Ovine Bone Morphology and Deformation Analysis Using Synchrotron X-ray Imaging and Scattering

Bone is a natural hierarchical composite tissue incorporating hard mineral nano-crystals of hydroxyapatite (HAp) and organic binding material containing elastic collagen fibers. In the study, we investigated the structure and deformation of ovine bone by the combination of high-energy synchrotron X-ray tomographic imaging and scattering. X-ray experiments were performed prior to and under three-point bending loading by using a specially developed in situ load cell constructed from aluminium alloy frame, fast-drying epoxy resin for sample fixation, and a titanium bolt for contact loading. Firstly, multiple radiographic projection images were acquired and tomographic reconstruction was performed using SAVU software, following segmentation usingAvizo. Secondly, Wide Angle X-ray Scattering (WAXS) and Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) 2D scattering patterns were collected from HAp and collagen. Both sample shape and deformation affect the observed scattering. Novel combined tomographic and diffraction analysis presented below paves the way for advanced characterization of complex shape samples using the Dual Imaging and Diffraction (DIAD) paradigm.