A review of the biomechanical properties of bone as a material.

Experimental studies on bone all reveal important difficulties in data interpretation. This paper proposes an analysis of experimental studies performed so far, with particular attention to the anisotropic characteristics of bone, its behaviour in the post-elastic phase, and its dependence on viscoelastic phenomena. Mechanical properties are also correlated with variables such as moisture, deformation rate during testing, density, variations in different regions of the bone, and the most relevant strength criteria are recalled. The investigation performed is also intended to provide an evaluation of the degree of refinement of biomechanical experimental data for use in a numerical approach to bone mechanics.