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Multiscale modeling of knee ligament biomechanics
Author(s) -
Adouni Malek,
Mbarki Raouf,
Al Khatib Fadi,
Eilaghi Armin
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
international journal for numerical methods in biomedical engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.741
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 2040-7947
pISSN - 2040-7939
DOI - 10.1002/cnm.3413
Subject(s) - microscale chemistry , mesoscopic physics , materials science , ligament , stiffness , connective tissue , multiscale modeling , dense connective tissue , fibril , ultimate tensile strength , biomechanics , biomedical engineering , mechanics , structural engineering , composite material , anatomy , biophysics , physics , engineering , biology , bioinformatics , mathematics , medicine , pathology , mathematics education , quantum mechanics
Knee connective tissues are mainly responsible for joint stability and play a crucial role in restraining excessive motion during regular activities. The damage mechanism of these tissues is directly linked to the microscale collagen level. However, this mechanical connection is still unclear. During this investigation, a multiscale fibril‐reinforced hyper‐elastoplastic model was developed and statistically calibrated. The model is accounting for the structural architecture of the soft tissue, starting from the tropocollagen molecule that forms fibrils to the whole soft tissue. Model predictions are in agreement with the results of experimental and numerical studies. Further, damage initiation and propagation in the collagen fiber were computed at knee ligaments and located mainly in the superficial layers. Results indicated higher crosslink density required higher tensile stress to elicit fibril damage. This approach is aligned with a realistic simulation of a damaging process and repair attempt. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first model published in which the connective tissue stiffness is simultaneously predicted by encompassing the mesoscopic scales between the molecular and macroscopic levels.