Comparative mechanical properties of 6 mm Steinmann pins and 3.5 mm K-wires used in large animal external skeletal fixators

Abstract

The present study was conducted to evaluate and conlpare the mechanical properties of threaded Steinmann pins (6 mm dia) and K-wires (3.5 mm dia) commonly used in large animal external skeletal fixator systems. The mechanical testing was done in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, lIT, Delhi. The mechanical properties were studied under tensile stress on ZwichIRoell testing machine MTM, USA by plotting load-deflection graphs. The mechanical properties measured/calculated included average stiffness (N/nun), strain energy up to yield point (J), weight (N) and resilience (lIN). The results of the test showed that 3.5 mm K-wires are about 3-times stiffer and 4-times more resilient than 6 mm threaded Steinmann pins.