Development of an experimental apparatus to determine impact response of articular cartilage

Abstract

The articulations are subject to static and dynamic loads during daily living. Small impact forces can cause damage on articular surfaces as a result of repetitive impact stress. This paper describes a project for a drop tower to allow dynamic impact test in cartilage tissue aiming to understand the mechanics of the cartilage response to impact and seeking to obtain dynamic properties of cartilage, that are relevant for the description of contact-impact events. An instrumented drop tower was designed to enable controlled impact loads to be applied to small samples of biological materials. Different masses and weights can be applied to simulate different situations of impact severity. Quantitative information such as Young’s modulus, coefficient of restitution, damping parameters and absorbed energy can be used in models for numerical and/or analytical calculations in contact-impact events.