Numerical Evaluation of Mechanical Stimulation on Skin due to Surface Texture of Contactant

Abstract

A texture that has a microstructure with arrangements of cyclic micrometric projections generates various effects on human skin owing to mutual contact. The mechanical effects, such as stimulus of the skin, owing to contact with such microstructures are complicated because of the skin structure itself. The evaluation of the effects is necessary for control and design of the microstructure. Since experimental measurements are relatively difficult, numerical analyses are effective for detailing and objectively evaluating the mechanical effects on human skin. For this reason, numerical analyses of the effects of surface textures on skin were performed in this study. In particular, differences caused by cyclic variations of the texture were ascertained for the evaluation. Pressure, von Mises stress, etc., of the skin sensory organs were ascertained by performing numerical modeling of the situations where the texture touches the skin. The results of the analyses showed several characteristic effects such as negative pressure at the boundary of the horny layer and epidermis. The negative pressure was increased according to the increase of texture cycle. The von Mises stress at shallow positions changed characteristically, whereas von Mises stress at deep positions decreased monotonously with an increase of texture cycle. The von Mises stress at a shallow position of the dermis had a local minimum value for a particular texture cycle without monotonous increasing or decreasing.