Abstract
Bone cement is subjected to multi-axial cyclic loading when used to fixate orthopedic prostheses for joint arthroplasty. In this study, tubular specimens of poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA) bone cement are subjected to internal pressure and cyclic axial loading to ascertain the influence of multi-axial loading on fatigue life. As expected, it was found that the probability of survival of specimens under multi-axial loading was very much reduced relative to specimens loaded uniaxially. Furthermore, the variability of the fatigue life was increased by multi-axial loading. In conclusion, the results point to the importance of characterizing the behavior of bone cements under the multi-axial fatigue experienced in vivo, and of the importance of accounting for the multi-axial stress state when predicting implant longevity.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
H. Malchau and P. Herberts, ‘Prognosis of Total Hip Replacement in Sweden’. Scientific exhibit presented at the 65th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, February 1998, New Orleans, USA.
L. Cristofolini and M. Viceconti, J. Strain Anal. Eng. Design 35 (2000) 21.
A. B. Lennon and P. J. Prendergast, Journal of Biomech. Eng. 123 (2001) 623.
L. D. T. Topoleski, P. Ducheyne and J. M. Cuckler, J. Biomed. Mater. Res. 24 (1990) 135.
M. Jasty, W. J. Maloney, C. R. Bragdon, D. O. O'Connor, T. Haire and W. H. Harris, J. Bone Joint Surg. 73-B (1991) 551.
P. S. Leevers, L. E. Culver and J. C. Radon, Eng. Fract. Mech. 11 (1979) 487.
A. Silvestre, A. Raya, M. FernÁndez-FairÉn, M. Anglada and J. A. Planell, J. Mater. Sci. 25 (1990) 1050.
J. Stolk, ‘A Computerized Pre-clinical Test for Cemented Hip Prostheses Based on Finite Element Techniques’. PhD Thesis, University of Nijmegen, 2003.
P. J. Prendergast, B. P. Murphy and D. Taylor, Fatigue Frac. Eng. Mater. Struct. 25 (2002) 315.
B. P. Murphy and P. J. Prendergast, Int. J. Fatigue 22 (2000) 855.
E. J. Harper and W. Bonfield, J. Biomedi. Mater. Res.: Appl. Biomater. 53 (2000) 605.
G. Lewis, J. Biomed. Mater. Res. 53 (2000) 119.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Murphy, B.P., Prendergast, P.J. Multi-axial fatigue failure of orthopedic bone cement – experiments with tubular specimens. Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Medicine 14, 857–861 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025626508636
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025626508636