Measuring principles of frictional coefficients in cartilaginous tissues and its substitutes

Abstract

The frictional properties of cartilaginous tissues, such as the hydraulic permeability, the electro‐osmotic permeability, the diffusion coefficients of various ions and solutes, and the electrical conductance, are vital data to characterise the extracellular environment in which chondrocytes reside. This paper analyses one‐dimensional measurement principles of these coefficients. Particular attention is given to the deformation dependence of them and the highly deformable nature of the tissues. A suggested strategy is the combination of a diffusion experiment using radiotracer methods, an electro‐osmotic flow experiment and an electro‐osmotic pressure experiment at low electric current.