Articular cartilage is a biphasic material composed of a solid matrix phase ( ~ 20 percent of the total tissue mass by weight) and an interstitial fluid phase (~ 80 percent). The intrinsic mechanical properties of each phase as well as the mechanical interaction between these two phases afford the tissue its interesting rheological behavior. In this investigation, the solid matrix was assumed to be intrinsically incompressible, linearly elastic and nondissipative while the interstitial fluid was assumed to be intrinsically incompressible and nondissipative. Further, it was assumed that the only dissipation comes from the frictional drag of relative motion between the phases. However, more general constitutive equations, including a viscoelastic dissipation of the solid matrix as well as a viscous dissipation of interstitial fluid were also developed. A constant "average" permeability of the tissue was assumed, i.e., independent of deformation, and a solid content function VJVj (the ratio of the volume of each of the phases) was assumed to vary with depth in accordance with the experimentally determined weight ratios. This linear, nonhomogeneous theory was applied to describe the experimentally obtained biphasic creep and biphasic stress relaxation data via a nonlinear regression technique. The determined intrinsic "aggregate" elastic modulus, from ten creep experiments, is 0.70 ± 0.09 MN/m 2 and, from six stress relaxation experiments, is 0.76 ± 0.03 MN/m 2 . The "average" permeability of the tissue is (0.76 ± 0.42) x 10~M m 4 /N's. We concluded that the large spread in the permeability coefficients is due to the assumption of a constant deformation independent permeability. We also concluded that 1) a nonlinearly permeable biphasic model, where the permeability function is given by an experimentally determined empirical law: k = A(p) exp [a(p)e], can be used to describe more accurately the rheological properties of articular cartilage, and 2) the frictional drag of relative motion is the most important factor governing the fluid/solid viscoelastic properties of the tissue in compression.

Swelling of articular cartilage depends on its fixed charge density and distribution, the stiffness of its collagen-proteoglycan matrix, and the ion concentrations in the interstitium. A theory for a tertiary mixture has been developed, including the two fluid-solid phases (biphasic), and an ion phase, representing cation and anion of a single salt, to describe the deformation and stress fields for cartilage under chemical and/or mechanical loads. This triphasic theory combines the physico-chemical theory for ionic and polyionic (proteoglycan) solutions with the biphasic theory for cartilage. The present model assumes the fixed charge groups to remain unchanged, and that the counter-ions are the cations of a single-salt of the bathing solution. The momentum equation for the neutral salt and for the intersitial water are expressed in terms of their chemical potentials whose gradients are the driving forces for their movements. These chemical potentials depend on fluid pressure p, salt concentration c, solid matrix dilatation e and fixed charge density cF. For a uni-uni valent salt such as NaCl, they are given by mu i = mu io + (RT/Mi)ln[gamma 2 +/- c(c + cF)] and mu w = mu wo + [p-RT phi (2c + cF) + Bwe]/pwT, where R, T, Mi, gamma +/-, phi, pwT and Bw are universal gas constant, absolute temperature, molecular weight, mean activity coefficient of salt, osmotic coefficient, true density of water, and a coupling material coefficient, respectively. For infinitesimal strains and material isotropy, the stress-strain relationship for the total mixture stress is sigma = - pI-TcI + lambda s(trE)I + 2 musE, where E is the strain tensor and (lambda s, mu s) are the Lamé constants of the elastic solid matrix. The chemical-expansion stress (-Tc) derives from the charge-to-charge repulsive forces within the solid matrix. This theory can be applied to both equilibrium and non-equilibrium problems. For equilibrium free swelling problems, the theory yields the well known Donnan equilibrium ion distribution and osmotic pressure equations, along with an analytical expression for the "pre-stress" in the solid matrix. For the confined-compression swelling problem, it predicts that the applied compressive stress is shared by three load support mechanisms: 1) the Donnan osmotic pressure; 2) the chemical-expansion stress; and 3) the solid matrix elastic stress. Numerical calculations have been made, based on a set of equilibrium free-swelling and confined-compression data, to assess the relative contribution of each mechanism to load support. Our results show that all three mechanisms are important in determining the overall compressive stiffness of cartilage.

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Analytical solutions have been obtained for the internal deformation and fluid-flow fields and the externally observable creep, stress relaxation, and constant strain-rate behaviors which occur during the unconfined compression of a cylindrical specimen of a fluid-filled, porous, elastic solid, such as articular cartilage, between smooth, impermeable plates. Instantaneously, the "biphasic" continuum deforms without change in volume and behaves like an incompressible elastic solid of the same shear modulus. Radial fluid flow then allows the internal fluid pressure to equilibrate with the external environment. The equilibrium response is controlled by the Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio of the solid matrix.

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Using the biphasic theory for hydrated soft tissues (Mow et al., 1980) and a transversely isotropic elastic model for the solid matrix, an analytical solution is presented for the unconfined compression of cylindrical disks of growth plate tissues compressed between two rigid platens with a frictionless interface. The axisymmetric case where the plane of transverse isotropy is perpendicular to the cylindrical axis is studied, and the stress-relaxation response to imposed step and ramp displacements is solved. This solution is then used to analyze experimental data from unconfined compression stress-relaxation tests performed on specimens from bovine distal ulnar growth plate and chondroepiphysis to determine the biphasic material parameters. The transversely isotropic biphasic model provides an excellent agreement between theory and experimental results, better than was previously achieved with an isotropic model, and can explain the observed experimental behavior in unconfined compression of these tissues.