Abstract
Distal limb injuries are common in racing horses and track surface properties have been associated with injury risk. To better understand how track surfaces may contribute to equine limb injury, we developed the first 3D computational model of the equine hoof interacting with a racetrack and simulated interactions with model representations of 1) a dirt surface and 2) an all-weather synthetic track. First, a computational track model using the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) method with a Drucker-Prager (D-P) elastoplastic material model was developed. It was validated against analytical models and published data and then calibrated using results of a custom track testing device applied to the two racetrack types. Second, a sensitivity analysis was performed to determine which model parameters contribute most significantly to the mechanical response of the track under impact-type loading. Third, the SPH track model was coupled to a biomechanical model of the horse forelimb and applied to hoof-track impact for a horse galloping on each track surface. We found that 1) the SPH track model was well validated and it could be calibrated to accurately represent impact loading of racetrack surfaces at two angles of impact; 2) the amount of harrowing applied to the track had the largest effect on impact loading, followed by elastic modulus and cohesion; 3) the model is able to accurately simulate hoof-ground interaction and enables study of the relationship between track surface parameters and the loading on horses’ distal forelimbs.
Highlights
Forelimb injuries are common in racehorses often resulting in lameness and in severe cases death (Bailey et al, 1999; Parkin et al, 2006)
We validate the SPH track model by first determining the resolution of the SPH representation of the track required for accurate predictions and by comparison of simulation results to: Cylindrical indentation of an Elastic Object
The top surface of the elastic object is indented by a cylindrical shape in the form of a triangular mesh comprised of 1700 nodes and 3,500 elements
Summary
Forelimb injuries are common in racehorses often resulting in lameness and in severe cases death (Bailey et al, 1999; Parkin et al, 2006). The metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint, or fetlock, is the site of most tendon, ligament, joint surface, and bone injuries (Bailey et al, 1999; Parkin et al, 2006). It is likely the MCP joint is prone to injury due to the large loads generated in this joint in galloping horses as a result of hyperextension during the stance phase of gait (Harrison et al, 2010, 2012, 2014). In North America turf and dirt tracks are associated with a higher risk of fatal and non-fatal fracture compared to synthetic tracks
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