Sutures and shoelaces

POLY 26

Paul Calvert, pcalvert@umassd.edu, Department of Materials and Textiles, UMass Dartmouth, N Dartmouth, MA 02747
A suture must pull together two soft flaps and provide a compressive force combined with enough elasticity to allow for oscillations and movement without the joint opening. It must also hold a knot. These are requirements that are best served by a twisted multifilament structure rather than a monofilament. Shoelaces and sutures diverge in the need for sutures to remain sterile and, often, to be biodegradable. This talk will compare the composition, structure and properties of the systems used for important tying functions such as these.
 

Polymer Science of Everyday Things
8:25 AM-12:00 PM, Sunday, August 19, 2007 Westin Boston Waterfront -- Otis, Oral

Division of Polymer Chemistry

The 234th ACS National Meeting, Boston, MA, August 19-23, 2007