Journal of Biomechanics
Volume 38, Issue 1 , January 2005, Page 193Authors' response On the elastic properties of arteries
C. G. Stephanis a, D. E. Mourmouras a and D. G. Tsagadopoulos b
a Department of Physics, National Technical University of Athens, Zografou Campus, 15780, Athens, Greece
b Cardiac department, Athens Chest Hospital "Sotiria", Greece
Abstract
In relation to our article "On the Elastic Properties of Arteries, 2003, Vol. 36, pp. 1727-1731, Dr. Shyh-Jen Wang comments that E (Young Modulus) is independent of the geometrical dimensions of the material. This is correct and this is exactly what we say as well in our article: "the Young coefficient is a very useful measure, dependent only on the structural material... not at all on the geometry". Since our next sentence limits the above general principle to thin-walled pipes it seems to be contradictory, as correctly Dr. Wang points out. From the first lines of our article, we are making the assumption that we are referring to thin-walled pipes. The experimental value of E is derived from the relation dPr/h=Edr/r (1) that, mentioned or not by some researchers, is, in turn, derived from the assumption of thin-walled pipes. This assumption is the prerequisite for the equation expressing the equality between the tangential stress and the radial stress T=pr/h (2), from which (1) was derived.
