An experimental study of the mechanical behavior of frozen arteries at low temperatures.

An experimental study of the mechanical response of frozen arteries to tensile stresses at low temperatures is presented. The Dynamic Mechanical Analyzer was used to perform the mechanical experiments. It was found that the frozen artery shows a kind of elastic-plasticity when the temperature is between -20 C and -40 C. And with the decrease of the temperature, the plasticity deformation decreases. Thus at the temperature of -120 C no plasticity deformation is observed before the artery's fracture and the tissue shows quite perfect elastic brittleness, both peripherally and axially. These kinds of mechanical characteristics help explain the fracture phenomena occurring during cryopreservation of the arteries. The mechanical properties, including elastic modulus and fracture strength, are also given. It is known that Cryoprotectant (CPA) used in cryopreservation is necessary in maintaining the tissue's biological functions. Our investigation of its effect on the artery's mechanical properties found that the existence of CPA can soften the tissue at low temperatures, thus may decrease the possibility of fractures during the cryopreservation.