Analytical Modeling and Evaluation of Microneedles Apparatus with Deformable Soft Tissues for Biomedical Applications

Abstract

This paper presents an analytical modeling of microneedle insertion force to evaluate different microneedle geometric designs. To analyze the microneedle insertion force, monotonous and heterogeneous tetrahedral models of soft tissue were developed. This paper introduces a two- stage analytical modeling technique by considering different geometric design parameters. The method divides microneedle insertion process into pre- puncture and post- puncture stages, and employs the concept of finite element analysis, fracture mechanics and distributed load. Different microneedle designs can be evaluated based on the geometric design parameters. Experiments were conducted with both the linear elastic and the nonlinear finite element models. The microneedle geometry that provides better tissue penetration and operation stability is selected and used for biomedical applications. The presented techniques can be used in the design and developemnt of microneedles for biomedical applications.

Keywords:

• biomedical device design
• soft tissue modeling
• geometry analysis