FailurePropertiesofChickenBoneUnderVaryingFixationConditions.docVIP

Failure Properties of Chicken Bone Under Varying Fixation Conditions Kenny Chan BE210 April 25, 2007 Background Bone fixation with metal bone pins or screws is a relatively common procedure for securing fractured bones in place while they fuse back together. The goal is to limit movement to allow proper healing (Woo, et. al), and so this experiment will test the yield force of fixated chicken leg bones with different screws amounts. In practice, the number of screws used to set a fracture depends on the specific physician or fixation plate used. It is sometimes suggested that at least four screws be used to prevent moment-induced fracture separation from rotational movement of the bone (Lower). Some previous studies have tested the effects of screw configuration on the strength of fixated bone (Selvan, et. al), but few test the effect of varying the number of screws used in fixation. This experiment expands on Experiment #4, which tested properties of chicken bones such as failure strength and elasticity using three-point testing. It was possible to calculate stress in Experiment #4 because physical measurements (i.e. the dimensions) of the bone could be obtained. However, when testing a fixated bone, complex interactions arise between the plate, screws, and bone. For instance, the pull-out and toggle (or compressive) force experienced by the bone screws (see Appendix, Figure 1) is hard to calculate, as is the area being acted upon by the metal plate. Since the concern with bone fixation is the ability to support a bone in place, though, the ultimate load (the maximum force experienced during testing) will be considered a sufficient property to analyze. Previous literature on the subject of testing bone fixation methods supports the use of force-displacement data and ultimate load as an appropriate measure (An 40, Selvan, et. al). Objective The aim of this experiment is to see whether the number of screws used in bone fixation affects the ultimate load of fixat