Date & Venue
Wednesday, 11 December 2019, 02:00pm
EF122
Abstract
In order to recover from fractures suffered in the limbs, intramedullary (IM) rods are inserted into the bone marrow canal. When in place, the IM rods ensure proper alignment of the fracture which allows the bone to heal naturally. However the removal of IM rods is associated with various complications which include infection, injury to nerves and blood vessels, blood clots and fat embolism. In this work, a new way to extract the IM rods from the bone is introduced that aims to eliminate the complications of IM rod removal. An ultrasonic structure for power applications is designed which is to be attached to the IM rod. The structure intends to deform the IM rod in order to liquefy a small layer of the bone surrounding the implant. The project shows potential of reaching the levels of deformation required to breaking down bone tissue.
Speaker Biography
Harm Schepens is a masters student Mechanical Engineering at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), the Netherlands. He received his Mechatronics bachelor of science in 2016 from the Fontys University of Applied Sciences. His research focus lies in the field of precision mechanics and ultrasonic vibrations.