An improved method for the measurement of mechanical properties of bone by nanoindentation

J Mater Sci Mater Med. 2007 Sep;18(9):1875-81. doi: 10.1007/s10856-007-3031-8. Epub 2007 May 24.

Abstract

Nanoindentation is widely used to measure the mechanical properties of bio-tissues. However, viscoelastic effects during the nanoindentation are seldom considered rigorously, although they are in general very significant in bio-tissues. In this study, a recently developed method for correcting the viscoelastic effects during nanoindentation is applied to mice bone samples. This method is found to yield reliable elastic modulus and hardness results from forelimb and femur cortical bone samples of C57 BL/6N and ICR mice. The creep properties of the samples are also characterized by a novel procedure using nanoindentation. The measured mechanical properties correlate well with the calcium content of the bone samples.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Biomechanical Phenomena / methods
  • Bone and Bones / physiology*
  • Elasticity
  • In Vitro Techniques
  • Materials Testing / methods
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Inbred ICR
  • Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
  • Nanotechnology / methods