On the Mechanical Characterization of Human Humerus using Multi-scale Continuum Finite Element Model

This paper is devoted to the characterization of human humerus behavior using a multi‐scale approach for the estimation of the ultimate impact load. First, the experimental tests on human humeral bone are presented in order to identify and quantitatively assess mechanical properties. Then, the authors propose a micromechanical modeling of the elastic anisotropic properties of the humerus based on the coupling between the Mori‐Tanaka homogenization scheme and a hex‐shell Finite Element model. The obtained micromechanical model is implemented via a user material (UMAT) routine within the explicit dynamic code LS‐DYNA©. The obtained numerical results show globally good agreement when compared to the experimental measurements.