Search Results

The purpose of this study was to develop injury risk functions for dynamic bending of the human femur in the lateral-to-medial and posterior-to-anterior loading directions. A total of 45 experiments were performed on human cadaver femurs using a dynamic three-point drop test setup. An impactor of 9.8 kg was dropped from 2.2 m for an impact velocity of 5 m/s. Five-axis load cells measured the impactor and support loads, while an in situ strain gage measured the failure strain and subsequent strain rate. All 45 tests resulted in mid-shaft femur fractures with comminuted wedge and oblique fractures as the most common fracture patterns. In the lateral-to-medial bending tests the reaction loads were 4180 ± 764 N, and the impactor loads were 4780 ± 792 N. In the posterior-to-anterior bending tests the reaction loads were 3780 ± 930 N, and the impactor loads were 4310 ± 1040 N. The difference between the sum of the reaction forces and the applied load is due to inertial effects.