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Index of Diseases and Conditions: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Fractures

A fracture is a break, usually in a bone. If the broken bone punctures the skin, it is called an open or compound fracture. Fractures commonly happen because of car accidents, falls or sports injuries. Another cause is osteoporosis, which causes weakening of the bones. Overuse can cause stress fractures, which are very small cracks in the bone.

Symptoms of a fracture are

You need to get medical care right away for any fracture. You may need to wear a cast or splint. Sometimes you need surgery to put in plates, pins or screws to keep the bone in place.

Fracture on Wikipedia

A '''fracture''' is the separation of a body into two, or more, pieces under the action of stress (physics). The word ''fracture'' is often applied to bones of living creatures, or to crystals or crystalline materials, such as gemstones or metal. Sometimes, in crystalline materials, individual crystals fracture without the body actually separating into two or more pieces. Depending on the substance which is fractured, a fracture reduces strength of materials (most substances) or inhibits transmission (telecommunications) of light (optical crystals). A detailed understanding of how fracture occurs in materials requires the study of fracture mechanics.

Types of fracture

The fracture and fracture mechanics deal with the behavior of existing cracks under external loading. Such cracks can be internal defects when the structures or materials were manufactured, or arise from other causes during service such as fatigue, corrosion, etc. In fact, the most commonly used method to initiate a crack in standard fracture mechanics test procedure is to fatigue the specimen. The essence of fracture is the high stress concentration at the crack tip, due to severe geometry discontinuity. If the crack tip is assumed to be infinite sharp as converging to a point, the elasticity theory gives singular solution at that point. The solution predicts the stress at any point near the crack tip is proportional to the inverse of the distance from this point to the crack tip. When the distance approaches zero, the stress approaches infinite. In reality, such infinite stress obviously can not happen, but instead, the high stress causes irreversible damage around crack tip that prevents stress from increasing beyond certain limit. Two mechanisms are generally considered as the irreversible damage: the breaking of atomic or molecular bonds to form a new surface and the irreversible deformation of the material (without forming ...   [ Read More ]

External Resources

Charles' Lost Kartoon Page - Pictures, information and links for such cartoons as Hoppity Hopper, Here Comes the Grump, Fractured Fairy Tales, Cool Cat, and Krazy Kat. Also includes video trade/sell/wanted list pages.

The Urban Fracture - Fan site includes history, discography, images, articles and interviews, and a personal collection of SP memorabilia.

Wanted: 54 Seconds - News, biography, photographs, MP3 downloads, live show reviews, graphics, trivia, fractured fairytales, flash movie, and links.

Thumbtack Smoothie - Electronic music producer /composer from San Francisco creating textured digi-dementia experimental electronic / IDM soundscapes surreal robotic lullaby textures atonal washes of delirium fractured melodies of all shapes and sizes.

Richardson, Henry - Specializes in abstract fractured glass sculptures for public or private spaces.

Cleft - Weekly single panel toons from a seriously fractured mind. By Rene Baur.

Fractured Atlas - A national non-profit artist service organization providing a comprehensive range of support services for the independent arts community such as health insurance, publicity, grants, and consulting.

Clark, Thomas - Website of Infinite Possibilities - A Scot's fractured take on life, poetry, philosophy, and playing for the world's worst football team. Includes a guestbook.

Smith, R. Francis - Stress Fracture - A techie, writer, preacher, and parent in his thirties shares his thoughts and emotions. Also includes a writing and sketch portfolio.

Fractured Bonds - Claudia Niemeyer, a foster mother of 32 years relates stories of children in the foster care system.

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