Micromechanics of bone strength and fracture

The mechanical properties of bone were modeled in the context of a filled polymeric composite containing a collagenous matrix and a hydroxyapatite filler. The longitudinal and transverse moduli of cortical bone as a composite with perfect alignment of filler particles were calculated to be 34.5 and 5.3 GPa, respectively. When considering that particle orientation is arranged within a distribution about the long axis, moduli close to the experimentally measured values are achieved. The calculated tensile strength of 1.7 GPa is higher than the experimental values, which may be attributable to intrinsic sample flaws and biological heterogeneity. The mode of tensile failure in this model is particle-matrix debonding, which may explain fatigue or stress fractures. Overall, the filled composite model of bone helps explain the roles of mineralization fraction, particle shape and orientation, and other attributes of the constituent phases in understanding the tensile properties. The fundamentals of bone behavior in compression are less well understood. It is proposed that incorporation of an inorganic phase in bone was teleologically necessary for vertebrates to achieve adequate levels of compressive strength.