ABSTRACT
Multiscale techniques are being used to study the behaviour of heterogeneous anatomical structures, such as bones. It is known that multiscale techniques usually use highly discretized Representative Volume Elements (RVEs), leading to high computational costs. In this works, it is analysed a methodology that allows to obtain from a heterogeneous RVE (representing trabecular bone tissue highly heterogeneous medium) the homogenized orthotropic material properties. The resulting material property and direction are strongly correlated with the RVE’s apparent density and trabeculae orientation, respectively. This was analysed with an advanced discretization meshless method, the Radial Point Interpolation Method (RPIM), and with the Finite Element Method (FEM). In the end, several elasto-static analysis were performed using heterogeneous RVEs and an equivalent solid patch with homogenized orthotropic material properties. It was found that both analyses provide similar results. However, the heterogeneous RVE demands a much higher computational power than the homogenous counterpart. Such results demonstrate the potential of the proposed technique in multiscale analysis.
