Micro-finite element analysis of trabecular bone yield behavior - Effects of tissue nonlinear material properties

Bone tissue material nonlinearity and large deformations within the trabecular network are important for the characterization of failure behavior of trabecular bone at both the apparent and tissue levels. Micro-finite element analysis (μFEA) is a useful tool for determining the mechanical properties of trabecular bone due to certain experimental difficulties. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of bone tissue nonlinear material properties on the apparent- and tissue-level mechanical parameters of trabecular bone using μFEA. A bilinear tissue constitutive model was proposed to describe the bone tissue material nonlinearity. Two trabecular specimens with different micro-architectures were taken as examples. The effects of four parameters, i.e., tissue Young's modulus, tissue yield strain in tension, tissue yield strain in compression, and post-yield modulus on the apparent yield stress/strain, tissue von Mises stress distribution, the amount of tissue elements yielded in compression and tension under compressive and tensile loading conditions were obtained using nine cases for different values of those parameters by totally 36 nonlinear μFEA. These data may provide a reference for more sophisticated evaluations of bone strength and the related fracture risk.