Modeling the influence of mineral content and porosity on ultrasound parameters in bone by using synthetic phantoms

Model composite media − 10×15×80 mm3 bone tissue phantoms based on an epoxy resin with fillers—were made to study the influence of porosity and mineral content on ultrasound velocity and attenuation. The pores were simulated by ∼ 1 mm3 particles of a soft rubber, while the mineral content was imitated by a mineral residue of natural bone obtained by burning and grinding. The porosity and mineral content were varied in the range of 0–70% by volume with a step of 10%. The velocity, attenuation, and prevalent frequency of ultrasound were measured by the pulse transition method, using transducers with nominal frequencies 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, and 1.0 MHz. It was experimentally found that the ultrasoun…