Finite Element Analysis of Type I and Type II Fracture with PFN Implant—A Comparative Study

Abstract

The femur or thighbone is the longest and strongest bone, which bears the maximum weight of the human body. There are various types of fracture occurs in femur bone. The intertrochanteric and subtrochanteric fractures are very complex to treat and generally stabilized by proximal femoral nail. The aim of the present research work is to select the proper implant and its respective material during the fixation of intertrochanteric and subtrochanteric fractures of femur. Such type of study helps the orthopedic surgeons to predict the failure of implant. In the present study, the modeling software SolidWorks 17 is used to create the 3D model of the implant. The dimensions for 3D geometric model of implant are taken with the help of Vernier caliper. The FEM software ANSYS 16.2 is used for simulation. The finite element analysis is performed to study the distribution of stress and deformation under one-legged static load boundary conditions. The deformation and stress values on the proximal femur are compared between titanium and stainless steel implant material in case of both subtrochanteric and intertrochanteric fractures of the femur. The bone healing process mainly depends on the stability given to the fracture. The stability is achieved by checking the bone contact surface area at fracture interface surface. The frictional stress and contact pressure at fracture plane are compared by taking both titanium and stainless steel implant material. These contact results are used to estimate the condition of healing process at the fracture interface of intertrochanteric and subtrochanteric fractures. The effect of frictional stress, pressure developed and localized stress on bone healing is also discussed.