Development of a 3-D Non-Linear Finite Element Model of Human Knee Joint

Author(s):  
Yuhua Song ◽  
Richard E. Debski ◽  
Jorge Gil ◽  
Savio L.-Y. Woo

A 3-D finite element (FE) model of the knee is needed to more accurately analyze the kinematics of a knee joint as well as the function of various soft tissues such as ligaments. The data obtained can provide a better understanding of mechanisms of injury and offer valuable information for ligament reconstruction and rehabilitation protocols. The objective of this study was to develop a 3-D non-linear FE model of a human knee and determine its kinematics and the force and stress distributions within the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in response to anterior tibial loads at full extension. This model was validated by comparing the computed results to data obtained experimentally by a Robotic/UFS testing system [1].

Author(s):  
Achilles Vairis ◽  
Markos Petousis ◽  
George Stefanoudakis ◽  
Nectarios Vidakis ◽  
Betina Kandyla ◽  
...  

The human knee joint has a three dimensional geometry with multiple body articulations that produce complex mechanical responses under loads that occur in everyday life and sports activities. Knowledge of the complex mechanical interactions of these load bearing structures is of help when the treatment of relevant diseases is evaluated and assisting devices are designed. The anterior cruciate ligament in the knee connects the femur to the tibia and is often torn during a sudden twisting motion, resulting in knee instability. The objective of this work is to study the mechanical behavior of the human knee joint in typical everyday activities and evaluate the differences in its response for three different states, intact, injured and reconstructed knee. Three equivalent finite element models were developed. For the reconstructed model a novel repair device developed and patented by the authors was employed. For the verification of the developed models, static load cases presented in a previous modeling work were used. Mechanical stresses calculated for the load cases studied, were very close to results presented in previous experimentally verified work, in both load distribution and maximum calculated load values.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 (1) ◽  
pp. 21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Achilles Vairis ◽  
Markos Petousis ◽  
Nectarios Vidakis ◽  
Betina Kandyla ◽  
Andreas-Marios Tsainis

2000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tammy Haut Donahue ◽  
Maury L. Hull ◽  
Mark M. Rashid ◽  
Christopher R. Jacobs

Abstract A finite element model of the tibio-femoral joint in the human knee was created using a new technique for developing accurate solid models of soft tissues (i.e. cartilage and menisci). The model was used to demonstrate that constraining rotational degrees of freedom other than flexion/extension when the joint is loaded in compression markedly affects the load distribution between the medial and lateral sides of the joint. The model also was used to validate the assumption that the bones can be treated as rigid.


Author(s):  
Hongqiang Guo ◽  
Suzanne A. Maher ◽  
Robert L. Spilker

Biphasic theory which considers soft tissue, such as articular cartilage and meniscus, as a combination of a solid and a fluid phase has been widely used to model their biomechanical behavior [1]. Though fluid flow plays an important role in the load-carrying ability of soft tissues, most finite element models of the knee joint consider cartilage and the meniscus as solid. This simplification is due to the fact that biphasic contact is complicated to model. Beside the continuity conditions for displacement and traction that a single-phase contact problem consists of, there are two additional continuity conditions in the biphasic contact problem for relative fluid flow and fluid pressure [2]. The problem becomes even more complex when a joint is being modeled. The knee joint, for example, has multiple contact pairs which make the biphasic finite element model of this joint far more complex. Several biphasic models of the knee have been developed [3–9], yet simplifications were included in these models: (1) the 3D geometry of the knee was represented by a 2D axisymmetric geometry [3, 5, 6, 9]; (2) no fluid flow was allowed between contact surfaces of the soft tissues [4, 8] which is inconsistent with the equation of mass conservation across the contact interface [10]; (3) zero fluid pressure boundary conditions were inaccurately applied around the contact area [7].


2017 ◽  
Vol 56 (7) ◽  
pp. 1189-1199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamid Naghibi Beidokhti ◽  
Dennis Janssen ◽  
Sebastiaan van de Groes ◽  
Nico Verdonschot

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 263-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Achilles Vairis ◽  
George Stefanoudakis ◽  
Markos Petousis ◽  
Nectarios Vidakis ◽  
Andreas-Marios Tsainis ◽  
...  

1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Moglo ◽  
A. Shirazi-Adl

Abstract A refined 3D elastostatic nonlinear finite element model was developed for the human knee joint in other to predict the passive global primary/coupled response and force transmission mechanism under various loads/movements and pathologic conditions. The joint geometry was based on an existing model (Bendjaballah et al., 1995) which was substantially refined in the articular cartilage and menisci regions as well as the articulating contact surfaces. The articular cartilage is subdivided into two layers along the depth allowing for the possibility to consider non homogeneity in mechanical propreties. The incremental response of the knee joint was evaluated under axial force of up to 780 N applied on the femur in full extension position. The global primary/coupled response, ligament forces as well as load transmission in medial/lateral plateaus through menisci and uncovered cartilage are analysed.


2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (02) ◽  
pp. 225-236
Author(s):  
XIONGQI PENG ◽  
GENG LIU ◽  
ZAOYANG GUO

Articular cartilage is a vital component of human knee joints by providing a low-friction and wear-resistant surface in knee joints and distributing stresses to tibia. The degeneration or damage of articular cartilage will incur acute pain on the human knee joints. Hence, to understand the mechanism of normal and pathological functions of articular cartilage, it is very important to investigate the contact mechanics of the human knee joints. Experimental research has difficulties in reproducing the physiological conditions of daily activities and measuring the key factors such as contact-stress distributions inside knee joint without violating the physiological environment. On the other hand, numerical approaches such as finite element (FE) analysis provide a powerful tool in the biomechanics study of the human knee joint. This article presents a two-dimensional (2D) FE model of the human knee joints that includes the femur, tibia, patella, quadriceps, patellar tendon, and cartilages. The model is analyzed with dynamic loadings to study stress distribution in the tibia and contact area during contact with or without articular cartilage. The results obtained in this article are very helpful to find the pathological mechanism of knee joint degeneration or damage, and thus guide the therapy of knee illness and artificial joint replacement.


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