THE FRICTIONAL COEFFICIENT OF BOVINE ARTICULAR CARTILAGE CORRELATES WITH INTERSTITIAL FLUID LOAD SUPPORT IN CREEP

摘要

Articular cartilage functions as the bearing material in joints and provides low friction and wear over a lifetime. The cartilage lubrication mechanism has not yet been fully characterized though several theories have been proposed. In previous studies it was hypothesized that interstitial fluid load support contributes significantly to the reduction of the frictional coefficient due to load transfer from the solid to the fluid phase of the tissue. This study provides experimental verification for a theoretical model based on this hypothesis. The specific aim of this study is to experimentally investigate the correlation between the frictional response of bovine articular cartilage, and its interstitial fluid load support during sliding against glass under a constant load.