Finite Element Analysis of Osteons concerning the Mechanosensation of Bone Material

The localisation of the mechanosensation mechanism in bone material has not succeeded yet. Its detection is of great importance for biomechanics because the first step of bone remodeling processes refers to the perception of external loads. Our approach to mechanosensation consists of carrying out a micromechanical analysis of a Haversian-System. The mechanical behavior of a single osteon is analyzed by a detailed finite element model, the lamella are modeled with orthotropic linear elastic solid elements. The elastic properties are obtained from an analytical homogenization procedure which treats oriented hydroxyapatite crystals embedded into a collagenous matrix. For studying the mechanosensation of osteocytes some special elements are placed between the lamella. Thus, we obtain the possibility to observe the mechanical behavior of osteocytes during exter-nal loading in dependance of the mineralization grade. The local strains computed in these osteocyte– elements are of the magnitude observed to be relevant in experiments with cell–cultures