FEA and it is application on bone strength estimation

Fatemeh Alavi Faculty of Mechanical Engineering

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a condition that weakens bones, making them fragile and more likely to break and deteriorate microarchitecture, particularly involves the hip, spine, and wrist. The diagnosis of osteoporosis can be made using • conventional radiography • dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) measuring BMD • QCT • HR-pQCT

It develops slowly over several years and is often only diagnosed when a minor fall or sudden impact causes a bone fracture. • In order to assess osteoporosis one needs parameters quantifying – bone mass – bone micro-architecture and – bone fragility

About our research

The diagnosis of osteoporosis involves the assessment of mechanical and structural properties. To understand the complex relationships between failure of bone tissue and fracture of the whole bone requires a critical analytical step involving calculation of the internal stresses (force intensities) in the whole bone. This step in turn requires knowledge of • the geometric features of the whole bone, • the loads being applied, and • the material properties of the involved tissues. Overview of Procedure • Sample preparation • Definition and implementation of the femoral reference system • QCT scanning – Mechanical testing of the proximal femur – Finite element analysis