title: Oscillating Couette flow for in vitro cell loading.
abstract: Synovial joints are loaded by weight bearing, stretching, and fluid-driven shear. To simulate in vitro fluid-driven shear, we developed an "oscillating Couette flow mechanical shear loader". Oscillating Couette flow mimics relative motion of articular surfaces; hence, characterizing flow-induced shear by the loader enhances understanding of mechanotransduction in the joint tissue. Here, the analytical and computational models for an oscillating Couette flow were used to predict time-varying shear distribution on a plate surface, applying numerical simulation to evaluate the effects of finite plate dimension in a 2D flow. Shear stress on the plate was significantly different from that in simpler models (unbounded plates and viscous low-frequency flow). High-stress spots appeared near the leading and trailing edges of a moving plate, and a relatively uniform shear region was restricted to the interior area. Stress prediction in an example experimental geometry is presented, where the frequency and finite width effects are feasibly accounted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, 723 West Michigan Street, SL 260, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA. mnalim@iupui.edu
authors.forename: Razi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nalim
authors.forename: Kerem
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pekkan
authors.forename: Hui Bin
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yokota
mesh_terms: D002478:Cells, Cultured; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D013314:Stress, Mechanical