Mechanical Properties of Bone Ex Vivo.

The primary functions of bone are to provide support and protection-mechanical functions. The aim of this chapter is to set out some of the methods that can be used to measure these properties in cortical and cancelleous bone from large (e.g., human or bovine) and small (e.g., mouse) animals. The difference between the properties of the sample (extrinsic properties) and the properties of the material (intrinsic properties) is introduced and techniques for measuring them suggested. The addition of other tests to give a complete characterization of a bone sample is presented.