Shear Strain of Mineral Crystals Calculated Using Wide-Angle X-Ray Scattering (WAXS) Techniques

The post-yield properties of bone mainly provide the estimation of its toughness and are directly related to the composition and structure of the tissue at basic building unit. Combining the recently developed synchrotron X-ray scattering techniques with a novel progressive loading scheme [1], a recent study has evinced that the internal strain of mineral and collagen phases in bone varies significantly before and after yielding of the tissue [2]. The minerals as well as collagen fibrils in bone have random and preferred orientation distribution according to the location within a body. Such orientation distribution will have significant influence on the deformation mechanisms of bone. This study hence aims to develop a methodology to determine local strain tensors in the mineral phase aligned in different orientations. To do so, the deformation of different lattice planes within individual mineral crystals is taken in account using the full WAXS spectrum.