Engineering Mechanics

Proceedings Vol. 8 (2002)

INŽENÝRSKÁ MECHANIKA 2002

ENGINEERING MECHANICS 2002

Copyright © 2002 Institute of Mechanics of Solids, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Bruno University of Technology, Brno

 

Miroslav Hlaváček
pages 69 - +9p., full text

The synovial film filtration by articular cartilage in the human ankle joint loaded by a cyclical loading (similar to that in walking) is analyzed. The cartilage matrix is elastic, transversely isotropic and the elastic moduli in compression and tension are depth-dependent. The effect of sliding is not considered and the articular surfaces are assumed congruent. This simplification leads to a one-dimensional (time-dependent) problem. The calculation shows that, within each step, the synovial fluid turns into a thin protecting gel layer that is diluted back again into the fluid. For the normal values of the matrix permeability and of the elastic moduli, the gelfilm thickness slowly diminishes with time, after 120 steps being still about one tenth of micrometer thick. The increase of permeability by one order, as with the arthritic joint, however, depletes the protecting gel film after several steps and the surfaces get into the contact.

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