Relationships Among Microstructural Features and Crack Propagation in Osteonal Bone Identified Using Finite Element Analysis

At the microstructural length-scale, osteonal bone is highly heterogeneous, and experimental observations have demonstrated that relationships exist among microstructural features, such as cement lines, and crack propagation. An improved understanding of the roles played by lamellar layers, cement lines, and Haversian canals during damaging processes can be obtained through computational modeling. In this study, these relationships are explored by first developing complex, representative, finite element models of microstructural features contained in osteonal cortical bone and subjecting them to simulated tests. Cracks are then incorporated into the models by explicitly modeling geometric discontinuities, and parameterization studies are performed to explore how variations in microstructural feature properties promote or inhibit crack propagation. Overall, this study allows for an understanding of how crack propagation behavior can be directly influenced by specific material and microstructural properties