Raju, V.Koorata, P.K.2026-02-042022Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part H: Journal of Engineering in Medicine, 2022, 236, 9, pp. 1340-13489544119https://doi.org/10.1177/09544119221116263https://idr.nitk.ac.in/handle/123456789/22423Structurally, the articular cartilages are heterogeneous owing to nonuniform distribution and orientation of its constituents. The oversimplification of this soft tissue as a homogeneous material is generally considered in the simulation domain to estimate contact pressure along with other physical responses. Hence, there is a need for investigating knee cartilages for their actual response to external stimuli. In this article, impact of material and geometrical heterogeneity of the cartilage is resolved using well known material models. The findings are compared with conventional homogeneous models. The results indicate vital differences in contact pressure distribution and tissue deformation. Further, this study paves way for standardizing material models to extract maximum information possible for investigating knee mechanics with variable geometry and case specific parameters. © IMechE 2022.CartilageJoints (anatomy)Pressure distributionArticular cartilagesContact pressuresFinite element analyseKnee jointMaterial heterogeneityMaterial modelingMechanical responseNon-uniform distributionSoft tissueSuperficial layersFinite element methodarticlearticular cartilagefinite element analysisgeometryknee