ABSTRACT

Cancellous bone is structurally an open cell foam which is present at the epiphyseal and metaphyseal region of long bones and within the cortical confinements of flat and short bones. Carter and Hayes investigated the relationship between apparent density of trabecular bone specimens and compressive modulus. They also examined the influence of bone marrow in the pores of cancellous bone on the mechanical behavior of the test specimens and also the influence of strain rates. The aging effect on the compressive strength of cancellous bone has been studied by Weaver and Chalmers. Cancellous bone is an open-cell porous structure. The varying porosity among and within bones makes topography of the test specimens an important variable in the determination of mechanical properties of cancellous bone. Presence of bone marrow does not affect mechanical behavior at strain rates up to 1/sec. Aging effects have been found for trabecular bone of vertebral bodies, femur, and calcaneus.