Inverse finite element characterization of nonlinear hyperelastic membranes

It is advantageous in mechanics to identify experiments that correspond to tractable boundary value problems—this facilitates data reduction and interpretation. Increasingly more situations are arising, however, wherein experimentalists cannot dictate the geometry or applied loads" during testing. Inverse finite element methods are, therefore, becoming essential tools for calculating material parameters. In this paper, we present numerical and experimental results that show that one such inverse finite element method is very useful in characterizing the mechanical behavior of neo- Hookean (rubber) membranes subjected to axisymmetric and nonaxisymmetric finite inflations.