Fracture Orientations

Transverse (L-C & L-R)

Cuts through osteons

Longitudinal (R-L & C-L)

Splits osteons along longitudinal axis

Radial (C-R and R-C)

Splits osteons radially

Fracture Orientation

Fracture Toughness by Orientation

Transverse cracking has been found consistently toughest orientation Radial cracking is found to be the least tough. Bone location is also thought to effect fracture toughness

Mode II Fracture Toughness

Transverse Mode II fracture resistance found significantly stronger than longitudinal.

Mode III Fracture Toughness

Transverse Mode III fracture resistance found stronger than longitudinal.

Angle Oriented Fracture Toughness

A compact tension test study by Behiri shows mode I fracture toughness dependence on orientation angle with respect to bone axis. This study also showed stable crack propagation for 30 test and catostrophic failure for 90 specimen

Effect of bone microstructure

The cement line is found to provide a weak path for fracture. Osteons are much stronger than the cement line, which is why transverse cracking has highest K value Excessive repair and remodelling of osteons leads to lower fracture toughness Increased mineral content lowers toughness Mechanical properties of collagen effect fracture resistance Wet and dry density effects fracture resistance

Fracture Mechanisms
Intrinsic mechanisms: microstructural damage mechanisms that operate ahead of the crack tip and act to increase resistance to crack initiation Extrinsic mechanisms: Shield the crack from the applied driving force Rising R-curve behavior is the direct result of extrinsic toughening mechanisms

Extrinsic Toughening Mechanisms

Uncracked Ligament Bridging

Intact bridges of material span across the crack wake and sustain part of the applied load Most recent studies have indicated that crack bridging is the primary mechanism responsible for rising R-curve behavior

Uncracked Ligament Bridging: Transverse (radial) Orientation

Uncracked Ligament Bridging: Longitudinal Orientation

Uncracked Ligament Bridging

The magnitude of the contribution of uncracked ligament bridging to crack growth resistance is determined by:
Size of the bridging zone Area fraction of the bridges in the zone Their load-bearing capacity

Steady-state toughness may be reached when bridges spanning the crack wake are created and destroyed at the same rate.

Uncracked Ligament Bridging: Effects of Aging

Test specimens from the aged (right) show much smaller uncracked-ligament crack bridges than a specimen from a young (left) donor.

Uncracked Ligament Bridging: Effects of Aging

Studies have also shown that there is a significant reduction in density of bridges in aged (bottom) vs. young specimens (top)

Collagen Fiber Bridging

Typically associated with resisting propogation of microcracks. Collagen fiber bridges are on a much smaller scale than uncracked ligament bridges

Fatigue of Cortical Bone

Blunting and resharpening of the crack tip has been proposed as a mechanism for fatigue failure

Fatigue of Cortical Bone

On a shorter timescale (a), evidence of uncracked-ligament bridging is shown On a longer timescale (b), evidence of timedependent crack blunting is suggested by the larger crack opening in the lower panel

Fatigue of Cortical Bone

Add picture from Nalla aspects of in vitro fatigue

Aging
Crack initiation toughness and crack growth toughness of bone decreases with age