Experimental and Computational Analysis of Fracture Load and Pattern of Femur using Cohesive Zone Model

Fracture of femur is considered as one of the most significant causes of disability and death, especially among the elderly. Therefore, there is a global effort towards noninvasive assessment of the femoral fractures. This study was aimed at the investigation of the mechanical behavior of human femur subjected to various loading orientations, under the two categories of high-stiffness (HS) and low-stiffness (LS) loading conditions. The experimental and computational analysis of deformation and fracture patterns were carried out using the QCT images and finite element analysis. The predictions of the force and fracture pattern of the HS and LS specimens were performed using linear and nonlinear finite element analyses, respectively. Also, the cohesive zone model (CZM) was used to simulate the damage initiation and propagation in the finite element analysis of latter specimens. The comparison between the results of the numerical analysis and the experimentation showed successful simulation and prediction of fracture force of human femur under various loading orientations.