Theoretical Framework for Evaluating the Mechanical Properties of Composite Bone Scaffolds

Bone scaffolds are biocompatible materials which are used to repair damaged bone and restore its functions. It is important to assess the mechanical properties of the scaffolds, since they should match healthy tissue stiffness and strength while maintaining an interconnected pore network for cell migration and nutrient transport. Theoretical studies on the evaluation of the mechanical properties of the scaffolds are rarely found in the literature and the current knowledge is mostly numerical or experimental. In this paper, we present an efficient methodology based on micromechanical framework for theoretical modeling of the effective elastic properties of a scaffold. In order to validate the proposed model, an illustrative example of a bone scaffold, made from a twophase composite of calcium phosphate particles embedded in a polymeric matrix, is investigated and discussed. The predicted elastic modulus values are in good agreement with the findings of the numerical approaches for a porous scaffold

Keywords:

Bone scaffold , Micromechanical modeling , Nanocomposites , Theoretical approaches