Strain rate and mineral content in fracture models of bone

I reanalysed data from my previous work to determine the extent to which a model for the loading-rate dependence of the fracture of cortical bone, put forward by Carter and Caler, fits this independently derived data set. In particular, the extent to which the generality of the model is vitiated by its ignoring the effect of mineralisation on strength was tested. The model was rather strongly corroborated. In addition, the reanalysed data show that yield strain is strongly strain-rate dependent, but that Young's modulus is rather unvarying over physiological strain rates. The implications of this for hypotheses concerning fracture of bone are discussed.