Andy Yew

Dr Andy Yew
Senior Research Fellow,
Division of Musculoskeletal Sciences,
Singapore General Hospital

Dr Andy Yew is a Senior Research Fellow with the Division of Musculoskeletal Sciences at Singapore General Hospital and an Adjunct Associate Professor at Duke-NUS. He obtained his PhD in Mechanical Engineering in 2004 with his study on contact mechanics and lubrication study of metal-on-metal hip implants. 

His main research interests include biomechanics, finite element analysis (FEA), and orthopaedic innovation. For biomechanics, Dr Yew is involved in motion analysis studies related to orthopaedic conditions and its respective treatment such as gait analysis before and after TKA, as well as mechanical strength characterisation of surgical repair techniques using experimental testing. 

Apart from laboratory and experimental testing, Dr Yew also participates in projects that utilise finite element modelling and analysis to investigate mechanical stress and strain as well as contact mechanics in bone-implant construct models. 

From his research experience and close collaborations with clinicians and research partners, he dabbles in orthopaedic innovations such as wearables, new implant designs or surgical tools and technology. 

Presentation Synopsis
HE 2 - Use of Computer Modelling and Finite Element Analyses in Orthopaedic Biomechanics Research
Partial differential equations in real-life problems that cannot be resolved analytically are solved using the finite element method (FEM), a numerical and approximation technique. Between the 1950s and 1970s, FEM was first created to address intricate elasticity and structural analysis issues in civil and aeronautical engineering.

Since then, biomechanics researchers have embraced and extensively used it. In FEM, a constructed mesh or nodes and elements are used to subdivide a huge system into smaller components known as finite elements. FEM approximates a solution from the prescribed pertinent material properties and application of the necessary loads and boundary conditions to the mesh. Therefore, finite element analysis (FEA) is another name for the process of studying or analysing a phenomenon using FEM. FEA is widely utilised in biomechanics research to forecast the mechanical stress and strain behaviour of a joint or the implantation of a prosthesis into the bone. The general procedures for developing a FE model for an orthopedic biomechanics investigation are briefly described. Some of the benefits and challenges in FEA are provided. Finally, some of the prospective contributions of FEA application to the advancement of biomechanics and orthopedic research are also examined.

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