Professor Saltzman introduces the material properties of elasticity and viscosity. He describes two separate experimental setups to measure the elasticity and the viscosity of a material. Material elasticity can be defined in terms of stress-strain property, and defines the Young's modulus (E), which is the slope of the stress-strain curve. Fluid viscosity, on the other hand, is described by shear stress. When modeling any material, the spring can be used to represent an ideal elastic material and the dashpot an ideal viscoelastic material. All biomaterials contain some combination of these properties and can be described by physical models that consist of both spring and dashpot.
The course covers basic concepts of biomedical engineering and their connection with the spectrum of human activity. It serves as an introduction to the fundamental science and engineering on which biomedical engineering is based. Case studies of drugs and medical products illustrate the product development-product testing cycle, patent protection, and FDA approval. It is designed for science and non-science majors.
Lecture Transcript and Reading Assignment
