Investigating Effects of Losing Fluid on Nonlinear Structural Behavior of Rabbit ACL

Abstract

This study is conducted to investigate the effects of losing fluid during extension of rabbit ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) on its nonlinear behavior. The incompressible Neo-Hookean model is employed for modeling the mechanical response of ACL under the uniaxial loading. The material properties of the ligament are characterized by measuring the deformation of a continuum element regarding to two assumptions, the exact and near incompressible cases. In the near incompressible assumption, it is assumed that some fluids exit during ligament extension which influence the nonlinear structural response of the ACL. Finally, considering the nonlinearity of the ligament due to the material behavior and geometrical effect, the ligament behavior is modeled using the nonlinear FEM solution. This study provides a new insight based on the model incompressibility for the ACL of the rabbit knee. These findings help researchers to predict the patterns of injuries that occur in the ligament for different amount of losing fluid by developing the computational model to assess the nonlinear response