Volume effects on fatigue life of equine cortical bone.
Abstract: Materials, including bone, often fail due to loading in the presence of critical flaws. The relative amount, location, and interaction of these flaws within a stressed volume of material play a role in determining the failure properties of the structure. As materials are generally imperfect, larger volumes of material have higher probabilities of containing a flaw of critical size than do smaller volumes. Thus, larger volumes tend to fail at fewer cycles compared with smaller volumes when fatigue loaded to similar stress levels. A material is said to exhibit a volume effect if its failure properties are dependent on the specimen volume. Volume effects are well documented in brittle ceramics and composites and have been proposed for bone. We hypothesized that (1) smaller volumes of cortical bone have longer fatigue lives than similarly loaded larger volumes and (2) that compared with microstructural features, specimen volume was able to explain comparable amounts of variability in fatigue life. In this investigation, waisted rectangular specimens (n=18) with nominal cross-sections of 3x4 mm and gage lengths of 10.5, 21, or 42 mm, were isolated from the mid-diaphysis of the dorsal region of equine third metacarpal bones. These specimens were subjected to uniaxial load controlled fatigue tests, with an initial strain range of 4000 microstrain. The group having the smallest volume exhibited a trend of greater log fatigue life than the larger volume groups. Each volume group exhibited a significant positive correlation between the logarithm of fatigue life and the cumulative failure probability, indicating that the data follow the two-parameter Weibull distribution. Additionally, log fatigue life was negatively correlated with log volume, supporting the hypothesis that smaller stressed volumes of cortical bone possess longer fatigue lives than similarly tested larger stressed volumes.
Publication Date: 2007-07-16 PubMed ID: 17632110DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2007.05.025Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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This research article explores the influence of volume on the fatigue life of equine cortical bone, suggesting a correlation where smaller volumes exhibit a higher fatigue life compared to larger volumes under similar loading conditions.
Understanding the Research
- The paper begins by highlighting that materials, bones included, can fail due to loading, particularly in the presence of critical flaws. The interaction, location, and relative amount of these flaws within a stressed material volume significantly affect the failure properties of the structure. Larger volumes are reported to have a higher probability of containing critical sized flaws compared to smaller volumes. As a result, larger volumes may fail at fewer cycles compared to smaller volumes when exposed to similar stress levels. If a material’s failure properties are dependent on the specimen volume, it is said to exhibit a ‘volume effect’.
- The researchers hypothesize that smaller volumes of cortical bone have longer fatigue lives compared to similarly loaded larger volumes, and that the specimen volume can explain a considerable amount of variability in fatigue life, similar to microstructural features.
Experimental Design
- The research involved conducting fatigue tests on rectangular specimens of cortical bone extracted from the mid-diaphysis of the dorsal region of equine third metacarpal bones. The specimens had a cross-section of 3x4mm and gage lengths of 10.5, 21, or 42mm.
- The samples were subjected to uniaxial load controlled fatigue tests, where the initial strain range was 4000 microstrain.
Findings
- Results demonstrated that the group with the smallest volume displayed a trend of having a greater log fatigue life than those with larger volumes.
- Each volume group exhibited a significant positive correlation between the logarithm of fatigue life and cumulative failure probability. This correlation indicates that the data adhere to the two-parameter Weibull distribution.
- The researchers found a negative correlation between log fatigue life and log volume, supporting their hypothesis that smaller stressed volumes of cortical bone indeed possess longer fatigue lives than similarly tested larger stressed volumes.
Implications
- The study’s findings could inform and affect fields such as orthopedics, suggesting that consideration of bone volume might be crucial when evaluating the fatigue resistance of bone, particularly in the context of load-bearing orthopedic implants and stress fractures.
Cite This Article
APA
Bigley RF, Gibeling JC, Stover SM, Hazelwood SJ, Fyhrie DP, Martin RB.
(2007).
Volume effects on fatigue life of equine cortical bone.
J Biomech, 40(16), 3548-3554.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2007.05.025 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Orthopaedic Research Laboratories, School of Medicine, UC Davis Medical Center, 4635 Second Avenue, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA. rfbigley@ucdavis.edu
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Bone Density / physiology
- Compressive Strength / physiology
- Computer Simulation
- Female
- Horses
- In Vitro Techniques
- Male
- Metacarpal Bones / physiology
- Models, Biological
- Organ Size / physiology
- Weight-Bearing / physiology
Citations
This article has been cited 6 times.- Boatwright DE, Modares M. Overview and recommendations for analytical and experimental methodologies for the fatigue fracture of human bones.. J Orthop 2021 May-Jun;25:64-69.
- Chuang CP, Yuan T, Dmowski W, Wang GY, Freels M, Liaw PK, Li R, Zhang T. Fatigue-induced damage in Zr-based bulk metallic glasses.. Sci Rep 2013;3:2578.
- Pal S, Besier TF, Draper CE, Fredericson M, Gold GE, Beaupre GS, Delp SL. Patellar tilt correlates with vastus lateralis: vastus medialis activation ratio in maltracking patellofemoral pain patients.. J Orthop Res 2012 Jun;30(6):927-33.
- Pal S, Draper CE, Fredericson M, Gold GE, Delp SL, Beaupre GS, Besier TF. Patellar maltracking correlates with vastus medialis activation delay in patellofemoral pain patients.. Am J Sports Med 2011 Mar;39(3):590-8.
- Middleton KM, Goldstein BD, Guduru PR, Waters JF, Kelly SA, Swartz SM, Garland T Jr. Variation in within-bone stiffness measured by nanoindentation in mice bred for high levels of voluntary wheel running.. J Anat 2010 Jan;216(1):121-31.
- Currey J. Measurement of the mechanical properties of bone: a recent history.. Clin Orthop Relat Res 2009 Aug;467(8):1948-54.
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