Reconstructive surgery of the human skin frequently requires angles to be opened or closed. The magnitude of such angular deformation that can be achieved without buckling is highly variable. Pre-operative knowledge of the maximum possible angular deformation would assist design. In vitro tests were carried out to investigate the possibility of a relationship between the in plane uniaxial compressive strain to cause buckling and the angular deformation to cause buckling; as in-plane uniaxial compressive strain is non-destructive and therefore possible pre-operatively. Relationships between the uniaxial and angular deformations to initiate buckling are proposed.
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