Contribution, development and morphology of microcracking in cortical bone during crack propagation
Abstract
A fracture mechanics study of cortical bone is presented to investigate the contribution, development morphology of microcracking in cortical bone during crack propagation. Post-hoc analyses of microcrack orientation, crack propagation velocity and fracture surface roughness were conducted on previously tested human and bovine bone compact tension specimens. It was found that, consistent with its higher toughness, bovine bone formed significantly more longitudinal, transverse and inclined microcracks than human bone. However, in human bone more of the microcracks that formed were longitudinal than transverse or inclined, a feature that would optimise bone's toughness. Crack propagation velocity in human and bovine bone displayed the same characteristic pattern with crack extension, where an increase in velocity is followed by a consequent decrease and vice versa. On the basis of this pattern, a model or crack propagation has been proposed. It provides a detailed account of mocrocrack formation and contribution towards the propagation of a fracture crack. Analyses of fracture surfaces indicated that, consistent with its higher toughness, bovine bone displays a rougher surface than human bone but they both have the same basic fractured element, i.e. a mineralised collagen fibril.
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In vitro studies have noted that microdamage can increase resistance to crack growth.
“Moreover, in vitro studies have noted that microdamage can increase resistance to crack growth (14), particularly if the damage is in the form of linear microcracks ahead of a larger crack (15).”
From Bone Mechanical Properties in Healthy and Diseased States (2018) · cites this paper as [14]
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Bone Mechanical Properties in Healthy and Diseased States
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- Authors
- Vashishth, D., Tanner, K. E., & Bonfield, W.
- Affiliations
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (US)
- Queen Mary University of London (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Vashishth, D
- Venue
- Journal of Biomechanics
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2000-09
- Volume
- 33
- Issue
- 9
- Pages
- 1169-1174
- ISSN
- 0021-9290 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1968707421
- Cited by
- 189
- References
- 11
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 8 · 2012: 9
- FWCI
- 3.45
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Biomechanics (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Microsoft
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Orthopedics and Sports Medicine › Bone health and osteoporosis research
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Mechanics of Materials › Fatigue and fracture mechanics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Bone fractures and treatments
- Keywords
- cortical bone, microcracking, crack propagation, fracture toughness, microcrack orientation, crack velocity, fracture surface roughness, compact tension specimens, human bone, bovine bone, collagen fibrils, fracture mechanics
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Bone and Bones, Cattle, Collagen, Humans, Male, Microscopy, Electron, Scanning, Middle Aged, Tensile Strength, Time Factors, Fractures, Stress
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