Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 2 of 2
Full-Text Articles in Mechanical Engineering
Explicit Finite Element Modeling Of The Human Lumbar Spine, Milind Rao
Explicit Finite Element Modeling Of The Human Lumbar Spine, Milind Rao
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Validated finite element (FE) models of the functional spinal unit (FSU) and lumbar spine are essential in design-phase device development and in assessing the mechanics associated with normal spine function and degenerative disc disease (DDD), as well as the impact of fusion and total disc replacement (TDR). Although experimental data from fully intact specimens can be used for model calibration and validation, the contributions from the individual structures (disc, facets, and ligaments) may be inappropriately distributed. Hence, creation of decompression conditions or device implantations that require structure removal may not have the proper resulting mechanics. An explicit FE formulation may …
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, …