Tensile and compression properties of hydrophilic composite materials on a simple model of cartilage. II.

Abstract

AbstractComposite hydrophilic materials (CHM) containing collagen or cellulose as the insoluble fibrous component and potassium salts of proteinpolysaccharide or carboxymethylcellulose as the soluble polyelectrolyte were prepared as simple models of the connective tissue, cartilage. The tensile properties of uncrosslinked and formaldehyde‐crosslinked collagenous CHM were measured and compared to those of bovine nasal cartilage (BNC). The compressive properties of uncrosslinked and formaldehyde‐crosslinked cellulosic CHM were measured and compared to bovine nasal cartilage. Although elongating to approximately the same extent before breaking (20%), the uncrosslinked collagenous CHM had lower tensile strengths than BNC (330 psi). Formaldehyde crosslinking increased the tensile strength of the collagenous CHM to as much as 3 times that of BNC but reduced the elongation at failure to only 7%. The uncrosslinked cellulosic CHM attained a maximum of only ¼ the compressive strength of BNC (940 psi). Formaldehyde crosslinking extended the compressive strength to as high as ⅓ that of BNC. The results indicate that the simple uncrosslinked and crosslinked models can only partially account for the mechanical properties of BNC.