There have been recent investigations into developing disc replacements and regenerative medicine to treat internal derangements of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disc. Previous attempts at disc replacements have faced challenges related in part to a limited understanding of the TMJ's complex mechanical environment. The purpose of this study was to characterize the mechanical behavior of the ovine TMJ disc and to derive viscoelastic constitutive models from the experimental data. Fresh ovine TMJ discs were tested in indentation stress-relaxation tests on the inferior surface, uniaxial tension tests to failure, and dynamic biaxial tensile tests. Results showed an order of magnitude stiffer behavior in tension in the anteroposterior (primary fiber) direction compared to the mediolateral direction. The stiffness in tension was much greater than in compression. Regional comparisons showed greater elastic moduli in indentation in the posterior and anterior bands compared to the central region. A hyper-viscoelastic constitutive model captured the dynamic stress-stretch behavior in both indentation and biaxial tension with good agreement. These data will support ongoing and future computational modeling of local TMJ mechanics, aid in biomaterials identification, and ultimately enhance development of implant designs for TMJ disc replacement.

最近有研究开发椎间盘置换术和再生医学来治疗颞下颌关节（TMJ）椎间盘的内部紊乱。先前的光盘更换尝试已面临挑战，部分原因是对TMJ复杂的机械环境的了解有限。这项研究的目的是表征绵羊TMJ椎间盘的力学行为，并从实验数据中得出粘弹性本构模型。新鲜的绵羊TMJ椎间盘在下表面的压痕松弛测试，破坏的单轴拉伸测试以及动态双轴拉伸测试中进行了测试。结果显示，与前外侧方向相比，前后（主纤维）方向的张力行为表现出更强的刚性。拉伸的刚度远大于压缩的刚度。区域比较显示，与中央区域相比，后带和前带的压痕弹性模量更大。高粘弹性本构模型在压痕和双轴拉伸方面都捕获了动态应力-拉伸行为，具有良好的一致性。这些数据将支持正在进行的和将来的局部TMJ力学计算模型，有助于生物材料识别，并最终增强用于TMJ椎间盘置换的植入物设计的开发。