| Summary: | The present study uses finite element analysis (FEA) to compare an original long bone plate design consisting of a titanium alloy reinforced polyetheretherketone (PEEK) biomaterial with fracture plates made from a standard titanium alloy. The original plate design consists of carbon reinforced PEEK with several independent, cylindrical, titanium reinforcements spanning the length and width of the plate. Standard plates are equivalent in dimension to reinforced PEEK plates but are made of solid titanium alloy. An anatomically correct human tibia model is used to create two bone fragments, proximal and distal, simulating a simple transverse fracture. The construct is loaded proximally upon the medial and lateral tibia plateaus and fixed distally at the talocrural joint surface. Screw-plate contact conditions are defined as “bonded” to simulate locking screws, and screw-bone contacts are “separation-no sliding” to simulate the ability of the screw to pull away from but not slide along the bone-screw interface. The FEM analysis showed that the reinforced PEEK implants are successful in reducing stress shielding and average screw stress across all constructs when compared to standard Ti-alloy plates. The reinforced plates also allow micro-motion, which is conducive to secondary healing, whereas the standard plates inhibit this type of motion.
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