A fibril-scale visco-hyperelastic model for the mechanics of vocal-fold tissues

The relevance of the model is demonstrated and discussed through comparison with a comprehensive set of reference experimental data, within a wide range of loading modes, strains, and strain rates: cyclic and multi-axial loadings at finite strains (tension, compression and shear), along with small-amplitude oscillatory shear (SAOS) and large-amplitude oscillatory shear (LAOS) from low to high frequencies. This study elucidates how the viscoelasticity of vocal-fold tissues can result from combined time-dependent micro-mechanisms, such as the kinematics and the deformation of their fibril bundles, along with the mechanical interactions likely to develop among fibrils and the surrounding amorphous matrix.