Until the processes occurring at healthy cartilage are not widely known, it is impossible to understand which factors have a decisive influence on pathological changes in diseases like osteoarthritis. Apart from the biochemical interactions, the mechanical behaviour of the articular cartilage plays a decisive role. During every joint motion enormous loads affect the bearing surface and normally cause no damage on the thin layers of cartilage. In order to evaluate this outstanding performance, unconfined compression and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were utilized to gain a detailed impression of the hyaline cartilage derived from the bovine knee joint. With regard to the compression, static, creep and dynamic tests were applied to qualify the cartilage’s reaction towards external loads. In contrast, the atomic force microscope (AFM) assisted in the description of the surface structure and the roughness values of the cartilage’s surface layer. This book exposes a detailed picture of the hyaline cartilage located at the bovine knee joint that is regarded to be of interest for all kind of (bio)medical scientists.

Данное издание не является оригинальным. Книга печатается по технологии принт-он-деманд после получения заказа.