Modeling and simulation of physical performance of a external unilateral mechatronic orthopaedic fixator - bone...

Restricted element study of the fracture healing by external fixation device was investigated. The analyses were performed under an axial and variable loaded boundary conditions. The effect of different fracture size and different distance between bone and the external fixator device on the stress distribution was investigated. The results show that stresses in the external fixator device are highest at the beginning of the fracture healing process, and are gradually decreasing with the time of the treatment. The analyses were carried out using the commercial package CATIA P3 V5R11. This allowed to build a three-dimensional model more similar to the geometrical architecture of the long bone as well as of the external fixator. Three-dimensional restricted element model also allowed a collection of more realistic results. However, the accuracy of the results depends not only on the quality of the model geometry but also on the material properties assigned to the model components. It also depends on the accuracy in the simulation of the finite element model and the optimized mesh generation.