Abstract

Abstract Pedicle screws (PS) are frequently used in medical spinal column fixation. Despite 7 out of 100 pedicle screws fracture inside of the patients’ body and under the claim that lateral bending is the main failure mode, little research has addressed the stress characteristics and the fracture location of the PS under lateral bending. This study focuses on the effect of thread design on the magnitude and location of maximum stress concentration. Four types of thread shapes are considered including V-shape, square-shape, buttress, and reverse buttress. Three-dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) methods are used in this investigation. A load of 150 Newton is applied at the screw head to simulate lateral bending. The models are created in SolidWorks. The 3D FE analysis is performed using the standard coding of ANSYS Workbench 19.1. Based on this study, it is found that the high stress concentration is located at the cortical bone region rather than at the cancellous bone region. Although the general stress patterns are similar, the PS thread shape design and the thread fillet radius may significantly affect on the magnitude and location of maximum stress concentration.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.