1 Bubble-test method for synthetic and bovine vascular material * A.J. Slifka, E.S. Drexler, and J.E. Wright NIST, Materials Reliability Division Boulder, CO 80305 and R. Shandas University of Colorado Department of Mechanical Engineering Boulder, CO 80305 Abstract A measurement system has been designed and constructed at NIST for the study of the mechanical properties of synthetic and bovine vascular materials. The measurement technique was validated on latex, where good agreement was found with the Neo-Hookean model. Measurements were also made on expanded polytetrafluoroethylene, which is commonly used for vascular grafts. The measurements of this material were carried out over a pressure range greater than would be seen in vivo. However, the strains were still small enough to effectively apply the Neo-Hookean model to these data. Author Keywords Bubble test, e-PTFE, mechanical properties, vascular graft Introduction Methods for measuring the mechanical properties of arteries can be found in reviews [Dobrin 1978, Humphrey 1995] that cover configurations including uniaxial tensile tests, internally pressurized cylinders, biaxial tests, such as cyclic inflation tests and the bubble test, * Contribution of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, not subject to copyright in the U.S.