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Dynamic compression plate design for forearm fractures using the boundary elements method

Abstract:

Currently, dynamic compression plates are widely used in internal fracture fixation processes. The pressure exerted on the fractured bones achieves the generation of the bone callus, consolidating the anatomical portion. The geometry of these plates is very irregular, therefore, to know their elastic performance, under the action of loads, it is necessary to use computer programs based on numerical methods of approximation. In this work, the experimental validation of a plate is developed, for a diaphyseal fracture of the forearm. It is compared to a computational model, which was previously analyzed, using the boundary elements method. An iterative domain decomposition technique, due to the presence of non-homogeneous materials such as bone and steel, is applied. The plate was made of AISI 316L stainless steel and tested using a GALDABINI test machine, model 34/M. The experimental results allowed the validation of the contour conditions imposed in the numerical simulation. Finally, an osteosynthesis device that resists a load of 50 N appropriate for diaphyseal fractures of the forearm bones is presented.