Cartilage fissures, surface fibrillation, and delamination represent early signs of hip osteoarthritis (OA). This damage may be caused by elevated first principal (most tensile) strain and maximum shear stress. The objectives of this study were to use a population of validated finite element (FE) models of normal human hips to evaluate the required mesh for converged predictions of cartilage tensile strain and shear stress, to assess the sensitivity to cartilage constitutive assumptions, and to determine the patterns of transchondral stress and strain that occur during activities of daily living. Five specimen-specific FE models were evaluated using three constitutive models for articular cartilage: quasilinear neo-Hookean, nonlinear Veronda Westmann, and tension-compression nonlinear ellipsoidal fiber distribution (EFD). Transchondral predictions of maximum shear stress and first principal strain were determined. Mesh convergence analysis demonstrated that five trilinear elements were adequate through the depth of the cartilage for precise predictions. The EFD model had the stiffest response with increasing strains, predicting the largest peak stresses and smallest peak strains. Conversely, the neo-Hookean model predicted the smallest peak stresses and largest peak strains. Models with neo-Hookean cartilage predicted smaller transchondral gradients of maximum shear stress than those with Veronda Westmann and EFD models. For FE models with EFD cartilage, the anterolateral region of the acetabulum had larger peak maximum shear stress and first principal strain than all other anatomical regions, consistent with observations of cartilage damage in disease. Results demonstrate that tension-compression nonlinearity of a continuous fiber distribution exhibiting strain induced anisotropy incorporates important features that have large effects on predictions of transchondral stress and strain. This population of normal hips provides baseline data for future comparisons to pathomorphologic hips. This approach can be used to evaluate these and other mechanical variables in the human hip and their potential role in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis (OA).
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February 2014
Research-Article
Finite Element Prediction of Transchondral Stress and Strain in the Human Hip
Corinne R. Henak,
Corinne R. Henak
Department of Bioengineering, and
Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute,
Salt Lake City,
Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute,
University of Utah
,Salt Lake City,
UT 84112
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Gerard A. Ateshian,
Gerard A. Ateshian
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
New York,
Columbia University
,New York,
NY 10027
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Jeffrey A. Weiss
Jeffrey A. Weiss
1
Department of Bioengineering, and
Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute, and
Department of Orthopedics,
Salt Lake City,
e-mail: jeff.weiss@utah.edu
Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute, and
Department of Orthopedics,
University of Utah
,Salt Lake City,
UT 84112
e-mail: jeff.weiss@utah.edu
1Corresponding author.
Search for other works by this author on:
Corinne R. Henak
Department of Bioengineering, and
Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute,
Salt Lake City,
Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute,
University of Utah
,Salt Lake City,
UT 84112
Gerard A. Ateshian
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
New York,
Columbia University
,New York,
NY 10027
Jeffrey A. Weiss
Department of Bioengineering, and
Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute, and
Department of Orthopedics,
Salt Lake City,
e-mail: jeff.weiss@utah.edu
Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute, and
Department of Orthopedics,
University of Utah
,Salt Lake City,
UT 84112
e-mail: jeff.weiss@utah.edu
1Corresponding author.
Contributed by the Bioengineering Division of ASME for publication in the Journal of Biomechanical Engineering. Manuscript received July 19, 2013; final manuscript received October 27, 2013; accepted manuscript posted November 27, 2013; published online February 5, 2014. Editor: Beth Winkelstein.
J Biomech Eng. Feb 2014, 136(2): 021021 (11 pages)
Published Online: February 5, 2014
Article history
Received:
July 19, 2013
Revision Received:
October 27, 2013
Accepted:
November 27, 2013
Citation
Henak, C. R., Ateshian, G. A., and Weiss, J. A. (February 5, 2014). "Finite Element Prediction of Transchondral Stress and Strain in the Human Hip." ASME. J Biomech Eng. February 2014; 136(2): 021021. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4026101
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