Biomechanical Characterisation of Scaffold-Free Cartilage Constructs with Hyperelastic Material Models

Abstract

For the therapy of damaged articular cartilage, three-dimensional scaffold-free cartilage constructs (SFCCs) were developed by fzmb GmbH [1]. The biomechanical properties are an essential indicator for the functional characterisation of cartilaginous tissue. In this contribution hyperelastic material models are used for the characterisation of native articular cartilage and SFCCs. The significance of the fitted models is evaluated against the experimental stress -strain -data.