title: A methodology for the investigation of toughness and crack propagation in mouse bone.
abstract: Bone fracture is a health concern for those with aged bone and brittle bone diseases. Mouse bone is widely used as a model of human bone, especially to investigate preclinical treatment strategies. However, little is known about the mechanisms of mouse bone fracture and its similarities and differences from fracture in human bone. In this work we present a methodology to investigate the fracture toughness during crack initiation and crack propagation for mouse bone. Mouse femora were dissected, polished on their periosteal surface, notched on the posterior surface at their mid-diaphysis, and tested in three-point bending under displacement control at a rate of 0.1mm/min using an in situ loading stage within an environmental scanning electron microscope. We obtained high-resolution real-time imaging of the crack initiation and propagation in mouse bone. From the images we can measure the crack extension at each step of the crack growth and calculate the toughness of the bone (in terms of stress intensity factor (K) and work to fracture (Wf)) as a function of stable crack length (Δa), thus generating a resistance curve for the mouse bone. The technique presented here provides insight into the evolution of microdamage and the toughening mechanisms that resist crack propagation, which are essential for preclinical development of treatments to enhance bone quality and combat fracture risk.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, UK; Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, USA; Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California Berkeley, USA. Electronic address: a.carriero@imperial.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carriero
authors.affiliation: Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, USA; Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California Berkeley, USA.
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Zimmermann
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Sandra J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Shefelbine
authors.affiliation: Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, USA; Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California Berkeley, USA.
authors.forename: Robert O
authors.initials: RO
authors.lastname: Ritchie
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000473:pathology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005269:Femur / Q000473:pathology; D017102:Fracture Healing; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D010013:Osteogenesis Imperfecta / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D013718:Tensile Strength
keywords: Bone fracture; Brittle bone; Crack growth; Crack initiation; Crack path; Fracture mechanics; Mouse bone