therefore difficult to prepare.
The present invention aims to provide an apparatus for performing multi-axial bending tests, preferably bi-axial, on elastomeric materials and soft biological tissues. The device can be 3D printed, allowing for variations in size to accommodate different materials being tested.
Furthermore, the invention enables the study of the mechanical response of different materials by mimicking real-world loading conditions, providing a representative analysis of their behavior.