Specimen Specific Multiscale Model for the Anisotropic Elastic Properties of Human Cortical Bone Tissue

The elastic constants of cortical bone are orthotropic or transversely isotropic depending on the anatomic origin of the tissue. Micromechanical models have been developed to predict anisotropic elastic properties from structural information. Many have utilized microstructural features such as osteons, cement lines and Haversian canals to model the tissue properties [1]. Others have utilized nanoscale features to model the mineralized collagen fibril [2]. Quantitative texture analysis using x-ray diffraction techniques has shown that elongated apatite crystals exhibit a preferred orientation in the longitudinal axis of the bone [3]. The orientation distribution of apatite crystals provides fundamental information influencing the anisotropy of the extracellular matrix (ECM) but has not been utilized in existing micromechanical models.