The Effect of Thinned Trabeculae on Bone Mechanical Properties, a 3D Printed Model Study
College
College of Arts and Sciences
Department
Biology
Faculty Mentor
Dr. Meir Barak
Abstract
Trabecular bone structure is complex and unique (i.e. no two tissues are the same). This introduces a significant problem when trying to measure trabecular tissue strength (the maximum load before structure failure). Since mechanically testing a sample to find its strength involves loading until failure – each sample can be tested only once and thus the precision of trabecular bone tissue strength measurements tend to be low. As trabecular bone tissue strength is an important indicator for poor bone quality (e.g. osteoporosis), an accurate and precise measurement of its strength has clinical importance. Here we are using a novel technique, namely 3D printing, to reproduce a large number of identical trabecular bone structure replicas. In this study we tested in compression (n=30) a cubical 3D-printed sample reconstructed from the metacarpal head of a chimp. The same sample was tested again after we had manipulated the model and thinned the trabeculae to simulate the onset of osteoporosis (decrease of 9.1% in bone volume). Our results demonstrate that the original ‘healthy’ trabecular structure is significantly stronger than the ‘osteoporotic’ one (4.13 MPa and 2.20 MPa respectively). This study demonstrates that 3D-printing is a novel and valuable tool for testing the mechanical properties of trabecular structures and the prediction of their failure. Furthermore, the trabecular models were exported into a finite element modeling software (Strand 7) to visualize the strain and stress distributions. The mapping of such data will provide insight into which areas will break first, leading to tissue failure.
Honors Thesis Committee
Meir Barak, Ph.D., D.V.M.; Laura Glasscock, Ph.D.; Matthew Stern, Ph.D.
Previously Presented/Performed?
Southern Regional Honors Council Conference, Orlando, Florida, April 2016
Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) Symposium, Winthrop University, July 2015
Grant Support?
Supported by a grant from the Winthrop University Research Council
Start Date
22-4-2016 12:40 PM
End Date
22-4-2016 12:55 PM
The Effect of Thinned Trabeculae on Bone Mechanical Properties, a 3D Printed Model Study
DiGorgio Campus Center, Room 222
Trabecular bone structure is complex and unique (i.e. no two tissues are the same). This introduces a significant problem when trying to measure trabecular tissue strength (the maximum load before structure failure). Since mechanically testing a sample to find its strength involves loading until failure – each sample can be tested only once and thus the precision of trabecular bone tissue strength measurements tend to be low. As trabecular bone tissue strength is an important indicator for poor bone quality (e.g. osteoporosis), an accurate and precise measurement of its strength has clinical importance. Here we are using a novel technique, namely 3D printing, to reproduce a large number of identical trabecular bone structure replicas. In this study we tested in compression (n=30) a cubical 3D-printed sample reconstructed from the metacarpal head of a chimp. The same sample was tested again after we had manipulated the model and thinned the trabeculae to simulate the onset of osteoporosis (decrease of 9.1% in bone volume). Our results demonstrate that the original ‘healthy’ trabecular structure is significantly stronger than the ‘osteoporotic’ one (4.13 MPa and 2.20 MPa respectively). This study demonstrates that 3D-printing is a novel and valuable tool for testing the mechanical properties of trabecular structures and the prediction of their failure. Furthermore, the trabecular models were exported into a finite element modeling software (Strand 7) to visualize the strain and stress distributions. The mapping of such data will provide insight into which areas will break first, leading to tissue failure.
