A large number of bone fractures are treated with stabilisation devices that utilise metal wires or screws, which traverse the bone and are connected to an external frame or internal plate. Clinically, fixation devices are required to be able to: sustain loads; minimise patient discomfort and possible implant loosening; and promote healing. In the recent years locking plates have become increasingly popular for osteoporotic or complex fractures, which can be difficult to manage. It, however, remains unclear as to how these devices need to be configured for optimum clinical performance. This thesis investigates the mechanics of locking plates, factors that influence their performance and provides guidance to optimise the placement of screws. Finite element simulation and analytical models were developed and validated using lab-based experimental models. The local behaviour around the screw-bone interface is considered and the implications of different modelling assumptions assessed. A novel method of simulating the effect of radial interference due to pilot-hole size is proposed. Different screw types are evaluated: osteoporotic bone is found to be particularly susceptible to the screw tightening preload used in compression screws; far-cortical locking screws are found to slightly reduce device stiffness but substantially increase strain levels around screw holes. Finite element simulations show that many of the local effects, such as preloads and contact modelling, can profoundly influence the prediction of strains around screws but do not generally influence the global load-displacement behaviour; the screw-plate connection and bone/plate material and geometric properties are found to have an influence on global stiffness predictions. The key determinants of load-displacement behaviour evaluated through models are the loading and restraint conditions, which explain the huge range of stiffness predictions in the literature (three orders of magnitude). An analytical model based on 7 bone-plate construct parameters is developed. Despite its simplicity, the model is found to be able to predict the axial stiffness for experimental tests conducted and for 16 other cases from five previous studies with an average error of 20%. The manner of load application, not considered in the literature, is shown to dramatically alter predictions of plate stress, strains within the bone and conclusions regarding screw placement. Even with the inclusion of muscles forces, the choice of restraint condition dominates the mechanical behaviour. Using the models, the influence of screw position is systematically evaluated in varying bone qualities under axial loading and torsion and guidance for optimising fixation is developed.

Title from PDF of title page. / Document formatted into pages; contains 161 pages. / Thesis (M.S.C.E.)--University of South Florida, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: Driving piles constitute a large portion of the high-capacity foundations used today. They transfer structural loads to deep bearing strata when adequate surficial soils are not available. The mechanisms required to install these piles generally consist of a hammer, hammer lead, a crane, and various support rigging. This study focused on lead sections, specifically, one which was manufactured by Berminghammer Foundation Equipment, Inc. The dimensions and strength of a lead section must be capable of supporting both the pile driving hammer and the longest anticipated pile for a given site. The strength of the section must be capable of withstanding hundreds of tons in compression and bending. If the lead is operated in a batter, (tilted forward, backward, or sideways) the weight of the hammer and pile causes much more bending than the vertical orientation. / ABSTRACT: The cross-section details for these long steel sections vary from design to design but usually incorporate some form of bolt group, pins, and steel alignment dowels. This thesis focuses on the design, modeling, and testing of such a connection. The motivation of the study stems from a company-wide incentive to standardize the connections used to splice the Berminghammer C15-series lead section. In an effort to verify a proposed connection design, Berminghammer Foundation Engineering solicited the University of South Florida to test a full-sized lead section to failure, while monitoring the splice-connection performance. / System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader. / Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Presented work deals with the strain-stress analysis of a spinal segment while monitoring the influence of total disk replacement Maverick on the global behaviour of the spinal segment. It also assesses the influence of this implant on the nearest upper intervertebral disk. On the basis of CT images was in the program Rhinoceros created the geometry model of spinal segment Th12-L2. The geometry model of implant was applied between vertebra L1 and L2 instead of intervertebral disk from which the whole core was removed, while in the immediate surrounding of implant the part of disk was left, which is important from the view of stability. Subsequently were in the program Ansys Workbench created finite element models for two states: - healthy (unbroken) status - status with applied implant Then the calculations for movements were realized: lateral flexion, flexion, extension, rotation. For the same movements were realized calculations of the model simulated spinal fusion of the vertebras L1-L2. Finally an influence both of methods (total disk replacement, spinal fusion) on the intervertebral disk Th12-L1 was compared.

Currently, the wear of the articulating surfaces in contact have a significant influence on the life of hip joint replacement. It is therefore desirable to determine the influence of certain aspects on the wear of replacement. For this reason, master´s thesis deals with the influence of asperities of real surfaces of the hip joint replacement on its wear. The aim is to create computational models that would correspond to the real surface of the scanned prosthesis, performing strain- stress analysis and comparison with the results without the presence of asperities.

The topic of this master´s thesis is the strain-stress analysis of the spacer-spring for the swivel light projector of car headlamp. The spacer-spring is used for delimitation of moving swivel light projector in relation to turning drive. During vibration test there is a danger of limit state of fatigue failure.

Driving piles constitute a large portion of the high-capacity foundations used today. They transfer structural loads to deep bearing strata when adequate surficial soils are not available. The mechanisms required to install these piles generally consist of a hammer, hammer lead, a crane, and various support rigging. This study focused on lead sections, specifically, one which was manufactured by Berminghammer Foundation Equipment, Inc. The dimensions and strength of a lead section must be capable of supporting both the pile driving hammer and the longest anticipated pile for a given site. The strength of the section must be capable of withstanding hundreds of tons in compression and bending. If the lead is operated in a batter, (tilted forward, backward, or sideways) the weight of the hammer and pile causes much more bending than the vertical orientation. The cross-section details for these long steel sections vary from design to design but usually incorporate some form of bolt group, pins, and steel alignment dowels. This thesis focuses on the design, modeling, and testing of such a connection. The motivation of the study stems from a company-wide incentive to standardize the connections used to splice the Berminghammer C15-series lead section. In an effort to verify a proposed connection design, Berminghammer Foundation Engineering solicited the University of South Florida to test a full-sized lead section to failure, while monitoring the splice-connection performance.

The topic of this master`s thesis is the strain - stress analysis of the manipulator construction. This manipulator is used in the company Legios for positioning steel weldments at hand welding. A separate chapter is devoted to check calculations of main joints using the analytic method.

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In the process of hot rolling is roll surface thermo-mechanically stressed. To define lifetime of roll or to increase it by change of thermal mode, temperatures and forces acting on this roll need to be known. For this purpose should be used sensors, that are placed near by surface of roll. Aim of the first part of diploma thesis is to debug 2D computing model (MKP) to achieve the match of temperature graphs with experimentally measured values, which was recorded by temperature sensors in real process of rolling. In the second part the same temperature boundary conditions are applied on 3D model, which is used to solve mechanical strength check of the temperature sensor. The last part of thesis is design and verification of mechanical strength of the designed force sensor. The used boundary conditions were acquired in Laboratory of heat transfer and flow. The computing system ANSYS 11 is used to design a model of geometry and numerical calculation. This diploma thesis will be used as donating solution for the granted project, which started in this year with Laboratory of heat transfer and flow partnership.

This diploma thesis continues to the Ing. Damborský work and deals with strain-stress and dynamic analysis of the steam turbine blade. This blade is part of the last row of low pressure level of steam turbine. Computational analysis has been performed in first part using FEM. After that follows a modal analysis for the blade without residual stress as well as for the blade affected by heat treatment. Main goal is to obtain whether the state of stress is in the crack initiation area is influenced by thermal treatment. This problem was solved by computational simulation in commercial software Ansys 11.0.