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Failure Analysis of a Stainless Steel Hip Implant

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Abstract

A failure analysis of a stainless steel 316L double-tapered cemented femoral stem hip implant was performed. Fractography, visual observations, material characterization, and morphology analysis were carried out to confirm fatigue as the failure mechanism. A surface defect/imperfection on the upper part of the stem’s neck, in the form of an indentation, was most likely the initiation site for fatigue to develop downward the neck of the stem, in the transversal direction. The observed beach marks pattern suggests low-cycle loads most likely caused the failure, where two distinct regions: “smooth” and “rough”, which developed slowly and more rapidly, respectively, were identified. From this study, it is convincingly clear the need to ensure proper design and quality control of medical replacement implants during manufacturing. Designing new SS hip implants with larger stem neck’s diameters and guaranteeing having an implant’s finish as polished as possible will definitely minimize premature failures associated with fatigue that can cause discomfort and pain and have potentially health degrading consequences.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the support of David Hinds of the Department of Physics of the University of the West Indies in performing this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of St. Thomas, Houston, TX, USA

    Andres Marquez

  2. Clinical Surgical Sciences Department, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago

    M. Mencia

  3. Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering Department, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago

    C. Maharaj

Authors
  1. Andres Marquez
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  2. M. Mencia
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  3. C. Maharaj
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Correspondence to Andres Marquez.

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Marquez, A., Mencia, M. & Maharaj, C. Failure Analysis of a Stainless Steel Hip Implant. J Fail. Anal. and Preven. 23, 846–852 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11668-023-01622-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11668-023-01622-x

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