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IMECE2011
November 11-17, 2011, Denver, Colorado, USA
IMECE2011-64387
A. Vidal-Lesso E. Ledesma-Orozco
Department of Mechanical Engineering, DICIS- Department of Mechanical Engineering, DICIS-
Universidad de Guanajuato/Instituto Tecnologico Universidad de Guanajuato
de Celaya Salamanca, Guanajuato, Mexico
Salamanca/Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico
R. Lesso-Arroyo L. Daza-Benitez
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Instituto Specialty Medical Unit-IMSS
Tecnologico de Celaya Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico
Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico
ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION
Biomechanical properties and dynamic response of soft Joint diseases have become a factor of disability in the
tissues as articular cartilage remains issues for attention. society, thus the study of mechanical behavior of articular
Currently, linear isotropic models are still used for cartilage cartilage is necessary to the biomechanical analysis of such
analysis in spite of its viscoelastic nature. diseases. The indentation is a widely used experimental
Therefore, the aim of this study was to propose a nonlinear technique for materials characterization and several analytical
viscoelastic model for cartilage indentation that combines the models and some others using the finite element method have
geometrical parameters and velocity of the indentation test with been reported to reproduce the behavior of materials such as
the thickness of the sample as well as the mechanical properties articular cartilage which shows a viscoelastic behavior which
of the tissue changing over time due to its viscoelastic behavior. depends on time and has been considered in several models.
Parameters of the indentation test and mechanical properties as Initially, various analytical models considered a single phase [1-
a function of time were performed in Laplace space where the 4] and later two-phases models were developed [5-8]. Both
constitutive equation for viscoelasticity and the convolution models consider linear and nonlinear behavior as well as some
theorem was applied in addition with the Maxwell model and models considers a viscohyperelastic [7, 8, 9] or
Hayes et al. model for instantaneous elastic modulus. poroviscoelastic [10, 11] and poroelastic behavior [12].
Results of the models were compared with experimental Some indentation models have been reported with
data of indentation tests on osteoarthritic cartilage of a application to the characterization of viscoelastic materials such
unicompartmental osteoarthritis cases. The models showed a as plastics and other materials [13, 14]. The viscoelastic effect
strong fit for the axial indentation nonlinear force in the loading involves time dependence of the constitutive relations and it
curve (R2=0.992) and a good fit for unloading (R2=0.987), was considered in previous models for cartilage as well as in the
while an acceptable fit was observed in the relaxation curve present work.
(R2=0.967). Moreover, the indentation velocity is a factor that impacts
These models may be used to study the mechanical the mechanical response of viscoelastic materials; this behavior
response of osteoarthritic cartilage to several dynamical and has been shown in several studies [10, 13, 14] and in the models
geometrical test conditions. presented here.
It is important to note that the models reported in other
studies have been developed and validated in the context of
small deformations, however, in the present work the
deformations applied in the experimental test are about 50%,
Indenter
2a
h Fig. 2: Experimental indentation force values versus time in
Cartilage loading-relaxation-unloading cycle in the specimens of knees
with unicompartmental osteoarthritis.
Bone
Analytical considerations
The Hayes et al. model [18] provides an estimate of the
Fig. 1: Schematic indentation test. instantaneous elastic modulus using three parameters of the
indentation test: the indentation force, the indenter diameter and
The test was done on the complete compartment without the depth of penetration; also it takes the thickness of tissue
doing any cut to avoid mechanical effects in the indentation through the scaling factor proposed by Hayes et al. [18]. Then,
area. Thus, a central point on the surface of each complete in the context of the Hayes et al. model the applied force or
compartment was selected for cartilage test. This point indentation force can be represented by considering the changes
corresponds to predominant areas of load and wear in tibio- in parameters over time (see Eq. 1).
femoral contact.
The test conditions were a displacement of 0.5 mm was 2a
applied to cartilage in axial direction with a 3 mm diameter P= (t) E(t) (1)
1 2
indenter attached to a 500 N load cell of a materials testing
machine (CHATILLON TCD200). The applied constant strain where P= applied load
rate was 0.21 mm/s to achieve 0.5 mm, followed by cartilage E= elastic modulus
relaxation during 1.5s at the same displacement and finally = depth of indenter penetration
unloading (Fig. 2). This strain rate corresponds to a loading = Poisson ratio
frequency of 0.1 Hz which reproduces the phenomenon created
a= radius of the indenter
by the real physiological frequencies in a human body [19-22]. = scaling factor of Hayes et al. [18]
Complete cartilage specimens with subchondral bone were
2a
P J(s) = W(s) (2) E
1 2
d d s d d 1 d
If the roles of stress and strain are interchanged and the = + = + (9)
above arguments repeated, a complementary and useful relation dt dt dt E dt
may be obtained (Eq. 4).
This differential equation can be rewritten in term of the
t d ( ) relaxation time r = E as
(t) J(t )
= d (4)
0 d
d d
E= + (10)
Such integral equations may be manipulated with the dt dt r
Laplace transform. Specifically, Laplace transformation of a
linear integral equation or a linear differential equation converts If we consider a step strain, the relaxation response of the
it into an algebraic equation. Thus, applying the derivative elastic modulus is found to be
theorem and convolution theorem for the Laplace transform to
convert the Eqs. 3 and 4 respectively to t
r
E(t) = E o e (11)
(s)
= sE(s) (5)
(s) where E o = initial elastic modulus
P(1 2 ) 1
= W(s)E(s) (8) In addition, in the case of the second cycle curve, which
2a s 2
corresponds to the relaxation curve where the applied strain is
constant, Eq. 13 is not valid because it considers the variation
Applying the inverse Laplace transform to the above
of displacement and strain over time so it must be modified to
equation, we can get this equation in the time domain, however,
this case. Thus, considering the application of a constant
the variation in the depth of penetration and the elastic modulus
over time are required.
RESULTS
The two models show a good fit to the experimental data of
each specimen with mean values of correlation to the loading
curve of 0.996, 0.983 in relaxation and 0.993 unloading. The
correlation values obtained for all specimens in the loading-
relaxation-unloading curve are shown in Table 2.