Effect of Kinematic Motion on Changes in Coefficients of Friction of Porcine Knee Joint Cartilage

In this study, the frictional behaviors of articular cartilage against a Co-Cr alloy in two types of kinematic motions were compared. Cartilage pins were punched from the femoral condyles of porcine knee joints, and Co-Cr alloy disks were machined from orthopedic-grade rods and polished to a surface roughness () of 0.002. Friction tests were conducted by using a pin-on-disk-type tribotester in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) under pressures of 0.5, 1, and 2 MPa. All tests were performed in the repeat pass rotational (ROT) and the linear reciprocal (RCP) sliding motions with the same sliding distance and speed of 50 mm/s. The coefficients of friction of the cartilage against the Co-Cr alloy increased with the sliding time in both kinematic motions for all contact pressures. The maximum coefficients of friction in RCP motion were 1.08, 2.82, and 1.96 times those in ROT motion for contact pressures of 0.5, 1, and 2 MPa, respectively. As the contact pressure increased, the coefficients of friction gradually increased in RCP motion, whereas they decrease and then increased in ROT motion. The interaction between the directional change of the shear stress and the orientation of collagen fiber in the superficial layer of the cartilage could affect the change in the frictional behaviors of the cartilage. A large difference in the coefficients of friction between the two kinematic motions could be interpreted as differences in the directional change of shear stress at the contact surface.