Journal
MATERIALS & DESIGN
Volume 183, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
ELSEVIER SCI LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.matdes.2019.108177
Keywords
Finite element analysis; Sports bra design; Breasts; Contact problem; Interface pressure
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Funding
- RGC General Research Fund titled Optimization of the Comfort of Compression Sports Bras [PolyU 152510/16E]
- Hong Kong Polytechnic University [RH09]
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Compression sports bras are designed to protect the breasts by compressing them against the chest wall during physical activities. However, scientific analyses of the mechanical interactions between the body and sports bras have been largely absent. Therefore, the aim of this study is to simulate the static and dynamic contact conditions and dynamic displacements by using a finite element (FE) analysis. The FE model of the body is constructed with a rigid torso, hyperelastic breasts, and subcutaneous tissues. Scanning is carried out to obtain a geometric model of the body. The material coefficients of the breasts are determined by examining the differences between the FE-modelled results and experimental data. The FE contact model of a female body and sports bra is used to calculate the static and dynamic contact pressure, dynamic displacement of the breasts, and natural frequencies of the breasts with and without donning a sports bra. The calculated root mean square errors are less than 1%, which shows a good agreement between the FE results and experimental data. The FE contact model in this study provides a better understanding of the interaction between sports bras and the body and theoretical support for compression sports bra designs. (C) 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
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