Damage accumulation of bovine bone under chaotic and variable amplitude loading.

Stress fractures are a common occurrence that can be detrimental to an athlete’s career. At present, there is no method for early detection of stress fractures. This study is a continuation of the pilot study to determine if either the Palmgren-Minor rule (PMR) or phase space warping (PSW) could be used to predict fatigue failure of bone tissue. In this study, three different experimental set-ups were utilized. The Moon’s Beam experimental set-up was used to test chaotic loading conditions. The variable amplitude set-up was utilized to test variable amplitude loading conditions. Lastly, a four-point bend test was used to determine the baseline properties of the bone tissue. Scanning electron microscopy was employed to examine the fracture surface of the bone specimens to determine the fracture type. PSW has shown it is able to identify damage modes of fatigue. Therefore, further investigation into the prediction capabilities of PSW should be pursued