Articular Gasket Prosthesis With Gradient Elasticity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional knee joint prostheses experience short service life due to high local pressure and excessive wear of the articular gasket caused by a small contact area between the femoral condyle prosthesis and the articular gasket, leading to instability and reduced mechanical balance.
Innovation Solution
An articular gasket prosthesis with an elastic matrix and synovial fluid passages is designed to gradually increase hardness and decrease elasticity from the center to the edge, ensuring a larger contact area and reduced pressure, along with a reinforcing ring that allows soft tissue integration for enhanced stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the articular surface gasket is designed into a curved surface with high matching degree at a specific position to ensure stability, then the stability in upright state is improved, but the contact area between the femoral condyle prosthesis and the articular surface gasket becomes far smaller than ideal value, causing excessively high pressure and accelerated wear
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a variable elasticity modulus design where the elasticity modulus of the articular surface gasket varies along the radial direction, creating a dynamic gradient from center to edge. This dynamic property distribution allows the gasket to adapt its deformation characteristics under different loading conditions, ensuring both stability in upright state and adequate contact area during knee joint motion.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating the elasticity modulus at different radial positions of the gasket. The center region has different elastic properties compared to the edge region, allowing each zone to perform its specific function: the center provides shock absorption and compliance while the edge maintains structural stability and contact area during motion.
2Area of stationary object
If the contact area is increased to reduce pressure, then the wear is reduced and service life is extended, but the stability in upright state may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The variable elasticity modulus design enables the gasket to dynamically adjust its contact characteristics. During upright stance, the gradient elasticity ensures proper load distribution and stability, while during motion, the same gradient allows for increased contact area through controlled deformation, thus maintaining both stability and reduced wear simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameter of elasticity modulus from a constant value to a spatially varying parameter. This parameter change allows the gasket to optimize its mechanical response under different operational conditions, achieving both adequate contact area for wear reduction and stability in upright state.
3Ease of manufacture
If a conventional rigid gasket is used, then the manufacturing is simple, but the pressure distribution is uneven causing high local pressure and accelerated wear
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by creating spatial variation in the elasticity modulus within the gasket material. This local differentiation of material properties enables more uniform pressure distribution across the contact area, reducing peak stresses and preventing accelerated wear at specific locations, while still being manufacturable through modern additive or composite material techniques.
Solution Approach 2:
The variable elasticity modulus gasket can be realized using composite material structures or functionally graded materials that combine different material phases or densities. This allows the gasket to achieve complex elastic property distributions that optimize pressure distribution, while the composite nature provides manufacturing pathways through layering, infiltration, or additive manufacturing processes.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution ensures a longer service life and improved stability of the knee joint prosthesis by maintaining ideal pressure and facilitating biological tissue integration, mimicking the mechanical characteristics of a human joint.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of synovial fluid passages, distributed in the elastic matrix and communicating the first contact surface and the second contact surface, the plurality of synovial fluid passages being disposed according to a predetermined manner
Implementation Method 2
the elastic gasket includes: an elastic matrix, having a first contact surface facing the first skeleton and a second contact surface facing the second skeleton
Implementation Method 3
so as to gradually increase a hardness of the elastic matrix from a center to an edge and gradually decrease an elasticity of the elastic matrix from the center to the edge
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure provides an articular gasket prosthesis and an articular prosthesis with the articular gasket prosthesis. The articular gasket prosthesis includes an elastic gasket disposed between a first skeleton and second skeleton forming a joint, the elastic gasket including: an elastic matrix, having a first contact surface facing the first skeleton and a second contact surface facing the second skeleton; and multiple synovial fluid passages, distributed in the elastic matrix and communicating the first contact surface and the second contact surface, the multiple synovial fluid passages being disposed according to a predetermined manner to gradually increase hardness of the elastic matrix from a center to an edge and gradually decrease elasticity of the elastic matrix from the center to the edge.