An estimate of anisotropic poroelastic constants of an osteon.

The anisotropic poroelastic constants of an osteon are estimated by micromechanical analysis. Two extreme cases are examined, the drained and the undrained elastic constants. The drained elastic constants are the porous medium's effective elastic constants when the fluid in the pores easily escapes and the pore fluid can sustain no pore pressure. The undrained elastic constants are the porous medium's effective elastic constants when the medium is fully saturated with pore fluid and the fluid cannot escape. The drained and undrained elastic constants at the lacunar and canalicular porosity tissue levels are estimated by using an effective moduli model consisting of the periodic distribution of ellipsoidal cavities. These estimated anisotropic poroelastic constants provide a database for the development of an accurate anisotropic poroelastic model of an osteon.