Director: Alan S. Litsky, M.D., Sc.D.
Associate Professor of Orthopaedics and Biomedical Engineering

This lab is a multi-functional materials testing facility where a variety of basic and applied biomaterials research is conducted such as static, fatigue, and viscoelastic materials evaluation, implant stability testing, bone and ligament strength determinations, and fracture fixation rigidity testing. Projects include the development and evaluation of a reduced-modulus bone cement, quantification of the mechanical degradation of bioabsorbable implants, the effect of ligament preservation techniques on their strength and stiffness, and implant micromotion measurements.

The lab is centered around an MTS Bionix 858 axial-torsion servohydraulic materials test system with a dedicated microcomputer and TestStar software for instrument control and data acquisition. An array of grips and fixtures are available for holding a variety of specimen types. Other equipment and instruments include a strain-gage conditioner for handling the output of strain gauges and extensometers, a temperature-controlled chamber for pseudophysiologic testing and a three-dimensional micromotion transducer assembly for quantifying implant micromotion.

An adjacent room, used primarily for the formulation of bone cement resins and the preparation of specimens, is equipped with a fume hood, freezers, a slow-speed diamond saw, a grinding/mixing roller mill, and a digital mini-lathe for reproducible specimen preparation.

Contact Information

Orthopaedic BioMaterials Laboratory
S-2035 Davis Medical Research Center
480 West 9th Ave
Columbus, OH 43210

Phone: 614-293-4827
FAX: 614-293-4807

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