A New Test Rig for In-Vitro Evaluation of the Knee Joint Behaviour

Forlani, Margherita (2015) A New Test Rig for In-Vitro Evaluation of the Knee Joint Behaviour, [Dissertation thesis], Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna. Dottorato di ricerca in Meccanica e scienze avanzate dell'ingegneria, 27 Ciclo. DOI 10.6092/unibo/amsdottorato/7137.
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Abstract

The evaluation of the knee joint behavior is fundamental in many applications, such as joint modeling, prosthesis and orthosis design. In-vitro tests are important in order to analyse knee behavior when simulating various loading conditions and studying physiology of the joint. A new test rig for in-vitro evaluation of the knee joint behavior is presented in this paper. It represents the evolution of a previously proposed rig, designed to overcome its principal limitations and to improve its performances. The design procedure and the adopted solution in order to satisfy the specifications are presented here. Thanks to its 6-6 Gough-Stewart parallel manipulator loading system, the rig replicates general loading conditions, like daily actions or clinical tests, on the specimen in a wide range of flexion angles. The restraining actions of knee muscles can be simulated when active actions are simulated. The joint motion in response to the applied loads, guided by passive articular structures and muscles, is permitted by the characteristics of the loading system which is force controlled. The new test rig guarantees visibility so that motion can be measured by an optoelectronic system. Furthermore, the control system of the new test rig allows the estimation of the contribution of the principal leg muscles in guaranteeing the equilibrium of the joint by the system for muscle simulation. Accuracy in positioning is guaranteed by the designed tibia and femur fixation systems,which allow unmounting and remounting the specimen in the same pose. The test rig presented in this paper permits the analysis of the behavior of the knee joint and comparative analysis on the same specimen before and after surgery, in a way to assess the goodness of prostheses or surgical treatments.

Abstract
Tipologia del documento
Tesi di dottorato
Autore
Forlani, Margherita
Supervisore
Dottorato di ricerca
Scuola di dottorato
Ingegneria industriale
Ciclo
27
Coordinatore
Settore disciplinare
Settore concorsuale
Parole chiave
knee behavior, test rig, static analysis, dynamic analysis, human joint test, test rig design
URN:NBN
DOI
10.6092/unibo/amsdottorato/7137
Data di discussione
24 Aprile 2015
URI

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