Time-resolved in situ synchrotron-microct:​ 4D deformation of bone and bone analogues using digital volume correlation

Peña Fernández, Marta; Kao, Alexander P.; Bonithon, Roxane; Howells, David; link=; Wanelik, Kazimir; Witte, Frank; Johnston, Richard; Arora, Hari; Tozzi, Gianluca

Affiliations

¹Zeiss Global Centre, School of Mechanical and Design Engineering, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, United Kingdom

²School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Institute of Mechanical, Process and Energy Engineering (IMPEE), Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

³Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea, United Kingdom

⁴Diamond Light Source, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom

⁵Biotrics Bioimplants AG, Berlin, Germany

⁶Department of Prosthodontics, Geriatric Dentistry and Craniomandibular Disorders, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany

Abstract and keywords

Digital volume correlation (DVC) in combination with high-resolution micro-computed tomography (microCT) imaging and in situ mechanical testing is gaining popularity for quantifying 3D full-field strains in bone and biomaterials. However, traditional in situ time-lapsed (i.e., interrupted) mechanical testing cannot fully capture the dynamic strain mechanisms in viscoelastic biological materials. The aim of this study was to investigate the time-resolved deformation of bone structures and analogues via continuous in situ synchrotron-radiation microCT (SR-microCT) compression and DVC to gain a better insight into their structure-function relationships. Fast SR-microCT imaging enabled the deformation behaviour to be captured with high temporal and spatial resolution. Time-resolved DVC highlighted the relationship between local strains and damage initiation and progression in the different biostructures undergoing plastic deformation, bending and/or buckling of their main microstructural elements. The results showed that SR-microCT continuous mechanical testing complemented and enhanced the information obtained from time-lapsed testing, which may underestimate the 3D strain magnitudes as a result of the stress relaxation occurring in between steps before image acquisition in porous biomaterials. Altogether, the findings of this study highlight the importance of time-resolved in situ experiments to fully characterise the time-dependent mechanical behaviour of biological tissues and biomaterials and to further explore their micromechanics under physiologically relevant conditions.

Statement of significance: Time-resolved synchrotron X-ray tomography in combination with in situ mechanical testing provided the first four-dimensional analysis of the mechanical deformation of bone and bone analogues. To unravel the interplay of damage initiation and progression with local deformation, digital volume correlation was used to map the local strain field while microstructural changes were tracked with high temporal and spatial resolution. The results highlighted the importance of fast imaging and time-resolved in situ experiments to capture the real deformation of complex porous materials to fully characterize the local strain-damage relationship. The findings are notably improving the understanding of time-dependent mechanical behaviour of bone tissue, with the potential to be extend to highly viscoelastic biomaterials and soft tissues.

Keywords: Bone; Time-resolved SR-microCT; Continuous in situ mechanics; Digital volume correlation; Time-dependent behaviour

Links

DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2021.06.014

PubMed: 34126266

WoS: 000685360600010

History

Received: 2021-01-8

Revised: 2021-05-7

Accepted: 2021-06-7

Online: 2021-06-12

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Cited By (1)

Year	Entry
2022	Dall’Ara E, Bodey AJ, Isaksson H, Tozzi G. A practical guide for in situ mechanical testing of musculoskeletal tissues using synchrotron tomography. J Mech Behav Biomed Mater. September 2022;133:105297.