Mechanical evaluation of transosseous wire rope configurations in a large animal external fixator.

By use of wire ropes as the transosseous component, an external skeletal fixator for the repair of long bone fractures in horses and cattle has been designed and tested in axial compression. Theoretical methods were used in the design process to size fixator components; however, our results suggest that conventional methods of analyzing the displacement of the transosseous component may not apply to wire ropes. Large pretensions in the wire ropes are necessary to obtain functional stiffnesses for fracture fixation. Therefore, a method was sought for terminating the ropes so that an appropriate pretension could be introduced into the rope through its interface with the fixator rings. Ropes were terminated by use of 5 methods and were tested in axial tension to failure. These methods included 3 copper sleeve arrangements, welded ends, and drum sockets. The drum sockets (57.6% of rope breaking strength) far exceeded the strengths provided by the copper sleeves (8.5 to 26.6%) and the welded ends (44.3%). Using the drum sockets, 5 rope configurations were assembled to the fixator, using wood blocks to simulate bones with a gap defect. The fixator was loaded in axial compression for each of the rope configurations, and stiffnesses were determined from measured axial displacement and applied load. The 4-ring fixator configuration, with 2 ropes at 60 degrees angular separation/ring, was the stiffest. In a worst case (gap) model, a mean axial compression load of 1,730 N was observed at 2 mm of displacement for a 4-ring fixator configuration.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)