In this talk, the work within the Biomechanics Research Team at the Laboratory for Mechanics of Materials and Nanostructures of Empa on micromechanics of bone will be presented. Fundamental research on the failure mechanisms of bone on the microscale as a function of loading mode will be discussed. Nanostructural characterization is combined with micromechanical experimentation and mechanical modeling to allow identifying structure-property relationships in this complex nanocomposite. Recent technical developments allowing experiments with well defined boundary and environmental conditions in a broad strain rate range are employed to investigate the effect of water on the strain rate dependence of bone on the microscale. Furthermore, direct clinical applications of this fundamental research for assessing bone quality of patients in clinical studies will be discussed.
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