Researching fracture mechanics
Associate professor Dr. Heidi Feigenbaum recently received a grant from NSF to research her project titled “BRITE Pivot: Using Fracture Mechanics to Study Childbirth after an Episiotomy.” Dr. Feigenbaum’s project aims to improve understanding of how and when episiotomies—surgical incisions made during childbirth—may lead to further tearing of the perineum.
The study applies fracture mechanics to model stress at the tip of the episiotomy under various conditions, such as incision length, fetal head size, and tissue properties. The project includes:
- Material modeling of pelvic floor tissues using rat models.
- Experimental characterization of tissue behavior and fracture toughness.
- Finite element simulations to predict stress and energy release during childbirth.
- Clinical relevance, aiming to inform medical decisions about when and how to perform episiotomies to reduce complications.
This work also includes educational goals such as reintroducing a fracture mechanics course, engaging underrepresented groups in engineering, and training students in biomechanics and computational modeling. The findings are intended to improve maternal healthcare and advance fracture mechanics theory by applying it in a new biological context.
The project launched in August 2024 and updates or findings on the project will be reported at a future date as they are available.
- Heidi Feigenbaum