In situ synchrotron radiation µCT indentation of cortical bone: Anisotropic crack propagation, local deformation, and fracture

This project studies how cortical bone behaves on a tiny scale, how cracks grow in different directions, and how the bone breaks. The approach mixes two techniques that work together inside the same experiment: – **In‑situ high‑resolution synchrotron radiation micro‑computed tomography (SRµCT) indentation testing** – this lets us see the bone’s interior while we press on it. – **Digital volume correlation (DVC)** – this tracks how the material deforms in three dimensions. We test local deformation using two kinds of indenter tips: a Berkovich tip and a spherical tip. The analysis concentrates on the anisotropy (direction‑dependent behavior) of ovine cortical bone. We look at how the orientation of the bone’s

fibrillar ultrastructure controls the way strain energy is stored and how cracks spread. For the quantitative part we: – Map three‑dimensional crack‑opening displacements (COD). – Compute stress intensity factors (SIF) along the crack front. The results show that indenting the bone in the transverse direction—where the fibrils are perpendicular to the loading axis—produces lower strains and smaller crack networks. In contrast, areas that develop high tensile hoop strains tend to show large radial cracks, indicating a mainly Mode I fracture mechanism. Overall, the work supplies structural guidance and analytical models for anyone studying biological materials. It gives a solid base for measuring micro‑scale damage, deformation fields, and anisotropic failure criteria

in hierarchical tissues.

Message: Hi FE, I need help with “In situ synchrotron radiation µCT indentation of cortical bone: Anisotropic crack propagation, local deformation, and fracture” in “Mechanical Engineering”