Design and validation of a testing system to assess torsional cancellous bone failure in conjunction with time-lapsed micro-computed tomographic imaging

Nazarian, Ara<sup>1,3</sup>; Bauernschmitt, Michael<sup>3</sup>; Eberle, Christian<sup>3</sup>; Meier, Diego<sup>1,3</sup>; Müller, Ralph<sup>4</sup>; Snyder, Brian D.<sup>2</sup>

Affiliations

¹Orthopedic Biomechanics Laboratory (OBL), Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, 330 Brookline Avenue, RN115, Boston, MA 02215, USA

²Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA

³Institute for Biomedical Engineering, University and ETH Zürich, 8044 Zürich, Switzerland

⁴Institute for Biomechanics, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland

Abstract and keywords

When compressed axially, cancellous bone often fails at an oblique angle along well-defined bands, highlighting the importance of cancellous bone shear properties. Torsion testing to determine shear properties of cancellous bone has often been conducted under conditions appropriate only for axis-symmetric specimens comprised of homogeneous and isotropic materials. However, most cancellous bone specimens do not meet these stringent test conditions. Therefore, the aim of this study was to design and validate a uniaxial, incremental torsional testing system for non-homogeneous orthotropic or non-axis-symmetric specimens.

Precision and accuracy of the newly designed torsion system was validated by using Plexiglas rods and beams, where obtained material properties were compared to those supplied by the manufacturer. Additionally, the incremental step-wise application of angular displacement and simultaneous time-lapsed μCT imaging capability of the system was validated using whale cancellous bone specimens, with step-wise application of angular displacement yielding similar torsional mechanical properties to continuous application of angular displacement in a conventional torsion study.

In conclusion, a novel torsion testing system for non-homogeneous, orthotropic materials using the incremental step-wise application of torsion and simultaneous time-lapsed μCT imaging was designed and validated.

Keywords: Cancellous bone; Torsion testing; Shear properties; Micro-computed tomography

Links

DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2008.09.014

PubMed: 18990395

WoS: 000261965300031

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Cited By (5)

Year	Entry
2012	Hussein AI, Barbone PE, Morgan EF. Digital volume correlation for study of the mechanics of whole bones. Procedia Eng. 2012;4:116-125.
2013	Hussein Ali AI. 3-D Visualization and Prediction of Spine Fractures Under Axial Loading [PhD thesis]. Boston University; 2013.
2009	Lievers WB. Effects of Geometric and Material Property Changes on the Apparent Elastic Properties of Cancellous Bone [PhD thesis]. Queen's University; April 2009.
2012	Emerson NJ. Development of Patient-Specific CT-FE Modelling of Bone Through Validation Using Porcine Femora [PhD thesis]. University of Sheffield; September 2012.
2011	Wright D. Development of a Novel Measure of Three-Dimensional Bone Connectivity in a Mouse Tibia Fracture Model: Characterizing Torsional Strength and Stiffness Through Failure Surface Analysis [Master's thesis]. University of Toronto; 2011.