Engineering Commons^™

Mechanical Evaluation Of Gyroid Structures To Combat Orthopaedic Implant Infections, Sydney Hitchon

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Treatment of infected orthopaedic implants often require two separate surgeries to clear the infection and install a replacement implant. Current antimicrobial drug delivery methods are inefficient, and each additional surgery increases the physiologic burden on patients, with an increased risk of infection, decreased range of motion and longer recovery times. Porous orthopaedic implants, with adequate strength for permanent implantation and the ability to house and elude more efficient antibiotic delivery systems, could result in a single surgery to treat orthopaedic infections. Therefore, finite element models of porous gyroid structures at different porosities were developed and compared with experimental results. Discrepancies …

Modelling And Evaluation Of Piezoelectric Actuators For Wearable Neck Rehabilitation Devices, Shaemus D. Tracey

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Neck pain is the most common neck musculoskeletal disorder, and the fourth leading cause of healthy years lost due to disability in the world. Due to the need of hands-on physical therapy and Canada’s aging population, access to treatment will become highly constrained. Wearable devices that allow at-home rehabilitation address this future limitation. However, few have emerged from the laboratory setting because they are limited by the use of conventional actuators. An overlooked type of actuation technology is that of piezoelectric actuators, more specifically, travelling wave ultrasonic motors (TWUM).

In this work, a clear procedure that outlines how the required …

The Development Of A Motion Sensing Device For Use In A Home Setting, Jaspreet K. Kalsi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disease, with over 10 million individuals diagnosed with PD world-wide. The most common symptom characterized by PD is tremor. Tremor is an involuntary oscillatory motion that most prominently occurs in upper limb, specifically in the hand and wrist that has a measurable frequency and amplitude. This thesis aims to evaluate the usability and functionality of a tremor sensing device designed to collect quantitative data on individuals with PD. The designed device uses 23 commercially-available inertial measuring units (IMUs) located between 21 joints: distal interphalangeal (DIP) joints, proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joints, Interphalangeal …

Motion And Crosslinked Polyethylene Wear In Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty, Christopher Millward

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA) has quickly grown to become the most commonly used shoulder arthroplasty design; however, reports have shown evidence of RTSA failures related to polyethylene wear and damage. Therefore, the present work investigated the wear of crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE) in environments similar to that of an in vivo RTSA. Additionally, a computational model was developed based on a previous study of the shoulder motions obtained from a selection of typical patients with RTSA. This model quantified the amount of glenohumeral motion that an RTSA may be subjected to in vivo and provided an approximate value for …

Early Biological Response Of Articular Cartilage To Hemiarthroplasty Wear, Debora Rossetti

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Hemiarthroplasties typically result in accelerated wear of the preserved side of the joint, resulting in suboptimal clinical outcomes and limited longevity. This in vitro study investigated the effects of hemiarthroplasty implant curvature on the early biological response of articular cartilage measured by proteoglycan release, histology, and surface morphology. Cartilage from boar radiocarpal joints were worn by metal pins of varying radii of curvature (RoC) using a pin-on-plate wear simulator. Histology and proteoglycan assays showed no significant differences between RoC treatment groups, and proteoglycan assays showed increased proteoglycan release 72 hours after wear testing in worn cartilage specimens compared to control …

The Bio-Mechanical Development And Kinematic Evaluation Of Zone I And Zone Ii Injuries And Their Corresponding Surgical Repair Techniques Using An In-Vitro Active Finger Motion Simulator: A Cadaveric Study, Mohammad Haddara

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Research development involving large scale joint mechanics and biomechanical adaptations is growing. However, interest in smaller scale joints, such as the fingers, is limited. Thus, the present work describes the enhancement and clinical application of a previously designed in-vitro active finger motion simulator in measuring and assessing intrinsic joint kinematics and tissue biomechanics including load transfer and strains induced tissues within the finger. Accuracy of electromagnetic tracking (EM) systems were evaluated compared to the standard optical tracking systems and used to develop motion derived finger joint coordinate systems. Moreover, minute strain gauges were utilized to measure strains induced by the …