The role of calcium in the mechanical behaviour of bone

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Abstract
Plugs of fresh post mortem human patellar subchondral bone were soaked for three weeks in an organic solvent (ethanol) which contained a chelating agent (EDTA). This technique selectively removes the calcified inorganic component without disrupting the structure of the remaining bone matrix. These plugs, together with untreated plugs as controls, were treated in unconfined compression at a fixed strain rate and allowed to relax to evaluate the contribution made by the calcium component to the physical and time-dependent properties of subchondral bone.