Analysis of Bone Remodeling Under Piezoelectricity Effects Using Boundary Elements

Piezoelectric materials exhibit a response to mechanical-electrical coupling, which represents an important contribution to the electrical-mechanical interaction in bone remodeling process. Therefore, the study of the piezoelectric effect on bone remodeling has high interest in applied biomechanics. The effects of mechano-regulation and electrical stimulation on bone healing are explained. The Boundary Element Method (BEM) is used to simulate piezoelectric effects on bones when shearing forces are applied to collagen fibers to make them slip past each other. The piezoelectric fundamental solutions are obtained by using the Radon transform. The Dual Reciprocity Method (DRM) is used to simulate the particular solutions in time-dependent problems. BEM analysis showed the strong influence of electrical stimulation on bone remodeling. The examples discussed in this work showed that, as expected, the electrically loaded bone surfaces improved the bone deposition. BEM results confirmed previous findings obtained by using the Finite Element Method (FEM). This work opens very promising doors in biomechanics research, showing that mechanical loads can be replaced, in part, by electrical charges that stimulate strengthening bone density. The obtained results herein are in good agreement with those found in literature from experimental testing and/or other simulation approaches.