Mapping dynamical mechanical properties of osteonal bone by scanning acoustic microscopy in time-of-flight mode

An important determinant of mechanical properties of bone is Young's modulus and its variation in individual osteons of cortical bone tissue. Its mechanical behavior also depends on deformation rate owing to its visco- or poroelastic properties. We developed a method to measure dynamical mechanical properties of bulk bone tissue at osteonal level based on scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM) using time-of-flight (TOF) measurements in combination with quantitative backscattered electron imaging (qBEI). SAM-TOF yields local sound velocities and qBEI corresponding material densities together providing elastic properties. Osteons (n=55) were measured in three human femoral diaphyseal ground bone sections (∼ 30 µm in thickness). In addition, subchondral bone and mineralized articular cartilage were investigated. The mean mineral contents, the mean sound velocities, and the mean elastic modulus of the osteons ranged from 20 to 26 wt%, from 3,819 to 5,260 m/s, and from 21 to 44 GPa, respectively. There was a strong positive correlation between material density and sound velocity (Pearson's r=0.701; p<0.0001) of the osteons. Sound velocities between cartilage and bone was similar, though material density was higher in cartilage (+4.46%, p<0.0001). These results demonstrate the power of SAM-TOF to estimate dynamic mechanical properties of the bone materials at the osteonal level.