2.2. The Experimental Part of the Research
FTN
The experimental part of the research was conducted at the Faculty of Technical Sciences (FTN) in Novi Sad, at the Department of Production Engineering. The testing was performed on a mechanical testing machine (WPM-Rauenstein, Universal Testing Machine, Leipzig, Germany). The experimental material consisted of 10 pairs of fresh porcine bone-tendon-bone grafts (To ensure uniformity and consistent results across all specimens, the following precautions were taken:Selection Criteria: Only grafts that met a predetermined size and weight range were selected for the study. This ensured that the anatomical variances were minimal.Graft Preparation: A standardized protocol was employed for graft extraction, storage, and preparation, ensuring consistent anatomical and physiological conditions across the grafts.Tubularization Process: The technique for tubularizing the tendon with sutures was standardized. A specific type, size, and pattern of sutures were used, and the same number of turns and knots was applied to each graft. This protocol ensured that each tendon achieved a consistent cylindrical shape and size.For each graft pair, one was modified using the above suture technique to convert the tendon into a cylindrical structure. The grafts were then positioned uniformly for testing. Specifically, the bone segment was set in the graft holder right up to the junction between the bone and tendon sections. This precise positioning was consistently employed throughout all tests on the mechanical tensile tester (Testing was done to determine the force required for the modified graft to mechanically tear, expressed in N/mm