Wave propagation modeling in human long bones

The dynamic behavior of a dry long bone that has been modeled as a piezoele ctric hollow cylinder of crystal class 6 is investigated. The solution for the wave propagation problem is expressed in terms of a potential function which satisfies an eighth-order partial differential equation, whose soluti ons lead to the derivation of the explicit solution of the wave equation. T he mechanical boundary conditions correspond to those of stress free latera l surfaces, while the electrical boundary conditions correspond to those of short circuit. The satisfaction of the boundary conditions leads to the di spersion relation which is solved numerically. The frequencies obtained are presented as functions of various parameters and they compare well with ot her researchers' theoretical results.