Hybrid Bone Plate Segmentation for Sterilization and Adaptability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bone plates face challenges in achieving sufficient flexibility to accommodate various bone geometries while ensuring patient safety, as previous designs often fail to allow adequate sterilization due to complex geometries and the risk of debris formation during screw insertion.
Innovation Solution
A hybrid bone plate is designed with a first plate portion of higher material yield strength and a second plate portion of lower material yield strength, connected via a weld seam to form closed integral surfaces, allowing for deformation and adaptation to individual bone geometries while preventing impurity penetration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a bone plate is designed with complex geometry to accommodate various bone geometries and fracture situations, then adaptability is improved, but sterilization reliability deteriorates due to cavities, fissures and micro-slots that allow impurity penetration
Solution Approach 1:
The bone plate is divided into a first plate portion with higher material yield strength and a second plate portion with lower material yield strength. The first plate portion provides structural stability and sterilization reliability, while the second plate portion can be deformed to adapt to individual bone geometries. This segmentation allows each portion to fulfill its specific function without compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the bone plate are assigned different material properties. The first plate portion uses material with higher yield strength for structural integrity and sterilization, while the second plate portion uses material with lower yield strength for deformability and adaptation. This local differentiation of material quality resolves the contradiction between adaptability and sterilization reliability.
2Reliability
If bone plates are designed without inserts to avoid cavities and fissures, then sterilization reliability is improved, but adaptability to individual bone geometries deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The bone plate is segmented into two portions with different material properties. The first plate portion maintains a simple, sterilization-friendly geometry, while the second plate portion is designed to be deformable for adaptation. This eliminates the need for separate inserts while achieving both sterilization reliability and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The material yield strength parameter is changed between the two plate portions. The first plate portion has higher yield strength for structural stability, while the second plate portion has lower yield strength enabling deformation. This parameter change allows the bone plate to achieve both sterilization reliability and adaptability without requiring additional inserts.
3Stability of the object's composition
If bone plates are optimized for stability with direct screw insertion, then structural stability is improved, but debris formation increases during screw insertion into hard bone plate
Solution Approach 1:
The bone plate is segmented into a first plate portion with higher material yield strength for structural stability and a second plate portion with lower material yield strength for deformation. The first plate portion can be made of harder material that resists debris formation during screw insertion, while the second portion provides adaptability without compromising overall stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The bone plate uses composite construction with two different materials having different yield strengths. The harder first plate portion provides structural stability and resistance to debris formation, while the softer second plate portion allows deformation for adaptation. This composite approach resolves the contradiction between stability and debris formation.
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 hybrid bone plate provides enhanced flexibility and safety by maintaining structural integrity and preventing debris formation, ensuring effective sterilization and stable connection without additional materials.
Implementation Method 1
the first plate portion and the second plate portion are connected to each other to form a transition region
Implementation Method 2
the second plate portion is designed to be deformed over the first plate portion
Data Source
AI summary
A hybrid bone plate has a first plate portion, having a first top surface and a first bottom surface and comprises a hard titanium alloy. A second plate portion has a second top surface and a second bottom surface and comprises a pure titanium or a soft titanium alloy. The first plate portion has a higher material yield strength than the second plate portion. The first plate portion and the second plate portion are connected to each other at a transition region by for example welding wherein in the transition region the first top surface and the second top surface together form a closed top integral surface and the first bottom surface and the second bottom surface together form a closed bottom integral surface.