Numerical study of bone-plate-screw system

Abstract

The object of this study is to design a bone-plate-screw system maximizing the contact length at the fractured bone surface to facilitate bone remodeling process. The contact length is formulated in terms of several design parameters such as dimensions and prestressing force of plate, and positions and fastening force of screws. The state space gradient projection method is used to obtain these design variables. In this study, the contact stress between bone and plate is obtained using a simple beam theory and quadratic programming formulation. The numerical results are compared with previous experimental and analytic studies by others.