A fiber reinforced poroelastic model of nanoindentation of porcine costal cartilage: A combined experimental and finite element approach

Nanoindentation has shown promise as a mechanical characterization tool for orthopaedic biomaterials since it can probe the properties of small, heterogeneous, irregularly shaped tissue volumes in physiological environments. However, the majority of nanoindentation analyses have been limited to the determination of linear elastic and viscoelastic properties. Since biomaterials possess complex nonlinear, hydrated, time-dependent constitutive behavior, the objective of the present study is to explore the ability of nanoindentation to determine physiologically relevant material properties using a fibril reinforced poroelastic (FRPE) model. A further goal is to ascertain the sensitivity of nanoindentation load–displacement curves to different FRPE parameters, including the elastic properties of the nonfibrillar matrix, the composition and distribution of fibers, and nonlinearity in the fluid permeability. Porcine costal cartilage specimens are experimentally tested with nanoindentation load relaxation experiments at two different loading depths and loading rates. The FRPE material properties are extracted from comparisons to finite element simulations. The study demonstrates the behavior of the model in nanoindentation is distinct from bulk indentation; the static response of the nanoindentation is determined almost exclusively by the elastic properties of the nonfibrillar matrix and the volume fraction of fibers, while the transient response is dominated by the fluid permeability of the tissue. The FRPE model can accurately describe the time-dependent mechanical behavior of costal cartilage in nanoindentation, with good agreement between experimental and numerical curve fits (R2=0.98±0.01R2=0.98±0.01) at multiple indentation depths and indentation rates.