BIOMECHANICAL STRESS ANALYSIS OF TIBIAL BONE PLATE FIXATION SYSTEMS UNDER DIFFERENT LOAD SCENARIOS

Abstract

Tibia fractures in humans are typically the result of accidents with vehicles or falls. Biomedical implants are often necessary for patients of such accidents to help in the healing process. By improving the physiological state, bone plates and other biomedical implants enable elderly individuals and car accident patients to enjoy normal lives. When a human bone is exposed to an extreme load that is above its maximum capacity, it frequently fractures. Bone healing occurs in two basic ways: primary bone healing and Secondary bone healing. This research aims to investigate the stress distribution on bone and plate under various physiological conditions, including bending, torsion, compression, and extension, using two distinct materials for the plate and screws. A 3D model's mechanical strength may be seen by simulating various mechanical tests, such as von Mises stress and maximal first principal stress, using FEA software like COMSOL. Create a three-dimensional model of the screws, metal plate, and tibia bone, then allocate the materials to the model. After applying certain load and boundary conditions, the model is then meshed and analyzed. The results of the COMSOL Multiphysics simulation indicate that modest deformation and stress levels are caused by bending, torsion, compression, and extension, but combined loads cause high deformation and stress levels. The maximum deformation in the combined load condition is 25.299 mm in Ti alloy material, whereas the smallest deformation in compression is 0.1500 mm in the same material. In stainless steel, the lowest von Mises stress is displayed in compression at 3.5606x107 N/m², while the highest is displayed in combined load at 9.8428x108 N/m². Results showed that the titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V exhibited better performance under combination loading compared to stainless steel, with lower stress concentrations and deformation. This information can be valuable for designing implants or structures that will be subjected to various loading conditions in real-world applications.