Fiber-Reinforced Bone Screw for Strength Without Imaging Artifacts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Bone screws made entirely of metal can cause artifacts in medical images, interfering with surgeries and procedures, and PEEK may not provide sufficient strength for bone fixation.
Innovation Solution
A bone screw with reinforced fibers, comprising a shaft, tip, head, and thread, where the reinforced fibers are arranged along the axial direction of the shaft, enhancing strength and minimizing artifacts in medical images.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If bone screws are made entirely of metal (such as stainless steel), then the strength required for bone fixation is maintained, but artifacts are caused when medical images are taken, interfering with surgery and other procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The bone screw is constructed as a composite material consisting of a PEEK base material reinforced with fibers arranged in the axial direction. This composite structure provides sufficient mechanical strength for bone fixation while the PEEK material itself is radiolucent, eliminating the metal artifact problem in medical imaging. The fiber reinforcement ensures the composite meets the strength requirements for load-bearing bone fixation applications.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If PEEK is used for bone screws, then artifacts in medical images are reduced, but sufficient strength for bone fixation may not be achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses a composite material system where PEEK serves as the matrix material providing radiolucency, while embedded fibers (such as carbon fibers, glass fibers, or aramid fibers) provide mechanical reinforcement. This composite approach allows the bone screw to achieve both the imaging compatibility of PEEK and the structural strength needed for bone fixation, overcoming the limitations of pure PEEK material.
Data Source
Figure 1(a)~1(c)
Figure 2(a)~2(d)
Figure 3
AI summary
It is possible to provide a bone screw with sufficient strength. The bone screw of the present invention includes reinforced fibers and comprises a shaft, a tip located at the end of the shaft in the insertion direction, a head located at the end of the shaft in the removal direction, and a thread spirally located in the axial direction around the outer circumference of the shaft. The reinforced fibers are arranged along the axial direction of the shaft.