A growth and remodeling mixture model and the biomechanics of developing bovine articular cartilage

A cartilage growth mixture theory is presented and used to illustrate how a mechanical model of cartilage growth may be used to quantify the evolving compositional and mechanical properties of developing bovine articular cartilage. Model parameters that describe the kinematics of growth, the stress tensors, and material constants are determined using existing experimental data at three developmental stages. The results describe how the intrinsic properties of the collagen network change during growth, with stiffening of the collagen network from the mid-third trimester fetal stage to the newborn calf and young adult stages.