The Effect of Number of Cycles on Microdamage Accumulation in Bovine Trabecular Bone

Microdamage, in the form of small cracks, exists in healthy bone. Microdamage can be created by an overload or by repetitive motion (fatigue) during daily activities. Usually, microdamage is repaired during bone remodeling and a steady state is maintained. However, in cases of excessive microdamage creation or slowed bone remodeling, microdamage can coalesce to create a fracture. Our previous work [1,2] has investigated microdamage accumulation with increasing strain in bovine trabecular bone loaded in monotonic compression and compressive fatigue. Specimens fatigued at relatively high load levels fail after a few loading cycles, while specimens fatigued at lower load levels may undergo thousands of cycles before failure. During high cycle fatigue, microdamage may accumulate by the growth of pre-existing microcracks, as well as by the crack initiation seen in low cycle fatigue.