Static and dynamic mechanical behavior of the pig bone rib and correlation to its morphological characteristics

This research concerns the mechanical behavior and failure of pig rib bones in order to find a correlation between the failure region(s) and the morphological characteristics. The rib is specifically selected due to the clear separation between the cortical (outer, harder shell) and trabecular parts (inner, spongy region) and its similarity to human jawbones with relevance to dental mechanics. The work is divided into 2 parts, each corresponding to a different loading regime – quasistatic and dynamic. DIC (digital image correlation) software is used to allow investigation of the specimens’ failure along with micro-CT to characterize the initial three-dimensional microstructure. In the dynamic part specifically, IR cameras were utilized along with ultrahigh-speed imaging to pinpoint an unreported manifestation of thermal activity during failure.