A mechanism which may contribute to the frictional coefficient of diarthrodial joints is the rolling resistance due to hysteretic energy loss of viscoelastic cartilage resulting from interstitial fluid flow. The hypothesis of this study is that rolling resistance contributes significantly to the measured friction coefficient of articular cartilage. Due to the difficulty of testing this hypothesis experimentally, theoretical predictions of the rolling resistance are obtained using the solution for rolling contact of biphasic cylindrical cartilage layers [Ateshian and Wang (1)]. Over a range of rolling velocities, tissue properties and dimensions, it is found that the coefficient of rolling resistance μR varies in magnitude from 10−6 to 10−2; thus, it is generally negligible in comparison with experimental measurements of the cartilage friction coefficient (10−3-10−1) except, possibly, when the tissue is arthritic. Hence, the hypothesis of this study is rejected on the basis of these results.
AteshianG. A.WangH.A theoretical solution for the frictionless rolling contact of cylindrical biphasic articular cartilage layers. J. Biomechanics, 1995, 28, 1341–1355.
2.
CharnleyJ.The lubrication of animal joints in relation to surgical reconstruction by arthroplasty. Ann. Rheum. Dis., 1960, 19, 10–19.
3.
MalcomL. L.An experimental investigation of the frictional and deformational responses of articular cartilage interfaces to static and dynamic loading. PhD thesis, University of California, San Diego, USA, 1976.
MacConaillM. A.The function of intra-articular fibrocartilages, with special references to the knee and inferior radio-ulnar joints. J. Anat, 1932, 66, 210–227.
6.
DowsonD.Modes of lubrication in human joints. Proc. Instn Mech. Engrs, 1967, 181, 45–54.
7.
RadinE. L.SwannD. A.WeisserP. A.Separation of a hyaluronate-free lubricating fraction from synovial fluid. Nature, 1970, 228, 377–378.
8.
HillsB. A.Oligolamellar lubrication of joints by surface active phospholipid. J. Rheum., 1989, 16, 82–91.
9.
MaroudasA.Hyaluronic acid films. Proc. Instn Mech. Engrs, 1967, 181, 122–124.
10.
WalkerP. S.DowsonD.LongfieldM. D.WrightV.Boosted lubrication in synovial joints by fluid entrapment and enrichment. Ann. Rheum. Dis., 1968, 27, 512–520.
AteshianG. A.A theoretical formulation for boundary friction in articular cartilage. Trans. ASME, J. Biomech. Engng, 1997, 119, 81–86.
13.
ShamesI. H.Engineering Mechanics, 3rd edition, 1980, pp. 283–285 (Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey).
14.
JohnsonK. L.Contact Mechanics, 1985, pp. 302–308 (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge).
15.
MooreD. F.The Friction and Lubrication of Elastomers, 1972, pp. 70–80, 233–251 (Pergamon Press, Oxford).
16.
MowV. C.KueiS. C.LaiW.M.ArmstrongC. G.Biphasic creep and stress relaxation of articular cartilage in compression: Theory and experiments. Trans. ASME, J. Biomech. Engng, 1980, 102, 73–84.
17.
MowV. C.KwanM. K.LaiW. M.HolmesM. H.A finite deformation theory for non-linearly permeable soft hydrated biological tissues. In Frontiers in Biomechanics (Eds Schmid-SchonbeinG. W.WooS. L-Y.ZweifachB.), 1986, pp. 153–179 (Springer-Verlag, New York).
18.
MarkA. F.The apparent viscoelastic behavior of articular cartilage—the contributions from the intrinsic matrix visco-elasticity and interstitial fluid flows. Trans. ASME, J. Biomech. Engng, 1986, 108, 123–130.
19.
SettonL. A.ZhuW.MowV. C.The biphasic poroviscoelastic behaviour of articular cartilage: Role of the surface zone in governing the compressive behaviour. J. Biomechanics, 1993, 26, 581–592.
20.
ZhuW. B.MowV. C.KoobT. J.EyreD. R.Viscoelastic shear properties of articular cartilage and the effects of glycosidase treatment. J. Orthop. Res., 1993, 11, 771–781.
21.
JohnsonG. R.DowsonD.WrightV.The elastic behaviour of articular cartilage under a sinusoidally varying compressive stress. Int. J. Mech. Sci., 1977, 19, 301–308.
22.
HigginsonG. R.SnaithJ. E.The mechanical stiffness of articular cartilage in confined oscillating compression. Proc. Instn Mech. Engrs, Engng in Medicine, 1979, 8, 11–14.
23.
WangL. H.AteshianG. A.The velocity and compressive strain dependence of the cartilage equilibrium friction coefficient. Trans. ASME, Adv. Bioengng, 1995, BED 31, 51–52.
24.
WangH.AteshianG. A.The normal stress effect and equilibrium friction coefficient of articular cartilage under steady frictional shear. J. Biomechanics, 1997, 30, 771–776.
25.
AthanasiouK. A.RosenwasserM. P.BuckwalterJ. A.MalininT. I.MowV. C.Interspecies comparison of in situ intrinsic mechanical properties of distal femoral cartilage. J. Orthop. Res., 1991, 9, 330–340.
26.
SmithT. J.MedleyJ. B.Development of transient elastohydrodynamic models for synovial joint lubrication. In Fluid Film Lubrication—Osborne Reynolds Centenary (Eds DowsonD.TaylorC. M.GodetM.BertheD.), 1987, pp. 369–374 (Elsevier, Amsterdam).
27.
AthanasiouK. A.NiederdauerG. G.SchenckR. C.Biomechanical topography of the human ankle cartilage. Ann. Biomed. Engng, 1995, 23, 697–704.
28.
SettonL. A.MowV. C.MullerF. J.PitaJ. C.HowellD. S.Mechanical properties of canine articular cartilage are significantly altered following transection of the anterior cruciate ligament. J. Orthop. Res., 1994, 12, 451–463.
29.
HayesW. C.BodineA. J.Flow-independent visco-elastic properties of articular cartilage matrix. J. Biomechanics, 1978, 11, 407–419.
30.
WooS. L.SimonB. R.KueiS. C.AkesonW. H.Quasi-linear viscoelastic properties of normal articular cartilage. Trans. ASME, J. Biomech. Engng, 1980, 102, 85–90.
