Issue 37, 2017

Simple contact mechanics model of the vertebrate cartilage

Abstract

We study a simple contact mechanics model of the vertebrate cartilage, which includes (bulk) osmotic effects. The surface roughness power spectrum of a pig cartilage is obtained from the measured surface topography. Using the Reynolds equations with fluid flow factors, calculated using the Persson contact mechanics theory and the Bruggeman effective medium theory, we show how the area of contact and the average interfacial separation change with time. We found that in most cases the contact area percolates, resulting in islands of confined fluid which carry most of the external load. Most importantly, we find that the pressure in the area of real contact is nearly independent of the external load, and well below 1 MPa. This allows the surfaces in the area of “real contact”, to be separated (at nanometer range separation distance) by osmotic repulsion, resulting in a very small (breakloose) friction force observed even after a long time of stationary contact.

Graphical abstract: Simple contact mechanics model of the vertebrate cartilage

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
17 Apr 2017
Accepted
14 Aug 2017
First published
15 Aug 2017

Soft Matter, 2017,13, 6349-6362

Simple contact mechanics model of the vertebrate cartilage

B. N. J. Persson, A. Kovalev and S. N. Gorb, Soft Matter, 2017, 13, 6349 DOI: 10.1039/C7SM00753A

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements