Abstract
Bone is one of the important body components of all vertebrates. It is a natural composite, composed of bonesalt plates as matrix binder and soft collagen as reinforcing fbers. As bone supports all the organs of a body so its mechanical behavior is of prime importance. The mechanical properties of bone varies with age. In this paper, the effect of age on various mechanical properties of hip joint bone was investigated experimentally. For this purpose hip joint bone specimens of male bovine of different age groups were tested for fracture toughness, young modulus and tensile strength in the longitudinal and transverse directions of the collagen’s fbers. Compact tension specimen was used for the fracture toughness, while for young modulus and tensile strength, rectangular flat specimens were used. The test procedures were similar to ASTM (American standard for testing and measurements) techniques. The test result revealed reduction in mechanical properties of hip joint bone with the age.