Abstract:

BACKGROUND: At present, there are several research methods of femoral three-dimensional (3-D) finite element modeling, but studies on the 3-D finite element solid model of femur by volume rendering method are few.
OBJECTIVE: To establish the 3-D finite element solid model of human femur by volume rendering method, to obtain the stress distribution of the model through simulation of mechanical loading, and to assess the feasibility of this method by comparing with the previous femoral biomechanical experiments.
METHODS: CT images was preprocessed by images denoising and other methods, then the 3-D finite element solid model of human femur was constructed by using Mimics and Ansys softwares through adopting rendering technique. And, the loading conditions of femur at the position of standing were simulated by importing the femur material parameter to the Mimics software.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The 3-D finite element solid model of human femur includes cortical bone, cancellous bone and anatomical structure of cavity, and there were 63 900 nodes and 43 552 elements generated in total after meshing. Results of simulation of the loading conditions showed that the femur compressive stress primarily concentrated in the inner side of femur, especially in the calcar femorale, and the tensile stress mainly concentrated in the outside of collum femoris and shaft of femur. The 3-D finite element solid model of human femur with high quality simulation and reflection of the anatomical structure of femur can be created by volume rendering method. So, this model can be applied to study the internal structure and details of femur, and simulate the biomechanical property of femur.