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Osteon pullout in the equine third metacarpal bone: effects of ex vivo fatigue.
Abstract: An important concept in bone mechanics is that osteons influence mechanical properties in several ways, including contributing to toughness and fatigue strength by debonding from the interstitial matrix so as to "bridge" developing cracks. Observations of "pulled out" osteons on fracture surfaces are thought to be indicative of such behavior. We tested the hypothesis that osteon pullout varies with mode of loading (fatigue vs. monotonic), cortical region, elastic modulus, and fatigue life. Mid-diaphseal beams from the dorsal, medial, and lateral regions of the equine third metacarpal bone were fractured in four point bending by monotonic loading to failure under deflection control, with or without 10(5) cycles of previous fatigue loading producing 5000 microstrain (15-20% of the expected failure strain) on the first cycle; or sinusoidal fatigue loading to failure, under load or deflection control, with the initial cycle producing 10,000 microstrain (30-40% of the expected failure strain). Using scanning electron microscopy, percent fracture surface area exhibiting osteon pullout (%OP.Ar) was measured. Monotonically loaded specimens and the compression side of fatigue fracture surfaces exhibited no osteon pullout. In load-controlled fatigue, pullout was present on the tension side of fracture surfaces, was regionally dependent (occurring to a greater amount dorsally), and was correlated negatively with elastic modulus and positively with fatigue life. Regional variation in %OP.Ar was also significant for the pooled (load and deflection controlled) fatigue specimens. %OP.Ar was nearly significantly greater in deflection controlled fatigue specimens than in load-controlled specimens (p=0.059). The data suggest that tensile fatigue loading of cortical bone eventually introduces damage that results in osteonal debonding and pullout, which is also associated with increased fatigue life via mechanisms that are not yet clear.
Publication Date: 2003-04-23 PubMed ID: 12706021DOI: 10.1016/S0736-0266(02)00232-2Google Scholar: Lookup The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
- Research Support
- U.S. Gov't
- P.H.S.
Summary
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The researchers investigated how the pulling out of microscopic structural units in bone, called osteons, as a bone is stressed or “fatigued,” affects the strength and durability of horse metacarpal bones (bones in the horse’s lower leg). The study concludes that such pullout is correlated with factors such as how the bone is loaded, its stiffness, and how long it can endure stress.
Objective and Hypothesis
- The aim of this study was to understand whether the process known as ‘osteon pullout’ varies with factors such as type and area of loading, stiffness (measured as ‘elastic modulus’), and the length of time the bone can withstand stress or ‘fatigue life’.
- The team hypothesized that osteon pullout influenced the mechanical properties of bones, adding to their fatigue strength and toughness by separating from the surrounding matrix to bridge developing cracks.
Methodology
- Bones from various areas of the equine (horse) lower leg (third metacarpal bone) were tested under a number of different conditions.
- These conditions included continuous direct loading to the point of failure, both with and without several rounds of fatigue loading beforehand; and also variable fatigue loading to the point of failure. In each case, the initial level of stress applied to the bones was a significant percentage of the expected failure strain.
- The ‘pullout’ of osteons was examined using scanning electron microscopy, and the percentage of the fracture surface exhibiting this phenomenon was quantified.
Findings
- The research revealed zero osteon pullout in bones loaded monotonically (i.e., without any previous fatigue loading), as well as in bones on the compression side of the fracture when fatigue loading was applied.
- On the tension side of fractures produced by load-controlled fatigue, osteon pullout was observed.
- Osteon pullout appeared to be region-specific, and was found to be greater on the dorsal (back) side. It was also inversely correlated with elastic modulus (i.e., the stiffer the bone, the less pullout) and directly correlated with fatigue life (the longer a bone was able to withstand stress, the more pullout).
- A nearly significant increase in osteon pullout was found with deflection-controlled fatigue loading compared to load-controlled loading.
Conclusion
- The results suggest that tensile fatigue loading of bones eventually causes damage that results in osteonal debonding and pullout.
- This phenomenon is also associated with longer fatigue life of the bone. However, the mechanisms behind this are yet to be fully understood and needs further investigation.
Cite This Article
APA
Hiller LP, Stover SM, Gibson VA, Gibeling JC, Prater CS, Hazelwood SJ, Yeh OC, Martin RB.
(2003).
Osteon pullout in the equine third metacarpal bone: effects of ex vivo fatigue.
J Orthop Res, 21(3), 481-488.
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0736-0266(02)00232-2 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Orthopaedic Research Laboratories, School of Medicine, University of California at Davis, 95616, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Bone Remodeling / physiology
- Fractures, Stress / physiopathology
- Haversian System / injuries
- Haversian System / physiopathology
- Haversian System / ultrastructure
- Horse Diseases / physiopathology
- Horses
- Metacarpus / injuries
- Metacarpus / physiopathology
- Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
- Weight-Bearing / physiology
Grant Funding
- AR41644 / NIAMS NIH HHS
Citations
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