Mechanical properties of articular cartilage.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the functions, mechanics, and mechanical properties of articular cartilage. Articular cartilage is the resilient tissue normally between 1 and 5 mm thick in humans that covers the articulating extremities of the bones at synovial joints. The main functions of cartilage are to protect the subchondral bone from mechanical damage, to prevent abrasive wear between the bone extremities, and to provide low-friction bearing surfaces. Therefore, the mechanics of load transmission and the mechanical properties of cartilage influence its ability to perform these functions properly. The forces transmitted across synovial joints are sufficiently large to justify the suggestion that an important function of cartilage is to protect the bone from mechanical damage. Reflection reveals that the bone could suffer damage in at least three ways, namely, from excessively large stresses, from excessively large energy inputs, and from abrasive wear.

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