DETERMINATION OF ELASTIC-CONSTANTS FOR HUMAN FEMURS

The elastic properties of the bone constituting human femurs have been determined from measurements of the velocities of ultrasonic compressional and shear waves through wet, embalmed bone samples. The bone has been shown to be a transversely isotropic material with the axis of symmetry parallel to the longitudinal axis of the bone. The values of the elastic constants were determined to be: c11 = 6860 ± 330 MPa E3 = 5500 MPa c12 = 2700 ± 570 MPa E1 = 4990 MPa c13 = 3760 ± 1570 MPa v31 = 0.39 c33 = 8480 ± 760 MPa v12 = 0.20 MPa c44 = 2240 ± 180 MPa G31 = 2240 MPa where the 3-axis is that of rotational symmetry and the 1- and 2-axes are in the plane of isotropy. © 1979 by ASME.