Technique for determining the orthotropic properties of the bone organ according to computer tomography

The actual task of modern biomechanics of bone tissue is to determine the elastic properties. Nowadays computed tomography coupled with computer technology allows the use of numerical experiments to determine the mechanical properties of biological objects. This paper presents such a technique. The technique is based on the hypothesis that the anisotropy of bone tissue is determined by the uneven distribution of pore volume. In the proposed approach, the organ under study is proposed to be divided into a set of representative volumes. A set of numerical experiments is carried out for each volume, which makes it possible to determine the components of the elastic tensor. Then, the axes of orthotropy and elastic constants are determined. The described technique is applied for diaphysis of the femoral bone rat. It is shown that the resulting elastic constants remain constant in the organ, and the body is transversally isotropic.