Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical

Engineering

ISSN: 1025-5842 (Print) 1476-8259 (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/gcmb20

Visco-elastic behavior of articular cartilage under

applied magnetic field and strain-dependent
permeability

Usman Ali & Javed I. Siddique

To cite this article: Usman Ali & Javed I. Siddique (2020): Visco-elastic behavior of articular
cartilage under applied magnetic field and strain-dependent permeability, Computer Methods in
Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering, DOI: 10.1080/10255842.2020.1744134

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/10255842.2020.1744134

Published online: 07 May 2020.

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COMPUTER METHODS IN BIOMECHANICS AND BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING
https://doi.org/10.1080/10255842.2020.1744134

Visco-elastic behavior of articular cartilage under applied magnetic field

and strain-dependent permeability
Usman Alia and Javed I. Siddiqueb
a
Department of Mathematics, Capital University of Science and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan; bDepartment of Mathematics, Penn
State University, York, Pennsylvania, USA

ABSTRACT ARTICLE HISTORY

In the present article, we investigate the biomechanical response of a fiber reinforced solid Received 20 November 2019
matrix (soft tissue) saturated with an electrically conducting fluid. A constant magnetic field was Accepted 15 March 2020
exposed to the binary mixture of fluid and deformable porous solid. The governing mechanism
KEYWORDS
of multiphasic deformation was based on the loading imposed at the rigid bony interface. The
magnetohydrodynamics
fluid flow through the cartilage network depends upon the rate of applied compression and (MHD); mixture theory;
strain-dependent permeability of the solid matrix. The components of the mixture were intrinsic- articular cartilage; solid
ally incompressible; however, in the derivation of governing dynamics, the visco-elastic behavior deformation; bio-medical
of the solid and an interstitial fluid was developed. The continuum mixture theory was engineering
employed in modeling solid deformation and local fluid pressure. We incorporated strain-
dependent permeability in the governing equations of binary mixture that was found in an early
experimental study. The governing non-linear coupled system of partial differential equations
was developed for the solid deformation and fluid pressure in the presence of Lorentz forces. In
the case of strain-dependent permeability, a numerical solution is computed using the method
of lines (MOL), whereas, the exact solution is provided when permeability is kept constant.
Graphical results highlight the influence of various physical parameters on both solid displace-
ment and fluid pressure.

1. Introduction depends upon numerous factors, like, depth, topo-

The continuum mixture theory successfully employed
in modeling the problems of fluid-solid interaction
during the passage of fluids through elastic as well as
rigid porous materials. This theory used to specify the
multiphasic nature of the saturated tissues during
deformation, either by external loading or fluid sur-
rounding the cavities of hydrated tissues. Although
morphology between interconnecting tissues, like,
skin, cartilage, cornea, and aorta is different, but all
these soft biological tissues composed of similar
organic constituents in different proportions. The bio-
mechanical response of these tissues depends upon
the composition, configuration, bonding, and inter-
action of mixture during deformation. Particularly,
articular cartilage is a complex biological tissue com-
posed of dense woven type collage fabric matrix cov-
ered and filled with aggregate proteoglycan fluids.
The organic composition of the solid matrix consists
of approximately 65 percent of collagen, 25 percent
proteoglycans, and the remaining 10 percent other
glycoproteins, in the dry weight. This composition
graphical positioning, age, degeneration, ultra-
structural fixation, and inter-molecular arrangement.
On a micro level, this complex organic mixture
behaves like a fiber reinforced deformable porous
material. The governing dynamics involved in the
deformation depends upon the forces associated with
the fluid flow.
Pioneering work in this area dates back to the
study of Hunter (Hunter, 1743). Until the nineteenth
century, this soft tissue was devoid of all the bio-
logical activities. This consideration was due to the
fact that cartilage tissues are virtually isolated from
the body. It is worth mentioning here; cartilage tis-
sues have no blood flow along with complete isolation
from the lymphatic and nerves system of the body. In
the advancement of modern technology, a variety of
different pictures have been presented using a radio-
active tracer, electronic microscopy scanning, and bio-
chemical technology, etc. These studies opened a new
era for researchers in understanding the dynamics of
fluid lubrication and solid deformation. An unsolved

CONTACT Usman Ali usmanaliraja83@gmail.com

ß 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
2 U. ALI AND J. I. SIDDIQUE
problem was of pertaining fluid flow through the cav-
ities of diarthrodial joints that was the main obstacle
which needs to accommodate (Mow and Lai, 1979).
The fluid-solid interaction during the passage of fluid
was challenging because the motion of the fluid and
solid deformation take place simultaneously (Mow
and Lai, 1980; Lai and Mow, 1979). Due to this multi-
phasic deformation, a non-linear linkage has been
established between the components of the mixture
(Mow et al., 1982; Hlav
acek, 2010). Later on, this
non-linearity was managed using non-linear perme-
ability, in modeling these problems for attaining more
feasible theoretical results.
Mow et al. (Mow et al., 1980) have examined the
creep and stress relaxation behavior of articular cartil-
age. They considered mechanical properties of the
constituents, as well as physical interaction between
phases, were rheological. The solid matrix and fluid
were assumed to be intrinsically in-compressible and
non-dissipative. They formulated the governing
dynamics using constant permeability which was
independent of the rate of solid deformation; how-
ever, the volume-metric ratio of solid to fluid was
taken in such a way that it changed with the depth.
In this study, large separation in the permeability
coefficient has been reported due to the fixed rate of
solid deformation. Their theoretical predictions were
inconsistent with experimental findings.
Later on, Myers et al. (Myers et al., 1984) studied
an ion-induced swelling of cartilage tissues. They
placed a thin and dimensionally measured specimen
in the ionic bath of solution (NaCl solution in water).
An ion-induced swelling behavior has been reported
that conformed an isotropic in-homogeneous nature
of articular cartilage. They found a linear contraction
in the tissues network by increasing molar concentra-
tion ac of the solution. Their work extended the bin-
ary mixture model to a triphasic model, in which an
ion-induced strain was introduced. Particularly, the
theoretical prediction of this study successfully
explained the transient forced history described in the
isometric experiment.
Armstrong and co-authors (Armstrong et al., 1984)
modeled an unconfined compression of articular car-
tilage. They examined the creep stress-relaxation
behavior of a cylindrical specimen. In this study, a
saturated tissue was placed between impermeable
plates to measure the elasticity of the soft tissues.
Equilibrium has been established with surrounding by
the radial fluid flow through deformable tissues. They
found an analytical solution of governing system of
equations by which they described the solid deform-
ation produced in the cartilage domain.
Spilker et al. (Spilker et al., 1992) employed the
finite element method in solving the governing system
of equations that were used to explore the stress
relaxation behavior of soft tissues. In this study, a
thin layer of hydrated tissue of the circular plane was
investigated. They divided the specimen into both
thin and thick wall and studied the effects of tissue
thickness on the solid expansion (deformation). This
study predicted that the rigid bony interface has a
negligible influence on tissue response far away from
the interface. In the present study, we employed con-
tinuum mixture theory in modeling the deformation
during the passage of fluids, in the presence of mag-
netic fields.
The pioneering work in the development of this
theory is due to the study of Fick (Fick, 1855), which
was followed by Darcy (Darcy, 1851). Moreover, the
latest version has been formulated by Truesdell
(Truesdell and Noll, 1965), and Atkin and Craine
(Atkin and Craine, 1976) as well. In the field of bio-
science, this theory has been used by Lai et al. (Lai
et al., 1990) and Myers et al. (Myers et al., 1995).
Furthermore, Siddique and Kara (Siddique and Kara,
2016) used binary mixture theory and modeled the
magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) effects on a capillary
rise phenomenon through sponge type material. The
main idea used in the modeling MHD process is the
forces action of applied magnetic field on electrically
conducting fluids. These processes have relevance in
various contexts, like, MRI (magnetic resonance imag-
ing), the study of plasma, drug targeting, and separ-
ation of isotopes, etc. In 2011, Eldabe et al. (Eldabe
et al., 2011) studied the effects of magnetic fields on
the flow of a bi-viscosity fluid through deformable
porous materials. His work was followed by many
authors (Naseem et al., 2018; Siddique and Kara,
2016; Siddique and Ahmed, 2019) to examine MHD
effects on the solid deformation produced in the
soft tissues.
In the articular cartilage, proteoglycan aggregate
(PGA) are immobilized as well as restrain within the
tissues network. These PGAs contain sufficiently large
molecules range between 1
108 to 2
108
(Maroudas, 1975; Muir, 1983). These molecules con-
tain negatively charged ions in a large proportion
(S0 
3 , C00 ), within their glycosaminoglycan (GAG)
network. These movable charges have the efficiency
to generate an induced magnetic field. The motivation
of the present study is to model the governing
dynamics involved in the application of external
 COMPUTER METHODS IN BIOMECHANICS AND BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING
magnetic field on the mobile charge fluid within the
tissue. This will help in understanding the influence
of external magnetic fields on the swelling behavior of
cartilage as well as other types of elastic por-
ous tissues.
In the present article, we formulated the effects of
an applied magnetic field on a moving charge fluid
through the articular cartilage using continuum mix-
ture theory. The governing system of partial differen-
tial equations was derived for the solid deformation
and local fluid pressure which was solved numerically
using the method of lines, when fluid flow was per-
meability dependent, whereas, an exact solution is
computed by eigenfunction expansion method for
constant permeability case. In section 2, the mathem-
atical formulation is given. Section 3 contains the sol-
utions methodology of governing partial differential
equations. Section 4 contains the results and discus-
sion that was followed by the conclusion in section 5.
2. Theory and model
The intrinsic permeability was introduced in model-
ing multiphasic deformation of soft biological tissues,
during the passage of fluids. The elasticity of soft tis-
sues links the consequences of drag forces on the
solid deformation that change the permeability of the
solid matrix (Lai and Mow, 1980; Mow et al, 1984).
Experimental studies have proved that the mechanical
response of cartilage tissues is extremely sensitive
even for a slow rate of compression. The dependence
rate of sensation related to the drag forces is very
high; also, this factor plays an important role in mod-
eling the mechanical behavior of cartilage and other
types of soft biological tissues which makes it import-
ant to consider the effects of strain-dependent perme-
ability in modeling these problems. In the present
study, we considered that fluid flow is permeability
dependent, and assumed the following form of strain-
dependent permeability
@u
k ¼ k0 em@x , (1)
where k0 and m are the material constants, @u@x is the
dilatation, and u(x, t) corresponds to the solid dis-
placement. We assumed that cartilage tissues fixed to
the interval 0  x  h, where x ¼ 0 and x ¼ h corres-
pond to the soft and rigid bony interface respectively.
Due to the symmetry, only non-zero components of
the velocities are vs ¼ vs ðx, tÞ, and vf ¼ vf ðx, tÞ
(s¼solid and f¼fluid).
When fluid flow through the cartilage tissues, drag
forces associated with the flow result in the
3
deformation of the tissue. This phenomenon plays an
important role in both the compactness of the solid
matrix as well as the passage of the fluid. This multi-
phasic deformation limits the value of strain-depend-
ent permeability to an average if not, an apparent
value kapp. It is important to mention here, this
apparent value of the permeability links to the driving
pressure rP (Mansour and Mow, 1976). On the other
hand, when kapp measured with various values of the
clamping strains, it depends upon both applied pres-
sure, and clamping strains. These experimental justifi-
cations given in (Lai and Mow, 1980) convinces us to
use equation (1) in the present study.
The multiphasic nature of biological tissues limits
the single-phase modeling approaches, even though
these approaches have been employed in some special
circumstances, i.e., when equilibrium is achieved. In
the present study, we assumed the bio-rheological
behavior of soft, hydrated tissues that consist of
deformable porous solid filled with fluids. The gov-
erning dynamics of such a problem deals with the
idea of continuum mixture theory. The modeling
technique we used in the present article has a rela-
tively brief; however, details can be found in (Bowen,
1980), and a compressive review also given in
(Friedman, 2008) and (Holmes, 1983) as well. In these
types of modeling, each constituent of the mixture
manipulating in such a way that it occupies at every
material positioning within the mixture. The kinemat-
ics involved in the derivation of governing dynamics
depends upon the components of a mixture, here
these components are solid matrix (cartilage body)
and fluid phase. Moreover, we fallow a similar model-
ing approach reported in (Lai et al., 1981), with suit-
able modification for the problem of our interest
(Figure 1). We considered that the solid matrix (car-
tilage tissues) could only be squeezed into a special
control volume, when an equal amount of the fluid
fluxes in the opposite direction. The motion of the
constituents described using classical conservation
laws of the mass and momentum balance. The vol-
ume fraction /g of each phase is defined by / ¼ VV ,
g
other useful relations are / þ / ¼ 1, and qg ¼
s f
qgT /g , where qgT is true and qg is the density of mix-
ture (g ¼ s, f ). Using the model of an incompressible
binary mixture, conservation of mass can be written
as in (Lai et al., 1981)
r  ðvf þ avs Þ ¼ 0, (2)
Vs
where a is the ratio of volume fraction, i.e., a ¼ , Vf
for articular cartilage tissues a  0:2 (for an adult
joint). In modeling the governing dynamics, the
 4 U. ALI AND J. I. SIDDIQUE
Figure 1. Articular cartilage tissues (Synovial joint, wikipedia.org (Synovial joint XXXX)) vs Specimen under loading.
quantitative relation between fluid and solid velocities
are given in equation (2) has been reported in numer-
ous studies (Armstrong et al., 1984; Barry and Aldis,
1990; Hou et al., 1992), identical to the present study.
The momentum balance for the mixture can be writ-
ten as

g 
g @v
q þ ðv  rÞv ¼ r  T g þ qg bg þ pg þ J
B
g g
@t
(3)
where T g is the stress tensor for g phase, bg represent
body forces, pg is drag force between the mixture
constituents (ps þ pf  0), J and B are the current
density and applied magnetic field respectively. In the
case of infinitesimal deformation along with small
velocities, the effects of inertial forces become negli-
gible (Barry and Aldis, 1993). Barry and coworker
(Barry and Aldis, 1991) considered the contributions
of inertial forces, in the derivation of governing
dynamics, and proved that these forces had been
ignored, when t0 >kqT , where t0 is the typical time,
and k is the permeability. Using these assumptions
help us to rewrite the equation (3), in the absence of
body forces, for both the phases as follows
r  T s þ ps þ J
B ¼ 0,
r  T þ p þ J
B ¼ 0:
f f
It is important to mention here, the magnetic field
B has maximum effects, when apply perpendicular to
the moving charged fluid, and minimum for parallel
orientation. The diffusive resistant forces for the solid
and fluid can be written as
ps ¼ pf ¼ Kðvs vf Þ,
where K corresponds to the drag coefficient of the resist-
ance, which is related to the permeability by a relation
K ¼ ð1þaÞ
1
2 : The linear momentum has been affected
k
by the relative velocities of the mixture components,
i.e., vs vf : Lai and coauthors (Lai et al., 1981) have
studied compressive stress relaxation behavior of soft
tissues for transversely isotropic permeability. For the
special case, all load carried by the elastic tissues, and
binary problem changes to the elasticity problem.
Furthermore, for a confined compression, equilibrium
strain, as well as lateral expansion, are controlled by
the Es and vs (Mow and Lai, 1980; Mow et al., 1980),
where Es and vs are the elasticity and velocity of the
solid respectively. In literature, different studies have
been reported that used elasticity theory in modeling
the behavior of soft tissues (An et al., 1990; Anderson
et al., 1990). In 1678, Robert Hook formulated a
quantative relationship between the stress and strain
(Hooke, 2016). In many physical situations, it has
been assumed that an accurate governing model for
solids as well as deformation and forces are small.
Moreover, in the development of theory of elasticity
proved that Hook’s law say that strain directly related
to the applied strain, whereas, the proportionality fac-
tor is not a single real number, but a tensor corre-
sponds to a matrix consist of real numbers. This
configuration of the matrix depends upon the solid
material taken from seven classes of crystals (Royer
(4) and Dieulesaint, 1999). On the other hand, elastic sol-
(5) ids divided into two classes, i.e., isotropic and aniso-
tropic, in the present study, we considered that solid
matrix of the tissues is isotropic. These types of solid
having properties independent of the direction,
whereas, an anisotropic material has property that
depends upon direction due to their structure. In lit-
erature, many studies have used the isotropic materi-
(6) als (Achenbach, 1975; Graff, 2012), to discuss tissue
dynamics for more details (see (Olivier et al., 1998;
Wang and Hutter, 1999; Massoudi and Antaki,
2008)). It is a well-established fact that the visco-elas-
tic behavior of soft tissues purely depends upon the
 COMPUTER METHODS IN BIOMECHANICS AND BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING 5

fluid fluxes through the permeable porous solid Maxwell, and Ohm’s law are given, which were used
matrix. In the derivation, we considered the biological in simplifying the expression J
B, later on
tissues consisting of a porous material that is intrin- @B
sically elastic, isotropic, and filled with fluid. We con- 䉮
B ¼ lc J, 䉮  B ¼ 0, 䉮
E¼
@t (9)
sidered the following forms of stress relations for the J ¼ r0 ðE þ vg
BÞ,
solid and fluid phases
where lc correspond to the permittivity of the
T s ¼ apI þ ks es I þ 2ls e þ k_s divðvs ÞI medium, E is the electric field intensity, and r0 is the
þ 2l_s Ds 2Kc C, (7) electric conductivity of the charged fluid. The expres-
sion J
B can be written as
T ¼ pI þ kf divðv ÞI þ 2lf D þ 2Kc C,
f f f
(8)
J
B ¼ r0 ðE þ vg
BÞ
B, (10)
where e is the infinitesimal strain tensor, es ¼
traceðeÞ, Ds is the deformation tensor, C is the spin where B ¼ B0 þ B1 , i.e., B is sum of the applied and
tensor, p local pressure of the fluid, I is identity ten- induced magnetic fields. The contribution of induced
sor, Df is the rate of fluid deformation tensor, ks, ls magnetic field (B1 ) may be ignored due to the low
are isotropic elastic moduli, k_s , l_s are visco-elastic magnetic field Reynold number approximation. Thus,
equation (10) for negligible induced magnetic and
moduli, kf, lf are bulk and dynamical viscosities of
electric can be written as
the fluid, and Kc is the diffusive interaction between
mixture constituents. J
B ¼ r0 ðva
B0 Þ
B0 : (11)
The infinitesimal binary mixture theory described After some mathematical manipulation, we get
fluid-solid mixture using ten material constants, i.e.,
a, ks, ls, k_s , l_s , kf, lf, Kc, r, K, where r is the contri- J
B ¼ r0 ðB0 ðva  B0 Þ  vg ðB0  B0 ÞÞ: (12)
bution of capillary forces. It is difficult, either impos- The term vg  B0  0 (magnetic field has negligible
sible, to access all these parameters at once for effects in parallel orientation to the fluid flux). This
modeling and solution point of view. Moreover, Mow leaves the following form of the equation (12)
et al. (Mow et al., 1980) developed a model using fol-
lowing assumptions J
B ¼ r0 B20 vg : (13)

We assumed that the solid and fluid deformations are

1. Solid and fluid phases are linearly elastic,
along the x-direction. In what follows, the vector
i.e, k_s ¼ l_s ¼ 0, kf ¼ lf ¼ 0,
form of equations change into one-dimension form.
2. The permeability of the solid matrix is constant,
Using the assumptions of linear binary mixture the-
3. Kc ¼ 0, r ¼ 0,
ory, and employing divergence operator to the equa-
4. a is constant.
tions (7) and (8), we get


They used the resulting linear equations success- @T s @u
¼ ap þ Ha , (14)
fully in addressing the problems of one-dimensional @x @x
confined compression stress relaxation behavior of and
cartilage tissues, meniscus, and nasal septum,
@T f
although these restrictions were quite severe. Using ¼ p, (15)
these assumptions, they find the permeability constant @x
1015 mNs that made an excellent agreement with the where Ha ¼ ks þ 2ls : Inserting equations (6), (13)-
4

available experimental data (Mansour and Mow, 1976; (15) into equations (4)-(5), we obtain
Mccutchen, 1962). On the other hand, Lia and coau- @p @2u
thor (Lai et al., 1981) gave a detailed comparison a þ Ha 2 þ Kðvs vf Þr0 B20 vs ¼ 0, (16)
@x @x
between stress relaxation experiments with biphasic @p
linear mixture theory findings. They had proved that  Kðvs vf Þr0 B20 vf ¼ 0: (17)
@x
certain inconsistencies occur when the theory was
From equation (2), we get
generalized to include the non-linear strain-dependent
permeability relationship given in equation (1). Thus
in the present study, we will extend linear theory by @vf @vs
¼ a : (18)
including non-linear permeability function in the @x @x
presence of magnetic fields. In the following, the
6 U. ALI AND J. I. SIDDIQUE

  2
The cartilage was divided into elastic as well as @p Ha ð1aÞM @ u
¼ 1 : (23)
rigid, which correspond to the soft and bony inter- @x 1 þ a ð1 þ a2 Þð1 þ MÞ @x2
face, respectively. Integrating equation (18), and using
condition vs ¼ vf ¼ 0 for cartilage rigid boundary Integrating equation (23), we get
interface (for adult joint), we get  
Ha ð1aÞM @u
pðx, tÞ ¼ 1 þ gðtÞ,
vf ¼ avs : (19) 1þa ð1 þ a2 Þð1 þ MÞ @x
Thus, we have the following equation (24)

@u where g(t) is constant of integration, which can be

vf vs ¼ ð1 þ aÞ , (20) found using the condition pðh, tÞ ¼ 0, at the rigid
@t
where vs ¼ @u edge. This leaves the following form of equation (24)
@t : Equation (20) allow us to rewrite
equations (16)-(17) as follows   
Ha ð1aÞM @u @uðh, tÞ
! pðx, tÞ ¼ 1  :
@u
@u
Ha k0 em@x @ 2 u 1þa ð1 þ a2 Þð1 þ MÞ @x @x
¼ , (21) (25)
@t 1 þ Mem@x @x2
@u

where K ¼ k1 ð1 þ aÞ2 , and M ¼ k0 ð1 þ a2 Þr0 B20 is Equations (25) is partial differential equation for the
the dimensionless magnetic parameter. Equation (21) fluid pressure. In order to close the system, we have
is the governing non-linear partial differential equa- the following initial and boundary conditions
tion for the solid deformation. The non-linearity is _ _
uð0, tÞ ¼ PtðHðtÞHðtt 0 ÞÞ þ Pt0 Hðtt0 Þ, (26)
due to the strain-dependent permeability. In the case
of m ¼ 0, equation (21) reduces to the linear form, uðx, tÞ ¼ 0, uðx, 0Þ ¼ 0, pðx, tÞ ¼ 0, at, x ¼ h,
the resulting linear equation used successfully in (27)
describing one- dimensional stress-relaxation behavior
where H(t) is a Heaviside step function. It is import-
of soft tissue, even though this restriction is quite
hard. For the case of constant permeability, it is not ant to mention here, our choice of left boundary con-
possible to elaborate on the exact nature of the prob- dition potentially significant. For 0  t  t0
lem. So, it is important to consider the consequences corresponds to a stage of compression, whereas, t>t0
of strain-dependent permeability that was changed in represents the relaxation.
accordance with tissue deformation, in the presences The governing system of equations is converted
of the magnetic parameter M. These two factors are into the dimensionless form using the following
the main features, which were considered in the fore- choices
going section, and reported their effects on both solid _
u ¼ h, x Pt p
deformation and fluid pressure. ¼ ,
u h x ¼ , t ¼ , p ¼ :
h h0 h h Ha
Now, we turn our attention toward the fluid pres-
sure (p). For this, adding equations (16) and (17), we (28)
get These variables allow us to rewrite the governing sys-
" @u
# tem of equations as follows
@p Ha Ha Mð1aÞem@x @2u " #
¼    : @
u
@x 1 þ a ð1 þ aÞð1 þ a2 Þ 1 þ Mem@u @x @x2 @
u em@x 
@2u
¼R , (29)
(22) @t 1 þ Mem@x @x 2
@
u

   t Þ

1 ð1aÞM @u @
u ðh,
Equation (22) is used in finding the fluid pressure p ðx , t Þ ¼ 1  ,
when the solution of solid deformation (u) is avail- 1þa ð1 þ a2 Þð1 þ MÞ @x @x
able. The non-linear permeability k appeared in both (30)
the equations (21) and (22). However, it seems quite  ð0, t Þ ¼ t ðHðt ÞHðt t 0 ÞÞ þ t 0 Hðt t 0 Þ,
u (31)
physical without altering the nature of the problem to
 ð1, t Þ ¼ 0,
u  ðx , 0Þ ¼ 0,
u  t Þ ¼ 0,
p ðh, (32)
handle the equation (22) for constant permeability
_ 0
because the permeability contribution comes through where t 0 ¼ , and R ¼ HPh
Pt
h _ : In next section, we pre-
a k0

the calculated solution of u from equation (21) into sent solution methodology employed in solving gov-
equation (22). In this setting, equation (22) can be erning system of equations. Next, we will be dropping
written as the bars for convenience purposes.
 COMPUTER METHODS IN BIOMECHANICS AND BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING 7

3. Solution methodology derivatives using the finite difference. This transform-

ation changes the system of partial differential equa-
We divided the solution of the governing system of
tions (PDEs) into the system of ordinary differential
the equation into two groups for both constant and
equations (ODEs). The resulting system of ODEs is
strain-dependent permeability parameter. Particularly,
solved using a well-established MATLAB ODE solver.
we find an exact solution for constant permeability
The partial derivatives in equation (29) are approxi-
using the eigenfunction expansion that is followed by
mated as follows
a numerical solution, in case of permeability depend-
ent flow. @u ujþ1 uj1 @ 2 u ujþ1 2  uj þ uj1
 ,  : (35)
@x 2h @x2 h2
3.1. Exact solution Equation (35) allows us to rewrite equations (29) and
(30) as follows
We considered tissue contraction (when applied com- " ujþ1 uj1
# 
pression have maximum effects) as well as expansion. @u emð 2h Þ ujþ1 2  uj þ uj1
¼R ujþ1 uj1 ,
We employed the eigenfunction expansion method @t 1 þ M  emð 2h Þ h2
using Green’s formula to solve the governing equation (36)
for solid deformation and fluid pressure. The main
difficulty in solving the equation for solid deform- and
 
ation was the in-homogeneous left boundary condi- 1 ð1aÞM
pðx, tÞ ¼ 1
tion. For this, we define a special transformation 1þa ð1 þ a2 Þð1 þ MÞ
! 
 (37)
ujþ1 uj1 3unþ1 4un þ un1
2 X 1 2
eb ðnpÞ t 1
2
 ,
uðx, tÞ ¼ tð1xÞ þ 2 3 sin ðnpxÞ: 2h 2h
b p n¼1 n3
n also j ¼ 1, 2, 3,    n: Below are the
where h ¼ ba
(33)
qffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi boundary conditions
where b ¼ 1þM : From equations (30) and (33), we
R
uð0, tÞ ¼ tðHðtÞHðtt0 ÞÞ þ t0 Hðtt0 Þ, (38)
get
  uð1, tÞ ¼ 0, uðx, 0Þ ¼ 0, pðh, tÞ ¼ 0: (39)
2 ð1aÞM
pðx, tÞ ¼ 1  In the following section, we presented the graphical
b2 p2 ð1 þ aÞ ð1 þ a2 Þð1 þ MÞ
" # results for the solid deformation and pressure vari-
X1 2
eb ðnpÞ t 1
2
ation for various cases. The main objective is to high-
ð cos ðnpxÞ  cos ðnpÞÞ:
n¼1
n2 light the influence of different physical parameters on
fluid flow through the soft tissues during compression
(34)
and relaxation.
Equation (33) and (34) are the closed form solu-
tion for solid displacement and fluid pressure,
respectively, for compression. On similar dynamics,
4. Result and discussion
one can find the exact solution for tissue expansion In Figure 2(a), we made a comparison between the
(t>t0 ), which we left as a trivial case. It is important exact and numerical solutions when time changed
to note that we obtain a trivial steady-state solution from 0.015 to 0.1. Particularly, dotted curves corres-
for solid displacement and fluid pressure as suggested pond to the exact solution that is given in equation
by equations (33) and (34) t ¼ 0, and the solution is (33); however, dashed curves show numerical solu-
independent of permeability and magnetic parameter tions found in solving equation (36). An excellent
effects. In the section below, we discuss some detail agreement can be noticed between both the solutions,
related to the numerical algorithm used in solving which verify the convergence of the numerical scheme
governing equations numerically for a strain-depend- used in solving the governing system of equations. In
ent permeability. both of these solutions, we considered constant per-
meability, however, strain-dependent permeability sol-
utions also obtained. In Figure 2(b), we plotted solid
3.2. Numerical solution
deformation along the space variable, when the values
We use method of lines (MOL) in solving the govern- of magnetic parameters are M ¼ 0, 1, 2, 3: This solu-
ing system of equations for solid deformation and tion is plotted for constant permeability (m ¼ 0) using
fluid pressure. MOL required to approximate spatial both exact and numerical solutions of solid
8 U. ALI AND J. I. SIDDIQUE

Figure 2. (a) Gave a comparison between exact and numerical solution, whereas, in (b) show change in solid displacement for
various values of magnetic parameter M.

Figure 3. (a) Shows solid deformation for various values of magnetic parameter M using the numerical solution for strain-depend-
ent permeability for t0 ¼ 0:2, whereas, (b), shows different solid deformation, when the normalized time changed from 0.05
to 0.2.

deformation u. It is clear that the solid volume frac-
tion gradually decreases when the value of magnetic
parameter increases. This effect is due to the Lorentz
forces associated with the flow of charged fluid in the
presence of magnetic field. These effects become
more profound in the middle part of every curve for
different values of M, which gradually decreases and
become linear at the end. These plots (2a) and (2 b)
can be used as a base to understand the dynamics of
strain-dependent permeability in more com-
plex scenarios.
In Figure 3(a), we plotted the solid deformation
against the coordinate direction for a fixed value of
dimensionless constant R and time t. In this plot, we
explore the influence of magnetic parameter M on the
solid deformation in the case of compression. This
illustrated that elastic porous tissues remain under
loading throughout the course of compression; how-
ever, every curve undergoes expansion in the middle
for every value of the magnetic parameter. This fact is
due to the annular stretching of the tissue medium
because of the inner region of the tissues when fluid
flows out of them. On the other hand, when fluid
fluxes through the deformable porous tissues, macro-
molecules associated with the flow captured within
the medium to recover after the fluid flow stops.
 COMPUTER METHODS IN BIOMECHANICS AND BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING
Figure 4. (a) Shows solid deformation, when strain-dependent permeability was considered, whereas, (b) corresponds to the
change in the solid volume fraction for various values of dimensionless constant R.
Although, average sized particles travel further due
to which an initial behavior fluctuates downward
before they are trapped in the cartilage network. In
plotting these curves, four different values of the
magnetic parameter are used. As time goes on, the
effects of pressure on the soft tissue become linear
which results in the maximum deformation at x ¼ 1
that corresponds to the limit of consolidation for
the present study. It is remarkable to mention here
that by increasing the value of M, solid volume
fraction decreases. In fact, this phenomenon
occurred due to the increase of resistance during
the fluid flux by increasing Lorentz forces effects on
the fluid flow. On the other hand, the predominant
effects of applied compression can be seen in the
middle part of every curve for various values of the
magnetic parameter. This is due to the annular
stretching of the elastic medium of the tissue during
loading circumstances which were balanced by the
elasticity of soft tissues after every curve moves lin-
early. For M ¼ 3, the equilibrium is reached faster;
the solid curve corresponds to these dynamics,
whereas the dotted curve shows the change in solid
displacement in the absence of magnetic effects
which clearly shows maximum deflection in which
equilibrium is attained slowly.
Figure 3(b) corresponds to the change in the solid
displacement as a function of x for various value of
time (t), when pressure having maximum effects.
These curves show that the existence of consolidation
region grows with time. During compression, four
different curves correspond to four different values of
the normalized time t, and maximum deformation
9
occurred when the value of the normalized time
reached to 0.2. It is clearly noticed that time directly
proportional to the deformation produced in the soft
tissue. Also, it is worth mentioning that this dynamic
is opposite to the fact observed in case of the mag-
netic parameter on the solid deformation. The max-
imum deformation has been reported at t ¼ 0.2 (solid
curve), and least for t ¼ 0.05 (dotted curve).
In Figure 4(a), we analyze the effects of strain-
dependent permeability on solid deformation. In
plotting these curves, we fix the value of magnetic
parameter M, dimensionless constant R, and nor-
malized time t. Four different curves correspond to
four different strain-dependent permeability parame-
ters while the fluid is passing through the tissues.
The dash-dotted curve shows solid deformation for
m ¼ 4, after this further increase of non-linearity in
the permeability, parameter effects sudden change in
the solid deformation. Large gap between dash-dot-
ted and dashed curves provide justification for this
behavior. This effect is due to an increase of resist-
ance during fluid flow through the cartilage tissues.
In conclusion, our present study clarifies that in
understanding the material nature of soft biological
tissues, especially articular cartilage, it is important
to consider the fluid flow through the interstitial
spaces of the solid matrix. It is clear that elastic
porous tissues were reasonably soft as well as large
consolidation occurred; however, non-linear effects
during fluid flow through cartilage network must be
considered. These effects were particularly encoun-
tered by considering the non-linear strain-dependent
permeability.
10 U. ALI AND J. I. SIDDIQUE

Figure 5. (a) Represent a compression between exact and numerical solutions of fluid pressure, whereas, (b) corresponds to the
change in the local fluid pressure for various values of M.

Figure 6. (a) Change in the fluid pressure is plotted for various value of strain-dependent permeability (k), whereas, (b) gives
change in the local fluid pressure for various values of time (t).

In Figure 4(b), we show the change in solid dis-
placement for different values of dimensionless con-
stant R, keeping other parameters constant. This plot
was devoted to studying the effects of R, which is
function of compression on the solid deformation.
Theoretical prediction of applied compression for
non-linear interaction of binary mixture of fluid and
solid shows that stress at the surface of cartilage tissues
are required to overcome between the relative motion
of interstitial fluid and solid matrix. Particularly, R ¼ 0
correspond to the limiting case for applied compres-
sion that moves the process toward the stage of equi-
librium. In Figure 5(a), we show the compression
between the exact and numerical solutions of fluid
pressure at different values of time t. Particularly, the
dotted curves correspond to the numerical, whereas, a
dashed curve correspond to exact solution for k ¼ 1.
The pressure gradually increases for growth in time
and become linear after attaining equilibrium due to
the elasticity of the tissues.
 COMPUTER METHODS IN BIOMECHANICS AND BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING
In Figure 5(b), change in the fluid pressure is plot-
ted for various values of the magnetic parameter M
using exact solution of pressure found in equation
(34). It is interesting to highlight the fact that, when
M increases fluid pressure becomes reverse after a
certain value of the space variable x  0:3: It is quite
physical because of the strength of applied magnetic
field effects in the change of fluid pressure. In the
beginning, pressure gradually increases which
becomes smooth and finally become linear at the end.
This variation occurred in the dynamics of fluid pres-
sure due to physical interaction within the elasticity
of the cartilage tissues.
In plotting Figure 6(a), we use different values of
material constant m. This physical variation in the
permeability alters the dynamics for fluid fluxes
through the solid matrix of deformable porous tissues.
A dramatic change in fluid pressure has been noticed,
when m increases from 2. Initially, for m ¼ 0 to 2, an
increment in the pressure noticed, which suddenly
decreases, when m attain the values 4 and 6. This
peculiar behavior in the pressure function is due to
the enhancement in the non-linear effects during the
passage of fluid through the elastic porous tissues.
This confirm that pressure change is dependent on
permeability parameter which play an important con-
tribution in understanding interstitial fluid fluxes
through soft biological tissues. These types of studies
are very important that prescribe a direct link
between the consequences of fluid flow with pressure
when the material nature of the organic material
is known.
In Figure 6(b), changes in the pressure occur when
time change from 0.05 to 0.2 for fixed value of M, R,
and m. A unique behavior has been noticed for every
value of the normalized time t. These curves show
that pressure fluctuations are directly proportional to
the value of time.
5. Conclusion
In the present article, we formulate the stress-relax-
ation behavior of soft tissue during loading circum-
stances in the presence of applied magnetic field. The
problem is divided into two categories, i.e., for com-
pression (when applied pressure have maximum
effects), and relaxation (when the applied pressure is
balanced by the elasticity of the tissue). We present
the summary as follows
1. The magnetic parameter act as a resistive force
during fluid flux through the soft tissues.
11
2. By increasing the time range we observe more
deformation for the same applied pressure.
3. The strain-dependent permeability has enough
effects during compression.
4. Increasing the value of dimensionless parameter
R represents the same effects that were observed,
for the case of varying the time on the soil
consolidation.
5. The pressure suddenly changed by increasing the
non-linear effects in the permeability, for
compression.
From the modeling point of view, continuum mix-
ture theory is a well-established theoretical framework
employed by many researchers in modeling the
squeezing phenomenon for both linear and non-linear
permeability in a biological setting. However, the
results of the present study can be further enhanced
using more sophisticated forms of permeability and
revisiting the experiments which we are unable to
perform due to lack of resources. In conclusion, our
present study suggests that governing dynamics is
affected predominantly due to permeability and the
fluid flow through tissue boundaries. The magnetic
parameter behaves like an opposing force on the fluid
flow in outward direction from the cartilage tissues.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by
the author(s).
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