Vibrational characterization of a human femur bone and its significance in the designing of artificial implants
Authors: Kumar Priyadarshi Biplab , Parhi Dayal R. 
Published: March 2017

Purpose

Being an interdisciplinary research area, biomechanics has gained interest among researchers. Biomechanics deals with integration of mechanical phenomenon with the structural and functional aspects of biological systems. Biological systems being very much complex provide a very intricate platform for their analysis. In case of damages created by accidents or sport malfunctions, artificial implants are used for the replacement of bones. These implants may cause incompatibility with the human body, depending on their design and characterization. So, this research aims to analyze the vibrational characteristics of a human femur bone and to predict the safe ranges of frequencies of operation.

Design/methodology/approach

The current research is aimed at vibrational characterization of a human femur bone. The model of the femur bone is prepared using SOLIDWORKS software. The material properties of the femur are collected from the available literature and provided with the CAD model. The model is imported to the ANSYS software. Loading patterns as applied on the human body are also applied to the prepared model. Suitable boundary conditions are chosen for normal sitting and standing positions. The natural frequencies of the femur bone and other vibrational parameters are found out.

Findings

The first data obtained from the ANSYS software are the natural frequencies and mode shapes of vibration. Other data include the stress distributions, strain distributions, deformation patterns and potential zones of damage. The frequencies and mode shapes enable the safe ranges of human operation and the frequency range to be followed in the designing of implants. The stress distributions enable to know the potential zones of damage so that those areas can be given focus during strength considerations.

Research limitations/implications

The current investigations take into account only normal sitting and walking conditions. This work can be included under static loadings. This can also be extended toward dynamic loading conditions. In the dynamic loading, walking and running conditions can be taken into account. This work focuses on the safe designing of the artificial implants and their compatibility with the human body. This can also be extended toward role of dynamic forces in the damaged bone formation and the role of implant’s characteristics for healing of bones.

Practical implications

Bone damage and ligament fracture are common nowadays due to increasing number of accidents, which may be vehicular or sports. In case of any damage to the skeletal parts, some artificial implant is used to support the damaged part and to help in the process of healing. The designing of the implants must be compatible with the human body. The natural frequencies and mode shapes give an idea that the vibrational parameters of the implant material must fall in the same range as the actual bone. The stress distribution and potential zone damage emphasize on strength considerations.

Originality/value

The current method is a novel approach toward implant designing. Here an analysis of vibrational parameters of the human femur bone is performed. Those parameters include natural frequencies, mode shapes, principal normal stress distributions, principal shear stress distributions, maximum shear elastic strains and total deformation. These parameters reflect an idea about behavior of the femur bone under actual loading conditions. This analysis enables an implant designer to focus on material properties and strength considerations of the implants which are to be used in case of bone damage.