Nano-CT image processing and micromechanical modeling of intermuscular bone in herring

Abstract

Intermuscular bone is a type of bone unique to teleosts such as North Atlantic herring. It is formed by the intramembranous ossification of myoseptal tendons, which makes it less cartilaginous in nature. The combinations of high ductility, lower Young’s modulus but similar strength to mammalian bone enable the powerful transmission of mechanical forces between muscle and bone and make intermuscular bone valuable as a potential biomaterial. This study will explore the microstructure of intermuscular bone using 30nm and 100nm high resolution Nano-CT scans of intermuscular bones from small and large herring previously subjected to mechanical tensile testing to analyze the changes in mechanical properties and porosity. The aims of this have been to identify and quantify differences in density and porosity as well as other structural features in the intermuscular bone and to start developing a micromechanical code to analyze their mechanical properties and relate them to the microstructural features.