[Development of finite element models for cartilage replacement material]

In the development of cartilage replacement materials, mechanical models are necessary to quantify elasticity and damping properties of the artificial tissue. The aim is to identify parameters from material tests leading to an objective assessment of elasticity and damping for tissue replacement. This is especially important as the evolution of material properties is investigated during a cultivation period of several weeks. For this reason, in the present study a method is proposed to identify all necessary material parameters by means of a finite element model. The numerical simulations are based on a phenomenological material model exhibiting as few parameters as possible for covering elastic material and damping properties. This allows a practical identification of material parameters. Thus, deformation dependent damping properties of the replacement material are covered by parameters identified from material tests without extensive determination of pore, solid or fluid fractions.