MS- 2-4
Mini-symposium title
2-4 – Mechanics of Mineralised Tissues
Organisers
Ted Vaughan (NUI Galway), Glen Niebur (University of Notre Dame), Enrico Dall’Ara (University of Sheffield)
Mini-symposium description
The aim of this mini-symposium is to explore the most recent innovation in the experimental and computational mechanics of mineralised tissues. Mineralised tissues fulfill critical load-bearing functions throughout the skeleton, facilitated by hierarchically organised structures that are optimised to provide high stiffness and/or excellent resistance to fracture. The range of mechanical properties exhibited by mineralised tissues is remarkable, and depends on both the composition and structural organisation of the constituent materials at nano- and micro-scales and the resulting tissue architecture/geometry at meso- and macro-scales. Understanding the mechanics of these complex materials is extremely challenging, given the multitude of intricate (and non-linear) physical mechanisms that act over a range of spatial and temporal scales to govern mechanical performance. The focus of the mini-symposium will be on the experimental and computational mechanics of mineralised tissues, with topics including, but not limited to: multiscale mechanics of bone and bone biomaterials; bioceramics; bone-biomaterial interactions; and implantable devices for skeletal defects.