title: [Revealing mechanical property of intact rabbit tibia in three-point bending test].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the mechanical property of intact long bone through three-point bending test of rabbit tibia according to mechanics of materials.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ten pairs of normal rabbits tibia were treated on three-point bending test with 80 mm supporting distance in order to corroborate the virtual loading test on bone model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Bending stiffness and strength of 10 pairs of normal rabbit tibia were obtained. The maximum flexibility of the right and the left tibia was (2.737 +/- 0.262) mm and (2.739 +/- 0.233) mm respectively. The maximum load, which indicated the bending strength, of the right and the left tibia was (17.803 +/- 2.675) kg and (18.366 +/- 2.653) kg respectively. The area under the load-flexibility curve before fail of the right and the left tibia was (23.829 +/- 4.413) kg/mm and (24.725 +/- 4.101) kg x mm respectively. The slope of the load-flexibility curve which indicate the stiffness of the right and the left tibia was (7.545 +/- 1.310) kg/mm and (7.631 +/- 1.174) kg x mm respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The discrepancy between different animal body is larger than conventionally required. It's suggested for performing three-point bending test of long bone of the body both sides in pair.
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science & Bioengineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100022, China.
authors.forename: Hong-Gang
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.forename: Wei-Hua
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Hai-Bin
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Bu
authors.forename: Min-Quan
authors.initials: MQ
authors.lastname: Qian
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D011817:Rabbits; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular; D013977:Tibia / Q000502:physiology*; D016474:Weight-Bearing