Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 1 of 1
Full-Text Articles in Mechanical Engineering
Computationally Efficient Finite Element Models Of The Lumbar Spine For The Evaluation Of Spine Mechanics And Device Performance, Sean D. Smith
Computationally Efficient Finite Element Models Of The Lumbar Spine For The Evaluation Of Spine Mechanics And Device Performance, Sean D. Smith
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Finite Element models of the lumbar spine are commonly used for the study of spine mechanics and device performance, but have limited usefulness in some applications such as clinical and design phase assessments due to long analysis times. In this study a computationally efficient L4-L5 FSU model and a L1-Sacrum multi-segment model were developed and validated. The FSU is a functional spine unit consisting of two adjacent vertebral bodies, in this case L4 and L5. The multi-segment model consists of all lumbar vertebrae and the sacrum. The models are able to accurately predict spine kinematics with significantly reduced analysis times, …