?General Properties of Connective Tissue
Homogeneous materials, such as steel, display the same
mechanical behavior no matter from what direction
forces are applied.This highly viscoelastic behavior of articular cartilage is
mainly due to two mechanisms:
(a) the frictional drag force of interstitial fluid flow through the porous solid
matrix (i.e., the flow dependent mechanism).With the mechanical load, the interstitial fluid is redistributed through the
pores of the permeable solid matrix, resulting in predominantly
viscoelastic behavior.?In contrast, heterogeneous connective tissues display
very different behavior, depending on the nature and
direction of applied forces, and are called anisotropic.Biomechanics of Articular Cartilage
AC consists of two phases: a fluid phase and a solid phase.