IMPACT VELOCITY INFLUENCE ON THE FRACTURE BEHAVIOUR OF PORCINE FEMURS UNDER DYNAMIC LOADING

Bone is a complex tissue composed of inorganic, organic, and cellular components. Far from being inert, it is a metabolically active, dynamic structure that undergoes continuous remodeling throughout life. Most high-resolution imaging techniques are currently limited to ex vivo research due to radiation exposure, sample size restrictions, and long acquisition times. High-resolution computed tomography (HR-CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (HR-MR) can be performed in vivo but have been used primarily for validating diagnostic methods and evaluating osteoporosis treatments. A significant challenge in bone research lies in accurately classifying bone quality. Biomechanical studies on cadaveric material are needed to correlate clinically accessible parameters such as bone mineral density (BMD) with more precise histological and three-dimensional high-resolution imaging data. This study presents experimental results on postmortem porcine femurs, aiming to compare the mechanical response of bone under different impact velocities. The working hypothesis is that loading rate influences fracture mechanics: at lower velocities, fractures are expected to be ductile, while higher velocities are expected to produce brittle or even comminuted fractures.