Development Of An Anatomically Correct Model Of A Calcaneus Fracture & Fragmentation Due To Impact Loading
Open Access
- Author:
- Robinson, Michael James
- Area of Honors:
- Mechanical Engineering
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Reuben H Kraft, Thesis Supervisor
Dr. Hosam Kadry Fathy, Thesis Honors Advisor
Dr. Hosam Kadry Fathy, Faculty Reader - Keywords:
- calcaneus
fractures
military
improvised explosive device
underbody blasts
modeling
shrinkwrap
measurements - Abstract:
- United States military forces have encountered a plethora of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) when overseas in hostile territories. Such blasts often result in dire injuries to soldiers' lower extremities, such as their legs, feet, and ankles. One of the areas damaged most severely and frequently from these types of blasts is the calcaneus, or heel bone. A limited number of calcaneus fractures caused by low impact, such as falls, have been studied in the past; however, there are few studies of calcaneus injuries caused by IEDs. The low impact fracture network models that do exist do not properly represent the high strain rate of loading associated with IED blasts and thus hinder the ability of engineers to design improved, or new, protection for military personnel. Consequently a need exists for an accurate fracture model of the calcaneus under high strain rates, which would illustrate the mechanical response properties of the heel bone under force similar to those generated by an IED. Unfortunately, in depth measurements and data on the calcaneus bone is limited. The structure of this bone has not been researched with sufficient depth to develop either a proper bone model or a model of the fracture network. Thus this honors thesis contains proper examination and measurement the calcaneus bone, which enabled the development of a shrinkwrapped boundary layer model of a high resolution calcaneus bone.