| Περίληψη: | Articular cartilage is a complex viscoelastic material of great importance. Cartilage pathology is known to be correlated with abnormal biomechanics. Cartilage biomechanics have been described by several mathematical models, which have been utilized to experimentally extract cartilage parameters usually via time domain experiments (stress relaxation). However, stress relaxation experiments are long, and fitting the resulting data to analytic models is sensitive to implementation (deformation magnitude, strain rate) and noise. This study exploits a high-precision mechanical testing instrument to apply a series of small harmonic loads of eight different frequencies to bovine cartilage specimens, in unconfined compression. Based on cartilage response, a Bode plot was constructed and fitted to a first order transfer function. Material parameters were estimated by equating experimental transfer function with transfer function of mathematical models. The proposed methodology describes cartilage biomechanics via an information rich context that is less sensitive to implementation, and can potentially be implemented in ways that significantly reduce experimental duration.
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