Cranfield University

Dr Peter Zioupos

Reader in Biomechanics of Materials
Location: Shrivenham campus
E: p.zioupos@cranfield.ac.uk
T: +44 (0)1793 785932
Department of Engineering and Applied Science

Current activities

Peter Zioupos is the head of the Centre for Musculoskeletal and Medicolegal Research and the Biomechanics Laboratories at Shrivenham and he is active in hard and soft tissue biomechanics research, which can be of either/both basic or applied nature.

Peter Zioupos’ Hirsch factor (h* index) currently stands at 23.

In July 2006 Peter Zioupos was elected in the Council of the European Society of Biomechanics, where he has held the Chair of the ‘Education Committee’ (06-08) and he is currently the chair of the ‘Meetings Committee’.

Peter Zioupos has been made Fellow of the IPEM (Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine) effective from June 26, 2009. Peter has been a corporate member of IPEM for nearly 25 years. The IPEM is the official body of all Medical Physicists and Biological engineers in the UK with about 5000 members (main grades: corporate, incorporate, medical, student, associate, company, overseas) and a few Fellows.

In Nov 2008, Peter Zioupos was awarded the Degree of Doctor of Science by the Senate of Strathclyde University following the recommendation by the Higher Doctorates Committee of this University for his work on ‘Composite aspects of basic bone biomechanics: structure/function relationships and applications’. Over the past 16 years, and among other things, Peter Zioupos has published over 55 peer review articles in this specialised topic. These papers have gathered over 1500 citations and 7 papers, in particular, are now ‘classics’ in the field of basic bone biomechanics with more than 70 citations each.

He is a member of the Editorial board: of ‘J.Biomechanics’, ‘J.Mechanical Behaviour of Biomedical Materials’ and ‘J.Bionic Engineering’.

Member of the EPSRC Peer Review College.

Member of the: European Society of Biomechanics, International Society of Biomechanics and a Chartered Scientist (CSci).

P Zioupos’ most recent work was on the Fracture toughness of Cancellous Bone ( 1, 2, 3, 4 ) and the  Biomechanics of ACL reconstructions. He is active in forensics where he has offered consultancy in forensic science legal cases regarding accidental or otherwise caused death, which resulted primarily from bone injuries. He has developed a patent for the 'Forensic determination of age at time of death by analytical laboratory examination of bone matrix. Report. He offers consultancy to industry via nanoindentation studies on fuel cells, health care products, anodising layers, design of test chambers and testing standards. ( Micro-hardness and Nano-hardness laboratories ) The attached is a Link to a video clip from a documentary produced by 'Granada TV' for the 'Discovery Channel' and 'Channel 5' which investigated how people are able to survive potentially lethal “free fall” accidents. Biomechanicians, physicists, stunt co-ordinators and free fall survivors discussed why and how some people are inexplicably able to survive these violent incidents.

Clients

Background

Peter Zioupos graduated with a BSc in Physics from the University of Ioannina Greece in 1983 and joined the Bioengineering Unit of Strathclyde University in 1984-1989 from where he graduated with a PhD from the Faculty of Engineering on tissue mechanics for Bioprosthetic heart valves.

Subsequently he was a Post doctoral research assistant, Bioengineering Unit, Strathclyde University 1989 / Blood rheology.

Post doctoral research fellow, AFOSR, Dept of Biology, York University 1991-1994 / Biological materials for biomimetics applications.

Post doctoral research fellow, Wellcome Trust, Dept of Biology, York University 1994-1997 / Toughness of ageing human bone.

Lecturer B, Cranfield University: 1997-2001.

Senior Lecturer, Cranfield University: 2001 - 2007.

Reader, Cranfield University: 2007 -

Academic Leader of the Applied Science BSc course: 2002 - 2005.

Academic Leader of the Forensic Engineering & Science MSc course: 2005 - 2009.

Selected publications

A. Ural, P. Zioupos, D. Buchanan, D. Vashishth, ‘The effect of strain rate on fracture toughness of human cortical bone: a finite element study.’ J Mech. Behav. Biomed. Mater. 4 (7):1021-1032. 2011

A Ertas, K Winwood, P. Zioupos, J Cotton  ‘Simulation of Creep in non-homogeneous samples of human cortical bone.’  Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering, May 2011 (iFirst), DOI: 10.1080/10255842.2011.575069

R.B. Cook, C. Curwen, T. Tasker, P. Zioupos ‘Fracture toughness and Compressive Properties of cancellous bone at the Head of the Femur and relationships to non-invasive skeletal assessment measurements.’ Med Eng & Physics, 32: 991-997, 2010.

M. Finnilä, P. Zioupos, M. Herlin, H. Miettinen, U. Simanainen, H. Håkansson, J. Tuukkanen, M. Viluksela, T. Jämsä.  ‘Effects of 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-Dioxin Exposure on bone material properties.’ J Biomechanics, 43, 1097-1103, 2010.

R.B. Cook, P. Zioupos. 'The fracture toughness of cancellous bone’ J Biomechanics, 42, 2054–2060, 2009.

P. Zioupos, R.B. Cook, J.R. Hutchinson. ‘More thoughts on the relationship between apparent and material densities in bone.’ J Biomechanics, 42: 794-795, 2009.

E. Minnock, R. Cook, D. Collins, J. Tucker, P. Zioupos. Using Risk Factors and Quantitative Ultrasound to Identify Postmenopausal Caucasian Women at Risk of Osteoporosis. J Clinical Densitometry 11(4): 485–493, 2008.

H. Gupta & P. Zioupos, Fracture of bone tissue: the ‘hows’ and the ‘whys’. Medical Engineering & Physics 30: 1209–1226, 2008.

P. Zioupos, U. Hansen, J.D. Currey, ‘Microcracking damage and the fracture process in relation to strain rate in human cortical bone tensile failure’ J Biomechanics 41: 2932–2939, 2008.

P. Zioupos, Gresle M, Winwood K, ‘Fatigue strength of human cortical bone: age, physical and material heterogeneity effects.’ J Biomed Mater Res A, 86(3): 627-636, 2008.

P. Zioupos, R.B. Cook, J.R. Hutchinson. ‘Some basic relationships between density values in cancellous and cortical bone’ J Biomechanics, 41: 1961-1968, 2008.

P Zioupos, R.Cook, R.M.Apsden, A.M. Coats. ‘Bone quality issues and matrix properties in OP cancellous bone.’ In ‘Medicine meets Engineering’ Eds: J.Hammer, M.Nerlich, S.Dendorfer. IOS Press, The Netherlands; pp: 238-245; 2008.

U. Hansen, P. Zioupos, R. Simpson, JD. Currey, D. Hynd. ‘The Effect of Strain Rate on the Mechanical Properties of Human Cortical Bone’ Trans ASME/Journal of Biomechanical Engineering, 130: 011011-1-8, 2008.

P. Zioupos, Kaffy C, Currey JD. 'Tissue heterogeneity, composite architecture and fractal dimension effects in the fracture of ageing human bone'. International J Fracture, 139(3-4): 407-424, 2006.

P. Zioupos, Rogers KD. 'Complementary physical and mechanical techniques to characterise bone-like tissues'. Journal of Bionic Engineering, 3(1): 19-31, 2006.

A Blythe, Tasker T, Zioupos P. 'ACL graft constructs: in-vitro fatigue testing highlights the occurrence of irrecoverable lengthening and the need for adequate (pre)conditioning to avert the recurrence of knee instability' Technology and Health Care, 14: 335-347, 2006.

K Winwood, Zioupos P, Currey JD, Cotton JR, Taylor M. 'Strain patterns during tensile, compressive and shear fatigue of human cortical bone and implications for bone biomechanics' J Biomed. Mater. Research, 79: 289-297, 2006.

K. Winwood, P. Zioupos, J.D. Currey, J.R. Cotton, M. Taylor, J. Musculoskeletal Neuronal Interactions, 6(2), 134-141, 2006. 'The importance of the elastic and plastic components of strain in tensile and compressive fatigue of human cortical bone in relation to orthopaedic biomechanics.'

M. Moniruzzaman, P. Zioupos, G. F. Fernando ‘Investigation of Reversible Photo-mechanical Properties of Azobenzene-Based Polymer films by nanoindentation.’ Scripta Materialia, 42(2): 257-261, 2006.

R.B.Cook, D.Collins, J.Tucker, P.Zioupos. ‘The ability of peripheral quantitative ultrasound to identify patients with low bone mineral density in the hip or spine.’ Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology, 31(5): 625-632, 2005.

R.B.Cook, D.Collins, J.Tucker, P.Zioupos. ‘Comparison of Questionnaire and Quantitative Ultrasound Techniques as screening tools for DXA’ Osteoporosis International, 16(12): 1565-1575, 2005.

J.Cotton, K.Winwood, P.Zioupos, M.Taylor. ‘Damage rate is a predictor of fatigue life and creep strain rate in fatigue of tensile human cortical bone samples.’ Trans ASME / Journal of Biomechanical Engineering, 127: 213-219, 2005.

P. Zioupos, ‘In-vivo fatigue microcracks in human bone: material properties of the surrounding bone matrix’ European Journal of Morphology, 42(1/2): 31-41, 2005.

J.D. Currey, K. Brear, P. Zioupos, ‘Notch sensitivity of mineralised tissues in impact. Proceed. Royal Soc. – B; 271: 517-522, 2004

P. Zioupos, J.D. Currey, J-Y, Rho, ‘Bones: the need for intrinsic material and architectural design’,in: Optimisation Mechanics in Nature, Design & Nature Series, (Eds: M.W. Collins, & M.A. Atherton), Vol.4, ch 6; pp: 93-117, WIT Press UK, 2004

J.W. Watson, R.N. Hardy, R. Frampton, O. Williams, P. Zioupos, R. Cook, A. Kennedy, P. Sproston, B. Forrester, S. Peach, ‘BOSCOS Bone Scanning for Occupant Safety’, in: Vehicle Safety 2004, I Mech Publs, London, 2004

A.M. Coats, P. Zioupos, R.M. Aspden, ‘Material properties of subchondral bone from patients with osteoporosis or osteoarthritis by microindentation testing and electron probe microanalysis’ Calc Tiss International, 73 (1): 66-71, 2003

J. Cotton, P. Zioupos, K. Winwood, M. Taylor, ‘Analysis of creep strain during tensile fatigue of cortical bone.’ J. Biomechanics 36, 943-949, 2003

M. Taylor, J. Cotton, P. Zioupos, ‘Finite element simulation of the fatigue behaviour of cortical and cancellous bone’. Meccanica, 37, 419-429, 2002

.J-Y. Rho, P. Zioupos, J.D. Currey, G.M. Pharr, ‘Microstructural elasticity and regional heterogeneity in human femoral bone of various ages examined by nano-indentation.’ J. Biomechanics, 35, 189-198, 2002

P. Zioupos, J.D. Currey, A. Casinos, ‘Tensile fatigue in bone: are cycles-, or time-to failure, or both, important?’ J. Theoretical Biology, 210 (3): 389-399, 2001

J-Y, Rho, J.D. Currey, P. Zioupos, G.M. Pharr, ‘The anisotropic Young’s modulus of equine secondary osteones and interstitial bone determined by nanoindentation.’ J. Experim. Biol., 204, 1775-1781, 2001

P. Zioupos, ‘Ageing human bone: factors affecting its biomechanical properties and the role of collagen.’ J Biomaterials Appl. 15, 187-229, 2001

P. Zioupos, ‘Accumulation of in-vivo fatigue microdamage and its relation to biomechanical properties in ageing human cortical bone.’ J. Microscopy, 201, 270-278, 2001

J.D. Currey, P. Zioupos, P. Davies, A. Casinos, ‘Mechanical properties of nacre and highly mineralised bone.’ Proc. Royal Soc.Lond.–B, 268, 107-111, 2001