Biological materials are typically multifunctional but many have evolved to optimize a chief
mechanical function. These functions include impact or fracture resistance, armor and …

One of the most intriguing protein materials found in nature is bone, a material composed of
assemblies of tropocollagen molecules and tiny hydroxyapatite mineral crystals that form an …

Bone is more difficult to break than to split. Although this is well known, and many studies
exist on the behaviour of long cracks in bone, there is a need for data on the orientation …

The four levels of hierarchy considered in this review are the nanoscale (the mineralised
collagen fibre and the extrafibrillar mineral), the microscale (the structure as visible under …

Toughening in hierarchically structured materials like bone arises from the arrangement of
constituent material elements and their interactions. Unlike microcracking, which entails …

Quantitative assessment of the strength and toughness of bone has become an integral part
of many biological and bioengineering studies on the structural properties of bone and their …

Bone is an adaptive material that is designed for different functional requirements; indeed,
bones have a variety of properties depending on their role in the body. To understand the …

Most micro-CT finite element modeling of human trabecular bone has focused on linear and
non-linear analysis to evaluate bone failure properties. However, prediction of the apparent …

Recently published data for fracture in human humeral cortical bone are analyzed using
cohesive-zone models to deal with the nonlinear processes of material failure. Such models …

Greater understanding of the determinants of skeletal fragility is highly sought due to the
great burden that bone affecting diseases and fractures have on economies, societies and …