Date of Award

6-2011

Document Type

Open Access

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science

Department

Bioengineering

First Advisor

Jennifer Currey

Language

English

Keywords

fracture healing, fixator, blood clot, tissue

Abstract

This thesis explores how a new external fixator effects the healing process in the fracture site of a mouse tibia. Studies have shown that the amount of time it takes a fracture to heal can vary based on the type of fixator used. An external fixator was designed using SolidWorks and fabricated by Medical Micro Machining (Colfax, Washington). Rubber disks where created from a mold and inserted in the bottom piece of each fixator. Using a dental drill and a variety of clamps, the fixator was attached to an already removed tibia. A Dremel saw was used to create a 1 mm fracture in the middle of the tibia and Reprorubber was inserted into the fracture site to act as a mock callus. The Daqbook 2020 data acquisition system was instrumental in helping validate the callus stiffness formation system. A micro linear actuator was used to measure the displacement of the mock callus. The Reprorubber material had a stiffness of 0.016 N/µm. The total experimental stiffness collected was 0.036 N/µm. Even though the experimental stiffness varied slightly from the theoretical stiffness (0.032 N/µm), these results validated the callus stiffness system. Lastly, a biaxial mouse stage was designed to allow for easy callus stimulation.

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