Drilling resistance: a method to investigate bone quality

Purpose: Bone drilling is a major part of orthopaedic surgery performed during the internal fixation of fractured bones. At present, information related to drilling force, drilling torque, rate of drill-bit penetration and drill-bit rotational speed is not available to orthopaedic surgeons, clinicians and researchers as bone drilling is performed manually. Methods: This study demonstrates that bone drilling force data if recorded in-vivo, during the repair of bone fractures, can provide information about the quality of the bone. To understand the variability and anisotropic behaviour of cortical bone tissue, specimens cut from three anatomic positions of pig and bovine were investigated at the same drilling speed and feed rate. Results: The experimental results showed that the drilling force does not only vary from one animal bone to another, but also vary within the same bone due to its changing microstructure. Drilling force does not give a direct indication of bone quality; therefore it has been correlated with screw pull-out force to provide a realistic estimation of the bone quality. A significantly high value of correlation (r2 = 0.93 for pig bones and r2 = 0.88 for bovine bones) between maximum drilling force and normalised screw pull-out strength was found. Conclusions: The results show that drilling data can be used to indicate bone quality during orthopaedic surgery

Computational modelling of full interaction between crystal plasticity and oxygen diffusion at a crack tip

Oxidation-promoted crack growth, one of the major concerns for nickel-based superalloys, is closely linked to the diffusion of oxygen into the crack tip. The phenomenon is still not well understood yet, especially the full interaction between oxygen diffusion and severe near-tip mechanical deformation. This work aimed at the development of a robust numerical strategy to model the full coupling of crystal plasticity and oxygen diffusion in a single crystal nickel-based superalloy. In order to accomplish this, finite element package ABAQUS is used as a platform to develop a series of user-defined subroutines to model the fully coupled process of deformation and diffusion. The formulation allowed easy incorporation of nonlinear material behaviour, various loading conditions and arbitrary model geometries. Using this method, finite element analyses of oxygen diffusion, coupled with crystal plastic deformation, were carried out to simulate oxygen penetration at a crack tip and associated change of near-tip stress field, which has significance in understanding crack growth acceleration in oxidation environment. Based on fully coupled diffusion-deformation analyses, a case study was carried out to predict crack growth rate in oxidation environment and under dwell-fatigue loading conditions, for which a twoparameter failure criterion, in terms of accumulated inelastic strain and oxygen concentration at the crack tip, has been utilized

Modelling plastic deformation in a single-crystal nickel-based superalloy using discrete dislocation dynamics

Background: Nickel-based superalloys are usually exposed to high static or cyclic loads in non-ambient environment, so a reliable prediction of their mechanical properties, especially plastic deformation, at elevated temperature is essential for improved damage-tolerance assessment of components. Methods: In this paper, plastic deformation in a single-crystal nickel-based superalloy CMSX4 at elevated temperature was modelled using discrete dislocation dynamics (DDD). The DDD approach was implemented using a representative volume element with explicitly-introduced precipitate and periodic boundary condition. The DDD model was calibrated using stress-strain response predicted by a crystal plasticity model, validated against tensile and cyclic tests at 850°C for and crystallographic orientations, at a strain rate of 1/s. Results: The DDD model was capable to capture the global stress-strain response of the material under both monotonic and cyclic loading conditions. Considerably higher dislocation density was obtained for the orientation, indicating more plastic deformation and much lower flow stress in the material, when compared to that for orientation. Dislocation lines looped around the precipitate, and most dislocations were deposited on the surface of precipitate, forming a network of dislocation lines. Simple unloading resulted in a reduction of dislocation density. Conclusions: Plastic deformation in metallic materials is closely related to dynamics of dislocations, and the DDD approach can provide a more fundamental understanding of crystal plasticity and the evolution of heterogeneous dislocation networks, which is useful when considering such issues as the onset of damage in the material during plastic deformation

Shape analysis of prosthetic socket rectification procedure for transtibial amputees

Achieving a comfortable socket residual limb interface is crucial for effective prosthetic rehabilitation, depending on the precise characterisation and fluctuations in the shape and volume of residual limbs. Clinicians rely on subjective and iterative methods for shaping sockets, often involving a trial-and-error approach. This study introduces a framework for measuring, analysing, and comparing residual limb shape and volume using scanned data to facilitate more informed clinical decision-making. Surface scans of 44 transtibial residual limb casts of various sizes and lengths were examined. All scans were spatially aligned to a mid-patella and subjected to analysis using a shape analysis toolbox. Geometric measurements were extracted, with particular attention to significant rectified regions during the cast rectification process. Following PTB guidelines, our analysis revealed substantial alterations, primarily in the mid-patella region, followed by the patellar tendon area. Notably, there was a significant volume change of 6.02% in the region spanning from mid-patella to 25% of the cast length. Beyond this point, linear cast modifications were observed for most amputees up to 60% of the cast length, followed by individual-specific deviations beyond this region. Regardless of residual limb size and length, the modifications applied to positive casts suggested categorising patients into five major groups. This study employs the AmpScan shape analysis tool, to comprehend the cast rectification process used for capturing and assessing the extent of rectification on patients’ residual limb casts. The clinical implications of our research are threefold: (a) the comparison data can serve as training resources for junior prosthetists; (b) this will aid prosthetists in identifying specific regions for rectification and assessing socket fit; (c) it will help in determining optimal timing for prosthetic fitting or replacement.</p

Notches in fibrous materials: micro-mechanisms of deformation and damage

Fibrous networks are ubiquitous structures for many natural materials, such as bones and bacterial cellulose, and artificial ones (e.g. polymer-based nonwovens). Mechanical behaviour of these networks are of interest to researchers since it deviates significantly from that of traditional materials treated usually within the framework of continuum mechanics. The main reason for this difference is a discontinuous character of networks with randomly distributed fibres (that can be also curved) resulting in complex scenarios of fibre-to-fibre interactions in the process of their deformation. This also affects a character of load transfer, characterised by spatial non-uniformity and localisation. A discontinuous nature of fibrous networks results in their non-trivial failure character and, more specifically, evolution of failure caused by notches. In order to investigate these mechanisms, various notches are introduced both into real-life specimens used in experimentation and discontinuous finite-element (FE) models specially developed (Farukh et al., 2014a; Hou et al., 2009, 2011a; Sabuncuoglu et al, 2013) to mimic the microstructure of fibrous networks. The specimens were tested under tensile loading in one of the principal directions, with FE-based simulations emulating this regime. The effect of notch shape on damage mechanisms, effective material toughness and damage patterns was investigated using the obtained experimental and numerical methods. The developed discontinuous model with direct introduction of microstructural features of fibrous networks allowed assessment of strain distribution over selected paths in them in order to obtain strain profiles in the vicinity of notch tips. Additionally, evolution of damage calculated in advanced numerical simulations demonstrated a good agreement with images from experiments

Shape analysis of prosthetic socket rectification procedure for transtibial amputees

Achieving a comfortable socket residual limb interface is crucial for effective prosthetic rehabilitation, depending on the precise characterisation and fluctuations in the shape and volume of residual limbs. Clinicians rely on subjective and iterative methods for shaping sockets, often involving a trial-and-error approach. This study introduces a framework for measuring, analysing, and comparing residual limb shape and volume using scanned data to facilitate more informed clinical decision-making. Surface scans of 44 transtibial residual limb casts of various sizes and lengths were examined. All scans were spatially aligned to a mid-patella and subjected to analysis using a shape analysis toolbox. Geometric measurements were extracted, with particular attention to significant rectified regions during the cast rectification process. Following PTB guidelines, our analysis revealed substantial alterations, primarily in the mid-patella region, followed by the patellar tendon area. Notably, there was a significant volume change of 6.02% in the region spanning from mid-patella to 25% of the cast length. Beyond this point, linear cast modifications were observed for most amputees up to 60% of the cast length, followed by individual-specific deviations beyond this region. Regardless of residual limb size and length, the modifications applied to positive casts suggested categorising patients into five major groups. This study employs the AmpScan shape analysis tool, to comprehend the cast rectification process used for capturing and assessing the extent of rectification on patients’ residual limb casts. The clinical implications of our research are threefold: (a) the comparison data can serve as training resources for junior prosthetists; (b) this will aid prosthetists in identifying specific regions for rectification and assessing socket fit; (c) it will help in determining optimal timing for prosthetic fitting or replacement.</p

Strength assessment of PET composite prosthetic sockets

A prosthesis is loaded by forces and torques exerted by its wearer, the amputee, and should withstand instances of peak loads without failure. Traditionally, strong prosthetic sockets were made using a composite with a variety of reinforcing fibres, such as glass, carbon, and Kevlar. Amputees in less-resourced nations can lack access to composite prosthetic sockets due to their unavailability or prohibitive cost. Therefore, this study investigates the feasibility of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibre-reinforced composites as a low-cost sustainable composite for producing functional lower-limb prosthetic sockets. Two types of these composites were manufactured using woven and knitted fabric with a vacuum-assisted resin transfer moulding (VARTM) process. For direct comparison purposes, traditional prosthetic-socket materials were also manufactured from laminated composite (glass-fibre-reinforced (GFRP)), monolithic thermoplastic (polypropylene (PP) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE)) were also manufactured. Dog-bone-shaped specimens were cut from flat laminates and monolithic thermoplastic to evaluate their mechanical properties following ASTM standards. The mechanical properties of PET-woven and PET-knitted composites were found to have demonstrated to be considerably superior to those of traditional socket materials, such as PP and HDPE. All the materials were also tested in the socket form using a bespoke test rig reproducing forefoot loading according to the ISO standard 10328. The static structural test of sockets revealed that all met the target load-bearing capacity of 125 kg. Like GFRP, the PETW and PETK sockets demonstrated higher deformation and stiffness resistance than their monolithic counterparts made from PP and HDPE. As a result, it was concluded that the PET-based composite could replace monolithic socket materials in producing durable and affordable prostheses