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Abstract
Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogels have been proposed as promising biomaterials to
replace diseased or damaged articular cartilage. A critical barrier to their use as
load-bearing tissue replacements is a lack of sufficient mechanical properties. The
purpose of this study was to characterize the functional compressive and shear mechanical
properties of a novel PVA hydrogel. Two formulations of the biomaterial were tested,
one with a lower water content (75% water), and the other with higher water content
(80% water). The compressive tangent modulus varied with biomaterial formulation and
was found to be statistically strain magnitude and rate dependent. Over a strain range
of 10-60%, the compressive modulus increased from approximately 1-18 MPa, which is
within the range of the modulus of articular cartilage. The shear tangent modulus
(0.1-0.4 MPa) was also found to be strain magnitude dependent and within the range
of normal human articular cartilage, but it was not statistically dependent on strain
rate, This behavior was attributed to the dominance of fluid flow and related frictional
drag on the viscoelastic behavior. Compressive failure of the hydrogels was found
to occur between 45 and 60% strain, depending on water content.