Finite Element Analysis in Bone Research: A Computational Method Relating Structure to Mechanical Function

Bone is probably the most frequently investigated biological material and finite element analysis (FEA) is the computational tool most commonly used for the analysis of bone biomechanical function. FEA has been used in bone research for more than 30 years and has had a substantial impact on our understanding of the complex behavior of bone. Bone is structured in a hierarchical way covering many length scales and this chapter reflects this hierarchical organization. In particular, the focus is on the applications of FEA for understanding the relationship between bone structure and its mechanical function at specific hierarchical levels. Depending on the hierarchical level, different issues have been investigated with FEA ranging from more clinically oriented topics related to bone quality (e.g., predicting bone strength and fracture risk) to more fundamental problems dealing with the mechanical aspects of biological processes (e.g., stress and strain around osteocyte lacunae) as well as with the micromechanical behavior of bone at its ultrastructure. A better understanding of the relationship between structure and mechanical function is expected to be important for the current trends in (bio)materials design, where the structure of biological materials is considered as a possible source of inspiration, as well as for more successful approaches in the prevention and treatment of age- and disease-related fractures.