Tribological Studies in Cartilaginous Tissue of Lamb Synovial Joints Lubricated by Distilled Water and Interstitial-Fluid-Like Solution

Abstract

This research work aims to expand the knowledge on how surfaces from human joint behave. The main factor analysed was friction coefficient. Friction coefficient becomes vital as it changes along an individual’s life; it is directly connected to tear and wear of cartilage tissue due to aging and diseases. To get an insight on friction coefficient in human joints, experiments were performed in samples obtained from animal models. The experiment consisted in the measurement of the friction coefficient from plateau and condyle portions of bones from synovial joints; controlled temperature was set to be 37ºC as the average body temperature. Setup used was ball-on-three-plates. Two lubrication configurations were set for the experiments: distilled water and a salty solution replicating human’s body interstitial fluid. Total joint replacement is a field where tribology plays a vital role; surface interaction in natural motion in joints is characterised for being low-frictional and self-lubricated. The efforts in this study are focused on the pursue of scientific information which leads to improvements for current treatments for diseased joints, before joint replacement to occur, and, moreover, for the cases in which joint replacement is inevitable, to design and construct better prosthetic devices.

Keywords

• Bio-tribology
• Synovial joints
• Friction coefficient
• Joint lubrication
• Articular cartilage