Investigation of the Vibrational Mode of a Long Bone – The Ulna

Abstract

An excised and dried ulna was vibrated at its balance pnoint about 42% (0.1m) along the length from the olecranon process, using an electromagnetic vibrator. The vibration was carried out in the anterior-posterior plane. The bone response to the mechanical vibration was picked up at equal intervals (0.02m) along the length of the bone in the plane of the vibration, using an accelerometer attached to the bone. From the response curve of the bone, the resonant frequencies at the various pick- up positions were identified. Analysis of the data shows that when the responses were picked up using the accelerometer at 0.02m proximal, and 0.1m distal, to the point of vibration, the excised ulna vibrated in the fundamental mode like a fixed-fixed beam at resonant frequencies of 340 Hz and 355Hz respectively. For resonant frequencies greater than 650 Hz, the ulna vibrates like a fixed-free beam and at modes greater than the fundamental. It is suggested from this study that the vibration of the long bone in the fundamental mode lends itself to detailed analysis in the use of resonant frequency method in the assessment of the bone quality.