Clara Broecker, “Development of Fractured Murine Bone Tensile Testing”
Mentor: William Musinski, Materials Science & Engineering
Poster #30

Bone fracture healing is an essential, and well-coordinated biological process which is typically broken down into the inflammation phase, the reparative phase, and the remodeling phase. Within the reparative phase, a callus consisting of fibrous tissues and cartilage develops around the fracture site and undergoes a transformation throughout the remodeling phase. This study aims to characterize the structure and mechanical properties of the bone-healing callus and their evolution throughout the healing process. To complete this analysis, in-situ mechanical testing of murine tibia bone in the process of fracture healing as well as simultaneous X-Ray Computed Tomography (XRCT) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) will be executed at the Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). XRCT will be used to obtain high-resolution, cross-sectional images of bone structures, while the implementation of XRD allows for further insight into the nano- and micro-structure of the bone. As a step towards this analysis, this SURF project aims to design grips that can be used for in-situ loading of the partially healed murine bone. Due to the irregular shape of the bone, the development of alternative grips to hold the ends of the sample to conduct mechanical strain testing is required. The design process of grips is further complicated by the irregular angles of fractured bone altering the center of gravity of the sample. Therefore, additively manufactured plastic pieces representing the various bone angles that occur during various stages of bone healing were used to assist the grip design process. The results anticipated from this study will allow for further insight into the structure and properties of callus bone formation. Additionally, this study could be expanded into the further analysis of the material characteristics of bone healing calluses at different phases of healing.