Crack propagation in articular cartilage under cyclic loading using cohesive finite element modeling. (July 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Orozco, Gustavo A.; Tanska, Petri; Gustafsson, Anna; Korhonen, Rami K.; Isaksson, Hanna
• Is Part Of: Journal of the mechanical behavior of biomedical materials. Volume 131(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-07
• Subjects: Cohesive zone model -- Fracture energy -- Articular cartilage -- Cyclic loading -- Damage progression; PTOA Post-traumatic osteoarthritis; Biomedical materials -- Periodicals; Biomedical materials -- Mechanical properties -- Periodicals; Biomedical materials; Biomedical materials -- Mechanical properties; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 610.28
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2022.105227
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1751-6161

Abstract

Abstract: Severe joint injuries often involve cartilage defects that propagate after mechanical loading. The propagation of these lesions may contribute to the development of post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA). However, the mechanisms behind their propagation remain unknown. Currently, no numerical predictive methods exist for estimating crack propagation in cartilage under cyclic loading, yet they would provide essential insights into crack growth in injured tissue after trauma. Here, we present a numerical approach to estimate crack propagation in articular cartilage under cyclic loading using a cohesive damage model. Four different material models for cartilage (hyperelastic, poro-hyperelastic, poro-hyper-viscoelastic, and fibril-reinforced poro-hyperelastic (FRPHE) with different collagen orientations) were implemented. Our numerical cohesive damage model was able to replicate the experimental crack length reported in the literature, showing greater crack length with an increasing number of loading cycles. Damage initiation stress (4.35–4.73 MPa) and fracture energy (0.97–1.55 N/mm) values obtained for the poro-hyperelastic, poro-hyper-viscoelastic, and parallel-FRPHE models were within the range of what has been reported previously. The crack growth predictions obtained by the FRPHE models showed the influence of anisotropy of the fibrillar matrix on the cartilage response. Our results indicate that our cohesive damage model could potentially be used to estimate the adverse conditions in injured soft tissue such as osteochondral lesions, menisci tears, or partial ligament ruptures under (ab)normal biomechanical scenarios. Graphical abstract: Image 1 Highlights: Numerical crack growth increases with an increase in loading cycles. Damage progression models predicted tear cessation for a higher number of cycles. Cohesive damage modeling could estimate the tear propagation in injured tissue. Damage dissipation energy increased at higher loading cycles.