Compliance calibration for fracture testing of anisotropic biological materials (original) (raw)

Mechanical Characterization of Bone: State of the Art in Experimental Approaches—What Types of Experiments Do People Do and How Does One Interpret the Results?

Current Osteoporosis Reports, 2018

Purpose of Review-The mechanical integrity of bone is determined by the direct measurement of bone mechanical properties. This article presents an overview of the current, most common, and new and upcoming experimental approaches for the mechanical characterization of bone. The key outcome variables of mechanical testing, as well as interpretations of the results in the context of bone structure and biology are also discussed. Recent Findings-Quasi-static tests are the most commonly used for determining the resistance to structural failure by a single load at the organ (whole bone) level. The resistance to crack initiation or growth by fracture toughness testing and fatigue loading offers additional and more direct characterization of tissue material properties. Non-traditional indentation techniques and in situ testing are being increasingly used to probe the material properties of bone ultrastructure. Summary-Destructive ex vivo testing or clinical surrogate measures are considered to be the gold standard for estimating fracture risk. The type of mechanical test used for a particular investigation depends on the length scale of interest, where the outcome variables are influenced by the interrelationship between bone structure and composition. Advancement in the sensitivity of mechanical characterization techniques to detect changes in bone at the levels subjected to modifications by aging, disease, and/or pharmaceutical treatment is required. As such, a number of techniques are now available to aid our understanding of the factors that contribute to fracture risk.

Bone Quality Assessment Techniques: Geometric, Compositional, and Mechanical Characterization from Macroscale to Nanoscale

Clinical Reviews in Bone and Mineral Metabolism, 2016

This review presents an overview of the characterization techniques available to experimentally evaluate bone quality, defined as the geometric and material factors that contribute to fracture resistance independently of areal bone mineral density (aBMD) assessed by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry. The methods available for characterization of the geometric, compositional, and mechanical properties of bone across multiple length scales are summarized, along with their outcomes and their advantages and disadvantages. Examples of how each technique is used are discussed, as well as practical concerns such as sample preparation and whether or not each testing method is destructive. Techniques that can be used in vivo and those that have been recently improved or developed are emphasized, including high resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography to evaluate geometric properties and reference point indentation to evaluate material properties. Because no single method can completely characterize bone quality, we provide a framework for how multiple characterization methods can be used together to generate a more comprehensive analysis of bone quality to complement aBMD in fracture risk assessment.

Bone Toughness and Crack Propagation: An Experimental Study

Procedia Engineering, 2014

Bone is a topic of great interest for researchers, such as biologists or engineers, both interested in understanding the structurerelated properties of bone and how they are affected by aging, disease and therapies. In particular, a topic of common interest between medicine and engineering is the fracture behavior of bone. Indeed, a thorough understanding of the mechanical behavior of bone is helpful to predict the fracture risk, but it can also provide the basis for the design of de novo biomimetic materials. In this paper, we show the initial results of an experimental study of the mechanical behavior of bovine bone, with a special focus on fracture toughness. The latter is evaluated under tensile and bending loading, by following the ASTM adopted for metals. Finally, we perform microscopic observations to better understand the fracture behavior and correlate it with the microscopic structure.

The double cantilever beam test applied to mode I fracture characterization of cortical bone tissue

Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials, 2010

The primary objective of this work was to analyse the adequacy of the Double Cantilever Beam (DCB) test in determining fracture toughness under pure mode I loading of cortical bone tissue. A new data reduction scheme based on specimen compliance and the crack equivalent concept was used to overcome the difficulties inherent in crack monitoring during its growth. It provides a complete resistance curve, which is fundamental in estimating the fracture energy. A cohesive zone model was used to simulate damage initiation and propagation, thus assessing the efficacy of the proposed testing method and data reduction scheme. Subsequently, the DCB test was applied to evaluate the mode I fracture energy of hydrated and thermally dehydrated cortical bone tissue from young bovine femur, in the tangential-longitudinal propagation system. The results obtained demonstrate the efficacy of the DCB test and the proposed data reduction scheme on the bone fracture characterization under mode I loading.

Applications of an anisotropic parameter to cortical bone

Journal of materials science. Materials in medicine, 2000

An equational description of the extent of the anisotropy in cortical bone is presented from both the perspective of plane stress (two-dimensional stress state) and plane strain (three-dimensional stress state). The orthotropic elastic properties that are incorporated in these states are used to provide a more thorough and refined description of planar and volumetric anisotropy in comparison to the commonly used ratio of elastic moduli. The resulting anisotropic parametric equations (eta(sigma) and eta(epsilon)) are applied to the elastic material properties measured from cortical bone within rats, dogs, cows and humans as reported in 12 previous studies. The resulting calculated parameters reduce the typically nine independent properties down to three parameters which in turn represent the degree of anisotropy within the three orthogonal planes of symmetry as are common in cortical bone. It was found that no statistical difference existed between the plane stress versus plane strai...

Numerical analysis of the ENF and ELS tests applied to mode II fracture characterization of cortical bone tissue

Fatigue & Fracture of Engineering Materials & Structures, 2011

The objective of this work is to verify numerically the adequacy of the ENF and the ELS tests to determine the fracture toughness under mode II loading of cortical bovine bone tissue. A data-reduction scheme based on the specimen compliance and the equivalent crack concept is proposed to overcome the difficulties inherent to crack monitoring during its growth. A cohesive damage model was used to simulate damage initiation and growth, thus assessing the efficacy of the proposed data-reduction scheme. The influences of the initial crack length, local strength and toughness on the measured fracture energy were analysed, taking into account the specimen length restriction. Some limitations related to spurious influence on the fracture process zone of the central loading in the ENF test, and clamping conditions in the ELS test were identified. However, it was verified that a judicious selection of the geometry allows, in both cases, a rigorous estimation of bone toughness in mode II. a = crack length a 0 = initial crack length a e = equivalent crack length B = specimen width C = specimen compliance C 0 = initial specimen compliance E f = corrected flexural modulus E L = longitudinal modulus E T = transverse modulus G I = strain energy release rate in mode I G Ic = fracture toughness in mode I G II = strain energy release rate in mode II G IIc = fracture toughness in mode II G LT = shear modulus h = specimen height L = specimen characteristic length L ef = effective length in the ELS test P = applied load δ = applied displacement I = crack length correction σ i = stresses in each mode (i = I, II) σ u,i = local strengths (i = I, II)

Variability and Anisotropy of Fracture Toughness of Cortical Bone Tissue

Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 2012

Bones form protective and load-bearing framework of the body. Therefore, their structural integrity is vital for the quality of life. Unfortunately, bones can only sustain a load until a certain limit, beyond which they fail. Therefore, it is essential to study their mechanical and fracture behaviours in order to get an in-depth understanding of the origins of its fracture resistance that, in turn, can assist diagnosis and prevention of bone's trauma. This can be achieved by studying mechanical properties of bone, such as its fracture toughness. Generally, most of bone fractures occur for long bones that consist mostly of cortical bone. Therefore, in this study, only a cortical bone tissue was studied. Since this tissue has an anisotropic behaviour and possesses hierarchical and complex structure, in this paper, an experimental analysis for the fracture toughness of cortical bone tissue is presented in terms of J-integral. The data was obtained using single-edge-notch bending (SENB) cortical specimens of bone tested in a three-point bending setup. Variability of values of fracture toughness was investigated by testing specimens cut from different cortex positions of bovine femur called anterior, posterior, medial, and lateral. In addition, anisotropy ratios of fracture toughness were considered by examining specimens cut from three different orientations: longitudinal, transverse and radial. Moreover, in order to link cortical bone fracture mechanisms with its underlying microstructure, fracture surfaces of specimens from different cortices and along different orientations were studied. Experimental results of this study provide a clear understanding of both variability and anisotropy of cortical bone tissue with regard to its fracture toughness.

Methods for Examining the Fatigue and Fracture Behavior of Hard Tissues

Experimental Mechanics, 2007

An understanding of the fatigue and fracture behavior of hard tissues (e.g., bone and tissues of the human tooth) is critical to the maintenance of physical and oral health. Recent studies suggest that there are a number of mechanisms contributing to crack extension and crack arrest in these materials, and that they appear to be a function of moisture and age of the tissue. An understanding of these processes can provide new ideas that are relevant to the design of multi-functional engineering materials. As a result, we have adopted the use of microscopic Digital Image Correlation (DIC) to examine the mechanisms of crack growth resistance and near-tip displacement distribution for cracks in human dentin that are subjected to opening mode loads. We have also developed a special compact tension (CT) specimen that permits evaluation of crack extension within small portions of tissue under both quasi-static and fatigue loads. The specimen embodies a selected portion of hard tissue within a resin composite restorative and enables an examination of diseased tissue, or portion with specific physiology, that would otherwise be impossible to evaluate. In this paper we describe application of these experimental methods and present some recent results concerning fatigue crack growth and stable crack extension in dentin and across the dentin-enamel-junction (DEJ) of human teeth.