Bone Cavity Implant with Interlaced Wire Loops and Clip Spacing Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current treatments for conditions like avascular necrosis and osteoporosis that weaken bones lack effective support structures to prevent collapse and promote bone regeneration within bone cavities, particularly in the femoral head and vertebral structures.
Innovation Solution
A stranded support structure implant formed from interlaced wires with controlled loop spacing, using a clip with fingers to manage braiding and shape, allowing for adjustable size and mechanical properties, and incorporating a ring clamp for secure retention, made from shape memory alloys for enhanced elasticity and thermal properties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a cage is formed from manually laced wires, then the structure can be customized, but the manufacturing precision and consistency of loop spacing cannot be controlled
Solution Approach 1:
A wire form serves as an intermediary tool during manufacturing. The wire form has predetermined spacing features that guide the placement of wire loops, ensuring consistent spacing without requiring manual measurement and adjustment. This mediator component translates the design specifications into precise physical spacing in the final product.
Solution Approach 2:
The wire form allows for systematic variation of geometric parameters such as loop spacing, wire diameter, and cage dimensions. By changing the parameters of the wire form or the wire material, different cage configurations can be produced efficiently, maintaining precision while enabling customization.
2Strength
If the cage structure is made from thicker wires, then the strength and support capability increase, but the ability to fit within bone cavities and achieve precise spacing decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The wire form acts as a mediator that accommodates wires of various diameters. The form's physical structure provides precise spacing guidance that works regardless of wire thickness, allowing thick strong wires to be spaced accurately without compromising either strength or precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The cage is constructed from multiple individual wire segments that are looped and secured at regular intervals. This segmentation allows each wire to be independently positioned with precise spacing while maintaining overall structural strength through the distributed loop configuration.
3Ease of manufacture
If the implant is made from non-shape memory alloy material, then the manufacturing process is simpler, but the ability to provide adaptive support and reduce collapse risk is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The wire form provides a straightforward manufacturing process that can be used with shape memory alloys by simply following the predetermined geometry. The form guides wire placement and spacing, making the incorporation of shape memory material straightforward rather than complex, while enabling the adaptive support properties.
Solution Approach 2:
Shape memory alloys utilize phase transitions between martensitic and austenitic phases in response to temperature changes. This phase transition enables the implant to adapt to thermal variations in the bone environment, providing dynamic support that enhances reliability while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through the wire form process.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The implant provides reliable support and adjustable shape to fit bone cavities, facilitating bone regeneration and reducing the risk of collapse, while being reproducibly manufactured with conventional equipment to ensure consistent mechanical properties.
Implementation Method 1
made from shape memory alloys for enhanced elasticity and thermal properties
Implementation Method 2
formed from interlaced wires with controlled loop spacing... allowing for adjustable size and mechanical properties
Data Source
AI summary
A support structure implant for location within a bone cavity to support the bone which defines the cavity is formed from interlaced wires which extend from a first end of the structure towards an opposite second end. The wires are formed into loops at the first end of the structure. The structure includes a clip having a plurality of fingers which extend through the loops to control the spacing between the loops.