Improving the damage accumulation in a biomechanical bone remodelling model

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Computational Biology
• Materials Science

Background:

• The original macrobiomechanical model (MBM) describes bone remodeling by coupling cellular activity of basic multicellular units (BMUs) with microdamage and repair rates.
• Existing models may not fully capture bone failure under severe stress or fatigue conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To extend and reformulate the macrobiomechanical model (MBM) for bone remodeling.
• To incorporate a Paris-like power-law damage accumulation term to predict bone failure under overstressing and fatigue.

Main Methods:

• Reformulation of the phenomenological bone remodeling model.
• Incorporation of a Paris-like power-law damage accumulation term.
• Numerical solution using a convergent algorithm to analyze stationary states.

Main Results:

• The extended model aligns with previous predictions under low stress.
• The model successfully predicts bone failure under fatigue loading, consistent with experimental data.
• Stationary solutions under constant loads fully represent the model's behavior.

Conclusions:

• The enhanced MBM provides a more comprehensive framework for bone remodeling and failure analysis.
• The model's predictions under fatigue conditions are validated against experimental data.
• This work offers insights for further development of BMU-based bone remodeling models.