Take-home Tensile Testing System for Biomechanics Education

Characterizing the load–deformation relationships in both engineering materials and biologic tissues is a key component of undergraduate biomechanics and mechanobiology courses. These relationships are essential to determining the suitability of a given material for biomedical applications, such as identifying the root causes of implant failure and injury and quantifying the effects of mechanical cellular mechanotransduction. Typically, material characterization is done by using industry standard and research-grade material testing systems, which can cost tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars and require large amounts of dedicated laboratory space. This article presents a new design for a low-cost and portable alternative to these commercial systems, consisting of off-the-shelf and 3-dimensional printed components for teaching purposes. Student groups assemble their own devices and conduct material characterization experiments for both elastic and viscoelastic materials on their own time, outside of traditional laboratory settings. The “take-home” labs were pilot tested over a single semester, and preliminary results showed increased understanding of elastic and viscoelastic theory compared with lecture alone. These results suggest that the take-home tensile testing systems may be an effective means of providing a hands-on educational experience in courses in which traditional lab activities are not otherwise possible.