抄録
Elastic moduli of single trabeculae were determined using micromechanical testing by three-point bending in order to investigate relationships between the mechanical environment of trabecula and its mechanical properties. Single trabeculae harvested from bovine coccygeal vertebrae were machined into beams with a rectangular cross-section by using a custom-made miniature-milling machine. From the load-displacement curve obtained by micromechanical testing, elastic modulus of each trabecular specimen was determined based on the Timoshenko's beam theory. Assuming the trabecular mechanical environment was affected by the trabecular orientation, each five rectangular beam specimens of trabeculae were prepared for axial and transverse directions. As a result of micro-three-point bending test, it was shown that the elastic moduli of the trabecular specimens were 3.03±0.31GPa (mean ± s.d.), and that there was no significant difference between axial and transverse directions. The results indicated that mechanical environment did not affect the mechanical properties of trabeculae, and that mechanical adaptation in the cancellous bone was mainly accomplished by the morphological changes of trabeculae.
