Poroelasticity and lubrication mechanisms of cartilage in natural synovial joints

在对自然滑膜关节的润滑机制的最新了解中，对于超低摩擦是如何产生的仍不确定。这种超低的摩擦力有助于高负荷、动态冲击响应和最小的磨损损伤，因此软骨材料是多孔弹性的，在操作过程中流体流入和流出接触界面。受生物学的启发，工程师们的目标是设计多孔弹性轴承，在这种轴承中，流体通过流入和流出接触材料来增强润滑。正是这一工程挑战，了解天然滑膜关节的孔弹性和润滑性的组合，激发了这个项目的灵感，目的是开发一种通过设计获得超低摩擦的方法。在该项目中，将有一系列建模挑战需要克服，包括各向异性材料特性、剪切稀释液、粘弹性固体和润滑膜。成像技术将被用来创建具有代表性的几何图形和开放源码软件，以允许研究的广泛传播。得出的模型将用于实验验证，该实验验证正在由本项目所属的研究团队同时进行检查。最终，这将使工程师能够探索孔道弹性改善承重性能的条件范围，调查软骨损伤及其与疼痛的联系，并确定软质孔道弹性的连续方法的局限性。

In the most recent understanding of the lubrication mechanisms in natural synovial joints it remains uncertain as to how ultra-low friction is generated. This ultra-low friction facilitates high loading, dynamic shock response and minimal wear damage, whereby the cartilage material is poroelastic and fluid flows to and from the contacting interface during operation. Inspired by biology, engineers aim to design poroelastic bearings in which lubrication is boosted by the flow of fluid into and out of the contacting materials. It is this engineering challenge, to understand the combination of poroelasticity and lubrication in natural synovial joints, which inspires this project with the aim of developing a means by which ultra-low friction in contacts can be obtained by design.There will be a range of modelling challenges to overcome during the project including anisotropic material properties, shear-thinning fluids, viscoelastic solids and lubricating films. Imaging techniques will be used to create representative geometries and open source software implemented to allow wide dissemination of the research. The models derived will feed into experimental validation which is concurrently being examined by the research team that this project is a part of. Ultimately this will allow engineers to explore the range of conditions under which poroelasticity improves bearing performance, investigate damage in cartilage and the link this has to pain and determine the limits of the continuum approach to poroelasticity in soft matter.