Two-dimensional strain fields on the cross-section of the bovine humeral head under contact loading

The objective of this study was to provide a detailed experimental assessment of the two-dimensional cartilage strain distribution on the cross-section of immature and mature bovine humeral heads subjected to contact loading at a relatively rapid physiological loading rate. Six immature and six mature humeral head specimens were loaded against glass and strains were measured at the end of a 5 s loading ramp on the textured articular cross-section using digital image correlation analysis. The primary findings indicate that elevated tensile and compressive strains occur near the articular surface, around the center of the contact region. Few qualitative or quantitative differences were observed between mature and immature joints. Under an average contact stress of 1.7 MPa, the peak compressive strains averaged −0.131±0.048, which was significantly less than the relative change in cartilage thickness, −0.104±0.032 (p<0.05). The peak tensile strains were significantly smaller in magnitude, at 0.0325±0.013. These experimental findings differ from a previous finite element analysis of articular contact, which predicted peak strains at the cartilage–bone interface even when accounting for the porous-hydrated nature of the tissue, its depth-dependent inhomogeneity, and the disparity between its tensile and compressive properties. These experimental results yield new insights into the local mechanical environment of the tissue and cells, and suggest that further refinements are needed in the modeling of contacting articular layers.