Investigation into the thermal disruption of the physical and chemical properties of bone

了解热损伤导致的骨骼物理和化学结构变化的能力对人类遗骸的分析至关重要。这个项目将使用三种分析方法来检查骨头在受热时所经历的变化。在受控条件下收集此类信息，可确保这些数据可用于创建骨骼在结构和化学水平上发生变化的参考数据库。将对该数据集进行测试，以证明用于分析任何给定骨骼所经历的热暴露的方法的可靠性和可重复性。最后，该方法还将检查是否有可能确定骨头上的骨折是否在火灾开始之前就已经存在，或者它们是否由火灾期间的事件引起。三种分析方法将用于检查骨骼的变化(1)FTIR（傅里叶变换红外光谱）(2)LIBS（激光诱导击穿光谱）和(3)micro-CT。FTIR使用红外光来识别和量化骨骼中存在的化学官能团，并可以监测加热发生时特定化学键的破坏。LIBS采用高能激光脉冲来协助识别存在的元素，并将为FTIR提供正交技术，以监测骨骼在热分解过程中的化学变化。最后，微CT成像创建了骨骼所经历的结构变化的视觉表现，图形化地模拟了随着热降解的进展，外部和内部表面和结构的恶化。结合使用这些方法并结合化学计量学分析，将有助于在微观和宏观水平上对骨骼进行定量和定性检查。

The ability to understand the changes to the physical and chemical structure of bone as a consequence of heat damage is critical to the analysis of human remains.This project will use three methods of analysis to examine the changes that bone undergoes when exposed to heat. Collecting such information under controlled conditions ensures that the data can be used to create a reference database of the changes which occurs to the bone at both a structural and chemical level. This dataset will be tested to demonstrate reliability and repeatability of the methods which are used to analyse the thermal exposure that any given bone has experienced. Finally the methodology will also examine whether it is possible to identify if fractures found on bone may have been present prior to the fire starting or whether they were caused by events during the fire.Three analytical methods will be utilised to examine the changes in the bone (1) FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy) (2) LIBS (Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy) and (3) micro-CT. FTIR applies infrared light to both identify and quantify the chemical functional groups present within the bone and can monitor the breakdown of specific chemical bonding as heating occurs. LIBS employs a high energy laser pulse to assist in the process of identifying which elements are present and will provide an orthogonal technique to FTIR to monitor chemical changes in the bone during the thermal decomposition processes. Finally micro CT imaging creates visual representation of the structural changes which have been experience by the bone, graphically modelling the deterioration of both the outer and inner surfaces and structures as the thermal degradation progresses. Using these methods in combination and incorporating chemometric analysis will facilitate both quantitative and qualitative examination of bone at both the micro and macro level.