Bone Fixation Plate

Project Description: This project was an element to a module titled “Clinical Engineering and Computational Mechanics” at The University of Sheffield. This project was for the design of a metal plate that an orthopedic surgeon would use to repair a fractured bone. The project required the use of ANSYS to use finite element techniques to simulate varying plate thicknesses and different surgical screw placements to ultimately recommend the best plate to use from comparing stress/strains of each plate option.

Project Overview: This project began by understanding when these types of plates are used, what condition the natural bone may be found in and why these fixation plates are suitable. This then required consideration of the pressure associated with the spatial placement of these plates and consider what the plate would need to endure. Five different plate models were designed including their own finite element mesh for analysis. Each model was then fixed on one plane and a pressure that was previously hand calculated was applied to each model. The results compared undeformed and deformed plates, and a heat map of varying stress and strain analysis, including in the X,Y and Z axis. Overall each model was tested for compressive, tensile and shear stress.

This project revealed the difficulty with holes placed within the varying models and how they weakened the mechanical durability of such models. Additionally, how the thickness of the entire plate changed the factor at which the pressures were displaced. Overall, the models behaved in an expected way and were easily quantified using ANSYS. Ultimately one model was recommended for use by the orthopedic surgeon.