• DIC
• FEM
• micro-CT
• Trabecular bone

The estimation of tissue level mechanical properties of trabecular bone is still a hard task. A widely used technique is based on the combination of mathematical models, obtained through µCT images, with displacements measurements registered during uni-axial compression tests. One of the main limitation of this approach is linked to the method used to measure the displacements which considers punctual acquisition for an inhomogeneous material. Moreover, the measuring instruments require the contact with the sample surface exposed to the mechanical tests, creating local artefacts which may produce significant differences between the numerical model and physical system.
Recently, techniques based on the image correlation allowed the measurement of the displacements field on a surface portion during the experimental test.
This thesis develops a method to integrate the DIC measurements with the numerical models obtained through micro-CT images, in order to estimate the mechanical properties of trabecular bone tissue.
An accurate registration between experimental measures and numerical model is developed and qualified through sensitivity studies on the characterizing parameters. The comparison of the displacements measured values with the foretold ones, allows to quantify the coherence between numerical model and physical model. Finally, the acquired experimental information are used to estimate the mechanical properties at the tissue level, leading to values coherent with the estimations realized with the punctual methods, assumed as reference.