On the assessment of brittle–elastic cortical bone fracture in the distal radius

• Published in: Engineering fracture mechanics 2007-08, Vol.74 (12), p.1917-1927
• Main Authors: Pietruszczak, S., Gdela, K., Webber, C.E., Inglis, D.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anisotropic behaviour; Biological and medical sciences; Colles’ fracture; Cortical bone; Exact sciences and technology; Fracture mechanics (crack, fatigue, damage...); Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); Medical sciences; Physics; Radiotherapy. Instrumental treatment. Physiotherapy. Reeducation. Rehabilitation, orthophony, crenotherapy. Diet therapy and various other treatments (general aspects); Skeleton and joints; Solid mechanics; Static elasticity (thermoelasticity...); Structural and continuum mechanics; Technology. Biomaterials. Equipments. Material. Instrumentation; Vertebrates: osteoarticular system, musculoskeletal system
• ISSN: 0013-7944; 1873-7315
• DOI: 10.1016/j.engfracmech.2006.06.005

The primary objective of this work is to outline a simple methodology for the evaluation of the risk of cortical bone fracture in the distal radius in the event of a fall from standing height onto an outstretched hand. The approach involves conducting an elastic finite element (FE) analysis wherein the cortical bone is considered to be a transversely-isotropic material and, subsequently, verifying the admissibility of the stress field. The latter is based on a proposed macroscopic fracture criterion, which takes into account the anisotropic nature of the cortical tissue. The methodology is illustrated by a numerical example, which involves FE simulation of an experimental test designed to produce a Colles’ fracture of the radius.