Center for Metabolic Bone Disease (CMBD) Experimental Biomechanics Core

Director:  Alan W. Eberhardt, PhD

Department/Center Association:  CMBD, BioMatrix Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Center, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Physics, and Division of Orthopedic Surgery

Established:  2006

 

Mission

            The mission of the Experimental Biomechanics Core is to provide collaborating investigators with state-of-the-art equipment and trained personnel to facilitate mechanical testing and measurement of mechanical properties of biological and man-made materials, structures, and constructs.

Facility Description

            The Core is currently housed in the Musculoskeletal Mechanics Laboratory (Hoehn 270-271, located at 1075 13th Street South).  This laboratory contains 1,800 square feet of research space with designated areas for specimen preparation and storage, and mechanical and impact testing.  Its available equipment includes two MTS 858 Mini-Bionix Mechanical Testing Systems, a VIA Systems Pneumatic Impactor, an Instron Dynatup Drop Tower, an AMTI OrthoPOD Friction and Wear Tester, high and low speed infrared cameras, strain gauge equipment, accelerometers, an extensometer, inclinometers, LVDTs, and displacement/rotation measurement equipment.  A new Bose Low Force Testbench system, located in the Shelby Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research Building, and an MTS G200 Nanoindenter, located in the Lyons Harrison Building, are now available for use.

Research Information

Example publications and conference presentations supported by lab activities include the following:

  1. Sparks, D.R., Beason, D.P., Etheridge, B.S., Alonso, J.E., Eberhardt, A.W., “Contact measurements in the flexed hip joint under lateral trochanteric loading,” Journal of Orthopedic Research, 23, 2, pp. 359-366, 2005.
  2. Etheridge, BS, Beason, DP, Lopez, R, Alonso, JE, Eberhardt, AW, “Effects of Trochanteric Soft Tissues and Bone Density on Fracture of the Female Pelvis in Experimental Side Impacts,” Annals of Biomedical Engineering, 33, 2, pp. 248-254, 2005.
  3. Li, Z., Etheridge, B.S., Alonso, J.E., Kim, J.-E., Davidson, J., Eberhardt, A.W., “Three-Dimensional Finite Element Models of the Human Pubic Symphysis with Viscohyperelastic Soft Tissues,” Annals of Biomechanical Engineering, 34, 9, pp. 1452-1462, 2006.
  4. Wan C, Gilbert SR, Wang Y, Cao X, Shen X, Ramaswamy G, Jacobsen KA, Alaq ZS, Eberhardt AW, Gerstenfeld LC, Einhorn TA, Deng L, Clemens TL. “Activation of the hypoxia inducible factor-1α pathway accelerates bone regeneration,” Proc Natl Acad Sci, U S A, 105(2):686-91, 2008.
  5. Hill, MR, Catledge, SA, Konovalov, V, Clem, WC, Chowdhury, S, Etheridge, BS, Stanishevsky, A, Lemons, JE, Vohra, YK, Eberhardt, AW, “Preliminary Tribological Evaluation of Nanostructured Diamond Coatings and CoCr against Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene"  Journal of Biomedical Materials Research: Part B - Applied Biomaterials, 85B, 140-148, 2008.
  6. Eberhardt, A.W., McKee, R.T, Cuckler, J.M., Beck, P.R., Peterson, D.R., Lemons, J.E., “Surface Roughness of CoCr and ZrO2 Femoral Heads with Metallic Transfer: A Retrieval and Wear Simulator Study,” in review, Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, 2008.

Core services include the following: 1) mechanical testing at high (up to 25 kN) and low ( Newton and gram force) levels, 2) impact testing (linear horizontal and drop tower), 3) friction and wear testing, and 4) nanoindentation.

 

Fees

Staff                             $/hour

Eberhardt                    100.00

Engineer                        29.25

Graduate student          12.00

Undergrad. student       10.00

           

Equipment use            $/hour

MTS                               20.00

Drop Tower                   15.00

Via Impactor                  15.00

Orthopod                         5.00

Bose                              25.00

Nanoindenter                 25.00

Computer                        5.00

 

Contact Information

            Director:  Alan W. Eberhardt, PhD
            Email:  aeberhar@uab.edu

            Phone:  205-934-8464

Web Site:  http://cmbd.path.uab.edu/CORES/Experimental%20Biomechanics%20Core.htm

 

 

Approved by:  Alan W. Eberhardt, PhD, Director
Date:  March 20, 2008

 

 

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