Optimization of composite distal radius fixture using continuum damage mechanics

With the increasing use of composites in medicine, the use of biocompatible composites of short fibers as fixtures for broken bones has also found its place. This paper uses damage mechanics to optimize a composite fixture for a wrist fracture - a fracture of the distal radius - to delay damage in the fixture. To model the fixture behavior, a model with two stages of homogenization as well as continuous Lemaitre damage is used to predict the damage. In this modeling, Mori-Tanaka homogenization is used to homogenize the grain hardness modulus and the Voight model is used for homogenizing the composite. The introduced algorithm for the numerical implementation of the two-stage homogenization model could easily be used to predict damage in other short fiber composites. After verifying the model presented in a valid fixture, the geometric shape of this fixture has been optimized. The research results show the proposed model; It is an efficient model for predicting damage in short fiber composite plates and can be used to optimize fixtures without clinical and experimental tests.