Abstract

Bone is continuously remodeled through a coupled process of bone resorption and bone formation, and this process is called bone remodeling. An imbalance in bone remodeling may cause diseases such as osteoporosis. Bone resorption and apposition are caused by chemical reactions between cells and matrix. Bone is a mixture comprised of solid matrix, fluid and cells. There are many theories about bone remodeling, but none of these considers bone resorption and apposition separately. The purpose of this study was to model the bone resorption process using mixture theory in combination with chemical reactions. A theoretical model was developed to model resorption. The extent of the chemical reactions is entered directly into the constitutive equations. Using mixture theory, the effect of each phase on the resorption process (solid matrix, fluid and cells) can be studied.