Image-based finite element modeling of the three-point bending test of cortical bone

The numerical simulation of the response of bone tissue to loading is a very common method in the biomedical engineering. The high diversity of bone quality, fractures and metabolic diseases, requires different approaches to numerical simulation. The main aim of this study was image-based finite element modeling (FEM) of the three-point bending tests of cortical bone. The results from the simulation performed based on own materials can be then used to non-destructive prediction of the bone mechanical strength. The samples were scanned by X-ray microcomputed tomography (XMT). Grey values of the imaged phantom were calibrated to known values of the phantom densities. It enabled estimation of the calibration curve for mineral level in bone, that was further applied to the calculation of bone density and the estimation of the material parameters in the FE model. In one example, the finite element analysis gives the deflection y=0.7 mm that match results from experiments where deflection was equal to y =0,69mm. The reported studies delivered useful data for future prediction of the mechanical parameters based on only imaging data.