Development of a multi-physics modelling framework to characterise the interactions of skin and wet shaving products

Abstract

This PhD project comprised the development of a state-of-the-art multi-physic modelling framework for the characterisation of wet shaving interactions in a coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian finite element environment. The experimental characterisation of shave prep fluids required the development of sound methodologies to capture the viscous and adhesive properties of the shave prep fluids. The process required step by step modelling approach for the verification of the fluid viscous response and the analysis of the contact interactions and its implications in the behavioural response and simulation run-time performance. The final product resulted in a modular finite element framework, for its application in the analysis of wet-shaving lubrication phenomena, for the assessment of new products designs.

Going beyond the original purposes of the project, an state-of-the-art anatomical skin model was developed with the use of image-based modelling techniques, capturing the skin microstructure with high geometrical fidelity. This model was applied for the investigation of the role of the skin microstructure on the macroscopic response to deformation and contact interactions, revealing a complex non-linear interplay between the geometry and mechanical characteristics of the skin layers. In extension/compression, the skin topography reassembles a ‘hinge-like’ mechanism for dissipation of strains in the epidermis, where highest levels of strains were observed at the skin furrows, and lowest at the crests. In contact interactions simulations, the topographic features of the skin appear to dominate the global friction response. The study revealed that the stratum corneum plays a crucial role in the peripheral deformation and propagation of stress, further away from the area of contact. The high concentration of shear stresses derived from the multi-asperity contact summed to the high concentration of strains in the skin furrows, highlighted the importance of the skin microstructure on the mechano-biological implications of shear stress and strain distribution within the skin layers.

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