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Quasi-brittle fracture mechanics is used to evaluate fracture of human cortical bone in aging. The approach is demonstrated using cortical bone bars extracted from one 92-year-old human male cadaver. In-situ fracture mechanics experiments in a 3D X-ray microscope are conducted. The evolution of the fracture process zone is documented. Fully developed fracture process zone lengths at peak load are found to span about three osteon diameters. Crack deflection and arrest at cement lines is a key process to build extrinsic toughness. Strength and toughness are found as size-dependent, not only for laboratory-scale experimental specimens but also for the whole femur. A scaling law for the length fracture process zone is used. Then, size-independent, tissue fracture properties are calculated. Linear elastic fracture mechanics applied to laboratory beam specimens underestimates the tissue toughness by 60%. Tissue fracture properties are used to predict the load capacity of the femur in bending within the range of documented data. The quasi-brittle fracture mechanics approach allows for the assessment of the combined effect of bone quantity and bone quality on fracture risk. However, further work is needed considering a larger range of subjects and in the model validation at the organ length scale.
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This content will become publicly available on June 1, 2026
A measure of intrinsic strength, not nominal strength, reflects effects of ex-vivo cortical bone matrix modulation by raloxifene
Understanding bone strength is important when assessing bone diseases and their treatment. Bending experiments are often used to determine strength. Then, flexural stresses are calculated from elastic bending theory. With a brittle failure criterion, the maximum flexural tensile stress is equated to (nominal) strength. However, bone is not a perfectly brittle material. A quasi-brittle failure criterion is more appropriate. Such an approach allows for material failure to occur before full fracture. The extent of the subcritical damage domain then introduces a length scale. The intrinsic strength of the bone is calculated from the critical load at fracture and the failure process zone dimensions relative to the specimen size. We apply this approach to human cortical bone specimens extracted from a femur. We determine strength measures in the untreated reference state and after treatment with the selective estrogen receptor modulator raloxifene. We find that the common nominal strength measure does not distinguish between treatments. However, the dimensions of the failure process zone differ between treatments. Intrinsic strength measures then are demonstrated as descriptors of bone strength sensitive to treatment. An extrapolation of laboratory data to whole bone is demonstrated.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1952993
- PAR ID:
- 10583051
- Publisher / Repository:
- Elsevier
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials
- Volume:
- 166
- Issue:
- C
- ISSN:
- 1751-6161
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 106956
- Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
- Human cortical bone Strength Failure process zone Lengthscale Size effect Treatment SERM Raloxifene
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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