On the Relationship Between Microstructure of the Cortical Bone and its Overall Elastic Properties

The relationship between microstructure of the cortical bone and its effective elastic properties is discussed. We utilize results of Kachanov et al (1994) on materials with cracks/pores of diverse shapes. Bone's microstructure is modeled using available micrographs. The calculated anisotropic elastic constants for porous cortical bone are compared with available experimental data. For Young's moduli and shear moduli the agreement is good, whereas Poisson's ratios differ significantly. Possible reasons for this difference are discussed. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.