Analysis of trabecuar bone micro-mechanics using homogenization theory with comparison to experimental results

A new approach to the analysis of trabecular bone micro-mechanics using homogenization theory combined with morphological analysis is presented. In homogenization theory, the mechanical behavior of a microstructured material is represented by an asymptotic expansion of the field variable. It assumes the microstructure is periodic and therefore one representative micro model is analyzed for each microstructure. Two cell types were analyzed, a strut model and a spherical void model. The homogenization predictions of stiffness for the spherical void model were compared to standard finite element analysis of the same model and found to be consistent. Modulus volume fraction relationships were plotted for each cell type.