Recent studies have shown that in the event of a car crash the lower leg of the human body is severely affected. This results due the design of cars in a manner which tend to protect the upper part of the human body through air bags and leave the lower limb open to injury.
This research was directed towards a study of the lower limb of the human body through the 3-D modeling and finite element analysis of the tibia. The 3-D model of the tibia and the fibula was developed by digitizing Magnetic Resonance Images (MRI's) of the lower leg at predetermined intervals with the help of a software known as OPTIMAS. The 3-D model of the tibia and the fibula (total length of 443.5 ram) was developed using Intergraph's Engineering Modeling Software (I/EMS). A finite element model of the tibia consisting of 2566 nodes and 3796 isoparametric wedge elements was developed with the help of Patran. Loading conditions applied simulated those of forces occurring at the cartilage layer during the normal gait cycle. The non-linear finite element analysis of the tibia was carried out within ABAQUS.
The results of this study indicated a maximum compressive stress of 43.96 N/mm 2occurring approximately 70mm from the distal end of the tibia. Nodal displacements of 1.5-3mm were observed at the articular cartilage in the direction of the applied load. Moreover, a deflection of 8mm of the tibia towards the medial side occurred. The results obtained in this study conformed well with those reported by previous researchers.