Title: Continuum biomechanics - pantha psiloni

Abstract: In contrast to classical engineering materials, living tissues show the fascinating ability to adapt not only their local density but also their internal microstructure to changes in their mechanical environment. Although this functional adaptation of biological tissues has been known for more than a century, it was only within the past two decades that continuum biomechanics has attracted a considerably growing attention.

This seminar focuses on the historical development of continuum biomechanics and discusses its fundamental differences from classical, traditional continuum mechanics. Computational simulations of functional adaptation, self healing, microstructural alignment and self organization illustrate the clinical potential of state of the art continuum biomechanics simulations in the context of growth and remodeling of hard and soft tissues.