Fracture simulation of the femoral bone using the finite-element method: how a fracture initiates and proceeds.
Structural analysis of bones is now actively studied by many researchers using the finite-element method (FEM) to better understand the mechanism of bone fractures. Most previous studies, however, only obtained distribution patterns of stress or strain, and did not show how a fracture initiates and proceeds or how a fracture line grows. The purpose of this study was to simulate a fracture procedure using FEM and to assess its usefulness. Correlation of the strain value of the simulation and of the experiment was satisfactory (r = .81). The simulated fracture process and the consequent fracture lines were quite compatible with the experimental fracture. Quantitatively, however, there was a difference of yield load between the simulation and the experiment, i.e., 2000N and 8400N, respectively, likely caused by inaccuracies of material properties of the elements of the finite-element model.
Ota
T
T
Department of Radiology, Shiga University of Medical Science, Seta Tsukinowa, Otsu, Japan.
Yamamoto
I
I
Morita
R
R
D000368:Aged; D003198:Computer Simulation; D005264:Femoral Fractures / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D020342:Finite Element Analysis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008954:Models, Biological; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D016474:Weight-Bearing