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THE UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY Eric Snively A ... - Ohio University

THE UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY Eric Snively A ... - Ohio University

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The analyses of the Gorgosaurus Iibratus metatarsus (Chapter 4) suggest three<br />

lessons for Mure palaeontological applications of the finite element method:<br />

1. Prirnary data from fossils take precedence over other considerations in the<br />

execution of a realistic model and analysis. The G. libratus metatarsus<br />

investigated in this study was remarkably well-preserved and undistorted. This<br />

ensured that digitized and stacked cross sections from CT scans replicated the<br />

metatarsus of the living animal with a high degree of fidelity. In addition, proper<br />

density settings for the CT scans easily resolved the medullary cavities, even<br />

where they were filled in with matrix.<br />

2. Finite element analysis can be informative using meshes of moderate<br />

resolution, but meshes with larger numbers of elements are both desirable and<br />

practical. Generally, a mesh with more elements will result in a more realistic<br />

assessrnent of strain distribution, because the elements are smaller. Short<br />

lengths of element edges potentially present shorter moment arms for impinging<br />

stresses. In a mesh of a 50 cm bon8 consisting of 2200 elements, the large size<br />

of some tetrahedral edges resulted in identifiable artiiacts (see Results, Chapter<br />

4). These undesirable results are avoidable. The proœssing power of modem<br />

computers allows for rapid solution of stiffness matrix equations, even with very<br />

large file sizes (represented by large numbers of elements). The construction and<br />

solution of equations for a tetrahedral mesh of the combined metatarsus, with<br />

approximately 8000 elements, took less than one minute.<br />

3. Strain results fram static analyses of bones c;tn elucidate the funcüon of<br />

associated ligaments. If the tyrannosaurid MT III was not suspended elastically

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