The present invention concerns a method to identify the mechanical properties of a material, such as
for example a bone material, starting from at least a digitalized image of a sample of said material.
The image of the sample to be analyzed is processed to achieve a numerical model comprising a
determinate number of elementary geometric elements, hereafter called cells, to each of which a
parameter to identify the type of material is assigned, in order to obtain information on the
distribution of the mechanical characteristics in the individual units of the sample, from which it is possible to trace both the elastic characteristics and hence the resistance, and also the distribution of
stresses and strain in relation to the application of the loads.
The method according to the present invention can easily be implemented in any processor, whether
it be an electronic processor or the processor inside a machine, for example a machine for digital
radiography. The processor can be used directly by a medical operator for the accurate diagnosis of
the bone properties, or to evaluate the validity of a prosthesis implanted in a patient, for example, by
means of determining the flow lines of a load or quantifying the state of stress and/or strain.
