The influence of fibril organization on the mechanical behaviour of articular cartilage

Abstract

The paper presents a three-dimensional microstructural model that was developed to study both equilibrium and time-dependent mechanical behaviour of articular cartilage. The model is based on consolidation theory and makes use of the structure and the mechanical properties of tissue components. Fibrils provide tensile stiffness in this model, whose geometric orientation is described by distribution functions that can be changed freely, making the model applicable to any particular fibril configuration. The model is capable of quantitatively predicting equilibrium properties of the different tests using a single set of model parameters, and explains the anomaly that small compressive modulus and small Poisson's ratio are observed in unconfined compression while tension is governed by large tensile modulus and large Poisson's ratio.