Simulation of contact interaction of a gripping tool with a biological tissue
Gripping tools used for the temporary compression of biological tissues. To estimate the values of the contact stresses in biological tissue, and to optimize the applied force, in this paper, we solved the contact problem of interaction of a gripping device with biological tissue. We considered a discrete contact with biological tissue. We studied the contact interaction of the gripping tool with the contact surfaces of several projections of elongated shape, with biological tissue, for describing the mechanical properties using a model of linearly elastic material. We developed a model for the study of the distribution of forces between the projections of the medical tool used to grip soft biological tissues. The model also allows analyzing the dependence of the force applied to the tool from its introduction at different locations of the projections. Based on the conducted analysis we found that the force on the projections is irregularly distributed, and the extent of the variation depends on the distance between the projections. In addition, there may be situations when the force on some of the projections will tend to zero values. We established that the difference between the forces on the projections increases with a decrease in the ratio of the length of the projections to their width. The proposed algorithm calculates the height distribution of the projections, which ensures uniform loading. The used form of a narrow rectangular stamp of a projection is a simplified model but it allows based on obtained analytical dependencies make recommendations relative to the location of the projections and their geometric dimensions to ensure equal loading and reduce the total applied force to provide the desired value of the introduction (capture the tissue).