Finite element modelling of butterfly fractures in long bone

Abstract

This study aims to use finite element method (FEM) to analyse bone fracture patterns to determine specific factors that will lead to butterfly fracture. Which is a type of oblique fracture that occurs when 2 oblique fracture lines meet and along with axial compression of the bone cause a triangular piece of bone to break off which looks like a butterfly’s silhouette. The fracture is caused by 3-point bending of the bone with axial compression force. This study used ANSYS explicit dynamics solver to simulate a collision of an impactor with the bone. This study will vary the magnitude of different boundary conditions such as, velocity of impactor, to analyse the different fracture patterns on the model. The effect of the changes of different boundary conditions will be discussed. Through this study, more efficient analysis conditions for bone fracture with 3-point bending have been determined, along with showing the effect of 3-point bending under axial compression force on a simulated bone model.