Mechanical properties of porcine femoral cortical bone measured by nanoindentation.

This study uses a nanoindentation technique to examine variations in the local mechanical properties of porcine femoral cortical bone under hydrated conditions. Bone specimens from three age groups (6, 12 and 42 months), representing developing bone, ranging from young to mature animals, were tested on the longitudinal and transverse cross-sectional surfaces. Elastic modulus and hardness of individual lamellae within bone's microstructure: laminar bone, interstitial bone, and osteons, were measured.

The role of mineral content in determining the micromechanical properties of discrete trabecular bone remodeling packets.

In trabecular bone, each remodeling event results in the resorption and/or formation of discrete structural units called 'packets'. These remodeling packets represent a fundamental level of bone's structural hierarchy at which to investigate composition and mechanical behaviors. The objective of this study was to apply the complementary techniques of quantitative backscattered electron microscopy (qBSEM) and nanoindentation to investigate inter-relationships between packet mineralization, elastic modulus, contact hardness and plastic deformation resistance.