A finite element study on the effects of disorder in cellular structures

The susceptibility to deformation localization of simple cubic arrangements of struts, which are a simple approximation of the microarchitecture in cancellous bone, is analyzed. The coherence between structural disorder and the tendency towards deformation localization is investigated and its relevance from a biological point of view is discussed. A systematic study on the spatial deformation distribution of regular and disordered open cell structures is carried out. To this end, finite element models are employed which account for elastic-plastic bulk material and large strain theory, and a methodology for the estimation of the degree of deformation localization is introduced. (C) 2008 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.