Murtuneisuus

Murtuneisuus is a Finnish term meaning fracture susceptibility. In general use, it denotes the propensity of a material or tissue to fracture under applied stress. The concept is used in two main domains: materials science and biomechanics/medicine.

In materials science, murtuneisuus describes how readily a material cracks or fails under load. Lower murtuneisuus equates to higher fracture toughness and ductility; higher murtuneisuus indicates brittle behavior. It is assessed through properties such as fracture toughness (K_IC), energy release rate (G_IC), and fracture strength, and it is influenced by composition, microstructure, porosity, defects, temperature, and loading rate.

In biomechanics, murtuneisuus refers to bone fragility and fracture risk, particularly in osteoporosis or aging. Factors include bone mineral density, microarchitectural deterioration, and mineralization quality. Assessment combines imaging (DXA), clinical risk scores, and computational models (finite element analysis) to estimate fracture probability. Treatments aim to reduce murtuneisuus by increasing bone strength, reducing fall risk, and managing underlying disease.

Limitations: The term is primarily used in Finnish-language literature and may overlap with established measures of toughness or fracture risk, so precise interpretation requires context.

Origin: derived from murtuma (fracture) and the suffix -isuus (forming abstract nouns).