Musculoskeletal system and artificial replacements
Structural computational and experimental analysis of spinal fixators
Project description:
Picture of experimentaly examined assembly of spinal fixators.
Distribution of Mises stress for examined assembly of spinal fixators
To review static strength of spinal fixators which are inserted into vertebra bodies an experimental and computational mechanical test was accomplished . This particular test is analysing an simplified assembly of a couple of spinal fixators and two polyethylene blocks (UHMWPE) where those UHMWPE blocks represent vertebra bodies (details could be found in literature [Cunningham et al.,Spine, 18(12),1677-1688]). Every block from UHMWPE constains a hemispherical blockout and to this blockout a steel spherical joint with cylindrical part is inserted (fig. 1). This whole assembly is loaded with an axial force which is passing through the centres of the steel spherical joints i.e. spinal fixators are loaded with a compresive force and with a bending moment. The procedure described above was computationally simulated via FEA as well.
doc. Ing. Radek Sedláček, Ph.D.