Modelling and Mechanical Characterization of Thin Fibers of Contractile Polymer Hydrogels

The purpose of this work is to propose a methodology for characterizing the dynamic mechanical properties of thin fibers of hydrogel. Analytical solutions of mo tion equations of charged gels, based on a continuum model, whose internal consistency is demonstrated, are compared with experimental results in two paradigms: free-swelling and stress-relaxation. In addition we present a new method to estimate the gel shear and bulk moduli and its hydraulic permeability.