A two-parameter model of the effective elastic tensor for cortical bone

Multiscale models of cortical bone elasticity require a large number of parameters to describe the organization and composition of the tissue. We hypothesize that the macro-scale anisotropic elastic properties of different bones can be modeled retaining only two variable parameters, and setting the others to universal values identical for all bones. Cortical bone is regarded as a two-phase composite material: a dense mineralized matrix (ultrastructure) and a soft phase (pores). The ultrastructure is assumed to be a homogeneous and transversely isotropic tissue whose elastic properties in different directions are mutually dependent and can be scaled with a single parameter driving the overall rigidity. This parameter is taken to be the volume fraction of mineral f(ha). The pore network is modeled as an ensemble of water-filled cylinders and described only by the porosity p. The effective macroscopic elasticity tensor C(ij)(f(ha),p) is calculated with a multiscale micromechanics approach starting from existing models. The modeled stiffness coefficients compare favorably to four literature datasets which were chosen because they provide the full stiffness tensors of groups of human samples. Since the physical counterparts of f(ha) and p were unknown for the datasets, their values which allow the best fit of experimental tensors by the modeled ones were determined by optimization. Optimum values of f(ha) and p are found to be unique and realistic. These results suggest that a two-parameter model may be sufficient to model the elasticity of different samples of human femora and tibiae. Such a model would in particular be useful in large-scale parametric studies of bone mechanical response.