Damage mechanisms in cortical bone and impact of age and osteoporosis

Healthy bone has a unique ability to resist fracture due to its hierarchical composite structure. However, fracture resistance decreases dramatically with age and disease.

The aim of this project is to use an engineering perspective to unravel what mechanisms that drive the altered fracture behavior in aging and osteoporotic bone and to identify features that are key for maintaining mechanical integrity also in the case of bone loss.The proposal involves analysis of human cadaveric bone tissue over a wide range of ages and stages of disease.

A combination of fracture mechanical testing, digital image correlation, nanoindentation and high-resolution tomography will provide a comprehensive data set that will serve as a base for developing the first validated phase field fracture models of cortical bone.

Special focus will be given to capture the interfaces mechanics known to govern damage initiation and growth at the microscale in healthy bone.This proposal will reveal damage mechanisms in healthy and osteoporotic bone and their impact on fracture resistance.

It will greatly advance the state-of-the-art in the field of bone mechanics and identify novel features that can lead to better fracture risk predictions in the future.

Early identification of high-risk patients is crucial for effective preventive treatment, with huge benefits for both patients and society.