ABSTRACT
Applications of digital image correlation (DIC) to explore the multiscale mechanical properties of biological and biological-like tissues are presented. A highlight of DIC principles and DIC’s mathematical framework is reviewed. Different methods of sample decoration to generate high-contrast speckle patterns for both soft and hard tissue are discussed. The relation between different length scales of DIC techniques is presented for highly localized deformation eld, especially near bounding surfaces and interfaces. Careful consideration is required for the imaging magnication and the scale of the measured phenomena, the scale of the decorating speckles, and the correlation window size to yield high-delity deformation eld. Two examples of DIC applications to hard and soft biological materials are presented to elucidate the DIC technique potential. The evolution of localized inhomogeneous deformation in hard tissues of porous trabecular bonelike materials is summarized. The extension of the technique to measure the three-dimensional interaction forces and deformation in soft tissue representing cell interaction with their extracellular environment are also summarized. The continued development of DIC and its extension to 3D volume measurements will provide viable tools to probe the interactions between biochemical and mechanical signaling in various cellular processes.
