Effect of using different types of methods for the derivation of elastic modulus of bone - A critical survey

¹ National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), H-12, Islamabad, Pakistan
² School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Science, The University of Manchester, Williamson Building, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
³ Research Computing, The University of Manchester, Devonshire House, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
⁴ Oxford eResearch Centre, University of Oxford, 7 Keble Road, Oxford, UK

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to critically review and address the cause of variation in the values of elastic modulus (E) of bone. Properties used for materials (especially) bones is one of the crucial factors in modeling and simulation experiments with sensitive procedures such as Finite Elements. The values of elastic modulus acquired from secondary databases, literature and online repositories differ in many ways. This is due to an underlying fact that different methods are used for one definite set of species and vice versa. According to a human understanding, this might bar the perceptive of use of elastic modulus in the research when (especially) insightful procedures are in question for example Finite Element Analysis (FEA) of materials with sensitive procedures. The means and the methods, through which the values are obtained, do not follow a standard methodology. Thus, this area needs attention. Despite the advances in technology and state-of-the-art methods in the field of biomechanics and biomedical engineering there is a need to formulate a standard method which can produce reliable set of E-values. Through this paper, we seek to raise an important scientific question as to what systemic methodology should be adapted to achieve a value of elastic modulus that is not only reliable, but reasonable as well. The paper also, focus briefly on the sources of error responsible for this variation and the significance of elastic modulus values in important numerical methods such as Finite Elements (FE).