Host: The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers
Name : [in Japanese]
Date : November 25, 2025 - November 29, 2025
The meniscus performs important role to transfer and distribute loads and protects the articular cartilage. Meniscal calcifications related knee osteoarthritis (KOA) and strongly associated with KOA pathogenesis. Additionally, pathological calcification of cartilage is well known as a disease produced by KOA. The effects of meniscal calcifications and cartilage calcification on contact stress condition are uncertain in the KOA disease process. In this study, we analyzed the stress generated in the knee joint components due to meniscal calcification and cartilage calcification using the finite element method, and quantitatively evaluated the change of mechanical characteristics of knee joint by focusing on the contact stress distribution. The knee model developed by Open Knee project was used as construction of knee component model. A 3D-FEM model was constructed using CAE software and numerical analysis was conducted to evaluate stress distributions. Three types of FE models of normal model, meniscal calcification model, and cartilage calcification model were created by changing the elastic modulus locally. The loading condition was set as a concentrated force applied to the hip joint, which is regarded as the load generated during walking, and the ankle joint was fixed constraint. Analyses were performed using each model and the results were compared by focusing on the stress distribution. When comparing the results of the meniscal calcification model and the normal model, the maximum and average Von-Mises stress in the meniscal region increased in the meniscal calcification model. In addition, when comparing the cartilage calcification model with the normal model, the maximum Von-Mises stresses in both the meniscus and cartilage regions were increased in the cartilage calcification model. From these results, the changes in stress distribution in the knee joint due to meniscal calcification and cartilage calcification were confirmed and the magnitude and location of the stresses were evaluated in the FEM study.
