Abstract:Objective To discuss the method for defining personalized materials properties of the fresh human long bone with alcohol treatment and the effect from the number of bone materials on finite element results. Methods Based on images from CT scans, a three dimensional solid model of the long bone was established in Mimics, which was then classified into the cortical bone, cancellous bone and marrow in Hypermesh. Based on relevant empirical formulas, material parameters of the cortical bone and cancellous bone were given, respectively, and 5 finite element analysis (FEA) models with different numbers of materials were set up. The simulation for linear elasticity of the compression was carried out in Abaqus and the results were validated by in vitro verification test. Results Under the end displacement ranging from 0 to 1 mm, the average relative error between the simulation results and the experimental data for holistic force-displacement was about 10%, when the materials number was defined as 1 kind of the cancellous bone and over 10 kinds of the cortical bone. And the average relative error between the simulation results and the experimental data for the deformation of the measurement points was 14.6%. The error of holistic force displacement for 1 kind of the cortical bone was 2.83% when the end displacement ranged from 0 to 0.5 mm. Conclusions (1) Using the gray value of CT scans, materials properties of the main component of the bone could be defined accurately. (2) The simulation result was greatly affected by the material number of the cortical bone, and defining 10 kinds of the cortical bone could satisfy the FEA need. (3) The FEA model with 1 kind of the cortical bone also could satisfy the need of analysis under small deformation.