Numerical simulation of the mechanical behavior of mandibular trabecular bone using the finite element method

The study of porous permeable and saturated with an interstitial fluid is very important in biomechanics for the study of bones and tissues as well as for orthopedic surgery. In this study, we are interested in the numerical simulation of the compression test of a mandibular bone sample consisting of trabecular bone surrounded by a cortical bone envelope. The main objective is to characterize the mechanical behavior of trabecular bone using a mathematical formulation based on Biot's porous media theory associated with the Druker-Prager failure criterion. The French finite element software CASTEM in its educational version was used for numerical simulations. The results obtained agree well with the results present in the specialized literature. Indeed, the behavior of cancellous trabecular bone observed using simulations corresponds to that of compressed cellular materials: a first elastic behavior, followed by a second plastic behavior and finally a new elastic behavior corresponding to the solidification of the trabecular bone.