The mechanical behavior of the parts of the Ilizarov external bone fixator, such as the
steel rings and the kirschner wires, plays a defining factor in the overall stiffness,
stability, and reliability of an external fixation system. The objective of the present
study is the construction of a reliable numerical model of the standard Ilizarov fixator
comprised of metallic and composite biocompatible materials, allowing for a detailed
parametric investigation of various factors influencing the effectiveness of the
technique. Such factors are considered to be the axial and bending stiffness. In the
present study, the impact of changing the Kirschner wires’ (k-wires) diameter and
pretension to the overall fixator stiffness, will be investigated assuming that the
diameter of the rings and the angle between the wires is constant. Furthermore, the
bone fixator interface is going to be studied by considering only the k-wires’
pretension, as well as both the k-wires pretension and dead load weight bearing.
Three different Ilizarov variations are going to be investigated, the standard Ilizarov
frame manufactured by 316 stainless steel, a Titanium alloy and finally a fixator
completely made by composite materials, i.e. carbon fiber Polyether ether ketone
(CF/PEEK).
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