Abstract
At cortical bone, "diffuse damage" -pre-linear microcrack level damage, was observed as flame-like area of fluorescence image. We assumed that the diffuse damage was a signal of start of bone remodeling, and tried quantification of relationship between strain and diffuse damage of cortical bone. Specimens for this study were prepared from tibial diaphyses of adult porcine. The zone of diffuse damage in static 3-point bending test, was stained and observed by conforcal laser scanning microscope (CLSM). Then the changes in diffuse damage were evaluated from their histogram. We found that diffuse damage started from macro-level yield point, and had kept their density constant. So, it is suggested that the diffuse damage exists at grain boundary of hydroxyapatite.
