Original Article
Copyright ©2013 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.
World J Orthop. Oct 18, 2013; 4(4): 267-278
Published online Oct 18, 2013. doi: 10.5312/wjo.v4.i4.267
Experimental and finite element analysis of tibial stress fractures using a rabbit model
Melanie Franklyn, Bruce Field
Melanie Franklyn, Bruce Field, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
Author contributions: Franklyn M and Field BW designed the research, analysed the results and wrote the paper; Franklyn M conducted the experiments and developed the FE model; Field BW provided expert advice on the experiments and finite element model.
Correspondence to: Dr. Melanie Franklyn, Land Division, Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO), 506 Lorimer St, Fishermans Bend Vic 3207, Australia. melanief@unimelb.edu.au
Telephone: +61-3-96267171 Fax: +61-3-96267830
Received: May 10, 2013
Revised: August 21, 2013
Accepted: September 18, 2013
Published online: October 18, 2013
Processing time: 171 Days and 19.5 Hours
Core Tip

Core tip: In the current study, experimental and finite element (FE) analysis demonstrated that under compression, the rabbit tibia exhibits linear behaviour. The stresses in the rabbit tibia are sensitive to small changes in load position due to its high slenderness ratio. Low tensile stresses occur at the anterior border of the midshaft, suggesting that this region fails in fatigue, as bone under cyclic loading initially fails in tension. The current modelling technique could be used to develop human FE models.