Mechanical breakdown of trabecular bone: Dependence on microstructure

Experiment on mechanical strength of porous trabecular bone shows power law dependence on the density of the structure. Physical structure and mechanical properties of the trabecular network are modelled here with a fractal lattice network of elastic springs having a strain based fracture criteria. An analysis of the model system supports the power law and shows that lacunarity is an important parameter in differentiating the mechanical strength of trabecular bones of same density.