Abstract
A realistic three-dimensional finite element model of the proximal femur requires the use of irregularly shaped elements to represent this geometry, unless the geometry is considerably simplified. The authors have investigated the influence of different types of element distortions upon the accuracy of two stresses which are relevant in the proximal femur: the bending stress and the tangential (hoop) stress. While most angular and geometric distortions did not influence the bending stress significantly, the position of the middle node on the edge of a quadratic element was very critical, as were some types of element skewness. The hoop stresses can only be calculated accurately if the geometry is modelled as well as possible by a cylinder, and not by a cone.
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