股関節におけるスクイーズ膜効果のシミュレーション

抄録

A flow in both the articular cartilage and the gap between the cartilages is considered in a numerical analysis of deformation and lubrication in a hip joint. The results show that a circumferential zone with contact points appears just after step loading while high-pressure fluid is trapped at the center. Then, creep deformation follows in the contact zone due to an outward flow from the cartilage to the gap, and it contributes to improvements in the conformity and the lubrication. It is found that each of the non-Newtonian viscosity of the synovial fluid, the flow in the cartilage and the deformation of the cartilage and subchondral bone plays an important role in the squeeze film effect in a hip joint.