The Anisotropic Effect of Intervertebral Disc Tissue in Confined Compression Test

The intervertebral discs are of the most important body tissues that provides the required flexibility for the spine during daily activities. Due to the lamellar structure of the Annulus Fibrosus, that surrounds the central part of Nucleus Pulposus, it may show anisotropic behavior in carrying the applied loads. Therefore, this aspect was investigated using the experimental data that were obtained by confined compression relaxation tests on samples in three different directions: Axial, radial and circumferential. To obtain the experimental values of the permeability and aggregate modulus as material parameters, test data in three directions were fit to the constitutive equations that were based on the biphasic relaxation model. The results for the permeability and aggregate modulus in three directions show that the material parameters are almost independent of direction and therefore, it is concluded that AF can be treated as an isotropic material under the compressive loads.