In situ mechanical behavior of mineral crystals in human cortical bone under compressive load using synchrotron X-ray scattering techniques.

It is of great interest to delineate the effect of orientation distribution of mineral crystals on the bulk mechanical behavior of bone. Using a unique synergistic approach combining a progressive loading scheme and synchrotron X-ray scattering techniques, human cortical bone specimens were tested in compression to examine the in situ mechanical behavior of mineral crystals aligned in different orientations. The orientation distribution was quantitatively estimated by measuring the X-ray diffraction intensity from the (002) plane in mineral crystals.

X-ray diffraction as a promising tool to characterize bone nanocomposites.

To understand the characteristics of bone at the tissue level, the structure, organization and mechanical properties of the underlying levels down to the nanoscale as well as their mutual interactions need to be investigated. Such information would help understand changes in the bone properties including stiffness, strength and toughness and provide ways to assess the aged and diseased bones and the development of next generation of bio-inspired materials. X-ray diffraction techniques have gained increased interest in recent years as useful non-destructive tools for investigating the nanostructure of bone.

Nanostructural alteration in bone quantified in terms of orientation distribution of mineral crystals: a possible tool for fracture risk assessment.

There may be different causes of failures in bone; however, their origin generally lies at the lowest level of structural hierarchy, i.e., at the mineral-collagen composite.

Deformation of mineral crystals in cortical bone depending on structural anisotropy.

The deformation mechanism of bone at different hierarchical levels has been of wide interest. The important features of bone, its anisotropy and orientation dependent deformation are equally important, which have also gained a long run discussion. Most of the studies are concentrated on protein-rich collagen fibres and matrix, where different deformation mechanisms at the lower length scales are proposed.

Understanding site-specific residual strain and architecture in bovine cortical bone.

Living bone is considered as adaptive material to the mechanical functions, which continually undergoes change in its histological arrangement with respect to external prolonged loading. Such remodeling phenomena within bone depend on the degree of stimuli caused by the mechanical loading being experienced, and therefore, are specific to the sites. In the attempts of understanding strain adaptive phenomena within bones, different theoretical models have been proposed.

Estimating nanoscale deformation in bone by X-ray diffraction imaging method.

Knowledge of internal stress-strain in bone tissue is important for clinical diagnosis and remedies. The inorganic mineral phase of apatite crystals in bone composite, because of its crystalline nature, provides a reliable way of measurement through X-ray diffraction system. Use of two-dimensional detector, imaging plate (IP), is considered to expedite the process with much more information, hence, is widely applied in the study of organization, stress, strain, etc.