Abstract
Calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM) is the primary constituent of the majority of stones formed in the urinary tract. Mechanical properties of renal calculi dictate how a stone interact and disintegrate with mechanical forces produced by shock wave and laser lithotripsy techniques. Tensile stresses may be more effective in some instances in disrupting material because most materials are weaker in tension than compression. Urinary stone containing COM as a major component was subjected to tensile, flexural and compressive strength studies in order to understand its mechanical properties in vitro. The calculated tensile breaking strength for the urinary stone from three tests varies from 0.57 MNm(-2) to 1.52 MNm(-2). The flexural strength and the flexural modulus of the urinary stone were calculated as 5.17 MNm(-2) and 2.22 GNm(-2) respectively while the observed compressive strength was 6.11 MNm(-2). The chemical composition and the crystalline nature of the stone were verified using Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction.